Brain Blink: Chimpanzees kill ideas

According to Matt Ridley, author of various books on evolution, genetics and society, what separates us from our distant cousins, the chimpanzees, and other species in the Animal Kingdom, is “the ability to exchange ideas.”

While some chimpanzees learn innovative food-gathering techniques from their parents – such as using rocks to crack nuts and using twigs to fish for termites – they never share those innovative methods outside their own group. That means the techniques never become part of the chimpanzee culture as a whole. Ridley likens this to countries that choose to remove themselves from the global community and are negatively impacted by the self-imposed isolation. "Compare South Korea to North Korea," Ridley explains.

What are you doing to foster the exchange of ideas within your group? Before your next meeting, handout white index cards to everyone. Ask each person to anonymously write down the one main thing they do that makes them better at their job. Mix all of the cards together at the meeting and then read them aloud. (The tips should be specific rather than general, e.g. "Each morning before work I try to read three different newspapers.")

Special thanks to Andrew Escott, CW/London for contributing to this week's Brain Blink.

A Brain Blinks is a bite-sized, but always bold, insight, idea or new perspective into the creative process that for years were enjoyed only within Cohn & Wolfe, but have now been made public for the world to see and draw inspiration from. They are our contribution to the people, places and things that continue to inspire us every day.