Creativity Central [Marty Baker]

Occasionally, and well out of earshot of homeowners who've been financially and emotionally bitten by them, I have developed a modicum of compassion for the much-maligned termite.  They are a paradox of nature. They are strong enough to eat a house, but their bodies are soft, delicate and prone to drying out.

And soldiers, whose sole job is to defend the colony, can't even feed themselves. Termites develop wings so they can leave the colony and find a new home, helping the termite population grow. But winged termites are terrible flyers, and most don't survive the journey.

But here's a fact that tossed a wet dose of Mennen Skin Bracer reality into my tender streak.  Termites do more damage than all fires, hurricanes and tornadoes combined.  

There are about 3,000 termite species living in the most temperate parts of the world.  But I want to talk about the termites who build mounds and an architect named Mick Pearce.  A few months ago, I had the opportunity to listen to  Frans Johansson, author of the Medici Effect talk about innovation and the termite saga is one of his favorite stories.

Pearce accepted a tough challenge from Old Mutual, an insurance and real estate conglomerate:  Build an attractive, functioning office building that uses no air conditioning.  And do it in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Born in Zimbabwe and trained as an architect in London, Pearce was uniquely prepared for the challenge.  He achieved it by basing his architectural designs on how termites cool their tower-like mounds of mud and dirt.

Termites must keep the internal temperature in their mounds at a constant 87 degrees to grow an essential fungus.  Which is no small task considering that temperatures on the African plains can range from over 100 degrees by day to below 40 in the evening.  

The termites manage it by directing breezes at the base of the mound into chambers with cool, wet mud and then redirecting the cooled air to the peak.  By continually building new vents and closing old ones, the termites can regulate the temperature very efficiently.

The result of Pearce's insight into termite ecosystems and his knowledge of architecture was an office complex called Eastgate. It is the largest commercial/retail complex in Zimbabwe. It maintains a steady temperature of 73 to 77 degrees and uses less than 10% of the energy consumed other buildings its size. 

Old Mutual saved 3.5 million dollars immediately because they did not have to install air conditioning.  Eastgate ultimately became a reference point for architects and Mick Pearce earned a reputation as a groundbreaking innovator.

Johansson calls Pearce's innovation the result of the Intersection. "When you step into the intersection of fields, disciplines or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary ideas."

While Johansson observation isn't a new idea to innovators, he was able to reinforce and promote the idea that that we need to make a conscious effort to break down silos of thinking and expose ourselves to a variety of diverse input.  

Do you feel your organization or institution is too insular?  How diverse is your collective thinking?  What steps can you take to create more intersectional thinking?  When you feel a compassionate urge, ask a termite.

Here's a link to a Johansson talk in Providence about risk taking and creativity:

http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/innovationstorystudio/bif4fjohansson.php