1.
Understanding:
Condensation and Clarity – IDEA DESIGN
SABINE FISCHER
in: "Leadership and Talent Management in a digital World" Logos Verlag Berlin 2013
Hrsg.: Frank Keuper, Mathias M. Hiebeler
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 157
2 Understanding: Condensation and Clarity – IDEA DESIGN ........................................... 157
2.1 Requirements: Ideas Must Be Capable of Everything ................................................. 158
2.2 The D'ARTAGNAN Principle: The Idea of Condensation ............................................ 159
2.3 Quality Assurance for Ideas ......................................................................................... 162
2.3.1 An Idea's Degree of Fulfilment ................................................................................. 162
2.3.2 Creativity and Causality ............................................................................................ 164
2.4 IDEA DESIGN ............................................................................................................... 165

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157
Introduction
Digital leaders are not only top-tier experts in their fields; they also have soft skills in equal
measure, which allow them to successfully navigate their companies through unfamiliar waters. Leadership in digital business poses entirely new questions. How can international teams
be led via digital media? How can employees be motivated in the digital economy? What
does innovation management mean in the digital economy? How does one communicate
expectations in the digital age? What type of leadership communication ensures long-term
company success? How does one create and maintain an orientation toward the future within
working teams? What social and legal responsibilities does a leader or a company have in
digital business?
In contrast to classical hierarchical leadership, today's leadership is subject to constant, dynamic change. Virtuality is one characteristic of modern organisational forms. This demands
not only knowledge of relevant methods, but also their practical application and constant
realignment with one's own behavioural patterns. Strategic thinking, conflict management and
questions of leadership ethics and values are examples of the challenges that may have existed in the past, but without the same need for swift action as we find today.
The three authors of this text are lecturers in the Master study programme “Leadership in
Digital Communication” at the Berlin University of the Arts in cooperation with the University of St. Gallen. They introduce three of the requirements that will be most important in the
digital economy: understanding, storytelling, listening. SABINE FISCHER will begin by deciphering the essence of “idea” and revealing challenges faced when developing understandable
ideas. DIETER GEORG HERBST will explain the enormous potential of storytelling for the digital leader. MARTIN GROTHE will then clarify how important listening is in digital leadership
and how listening can become participation.
2
Understanding: Condensation and Clarity –
IDEA DESIGN
Ideas not understood are lost potential. The exponentially growing amount of information that
dominates our times and makes them successful is also growing in complexity. We approach
it with ever-new ideas. They are the significant commodities of our time. The information
society emerged from these ideas, and – in contrast to earlier ages – we need more and more
of them in order to master the mass of information and the consequences for understanding,
processing, and creating.

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FISCHER/GROTHE/HERBST
The examination of ideas found in the fields of creativity1 and innovation development,2 as
well as in idea3 and innovation management,4 is correspondingly comprehensive. Innumerable and partly very valuable theories, methods and principles have emerged all along the idea
process chain and from innumerable vantage points.
They enable us to develop ideas in an apparently effortless manner. But is everything that we
call an idea really an idea? We are well aware of what is not an idea even if it has been introduced to us as such. An idea exists only if it is perceived as an idea. Perception means understanding in this case. If one doesn't understand an idea, it isn't attributed as an “idea”. We are
talking about the moment in which an idea is expressed - and not understood.
Hundreds of thousands of such promised ideas can be found in companies without being
recognisable as an “idea!” After all, abstracts of business plans often become comprehensible
only when studied intensively. Many a professionalised collection of ideas on the social web
suffers from incomprehensibility. When writing the minutes of idea workshops, the fruits of
the workshop are often known to lead to the question, “What was it we understood as X or
Y?” Ideas are scrapped due to incomprehensibility. Does this make them all worthless?
Ideas are potential values. Discarding bad ideas is a good thing. Discarding ideas because one
doesn't understand them is a bad thing. Ideas not understood are lost potential – for companies, this can be economically disastrous.
IDEA DESIGN, including the D'ARTAGNAN Principle as the ontological key as well as methods
for idea quality control, was developed based on SABINE FISCHER's 2012 dissertation, “The
Contemporary Use of the Term Idea, the Linguistic Shaping of Ideas and their Semantic Optimisation Potential”5 at the European University Viadrina.
2.1
Requirements: Ideas Must Be Capable of Everything
The findings of the three-year research project among creative leaders and students included,
among other things, an immense elasticity in the range of the definition and application of
“idea”. IDEA DESIGN will take these requirements into consideration:

“Idea” must accommodate the open-endedness of its meaning. It is the goal when it is
meant to solve problems; it is the bearer of hope when it is recognised as the solution; it
is remarkable when it is discovered as already implemented.

Ideas must accommodate the wide range of their rhetorical application. They are, as a
look in a random choice of dictionaries affords us, “creative thought”, “conception”, “notion”, “intention”, “plan”, “innovation”, “invention”, “intuition”, “vision”, “solution”,
“archetype”, etc. 6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Vgl. GUILFORD (1959), S. 444 ff., and GLADWELL (2002).
Vgl. BRODBECK (2006) and GESCHKA (2006).
Vgl. ZERFASS (2009).
Vgl. KERKA/DRAGANINSKA-YORDANOVA (2009).
FISCHER (2012).
Vgl. Wortschatzportal der Universität Leipzig (2010).

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
The composition of an idea is changeable in all phases of its development. An idea is that
which is temporarily understood by its owner to be an idea – first vague idea, stupid idea,
tested idea or successfully implemented idea, etc.

Our intuitive seal of approval for ideas is the criterion of the “unexpectedly new” – whether
as the result of an affable evening (“We certainly had some crazy ideas!”), as a business
model (“Brilliant idea – let's turn it into a business!”) or even as “the greatest idea in human history” (the invention of the wheel).

Ideas demand that they be understood immediately as “idea!” The first expectation we
have of an advertised idea is to grasp it ad hoc as “idea!”

Ideas for a broad audience require the knowledge consensus of that broad audience. Examples of successful lectures at idea conferences such as ted.com or the99percent.com
make this clear. To be able to convey the essence of an idea, one usually has to move beyond the concrete realm and relate the core meaning via translations in layman's terms.
Successfully conveyed ideas automatically fulfil these requirements. They form the point of
departure for IDEA DESIGN and its fundamental D`ARTAGNAN Principle.
2.2
The D'ARTAGNAN Principle: The Idea of Condensation
The D'ARTAGNAN Principle7 does not promote the demystification of ideas. Whether big or
small, dazzling, inspirational ideas will always enchant. And yet before they have an effect,
one must attend to their comprehensibility, which, like a good punch line, must touch the
interlocutor. The objective of an idea is to be an idea [sic!].
Cause
is not
Solution
is
IDEA
Value
Figure 1:
7
The D‘ARTAGNAN Principle for the Semantic Optimisation of Ideas
The term “D'ARTAGNAN Principle” is derived from the novel “Les trois mousquétaires” by ALEXANDRE DUMAS the
elder. Just as the characteristic traits of the “three musketeers” ARTHOS, ARAMIS and PORTHOS serve as projection
surfaces for D'ARTAGNAN (the fourth, who actually makes them into the “three musketeers”), so do problem, solution and value serve as the projection surface for the idea.

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FISCHER/GROTHE/HERBST
The comprehensibility of an idea can be constructed as a concentrated unit of cause, solution
and value. The idea becomes visible as an “idea!” This system of the units of meaning for an
idea is based on the smallest possible algorithm.
The D`ARTAGNAN Principle:

Cause: Ideas always have a cause. One encounters an unsolved problem or sees a challenge as yet not tackled. Without knowing the problem/challenge, a solution becomes
difficult to find - and difficult to comprehend.

Solution: The solution is the idea's unexpected newness. The part we understand as
"idea." The solution is the response to the problem/challenge. It is the extraordinary, new,
unique notion to solve the problem.

Value: The value makes the particular significance of the solution clear and fulfils the
requirements stipulated by the cause. The value redeems the meaning and significance of
the idea - it makes the solution concrete.
Formulating cause, solution and value means being able to communicate an idea comprehensibly. It is a principle of causality: the inter-conditionality of the units of meaning for “idea”
is visible even before the content of the idea has been thought up. This principle is applicable
from the process of idea generation, through quality assurance, through the formulation of a
comprehensible idea, all the way to its anchoring in the implementation process.
An example for the breakdown of a comprehensible idea (random choice from a professional
online idea platform) according to the D'ARTAGNAN Principle:
Chewing Pens for Designers

Cause: Designer DAVE HAKKENS likes to chew on pens while he works. He is not alone in
this habit. The downside: plastic pens don't taste especially good and are not easily digested.

Solution: For this reason, HAKKENS has now developed a pen that can be eaten right
down to the ink reservoir and ...

Value: ...even tastes good.8
The “idea” is characterised by taking an understandable problem and eliminating it with an
unexpected and new solution while simultaneously creating visible value.
8
AUSGEFALLENE IDEEN (2011).

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An example of an incomprehensible idea:
Social Network for Dogs

Cause

Solution: The start-up Snif Labs is a social network for dogs. It equips dogs with small
transmitters on their collars. When two dogs who are wired for Snif meet each other, the
devices exchange information via a specially designed (secure!) transmission protocol.

Value: Back at their desks, the dog owners can load the collected data onto the network
and see whom else the dogs know and what their owners do.9
–
In its construction, this idea lacks not only an internal logic, but also the cause that would
make the solution understandable. The question, “What's the point?” becomes inevitable.
The interplay among all three units of meaning, the dovetailing of their internal logic, creates
the semantic optimisation of an idea, establishes the quality of comprehensibility, and can be
a kind of translation of power (of thought) to propulsion (comprehensibility).
Solution
Cause
IDEA
Value
Figure 2:
9
The Translation of Power to Propulsion.
Vgl. WIRTSCHAFTSWOCHE ONLINE (2011).

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FISCHER/GROTHE/HERBST
2.3
Quality Assurance for Ideas
Two fundamental methodological approaches to quality assurance for ideas will be introduced here by way of example, which will put the idea's degree of fulfilment to the test and
analyse the idea's causality.
2.3.1
An Idea's Degree of Fulfilment
Our contemporary understanding of ideas is determined by a versatility of application, the
smallest common denominator of which is the idea's degree of fulfilment or implementation.
Methodologically speaking, ideas can be tested for their fundamental degree of fulfilment as a
kind of preliminary quality assurance. Thus, one can size up one's own understanding of an
idea during the development phase and either approve or change it accordingly.

1. Idea as promise – the idea's degree of fulfilment is merely a rhetorical tool.
The use of “idea” in the marketing language of sales appeal seems to substantiate the expectations one has of a novel product idea: “Always a good idea”, “the best idea in Germany”. The
message does not describe the product, but rather plays with the term “idea” itself as a quality
seal (see below).

2. Idea as judgment – the idea's fulfilment is negated.
“You and your ideas!/You're always full of ideas!” The term describes itself as a novelty, but
at the same time, devalues itself with the message that it is above and beyond surprising:
outlandish, strange or peculiar.

3. Idea as vision – the fulfilment of the idea is indeterminate.
The idea as a vision is an idea in a preliminary stage of its development. In the long run10, it
will either reveal itself as a pipe dream or will actually be realised at some point, but most
likely detached from the original idea.

4. Idea as goal – the idea's fulfilment is set as the objective.
“We have to come up with an idea.” The idea as an objective is not a solution in itself, but it
has been decided. The content of the idea is as yet undeveloped.

5. Idea as notion – the idea's potential fulfilment is aimed at.
The cognitive approximation of a situation – which could be an idea – is described with concrete mental images: “I have an idea of what it could be ...” The objective of this approximation is to clarify the matter and bring about a common understanding.

10
6. Idea as discovery – the idea is there; its reasonableness must be tested.
Vgl. DA VINCIS Ideen.

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Statements such as, “I just thought of something!” characterise the spontaneity of the moment. The event, the idea, has emerged suddenly and must subsequently be classified intellectually, assigned to a cause, and evaluated as to its reasonableness.

7. Idea as solution – the “thought” idea is fulfilled.
The idea is a notion to solve a problem or meet a challenge and is intended to bring about a
positive change. The idea's significance is understood as a valuable solution to a problem.

8. Idea as seal of quality – the “implemented” idea is fulfilled.
Statements such as, “the greatest idea in human history”, “the 10 best management ideas”,11
or “She always has great ideas” refer to generally (game-changing) successful ideas that have
already been implemented, whose significance is no longer attained via semantic understanding, but rather due to their successful realisation.

9. Idea as something of significance – the idea is an essential characteristic.
With the idea of something, such as the idea of sustainability, “idea” becomes the guiding,
meaningful concept of the matter at hand. “Idea” is the determining, essential force behind
something, forgoing the significance of novelty in favour of the significance of the essential.
(Idea as measure – “An idea more salt” is an idiomatic expression in German, in which the
“idea” is a very small unit of measure. This meaning of idea is not considered here.)
idea = overriding, ideal
meaning, the essence
of something
idea = rhetorical use e.g. in
advertising, promises the novelty
and quality of a product
Something
of Significance
idea = approved seal
of quality of a successfully
implemented “novelty“
10
Seal of Quality
Promise
8
6
4
idea = unique solution of a
problem, yielding
a positive, significant result
2
Solution
0
idea = intuition, spontaneous
inspiration to be cognitively
placed into context later
Discovery
Vision
Notion
idea = notion, inkling
of the essence of something
Figure 3:
11
Judgement
Goal
idea = rhetorical use as a
means of irony, mostly
downplaying
idea = implementation is
meanwhile considered
impossible
idea = no solution yet,
but induced by set target
“Idea Wheel” – Contemporary Understanding of Idea According to Degree
of Fulfilment
HARVARD BUSINESS MANAGER (2009), S. 1.

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FISCHER/GROTHE/HERBST
2.3.2
Creativity and Causality
The D'ARTAGNAN Principle enables the creation of a stable, causal idea system in which creativity can naturally unfold. The differentiation between stable and unstable idea systems reveals the fragility of an idea and its potentially ambiguous effects. Stable idea systems:
Cause
Value
Solution
Idea
Figure 4:

Continuity
Stability in the Idea System
Cause | Solution | Value = Idea
The idea that can be understood, discussed and implemented is a logical unit consisting of
cause, solution and value.

Cause | Solution | Value = Continuity
Needs seem to be met; the situation is optimal throughout. (Potentially, there are problems or
challenges as yet unseen.)
Unstable idea systems: What is the effect to an “idea” when one or more units of meaning is
missing? Certainly, if those communicating do not share the highest level of knowledge consensus, it leads to the demolition of the idea's comprehensibility.
Cause
Cause
Solution
Value
Potential Recognition
Discontinuity
Daily Madness
Cause
Solution
Strategic Question
Figure 5:
Value
Solution
Authority
Instability in the Idea System
Value
Do-Goodness

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Understanding, Storytelling, Listening – What Digital Leaders Can Do

165
Cause | Solution | Value = Potential Recognition
The recognition of a problem or challenge implies a view to something “better”, even if there
is no solution yet. The attainable value can already be defined.

Cause | Solution | Value = Discontinuity
A problem or challenge has emerged in a continuous state and demands “rescuing” action.

Cause | Solution | Value = Daily Madness
A kind of “gratuitous” brainwave having neither a particular cause nor offering any value.
Usually understood as a “playful idea” without a causal context (in contrast to a brainwave to
which cause and value can be assigned afterwards).

Cause | Solution | Value = Strategic Question
The solution is understood as an approach to an existing problem or challenge and must be
tested strategically for its value and thus its quality.

Cause | Solution | Value = Authority
The formulation of a solution and its appropriate value without an indication or knowledge of
the cause, in other words, without the reason for the planned action, implying “blind following” on the part of the listener, not understanding.

Cause | Solution | Value = Do-Goodness
The driving person is an idealist who may become an ideologue if his notion of value requires
neither cause nor solution, but is rather used solely as an appeal to a “higher cause.”
2.4
IDEA DESIGN
The essence of an idea is to be an idea [sic!]. This can only be achieved if it is understood.
Creating understanding begins with the development of the idea as a principle of causality
– D`ARTAGNAN Principle – and, in the best case, never ends. Understanding can be achieved in
oneself and in the other by making the idea ascertainable in its entire substance. Result: Ideas
are driven successfully!
When an idea is identified as an idea, one can move on to the next steps of a successful implementation process while being assured of quality. This includes a thorough communication
of the idea, building upon the D`ARTAGNAN Principle, such as one that follows the rules of
storytelling.

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