Evolution is killing innovation!
Cognitive biases. All humans have them. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that have evolved in our brains and shape our judgment of the world. You may not recognize them, but you’ve seen them in action: the manager who’s afraid to try a new process; a researcher who unconsciously discounts data to confirm what he thinks he knows; the team of like-minded colleagues who want to enact change but find themselves unable to do so without understanding why.
While these instinctive biases served us extremely well in our evolutionary history as we ran from predators, in the world of modern business they keep us from reaching our full potential, they impede innovation, and they stunt business growth.
Created by expert innovators, Outsmart Your Instincts cleverly merges behavioral science with business savvy. The authors’ trademarked Behavioral Innovation model examines eight unique biases in depth (Negativity Bias, Conformity Bias, and the Curse of Knowledge among them) and shows us how we can overcome these barriers and break from the status quo.
With clever, thought-provoking activities, accessible writing, and easy-to-follow advice, Outsmart Your Instincts shows us how and why we think the way we do. Then—we can unlearn what we think we know. Once we outthink ourselves, our brains will make it easy to outthink the competition and become the smartest innovators in the jungle.
Beth Storz
President, Innovation Process Facilitator
Giving clients the freedom to explore all the possibilities for their business is one of the reasons Beth Storz loves her job. As president of Ideas To Go, she strives to challenge assumptions and affect change to take clients to the next level, and as a facilitator she helps them bring together all the best ideas to create a great recipe for success. Beth is passionate about recognizing everything people have to offer, then helping them live up to their potential—so, in the end, they can be more innovative
Beth attended Cornell University where she received a degree in Business Management, and completed her MBA at the New York University Stern School of Business. Beth has nine years brand management experience at some of the premier consumer packaged goods companies including Unilever, Kraft, and Nabisco. Her experience ranges from managing large flagship brands to smaller strategic portfolios, health and wellness, and innovation. She also has two years of consumer banking experience with Citibank. She attended the Creative Problem Solving Institute for facilitator training, and received focus group moderator training at the RIVA Institute. Outside of work, Beth loves to garden, sing, cook, and crochet, and can readily combine any of the above.
Adam Hansen
VP Innovation
Adam counts himself fortunate to have enjoyed his entire career in innovation, with the first half of his career spent working on the client side with innovative companies such as Mars and American Harvest, and joining Ideas To Go in 2001.
Adam received his MBA in product management at Indiana University in 1989, where he first saw the potential of a career in innovation while taking Professor Tom Hustad’s new product development course. Adam served as VP, Association Development, for the Product Development & Management Association from 2002 to 2004, and volunteers as an innovation strategy expert with select causes and organizations in education and health care.
Outside his work, Adam enjoys his family, music, and the woods surrounding his home in northwestern NJ.
Ed Harrington, CEO and Creative Process Advisor
Ed has spent over twenty-five years facilitating ideation and concept development sessions for Fortune 100 companies. He is dedicated to continuously finding impactful ways to uncover insights and generate new ideas for products, services and communications. His particular specialty is in facilitated co-creation sessions where clients collaborate with consumers and customers. Ed believes that, short of the Mona Lisa, anything can be improved.
After receiving his graduate degree from Yale University, Ed cut his teeth as a brand and marketing leader at Proctor & Gamble. He is an Advisory Board Member of the Yale Center for Customer Insights, which gives him exposure to the latest research and methodologies for finding customer insights. Other than pondering new ways to unearth insights and create new ideas, you may also find Ed at his family’s cottage in New Hampshire, where he enjoys photography, nature walks, and relaxing, and getting together with one or more of his eight siblings.
