Lessons of Innovation I Learned from Somali Pirate

Have you heard of the misfits ?

Even if you do not know, chances are you will. By definition, misfits are misfits, those with behaviors and attitudes that differentiate them in an almost uncomfortable way. They are usually regarded with skepticism and suspicion, simply because they refuse to obey the social order.

Although marginalized, around the world there are misfits innovating more creative ways and with better results than today's large companies - the same ones that have lots of money and scary teams working 24/7 at your disposal.

The misfits are often framed in an Outlaw archetype: not necessarily the villains, but the misfit anti-heroes. They are romantic figures, ready to subvert a society that succumbed to repression, conformism or cynicism.They are people from whom one does not expect much, but who present the gift of radical freedom and revolution over what no longer works.

These groups of misfits know very well that autonomy develops trust, commitment, and the emergence of collective purposes. Loyalty, commitment, and the sense of ownership that exist in subversive organizations are impressive - and this is because of their self-regulating nature.

Think about the great innovators in the world. Who are they?Henry Ford? Thomas Edson? Steve Jobs?

Yes.

But of them, everyone speaks.

What about the B side of this reality? And what about innovation hiding on pirate ships, hacking collectives, the crowded streets of Shenzhen, or the Amish farms of camel milk dealers?

Henry Ford, Thomas Edson and Steve Jobs have also been considered points off the curve.

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can not do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are theones who do. "Steve Jobs

It's beautiful.

But it's not easy to differentiate a 15-year-old visionary from a high school dropout.

Trying to simplify people, visions, and movements to a few restrictive traits is a historical mistake - but eventually this may help us to better understand some complex behaviors.

In the book The Misfit Economy , Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips present particularities that unite the great marginalized innovators. The following are five attitudes that can awaken your inner misfit.

Have a good time. With big powers come big responsabilities.

1. Hustling : of free translation, this term can be understood as agitation, tumult, cheating or conviction. Historically the world understandshustlers as energetic people, invariably involved with fraud or marginalized processes. In a new definition, the term gains the idea of ​​creating something from nothing. To move fast. To actively shape new chances, rather than waiting for them to come to you. From dirtying your hands, working hard, being resilient and daring. It means being resourceful, frugal, and guided by opportunities - it  means learning to do a lot with little, to guide your own destiny. A flexible mindset allows you to move from one sphere to another, lending and implementing new perspectives that no one has ever considered.
   
2. Copy : In China, entrepreneurs have the custom of stealing ideas in a process called shanzai : the well-known activity of pirating or imitating brands and products. But this initiative involves more than simply reproducing products that already exist. The shanzai cares abouttailoring them to the target audience. While some argue that the practice is pure intellectual theft in disguise, others raise an important issue about adapting technologies to local markets and low-income consumers.The misfit economy does not advocate the theft of intellectual property, but believes that copying can be beneficial and promote innovation. So what can you learn from it? It has long been heard about how imitators are natural competitors and favor the economy, breaking the monopolies and ensuring innovation. Take the Ford production line, the Internet, the Gutemberg press as an example: none of these innovations happened in isolation. Innovations in the misfit economy often mean building on what already exists.
   
3. Hacking : The biggest motivation of the hacking movement is almost always pointed to as a mixture between the feelings of solving a complex puzzle, the fundamental skepticism towards authorities and the certainty that all information must be free: hackers faithfully believe indismantling Things in order to understand them. The movement has some great figures like Sam Roberts and Aaron Swartz, but has been gaining a different connotation over the years. The characteristics associated with the hacker movement tend to create expectations about a new way of working, especially as this environment is pioneering the many principles currently associated with organizational culture: problem-based work, a culture of transparency, accountability and reputation - based on permission to Seek new opportunities. In misfiteconomics , the principle of hacking is to dominate an organization and make it the best it can be.
   
4. Provocation : this is perhaps the preferred activity of the human being: to awaken feelings, desires or actions. In the reality of the misfits , the provocation is about leaving the world we know, imagining something different, subverting the usual way of doing business and seeing new possibilities. The principle of provocation is not to have all the answers (or any answer, in fact), but to create the conditions for new debates, to challenge orthodoxies, to encourage alternatives. Finally, provocation is essential if one is to learn to question the status quo. Great provocateurs like Helena Wright, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, Jane Austen and Rosa Parks can make generations believe in different versions of the world - simply because they have the audacity to imagine a different world.
   
5. Pivoting : It is quite common to talk about the strategic pivotal of startups or organizations. But when we think of the meaning of this term for the reality of misfits , the relationship is with personal pivots:experiencing dramatic changes that encourage people to pursue greater fulfillment and inspiration in life. This means having the courage to take a new path even if doubts, pressures or resistance arise;Implies a will to completely transform the sense of self-knowledge - as it did with Alice's journey to Wonderland or Dorothy's journey down the yellow brick road.

Like any group that defies the current order, markets and mismatched economies are still finding the strength to structure themselves. Some societies and ideas-such as camel-milk farmers, the belief in extraterrestrials, and the proposal for a gas pipeline connecting prisons and the world of venture capital-try little by little to gain space and destroy conceptions we inherited from the time of the Industrial Revolution.

But the forecasts are optimistic. Increasingly, a world emerges that feeds the unconventional and opens up space for different views on traditional issues.

This may be a story about innovation that began in the most unexpected places.