Breaking the patterns for innovation

Patterns are comfortable and familiar, but can limit creativity and innovation by influencing the way people think and work. While patterns themselves aren't wrong, they can create issues when they become ingrained and govern decision-making. To innovate, people must break out of their existing patterns and either create new ones or modify existing ones. Good innovators understand existing patterns, promote solutions that safely port people to new solutions, and are willing to step out of their own patterns. In addition, innovators may need processes and tools to help them break out of existing patterns so they can work in a new space.