What can we learn from French chefs about getting buy-in for innovative ideas? Actually, quite a lot.
Pan-fried salmon is nearly a staple in most restaurants today. In fact, the dish—pan-fried salmon with sorrel sauce—created a hotbed of controversy in French cooking in the 1970s when first served by the legendary Troisgros brothers at their Michelin-starred restaurant.
During that time, a group of French chefs including the Troisgros brothers began a period of category crossing that led to the creation of the now widely popular “nouvelle” cuisine. How did they do it? By connecting elements from classical cuisine with the new cooking styles to establish a new gastronomic identity.
It wasn’t easy—initially, the chefs that blended elements from classical and nouvelle cuisine were rated more harshly by Guide Michelin critics. However, eventually critics accepted this gastronomic “bricolage” and new gastronomic style was born.
How bricolage helps buy-in
A team of researchers from Stanford, EM Lyon, HEC Paris, led by Hayagreeva Rao found that successful chefs were not the ones that simply produced dishes in both categories, but those that selectively integrated elements of the new style into their old style cuisine. By building off established techniques, the chefs were able to use the existing approach to entice diners to the new cuisine.
Celebrated chef and restaurateur Daniel Boloud and culinary guru Dorie Greenspan write that the Troisgros’ salmon and sorrel dish became a touchstone that truly marked that passage from classical to nouvelle cuisine. They argue that the manner in which the brothers chose elements from classical cooking and blended them in new ways was the key to their success. They explain, “The components of the dish were not the newsmakers—they’d been used singly and in combination for years by chefs in France.” Building on the classical foundation and innovating from it, “It was the way in which the salmon was cooked and the manner in which the plate was arranged that rocked the culinary establishment.”
Bizarre (and connected) is better
The idea that customers and critics will be more accepting of new ideas if they are linked to familiar ones has been embraced by British chef, Heston Blumenthal. His innovative combinations like salmon and licorice have earned him accolades – and three Michelin stars - for his restaurant, The Fat Duck, where the kitchen looks like a chemistry lab. Blumenthal’s take on modern cuisine is built on the idea that novel, atypical category combinations can work, especially when they are connected to things that are familiar (both salmon and licorice have roots in Dutch cuisine).
In research sponsored by Northwestern University Institute on Complex Systems Brian Uzzi and his team analyzed 17.9 million academic papers to uncover what kind of work leads to the greatest scientific impact, and found that the most impactful work had both high novelty and conventionality. In other words, it made unusual combinations of ideas but was also critically grounded in the foundations of existing work.
Pan-fried salmon is nearly a staple in most restaurants today. In fact, the dish—pan-fried salmon with sorrel sauce—created a hotbed of controversy in French cooking in the 1970s when first served by the legendary Troisgros brothers at their Michelin-starred restaurant.
During that time, a group of French chefs including the Troisgros brothers began a period of category crossing that led to the creation of the now widely popular “nouvelle” cuisine. How did they do it? By connecting elements from classical cuisine with the new cooking styles to establish a new gastronomic identity.
It wasn’t easy—initially, the chefs that blended elements from classical and nouvelle cuisine were rated more harshly by Guide Michelin critics. However, eventually critics accepted this gastronomic “bricolage” and new gastronomic style was born.
How bricolage helps buy-in
A team of researchers from Stanford, EM Lyon, HEC Paris, led by Hayagreeva Rao found that successful chefs were not the ones that simply produced dishes in both categories, but those that selectively integrated elements of the new style into their old style cuisine. By building off established techniques, the chefs were able to use the existing approach to entice diners to the new cuisine.
Celebrated chef and restaurateur Daniel Boloud and culinary guru Dorie Greenspan write that the Troisgros’ salmon and sorrel dish became a touchstone that truly marked that passage from classical to nouvelle cuisine. They argue that the manner in which the brothers chose elements from classical cooking and blended them in new ways was the key to their success. They explain, “The components of the dish were not the newsmakers—they’d been used singly and in combination for years by chefs in France.” Building on the classical foundation and innovating from it, “It was the way in which the salmon was cooked and the manner in which the plate was arranged that rocked the culinary establishment.”
Bizarre (and connected) is better
The idea that customers and critics will be more accepting of new ideas if they are linked to familiar ones has been embraced by British chef, Heston Blumenthal. His innovative combinations like salmon and licorice have earned him accolades – and three Michelin stars - for his restaurant, The Fat Duck, where the kitchen looks like a chemistry lab. Blumenthal’s take on modern cuisine is built on the idea that novel, atypical category combinations can work, especially when they are connected to things that are familiar (both salmon and licorice have roots in Dutch cuisine).
In research sponsored by Northwestern University Institute on Complex Systems Brian Uzzi and his team analyzed 17.9 million academic papers to uncover what kind of work leads to the greatest scientific impact, and found that the most impactful work had both high novelty and conventionality. In other words, it made unusual combinations of ideas but was also critically grounded in the foundations of existing work.
This has important implications for getting buy-in of new ideas. For an innovative, groundbreaking idea to be accepted, it’s essential to present the idea in the context of prior work. By linking the old ideas to new ones, audiences will be more receptive and have a better understanding of the new concept. Without the connections, a new idea is likely to be rejected out of hand.
Our love-hate relationship with creative ideas
Why does this occur? Surprisingly, research at Wharton, UNC, Cornell by Jennifer S. Mueller and colleagues, has shown that human beings actually have a subtle bias against creativity. Somewhat paradoxically, even when people say that they desire creative, exciting ideas, in fact, they tend to shy away from them especially faced with uncertainty. In a recent research study, study subjects who believed they were open to creative ideas evaluated creative ideas negatively if they were put in an uncertain situation.
What results like these teach us is that people do have a strong desire for creativity and innovation. However, in order to gain their buy-in for novel ideas, it’s important to connect the new ideas to the accepted ones when presenting them. By linking the old with the new, innovations don’t appear as a fad or a flash in the pan (no pun intended), but can be understood as important building blocks in the continuing progress of our ideas.
Creativity is connecting things
Steve Jobs, in describing the generation of novel ideas, is famously quoted as saying, "Creativity is just connecting things." The lessons from the French chefs and the rise of nouvelle cuisine tell us that generating the ideas is only part of the innovation process. We need to communicate the connections, not only the ideas, for others to accept them.
Photo* – Edison Light Globes
At Vimodi, we are developing technology that helps users have a more engaging, responsive and effective visual discussions and dialogues. Vimodi enables visual mobile discussions for better engagement, motivation, and creativity in meetings and daily communication. Try Vimodi App.
Our love-hate relationship with creative ideas
Why does this occur? Surprisingly, research at Wharton, UNC, Cornell by Jennifer S. Mueller and colleagues, has shown that human beings actually have a subtle bias against creativity. Somewhat paradoxically, even when people say that they desire creative, exciting ideas, in fact, they tend to shy away from them especially faced with uncertainty. In a recent research study, study subjects who believed they were open to creative ideas evaluated creative ideas negatively if they were put in an uncertain situation.
What results like these teach us is that people do have a strong desire for creativity and innovation. However, in order to gain their buy-in for novel ideas, it’s important to connect the new ideas to the accepted ones when presenting them. By linking the old with the new, innovations don’t appear as a fad or a flash in the pan (no pun intended), but can be understood as important building blocks in the continuing progress of our ideas.
Creativity is connecting things
Steve Jobs, in describing the generation of novel ideas, is famously quoted as saying, "Creativity is just connecting things." The lessons from the French chefs and the rise of nouvelle cuisine tell us that generating the ideas is only part of the innovation process. We need to communicate the connections, not only the ideas, for others to accept them.
Photo* – Edison Light Globes
At Vimodi, we are developing technology that helps users have a more engaging, responsive and effective visual discussions and dialogues. Vimodi enables visual mobile discussions for better engagement, motivation, and creativity in meetings and daily communication. Try Vimodi App.