David Kelley often describes the challenge of problem solving in organizations by saying, "Fish don't know they're wet."

This is a somewhat haiku-istic (5 syllables, even!) way of saying that we become oblivious to the basic realities that affect us. This is especially important to acknowledge when we are trying to generate novel solutions, as cognitive biases can create associative barriers that limit ideational potential. If that previous sentence was slightly difficult to understand, then 1) I'm sorry, that's not cool, 2) I'll try to elaborate more at some point, but if you're curious you can learn more about the phenomenon in the classic "Lateral Thinking," or the more recent and very enjoyable "Medici Effect," and 3) definitely don't read the research paper from which the following was taken:

"The cognitive set effect refers to the fact that once people learn a method for solving a problem, they apply that solution to other problems, just as when someone with a hammer continues to see nails. Sounds rational, right? Well, using previously learned solutions is rational if future problems are indeed replicas of old problems. However, this is often not the case. In this sense, people can get in a rut and often not see solutions that are readily obvious to the person who has not been exposed to prior solutions. What is the key to breaking the cognitive set? As strange as it sounds, encountering failure or obstacles can prompt problem solvers to put down their hammers and start examining other potential solutions." (From "The Social Psychology of Design Thinking," an insightful yet tough-going read on the implications of social psychology research on innovation endeavors.)

What's cool about this is, not only does experimentation drive ideation, as I recently mentioned in my post about Steve Martin's stand-up routine, but failure uniquely does, as it helps to break the cognitive set, or reveal potentially erroneous problem framing. It helps show the fish (us) they're wet (our un-acknowledged assumptions).

If you'd like to learn more about breaking perceptual barriers, I'd recommend my friend Beau Lotto's fantastic "Deviate".

If you'd like to read a fantastic chapter on failure more generally, including a fascinating look at how it's a cornerstone of Second City's comic development process, check out the excellent "Smartcuts".

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