Innovation through fiction

Literature, with its stories, and imaginative and philosophical ideas, plays an important role in enhancing human creativity and opening up new horizons for thinking. In this article, we will learn how to employ storytelling in the innovation process and how Jeff Bezos used it as a daily innovative practice that helped build new products and solutions at Amazon.

Literary works are often a source of inspiration, as they can be used to generate new ideas or alternative models for solving problems. Science fiction stories set in space, for example, have presented ideas about the future and technological innovations that later became reality, such as:

• ChatGPT: In the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, there was an artificial intelligence device called HAL that could talk to humans and manage various tasks, similar to current smart assistants like ChatGPT.

• Wearables: Technologies such as watches, glasses, and headphones have been used in science fiction movies in the past. The first appearance of the idea of ​​a smartwatch was in 1962 in the James Bond movie Dr. No. It was used to communicate and provide information similar to the idea of ​​smart watches used today.

• 3D Printers: First appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1974 and were called Replicators that could produce anything from food to tools on demand, similar to the technology used today.

Storytelling as a method of innovation relies on using the story or novel as a method to stimulate creativity and present new ideas. This approach is based on the ability of narrative and storytelling to organize ideas, explain problems, and explore solutions in a way that makes them easier to understand and more relatable to people. Here are some ways in which storytelling enhances innovation:

• Stimulate creativity and imagination: Narratives allow innovators to imagine different futures or new outcomes in ways that are difficult to express in traditional ways such as numbers or tables. Narratives open the door to imagining new scenarios and finding solutions to problems through “what if?” which is the basis of creative thinking.

• Complex ideas explained simply: Narratives help transform complex ideas into easy-to-understand stories, which helps make new ideas relatable to everyone. Instead of using complex technical language, innovation can be presented through a story that connects details to human emotions and experiences.

• Building User Experience: Through narrative, innovators can put themselves in the shoes of end users. This helps build solutions that are more aligned with the actual user needs. For example, when designing a new product, narrative can be used to visualize how people will use it and how it will improve their lives.

• Learning from failure: Narratives enable innovators to reconstruct past failures to analyze and learn from what happened. By analyzing real stories, teams can learn what worked and what didn’t, and then apply those lessons to future innovations.

Jeff Bezos has played a pivotal role in Amazon's success by inventing several narrative-based company management practices, the most important of which is banning the use of PowerPoint slides in meetings because they can oversimplify complex ideas, leading to superficial conversations and poor decision-making. Shift the focus to the Six Pages Memos, where the idea owner is asked to become a writer and formulate his idea creatively, then distribute it to the meeting participants and give them 30 minutes before the actual start to read and analyze the idea. After reading, the group begins to discuss the idea, ask questions, raise concerns, and then make decisions.

Another of Bezos's most famous strategies is "Working Backwards". When a new idea or product is developed at Amazon, a fictional story is first written about the press announcement of this product after its success. The goal is to think about the ideal outcome from the beginning, and work to achieve it. This forces teams to think deeply about the product, what it will look like when it is launched, and how customers will benefit from it. The decision to launch Amazon Prime and AWS was made using narrative writing, and these services are considered among the most successful initiatives launched by the company and have been imitated by many companies later.

Some of the suggested training programs to develop narrative and storytelling skills are:

Storytelling for Impact

Storytelling is a fundamental skill in business, corporate communication, marketing and brand building, helping organizations connect emotionally with their audiences, communicate ideas effectively, and influence change, by combining the art and science of storytelling to achieve professional and organizational impact.

The goal of the Impactful Storytelling Program is to:

• The Power of Stories: Understanding and applying them in different practical contexts.

• Emotional Impact: How stories create connection and influence.

• Building Stories in Business: Marketing, Branding and Communication.

• Understanding Your Audience: How to Craft Meaningful and Engaging Stories for Your Audience.

• Communication Skills Techniques: How to Tell Stories with Confidence and Authenticity.

• Digital Storytelling: How to Use Data Analytics to Build Powerful Stories.

Innovative practical applications:

Participants in the program simulate a talk show podcast by learning how to build a story that will engage listeners and stay in their minds for as long as possible!

I am pleased to provide consultations in the field of building training and innovation development programs or designing and implementing skills development programs dedicated to different business sectors in line with the vision and goals of your organization. You can submit your consultation request here :