The principle of Strong Oxidants is usually applied as follows:
1. Replace common air with oxygen-enriched air.
a. i.e. Scuba diving with Nitrox or other non-air mixtures for extended endurance
2. Replace enriched air with pure oxygen.
a. i.e. Cut at a higher temperature using an oxy-acetylene torch
3. Use ionized oxygen
a. i.e. Ionize air to trap pollutants in an air cleaner
4. Replace ozonized or ionized oxygen with ozone.
a. i.e. Speed up chemical reactions by ionizing the gas before use
Strong Oxidants essentially relates to increasing or decreasing the concentration of oxygen in an environment. This lens can be applied especially liberally, and does not necessarily have to relate to the element of oxygen.
Spark Your Creativity
Instead, consider oxygen as an initiative or spark that changes the environment.
A student in my class once asked if I was a gamer or if I knew anything about game-theory training and the ways gamers design games. Although I know almost nothing about the topic, his theory was fascinating because there’s a great deal of similarity between game design and Strong Oxidants. The programmer has to make the game interesting to keep players interested in playing to the next level. They also have to make the game challenging enough to keep the player’s attention; however, the game can’t be too challenging or players will give up and stop playing. There has to be an oxidizing “spark” that keeps players intrigued or else the game will fail.
Guest speakers, seminars, and conferences can also be a strong oxidant. Sending employees off to a convention can spark creativity and drastically change the work environment.
The jester from ancient times is also an example of a Strong Oxidant. The jester’s primary role was that of a comedian, but the jester was also a war consultant to the king. In fact, the jester was the only person who was allowed to argue with the generals in front of the king. The generals could come up with a big master plan of how to attack the enemy, only for the jester to laugh and say, “Let’s just not show up for a few months and let the soldiers starve to death.” (By the way, that plan has actually been used to great success several times throughout history.) The jester was an oxidant because he was allowed to come in and mix things up and tell people that their plan was crazy.
How can you spark creativity and innovation in your business?
