Necessity of Strangers

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Personal  Creativity  Reflection  
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Necessity of Strangers
The  Necessity  of  Strangers  exercise  was  a  very  interesting  experience.  The  point  of  The  Necessity  of  
Strangers  is  the  following  equation:    
𝐡𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 + π‘ƒπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘œπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™  π‘†π‘’𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠
= π‘€β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘  πΌ  π‘Žπ‘™π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘¦  π‘˜π‘›π‘œπ‘€ + π‘šπ‘¦  π‘˜π‘›π‘œπ‘€π‘™π‘’𝑑𝑔𝑒  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘  π‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘  π‘”π‘Žπ‘
+ π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘›π‘”π‘’π‘Ÿ 𝑠 π‘€β„Žπ‘œ  π‘˜π‘›π‘œπ‘€π‘   β„Žπ‘œπ‘€  π‘‘π‘œ  π‘“𝑖𝑙𝑙  π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘  π‘”π‘Žπ‘  
We  are  innately  wired  to  form  groups,  whether  it  is  our  company,  department,  areas  of  knowledge  and  
expertise,  or  closest  friends  and  coconspirators,  we  find  something  that  we  have  in  common  with  a  
person  or  a  group  of  people,  and  we  cling  to  it,  because  the  world  is  a  place  full  of  unfamiliarities.  
However,  we  can  choose  to  change  our  mindset.  We  can  develop  the  openness  in  other  people,  and  in  
ourselves.    

We can choose how we’re wired or how we choose to engage in the world around
us – Alan Gregerman
Innovation,  according  to  Gregerman,  is  the  quest  to  be  different  in  ways  that  matter.  It’s  about  being  
distracted.  We  must  take  these  distractions  and  run  with  them.  Gregerman  also  encouraged  us  to  say  
that  it  is  OK  to  fail.  Failure  is  eminent,  and  it  is  important;  it  is  a  learning  experience.    
Gregerman  also  says  that  we  have  a  lot  to  learn  from  each  other,  collaboration  and  finding  the  right  
people  can  make  all  the  difference  in  the  world.  New  hires  can  make  all  the  difference  in  the  world;  
they  have  new  ideas  and  perspectives,  passion,  and  a  burning  desire  to  prove  themselves.  Gregerman  
tells  us  that  everyone  has  valuable  ideas  to  give,  so  he  tells  us  to  search  for  the  genius  in  everyone.  

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its
whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein
Over  winter  break  I  started  to  read  Alan  Gregerman’s  book,  and  while  I  agreed  with  his  message,  
frankly,  I  was  underwhelmed  at  the  points  he  made.  I  believed  that  strangers  could  help  us  in  the  same  
way  that  IDEO  needed  a  diverse  group  of  people  for  their  ideation  process  –  to  garner  multiple  
perspectives  to  make  the  best  products  possible.  However,  when  I  listened  to  Alan  Gregerman  speak  

Necessity  of  Strangers  ΒŸο‚Ÿ  26  

Personal  Creativity  Reflection  
•  •  •  
before  the  trip  on  Sunday,  I  finally  understood  why  he  was  so  passionate  about  this  concept.  
Gregerman  is  a  geographer  by  training,  but  he  is  currently  president  and  CIO  of  Venture  Works,  a  
prominent  consulting  company.  He  also  an  award-­β€β€‘winning  author  of  three  books.  Gregerman’s  books:    

“Challenge our thinking about people, the world around us, where brilliant ideas
actually come from, and how to reach our full potential as individuals, leaders, and
organizations.”3
People,  or  rather,  strangers  can  help  us  accomplish  what  Jay  
Rodgers  calls  the  Golden  Hour.  The  golden  hour  is  a  concept  
that  stresses  investing  in  experts,  passionate  people,  and  
finding  people  who  are  right  for  the  job.  Reaching  out  to  the  
global  community,  very  similarly  to  the  Necessity  of  Strangers,  
Rogers  explains  that  he  is  able  to  find  solutions  faster  to  his  
problems  using  people  who  are  disaffiliated  from  the  company  
rather  than  engineers  that  were  stumped  with  the  problem.    
So,  the  Necessity  of  Stranger  concept  can  be  applied  to  various  
business  challenges  when  a  company  has  been  stumped  on  a  
problem  for  a  while.  This  does  not  necessarily  have  to  be  
between  companies,  it  can  also  happen  within  companies,  but  between  departments.  Jobs,  and  recently  
many  other  companies,  designed  both  Apple  and  Pixar  campuses  to  accomplish  exactly  that  –  they  are  
designed  to  encourage  superfluous  meeting  spaces  to  create  inspiration  and  collaboration  between  
employees.  Traditionally,  secrets  have  been  kept  because  everyone  is  afraid  that  they  will  not  make  
money  off  of  their  own  ideas,  and  that  they  will  be  ripped  off.  However,  as  proven  by  Strati  and  the  
other  vehicles  produced  by  Local  Motors,  co-­β€β€‘collaboration  is  not  only  effective,  but  it  is  efficient  in  both  
cost  and  time.    
During  the  Team  Learning  Exercise,  I  expected  interactions  with  strangers  to  be  awkward,  but  instead  I  
learned  a  lot  and  realized  that  some  assumptions  I  had  made  about  people  previously  were  wrong.  The  
                                                                                                               
3

 http://www.alangregerman.com/about/  
Necessity  of  Strangers  ΒŸο‚Ÿ  27  

Personal  Creativity  Reflection  
•  •  •  
waiter  at  our  restaurant  was  extremely  knowledgeable  and  insightful  about  Daikaya  and  the  rest  of  the  
industry,  and  it  turned  out  that  he  actually  went  to  the  University  of  Maryland.  Though  we  didn’t  get  
to  visit  Georgetown,  our  group  had  a  wonderful  time  talking  to  the  people  that  we  did  get  a  chance  to  
interact  with.  We  explored  DC,  and  found  places  that  we  had  no  idea  existed.  We  used  several  different  
types  of  transportation  throughout  the  day,  and  saw  some  wonderful  museum  exhibits.  We  were  able  
to  connect  with  other  groups  as  well  on  the  bus  ride  home,  exchanging  our  experiences  throughout  the  
day  and  talking  about  different  things  that  we  saw.      
One  of  the  chapters  in  Necessity  of  Strangers  talks  about  travel.  We  learned  a  lot  about  traveling  during  
our  time  in  DC,  but  I  am  excited  to  take  it  to  the  next  level  this  summer  when  I  study  abroad  in  Spain.  I  
will  definitely  take  the  values  Gregerman  says  to  heart:  
1. Dare  to  Explore  
2. Meet  New  People  
3. Gain  a  Fresh  Perspective  
4. Energize  your  thinking  

On  page  185  of  Gregerman’s  book,  he  tells  us  that  the  Necessity  of  Strangers  toolkit  has  the  things  you  
need  to  stretch  your  thinking.  My  goal  this  semester  has  been  to  do  exactly  that.  Gregerman  advises  his  
readers  to  carry  a  journal  with  them  to  record  their  questions,  observations,  questions,  ideas,  and  
interactions  with  strangers.  I  have  been  journaling  for  my  philosophy  and  practice  of  yoga  class,  and  I  
have  actually  found  that  it  has  been  very  helpful.    
I  did  not  expect  to  be  moved  by  this  experience,  but  I  actually  was.  By  being  forced  to  go  out  of  my  
comfort  zone,  I  am  not  as  intimidated  to  talk  to  others  and  to  ask  for  their  thoughts,  ideas,  and  opinions  
on  things.  This  will  serve  me  well  in  the  medical  field  because  every  day  doctors  consult  with  one  
another  about  treatments  for  patients.  I  cannot  afford  to  be  opposed  to  talking  to  strangers,  especially  if  
someone’s  life  is  on  the  line.  

Collaboration is potential that comes to fruition when everyone’s abilities are
brought together to achieve a bigger purpose than any one person might have
achieved or imagined, on his or her won.

Necessity  of  Strangers  ΒŸο‚Ÿ  28  

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