Exploring Context/Cognition Mutuality

Join SVII in our exploration of Context/Cognition Mutuality. We are seeking to better understand how Context and Cognition impact each other and will be asking for your stories, insights and theories. Stay tuned for more details or contact SVII Chair Howard Lieberman.

Why are we doing this?

Cognition is incredibly important, expressing the line between conscious and unconscious awareness as the primary mechanism by which information enters our minds. As we are far more conscious when we are engaged, and far more engaged what impinges upon us is relevant to us.

Context is also incredibly important as it determines relevancy which we prefer to believe is based upon rational processes but may be be far more emotional than logical. What may be less obvious is extent of the mutuality of context and cognition as they each modulate the other. In other words context impacts cognition but cognition also informs context.

In case you are wondering what this has to do with innovation?

Innovators are Context Activists. They are not necessarily willing to accept the context they find themselves within all of the time. They are often motivated to question conditions as they have the belief that they can change them. Innovators are not passive when it comes to context. They do not ignore it as they have to become great context managers to get any of their innovations adopted. This is a good place to remind us SVII defines Innovation as Applied Insight.

You can not apply insights by being unconscious of conditions and people surrounding you. The best innovators are finely attuned to the micro-gestures of their audiences so they can constantly adjust what they say as a function of who they are addressing in order to increase cognition to the point of being actionable. If you can not make anyone cognizant of your insight it will not likely be adopted and you will not make it as an innovator.