Acrylic Painting With Lee Hammond

Creativity Tools
Develop Creative Solutions to Business Problems

This section of Mind Tools
teaches more than 20
techniques that you can use
to develop creative and
imaginative solutions to
business problems.
Start by taking our 3-minute
self-test , which helps you
assess and develop your
business creativity skills.
Next, take a look at our
iStockphoto
brainstorming section, which
explains a range of approaches that suit different situations. Then,
explore our other creativity tools, to find some great ways of
generating new ideas.
The Browse by Category box helps you target specific creativity
skills, while you can look through the list below to find interesting
topics. Enjoy using these techniques!
Browse by Category
Brainstorming
Creativity Processes
Other Idea-Generation
Tools
Further Resources
Bite-Sized Training
Book Insights
Expert Interviews
Creativity Skills Start Here!
How Creative Are You?
Brainstorming
Brainstorming
Generating Many Radical, Creative Ideas
Brainwriting
Getting More From Your Idea Sessions
Reverse Brainstorming
A Different Approach to Brainstorming
Starbursting
Understanding New Ideas by Brainstorming Questions
The Charette Procedure

Brainstorming Multiple Ideas With Multiple
Stakeholders
Crawfords Slip Writing Method
Generating Ideas From Many Contributors
Round-Robin Brainstorming
Allowing Everyone to Contribute
Rolestorming
Improving Group Brainstorming
Online Brainstorming
Using Technology to Harness Your Teams Ideas
Other Idea-Generation Tools

Random Input
Making Creative Leaps
Metaphorical Thinking
Using Comparisons to Express Ideas and Solve
Problems
Provocation
Carrying Out Thought Experiments
Reversal
Improving Products and Services
SCAMPER
Attribute Listing, Morphological Analysis,

Matrix Analysis
Tools for Creating New Products and Services
The Reframing Matrix
Generating Different Perspectives
Creativity Processes
DO IT
A Simple Process for Creativity
TRIZ
A Powerful Methodology for Creative Problem-Solving
Practical Innovation
Managing Ideas Effectively
Kano Model Analysis

Developing Products That Delight
Generating New Ideas

Think Differently and Spark Creativity
Turn Your Idea into Reality

Getting Good Ideas Off the Drawing Board
The Disney Creative Strategy

Fusing Imagination and Planning
Synectics
A Useful "Backstop" Creativity Process
Encouraging Team Creativity

Helping Your People Think Creatively
Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation

Expanding Organizational Innovation
Bite-Sized Training
Get Creative!
Book Insights
Developing Mental Toughness, by Graham Jones and Adrian
Moorehouse
You, Inc, by Harry Beckwith and Christine Clifford Beckwith
Think Big, Act Small, by Jason Jennings
Fooled by Randomness, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and
Changemakers, by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James
Macanufo
Brainsteering: A Better Approach to Breakthrough Ideas, by
Kevin and Shawn Coyle
Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small
Discoveries, by Peter Sims
Innovation to the Core, by Peter Skarzynski and Rowan
Gibson
Developing New Products and Services, by G. Lawrence
Sanders
Red Thread Thinking: Weaving Together Connections for
Brilliant Ideas and Profitable Innovation, By Debra Kaye
The Art of Insight: How to Have More Aha! Moments, By
Charles Kiefer and Malcolm Constable
Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create,
Connect, and Inspire, By Bruce Nussbaum
Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain
Insights, By Gary Klein
Beyond the Idea: Simple, Powerful Rules for Successful

Innovation, By Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
Expert Interviews
How to Have Better Ideas, with Andrew Razeghi
The Myth of Perfection, with Tal Ben-Shahar
Uncertainty, with Jonathan Fields
Where to go from here:
Return to top of the page
Next article
Creativity Techniques Start Here!

The tools in this section can
help you to become more
creative. They are designed to
help you devise creative and
imaginative solutions to
problems, and help you to spot
opportunities that you might
otherwise miss.
Before you continue, it is
important to understand what
we mean by creativity, as there
iStockphoto/pavlen
are two completely different
types. The first is technical creativity, where people create new
theories, technologies or ideas. This is the type of creativity we
discuss here. The second is artistic creativity, which is more born of
skill, technique and self-expression. Artistic creativity is beyond the
scope of these articles.
Many of the techniques in this chapter have been used by great
thinkers to drive their creativity. Albert Einstein, for example, used his
own informal variant of Provocation to trigger ideas that lead to
the Theory of Relativity.
Approaches to Creativity
There are two main strands to technical creativity: programmed
thinking and lateral thinking. Programmed thinking relies on logical or
structured ways of creating a new product or service. Examples of this
approach are Morphological Analysis and the Reframing
Matrix .
The other main strand uses 'Lateral Thinking'. Examples of this are
Brainstorming , Random Input and Provocation . Lateral
Thinking has been developed and popularized by Edward de Bono,
whose books you can find in the appropriate articles.
Programmed Thinking and Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking recognizes that our brains are pattern recognition
systems, and that they do not function like computers. It takes years
of training before we learn to do simple arithmetic something that
computers do very easily. On the other hand, we can instantly
recognize patterns such as faces, language, and handwriting. The
only computers that begin to be able to do these things do it by
modeling the way that human brain cells work . Even then, computers
will need to become more powerful before they approach our ability
to handle patterns.
The benefit of good pattern recognition is that we can recognize
objects and situations very quickly. Imagine how much time would be
wasted if you had to do a full analysis every time you came across a
cylindrical canister of effervescent fluid. Most people would just open
their can of fizzy drink. Without pattern recognition we would starve

or be eaten. We could not cross the road safely.
Unfortunately, we get stuck in our patterns. We tend to think within
them. Solutions we develop are based on previous solutions to similar
problems. Normally it does not occur to us to use solutions belonging
to other patterns.
We use lateral thinking techniques to break out of this patterned way
of thinking.
Lateral thinking techniques help us to come up with startling, brilliant
and original solutions to problems and opportunities.
It is important to point out that each type of approach has its
strength. Logical, disciplined thinking is enormously effective in
making products and services better. It can, however, only go so far
before all practical improvements have been carried out. Lateral
thinking can generate completely new concepts and ideas, and
brilliant improvements to existing systems. In the wrong place,
however, it can be sterile or unnecessarily disruptive.
Taking the Best of Each...

A number of techniques fuse the strengths of the two different
strands of creativity. Techniques such as the Concept Fan use a
combination of programmed and lateral thinking. DO IT and Min
Basadur's Simplex embed the two approaches within problem
solving processes. While these may be considered 'overkill' when
dealing with minor problems, they provide excellent frameworks for
solving difficult and serious ones.
The Creative Frame of Mind

Often the only difference between creative and uncreative people is
self-perception. Creative people see themselves as creative and give
themselves the freedom to create. Uncreative people do not think
about creativity and do not give themselves the opportunity to create
anything new.
Being creative may just be a matter of setting aside the time needed
to take a step back and allow yourself to ask yourself if there is a
better way of doing something. Edward de Bono calls this a 'Creative
Pause'. He suggests that this should be a short break of maybe only
30 seconds, but that this should be a habitual part of thinking. This
needs self-discipline, as it is easy to forget.
Another important attitude-shift is to view problems as opportunities
for improvement. While this is something of a clich, it is true.
Whenever you solve a problem, you have a better product or service
to offer afterwards.
Using Creativity
Creativity is sterile if action does not follow from it. Ideas must be
evaluated, improved, polished and marketed before they have any
value. Other sections of Mind Tools lay out the evaluation, analysis
and planning tools needed to do this. They also explain the time and
stress management techniques you will need when your creative

ideas take off.
Have fun creating!
Next article
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Attribute Listing, Morphological

Analysis and Matrix Analysis
Tools for Creating New Products and Services
Attribute Listing, Morphological
Analysis and Matrix Analysis
are good techniques for finding
new combinations of products
or services. They are
sufficiently similar to be
discussed together. We use
Attribute Listing and
Morphological Analysis to
generate new products and
services.
How could this basic product be changed?
How to Use the Tools
iStockphoto/malerapaso
To use the techniques, first list the attributes of the product, service
or strategy you are examining. Attributes are parts, properties,
qualities or design elements of the thing being looked at. For
example, attributes of a pencil would be shaft material, lead material,
hardness of lead, width of lead, quality, color, weight, price, and so
on. A television plot would have attributes such as characters,
actions, locations, and weather. For a marketing strategy you might
use attributes of markets open to you, uses of the product, and skills
you have available.
Draw up a table using these attributes as column headings. Write
down as many variations of the attribute as possible within these
columns. This might be an exercise that benefits from brainstorming
. The table should now show all possible variations of each attribute.
Now select one entry from each column. Either do this randomly or
select interesting combinations. By mixing one item from each
column, you will create a new mixture of components. This is a new
product, service or strategy.
Finally, evaluate and improve that mixture to see if you can imagine a
profitable market for it.
Example
Imagine that you want to create a new lamp. The starting point for
this might be to carry out a morphological analysis. Properties of a
lamp might be power supply, bulb type, size, style, finish, material,
shade, and so on.
You can set these out as column headings on a table, and then
brainstorm variations. This table is sometimes known as a
"Morphologial Box" or "Zwicky Box" after the scientist Fritz Zwicky,
who developed the technique in the 1960s.
Power
Supply
Bulb
Type
Size
Style
Finish
Material
Battery
Halogen
Very
Large
Modern
Black
Metal
Mains
Bulb
Large
Antique
White
Ceramic
Solar
Daylight
Medium
Roman
Metallic
Concrete
Generator
Colored
Small
Art
Nouveau
Terracotta
Bone
Hand
held
Industrial
Enamel
Glass
Ethnic
Natural
Wood
Fabric
Stone
Crank
Gas
Oil/Petrol
Flame
Plastic
Interesting combinations might be:

Solar powered/battery, daylight bulb possibly used in clothes
shops to allow customers to see the true color of clothes.
Large hand cranked arc lights used in developing countries, or
far from a mains power supply.
A ceramic oil lamp in Roman style used in themed restaurants,
resurrecting the olive oil lamps of 2000 years ago.
A normal table lamp designed to be painted, wallpapered or
covered in fabric so that it matches the style of a room perfectly.
Some of these might be practical, novel ideas for the lighting
manufacturer. Some might not. This is where the manufacturer's
experience and market knowledge are important.
Key Points
Morphological Analysis, Matrix Analysis and Attribute Listing are
useful techniques for making new combinations of products,
services and strategies.
You use the tools by identifying the attributes of the product,
service or strategy you are examining. Attributes might be
components, assemblies, dimensions, color, weight, style, speed of
service, skills available, and so on.
Use these attributes as column headings. Underneath the column
headings list as many variations of that attribute as you can.
You can now use the table or "morphological box", by randomly

selecting one item from each column, or by selecting interesting
combinations of items. This will give you ideas that you can
examine for practicality.
Notes:
Attribute Listing focuses on the attributes of an object,

seeing how each attribute could be improved.
Morphological Analysis uses the same basic technique,
but is used to create a new product by mixing components
in a new way.
Matrix Analysis focuses on businesses. It is used to
generate new approaches, using attributes such as market
sectors, customer needs, products, promotional methods,
and so on.
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What members say...

Midgie wrote
Morphological Analysis, Matrix Analysis and Attribute Listing are
useful techniques for making new combinations of products,
services and strategies
This is an excellent tool that I've used / facilitated with great

success. I used this tool for a high-tech company who was looking
at their strategic direction ... not just 5-10 years down the road,
but 20 years!! For me, it felt like a very tall order to think that far
ahead, yet, by 'playing' with the ideas that were generated, they
were able to propose some very interesting, and very unique,
ideas for products and services of the future.
Midgie
April 10, 2010
Brainstorming
Generating Many Radical, Creative Ideas
How often have you used
brainstorming to solve a
problem? Chances are,
you've used it at least
once, even if you didn't
realize it.
For decades, people have
used brainstorming to
generate ideas, and to
come up with creative
solutions to problems.
However, you need to use
brainstorming correctly
for it to be fully effective.
Flash
Brainstorm better with

James Manktelow & Amy Carlson.
In this article, we'll look at brainstorming: what it is, why it's useful,
and how to get the best from it.
What is Brainstorming?
Madison Avenue advertising executive Alex Osborn developed the
original approach to brainstorming and published it in his 1953 book,
"Applied Imagination." Since then, researchers have made many
improvements to his original technique.
The approach described here takes this research into account, so it's
subtly different from Osborn's approach.
Brainstorming combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem
solving with lateral thinking. It encourages people to come up with
thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some of these
ideas can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem,
while others can spark even more ideas. This helps to get people
unstuck by "jolting" them out of their normal ways of thinking.
Therefore, during brainstorming sessions, people should avoid
criticizing or rewarding ideas. You're trying to open up possibilities
and break down incorrect assumptions about the problem's limits.
Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limit
creativity.
Evaluate ideas at the end of the brainstorming session this is the
time to explore solutions further, using conventional approaches.
Why Use Brainstorming?

Conventional group problem solving can often be undermined by
unhelpful group behavior . And while it's important to start with
a structured, analytical process when solving problems, this can
lead a group to develop limited and unimaginative ideas.
By contrast, brainstorming provides a free and open environment that

encourages everyone to participate. Quirky ideas are welcomed and
built upon, and all participants are encouraged to contribute fully,
helping them develop a rich array of creative solutions.
When used during problem solving, brainstorming brings team
members' diverse experience into play. It increases the richness of
ideas explored, which means that you can often find better solutions
to the problems that you face.
It can also help you get buy-in from team members for the solution
chosen after all, they're likely to be more committed to an approach
if they were involved in developing it. What's more, because
brainstorming is fun, it helps team members bond, as they solve
problems in a positive, rewarding environment.
While brainstorming can be effective, it's important to approach it
with an open mind and a spirit of non-judgment. If you don't do this,
people "clam up," the number and quality of ideas plummets, and
morale can suffer.
Individual Brainstorming
While group brainstorming is often more effective at generating ideas
than normal group problem solving, several studies have shown that
individual brainstorming produces more and often better ideas
than group brainstorming.
This can occur because groups aren't always strict in following the
rules of brainstorming, and bad behaviors creep in. Mostly, though,
this happens because people pay so much attention to other people
that they don't generate ideas of their own or they forget these
ideas while they wait for their turn to speak. This is called "blocking."
When you brainstorm on your own, you don't have to worry about
other people's egos or opinions, and you can be freer and more
creative. For example, you might find that an idea you'd hesitate to
bring up in a group develops into something special when you explore
it on your own.
However, you may not develop ideas as fully when you brainstorm on
your own, because you don't have the wider experience of other
group members to draw on.
Tip:
To get the most out of your individual brainstorming session,

choose a comfortable place to sit and think. Minimize distractions
so that you can focus on the problem at hand, and consider
using Mind Maps to arrange and develop ideas.
Individual brainstorming is most effective when you need to solve a
simple problem, generate a list of ideas, or focus on a broad issue.
Group brainstorming is often more effective for solving complex
problems.
Group Brainstorming
With group brainstorming, you can take advantage of the full
experience and creativity of all team members. When one member
gets stuck with an idea, another member's creativity and experience
can take the idea to the next stage. You can develop ideas in greater
depth with group brainstorming than you can with individual
brainstorming.
Another advantage of group brainstorming is that it helps everyone
feel that they've contributed to the solution, and it reminds people
that others have creative ideas to offer. Brainstorming is also fun, so it
can be great for team building!
Group brainstorming can be risky for individuals. Unusual suggestions
may appear to lack value at first sight this is where you need to
chair sessions tightly, so that the group doesn't crush these ideas and
stifle creativity.
Where possible, brainstorming participants should come from a wide
range of disciplines. This cross-section of experience can make the
session more creative. However, don't make the group too big: as
with other types of teamwork, groups of five to seven people are
usually most effective.
How to Use the Tool

You often get the best results by combining individual and group
brainstorming, and by managing the process according to the "rules"
below. By doing this, you can get people to focus on the issue without
interruption, you maximize the number of ideas that you can
generate, and you get that great feeling of team bonding that comes
with a well-run brainstorming session!
To run a group brainstorming session effectively, follow these steps.
Step 1: Prepare the Group

First, set up a comfortable meeting environment for the
session. Make sure that the room is well-lit and that you have the
tools, resources, and refreshments that you need.
How much information or preparation does your team need in order
to brainstorm solutions to your problem? Remember that prep is
important, but too much can limit or even destroy the
freewheeling nature of a brainstorming session.
Consider who will attend the meeting. A room full of like-minded
people won't generate as many creative ideas as a diverse group, so
try to include people from a wide range of disciplines, and include
people who have a variety of different thinking styles.
When everyone is gathered, appoint one person to record the ideas
that come from the session. This person shouldn't necessarily be the
team manager it's hard to record and contribute at the same time.
Post notes where everyone can see them, such as on flip charts or
whiteboards; or use a computer with a data projector.
If people aren't used to working together, consider using an

appropriate warm-up exercise, or an icebreaker .
Step 2: Present the Problem

Clearly define the problem that you want to solve, and lay out any
criteria that you must meet. Make it clear that that the meeting's
objective is to generate as many ideas as possible.
Give people plenty of quiet time at the start of the session to write
down as many of their own ideas as they can. Then, ask them to
share their ideas, while giving everyone a fair opportunity to
contribute.
Step 3: Guide the Discussion

Once everyone has shared their ideas, start a group discussion to
develop other people's ideas, and use them to create new ideas.
Building on others' ideas is one of the most valuable aspects of group
brainstorming.
Encourage everyone to contribute and to develop ideas, including the
quietest people, and discourage anyone from criticizing ideas.
As the group facilitator, you should share ideas if you have them, but
spend your time and energy supporting your team and guiding the
discussion. Stick to one conversation at a time, and refocus the group
if people become sidetracked.
Although you're guiding the discussion, remember to let everyone
have fun while brainstorming. Welcome creativity, and encourage
your team to come up with as many ideas as possible, regardless of
whether they're practical or impractical. Use thought experiments
such as Provocation or Random Input to generate some
unexpected ideas.
Don't follow one train of thought for too long. Make sure that you
generate a good number of different ideas, and explore individual
ideas in detail. If a team member needs to "tune out" to explore an
idea alone, allow them the freedom to do this.
Also, if the brainstorming session is lengthy, take plenty of breaks so
that people can continue to concentrate.
Taking Your Brainstorming Further

If you're not getting enough good quality ideas, try using the
approaches below to increase the number of ideas that you generate:
The Stepladder Technique
This improves the contribution
of quieter group members by introducing one person at a time.
Brainwriting
This is a written approach that you can use to
encourage all individuals to generate and develop ideas.
Online Brainstorming (also known as Brain-netting)
An
electronic method of brainstorming, this uses a document stored
on a central server, or on a Cloud-based system.
Crawford's Slip Writing Approach

You can use this
approach to get plenty of ideas from all participants, and to get a
view of each idea's popularity.
These techniques help you in specific brainstorming situations:
or service.
This is used to improve a product
Starbursting
Starbursting helps you develop questions that
you need to ask to evaluate a proposal.
Charette Procedure
This helps you brainstorm with large
groups of people. (Conventional brainstorming becomes
increasingly ineffective when more than 10 or 12 people are
involved.)
You can use this approach to
get people to contribute ideas without being influenced by
others.
Rolestorming
This technique encourages group members to
take on other people's identities while brainstorming, thereby
reducing their inhibitions.
The Next Step Taking Action

After your individual or group brainstorming session, you'll have a lot
of ideas. Although it might seem hard to sort through these ideas to
find the best ones, analyzing these ideas is an important next step,
and you can use several tools to do this.
Use Affinity Diagrams
themes.
to organize ideas and find common
Decision Matrix Analysis and Paired Comparison Analysis

will help you choose between different options. You can also use the
Six Thinking Hats technique to look at ideas from different
perspectives; and Multi-Voting can help you choose between
options as a team, particularly where the differences between options
are quite subjective.
Key Points
When managed well, brainstorming can help you generate radical
solutions to problems. Brainstorming can also encourage people to
commit to solutions, because they have provided input and played
a role in developing them.
The best approach to brainstorming combines individual and group
brainstorming. During the brainstorming process, there should be
no criticism of ideas, and creativity should be encouraged.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
Hi soledad,
Thanks for alerting us. I've sent a request to have it fixed as soon
as possible.
It's great to hear from you in the forums. Hope you are getting the
most from your membership. We are here to help so let us know
what you need.
Best!
Dianna
October 20, 2013
soledad wrote
Bug Report!
The second hyper-link: "Research" after the "Applied imagination"
is a wrong entry. The page cannot be found
October 19, 2013
James wrote
Hi Everyone
Weve given this popular article a review, and the updated version
is now at
http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/brainstm.php
Discuss the article by replying to this post!
Thanks
James
March 8, 2013
Helena wrote
Hi northstar
Thanks for letting us know about this incorrect link. It has now
been fixed.
best wishes
Helena
December 9, 2010
Dianna wrote
Hi northstar - the problem is with the link at the bottom of the
article and I've asked our technicians to fix it. Thanks for alerting
us!
In the meantime, the link in the "Quick Tools" box at the top right
of the screen is working so you can print the article from there.
Thanks again for the head's up!
Dianna
December 9, 2010
northstar wrote
Just tried to print this article, but the link to the "printer friendly
version" brings up an entirely different article.
December 8, 2010
Midgie wrote
Having sat in many brainstorming sessions, the difference
between effective and less effective sessions is whether

participants are criticized or not!
A brainstorming session is supposed to allow the ideas to flow
from serious to ridiculous, without any critical or analytical
thought. However, as soon as someone jumps in and says 'that
won't work because ...' it stops the flow and takes a while to get
back on track.
So, if you are running the session, allow the ideas to run freely
and if anyone jumps in with a critical or analytical thought, stop
them in their tracks and suggest they raise it during the next step
in the process. Reinforce the focus on idea generation!
How a session is run can make all the difference to effective
brainstorming sessions.
Midgie
November 25, 2009
Brainwriting
Getting More From Your Idea Sessions
Many of us have taken part in
brainstorming sessions.
These are commonly used to
generate ideas, and to come up
with a creative solution to a
problem.
What can often happen during
a brainstorming session,
however, is that key players on
the team speak up and express
their ideas.
Brainwriting allows everyone to participate.

iStockphoto/mammamaart
Everyone else then enters the

discussion about those few ideas, and they reach a consensus on the
solution without considering many other ideas that could have been
generated.
This can be one of the drawbacks of the brainstorming process. Some
members of the group may not speak up because they're shy, or are
afraid that their suggestions may be rejected. Others may say nothing
at all because they fear their ideas are simply too outrageous or bold.
People with stronger personality types may loudly push and defend
their ideas, without listening to others' suggestions. And
conservative' people may tend to propose only safe alternatives.
Yes, brainstorming can be effective in getting people to think laterally
about a problem. However, if you're faced with obstacles like those
we have just mentioned, how do you overcome them?
Enter the brainwriting technique an idea-generating process that
enables EVERYONE in the group to participate in a nonthreatening
way. This approach can often generate more potential solutions than
traditional brainstorming.
Why? One reason is because traditional brainstorming sessions allow
only one person to speak at a time. By the time each individual has
spoken (and the group has finished the discussion), most participants
have edited, discarded, or simply forgotten their own ideas. This is
called blocking,' and it can reduce creativity and productivity in these
sessions. Brainwriting can help to eliminate this problem.
In this article, we'll show you what brainwriting is and look at how
you can start using it with your team.
What is Brainwriting?
Brainwriting is similar to brainstorming they're both methods for
generating ideas and solutions for a problem.
Brainwriting, however, gives everyone equal opportunity to

participate, and it enables all group members to think without any
blocking.'
Here are the steps that you can follow to run a brainwriting session:
1. Seat group members at a table, with a sheet of paper in front of
each person. At the top of the page, ask them to write down the
problem that everyone is trying to solve. (Note: they should NOT
write their names.) Appoint someone to be moderator, and time
each round.
2. Give the group three minutes to write down three ideas for how
to solve the problem. They should not edit the ideas, or try to
perfect them. Allow them to write in free form.' Do not permit
any discussion.
3. After three minutes, move on to round two. Gather in the papers,
shuffle them, and then pass them out. You may need to sort out
cases where someone gets back a paper they have already
written on. Ask everyone to generate three more ideas on the
new paper they have just received. They can build on the first
three ideas that are already written, or think of three new
solutions.
4. The moderator decides how many rounds there are.
5. When all rounds are finished, collect the papers, and write all of
the ideas on a whiteboard for everyone to see. Then begin
discussing which ideas would work best for solving the current
problem.
Benefits of Brainwriting
There are several advantages of using brainwriting in a group:
Because there's no discussion during the initial idea-generating
rounds, you can produce many ideas in a very short amount of
time.
All group members even the quiet and shy people have an
equal chance of offering their ideas for consideration.
Everything is anonymous you don't know who wrote which
ideas so there's more freedom to be truly creative. Participants
are empowered to suggest solutions that they otherwise might
have thought were too unusual, or would not be well received.
Exchanging papers still allows group members to evaluate and
build on other people's ideas, but in a much more concentrated,
creative way.
When to Use Brainwriting

Brainwriting can be used to help solve almost any problem. The
process is used often in marketing, design, and creative fields, but it's
also gaining popularity in other areas.
Any time that you would traditionally use brainstorming to solve a
problem, you could use brainwriting instead.
Key Points
Although brainstorming is the most common technique for
generating ideas in a group, brainwriting can be much more
effective, because it involves all participants on an equal basis.
Both introverts and extroverts can participate, and you can
produce more ideas in less time.
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What members say...

MichaelP wrote
Sam, I agree you need to add a filtering approach so you down the
road focus on the best ideas and I would disagree that you should
impose it at the creative phase.
I used to challenge my teams to generate as many ideas as
possible. then we would do a quick classification A B C D ( high/
low value Easy/hard to do; eg. A is High value and easy to do, B is
High value but hard to do etc.)
300 ideas takes under an hour to classify! then you invest most of
you efforts on the A ideas with a few B/C's mixed in. every one
can vote on the ABCD they just need to learn to do it quickly!
hope this helps.
November 20, 2012

sam_dubai wrote
Hi Everyone,
Although I like brain writing I'm not sure I'm clear on how to get
the best out of it.
When we generate too many ideas we take risk on expanding the
discussion and lose track. Besides, once we start discussion about
the best solution we need to take or the best combination we
need to go for the shy will remain shy and those who always
speak out will defend their ideas.
I feel this tool needs fine-tuning. Perhaps by limiting the number
of ideas and then ask each person to come up with arguments
supporting the idea(s) listed in the paper in front of them(those
should not be their own ideas) perhaps this way all ideas will be
appreciated and everyone is encouraged to appreciate other's
ideas....
Any ideas??
November 20, 2012
Yolande wrote
Hi Sunking
Thanks for this valuable feedback and for your idea about the
bigger post-it notes; definitely something that I will be using in
future. What you say about people not wanting to reveal their own
weak areas (or growth points) is also important since not all
employers have the "safety" required to reveal such things.
Regards
Yoland
April 21, 2009
sunking wrote
a small problem with this process is the time taken for the
facilitator to rewrite all the ideas at the end of the session.
What I normally do is to give everyone some A6 or A7 post-it
notes and get them to write their ideas on the wall. They can read
the other ideas on the wall then if their idea is similar to another
they can stick it on top or if they want to develop an existing idea
they can add their comments on top. Eliminates the delays in
moving sheets and, barring recognition of handwriting, is also
anonymous.
I also use this technique at the end of a volunteer group training
session when asking if anyone has any requests for further
training as it means that they don't have to reveal areas in which
they are weak to their peers or if they know a peer is weak on an
area they can suggest additional training without making the

colleague feel bad.
April 21, 2009
Midgie wrote
Hi fickmj,
Welcome to the Club. We all have great ideas that add to our
knowledge and ways we use different tools and techniques. So,
thanks for sharing your experiences.
Please jump in any of the discussions and add your thoughts, as
well as post questions if you want to bounce some ideas around
with us.
If there is anything I can help you with, or if there is a specific area
you want to delve into, just let me know.
Midgie
April 21, 2009
fickmj wrote
I am a project manager in the IT space and have used brainwriting
very effectively as part of the Risk identification process,
especially if time is short or if some the workshop attendees may
feel intimidated by senior people and not raise important risks
openly. I will prepare sheets with broad Risk categories as topics
(e.g. technology, delivery, resourcing, etc) and will make sure that
I include "other" as category.
Once I have collected and collated risks, I will put them all in a risk
register and then proceed to rationalise the list with the group
(agree with them what can be combined) and then score them.
April 21, 2009
Yolande wrote
Hi all
This is really a very nice form of "brainstorming". What I have
done before, is to take up the papers after the first round, and
then re-distribute them and then move them to the left after each
round - that makes it more anonymous. It is interesting how some
people just generate much more ideas when they are anonymous
than when you do a normal brainstorming session!
Regards
Yoland
April 20, 2009
jcoke wrote
The point of being anonymous is not to their peer, but to you as
the facilitator. This way employees can get their ideas out and not
fear retaliation or a spotlight. When we did it here at my job, we
had some great ideas as well as some harsh remarks about the
way things had been done in the past. The thing that really helps
build your team and have them feel your support of them is that
as they pass the paper, they get ideas to spur them on from their
peers and then they possibly see you implement their ideas. To
someone who is an introvert, this is a great way to express
themselves and feel a bit of recognition for their ideas without the
open recognition which is to some embarrassing.
April 20, 2009
jlepore wrote
If everyone moves their paper to the left, what people write is not
entirely anonymous. Not a huge deal, but, since this is aimed
toward shy people, if a shy person has an overbearing person to
their left, it would influence the idea written down.
April 20, 2009
Crawford's Slip Writing Method

Generating Ideas From Many Contributors
How do you unlock the
collective knowledge and ideas
of your team, your department
or even your whole
organization? And how do you
do this in a way that everyone
(not just those with the biggest
egos) gets heard?
The Crawford Slip Method is a
simple yet effective type of
brainstorming that gives the
opinions of all team members
equal weight, however quiet
they are.
Like brainstorming, but on paper.

iStockphoto/PhotoNotebook
In fact, you probably will have encountered this way of generating

ideas and solutions even if you haven't called it the Crawford Slip
Method.
Invented in the 1920s by Dr C.C. Crawford, Professor of Education at
the University of Southern California, the method simply involves
collating input from people on slips of paper (nowadays often on
sticky notes).
Not only does this help you generate a wide variety of solutions, it
also helps people get involved and feel that their contributions are
valued. Writing rather than speaking during the session can have
added advantages: it helps people to think freely without interruption,
and it levels the playing field between quieter people and more
outspoken participants.
More than this, as peoples individual contributions are brought
together into groupings of similar ideas, it gives you a feel for the
overall "popularity" of each idea.
Tip:
The Crawford Slip Method and other creative brainstorming

techniques focus on generating ideas and contributions, rather
than how to use these to create a group outcome. If, however,
your main need is to achieve consensus on a particular issue,
consider using the Delphi Method instead. This is a useful
method for achieving a robust group consensus on controversial
issues.
How to Use the Tool

Preparation
1. Before the session, think about how you'll present the problem to
be solved to your team, how you'll analyze contributions, and
how you'll give feedback to participants.
2. Be ready to give each contributor paper slips or Post-It Notes on
which to write their ideas. Depending on the challenge, you will
probably ask each person to contribute between 5 and 25 ideas
each, so have a good supply of slips to hand!
Briefing and Facilitation

3. At the start of the meeting or workshop, introduce the issue to be
brainstormed clearly. Be specific but keep it as simple as
possible. Where appropriate use images, film clips or visual
recordings to illustrate the problem to be solved and to get
people thinking. Tell contributors how their input will be used and
what feedback they will receive.
4. Ask contributors to write down as many ideas and suggestions as
they can, with each idea or suggestion being written on a
separate slip of paper. Encourage people to keep contributing
until ideas run dry, ideally getting between 5 and 25 ideas from
each. You will know it's time to draw the session to a close when
most people have stopped writing.
Analysis
5. Organize the contributions into logical groupings and similar
ideas. How you do this will depend on the challenge to be solved.
For example, if you are looking for suggestion to improve
customer service, you could map the key activities in the
customer service process, and then organize people's
suggestions according to these key activities.
And record the number of slips containing each suggestion, so
you have an idea of the "popularity" of each suggestion.
Feedback
6. It can take weeks or even months to actually design and
implement specific solutions based on the ideas generated.
However, you should aim to provide feedback promptly at or
soon after the session, to everyone involved.
Whether or not the ideas will ultimately be implemented, prompt
feedback shows people that contributions are valued and being taken
seriously. Remember to follow-up with more feedback when you
actually implement resulting solutions and improvements.
Tip:
It can be good to analyze results and present feedback during the

workshop itself. Well-planned and rapid feedback can be very
impressive and powerful, and so help people to feel that your
workshop or event was successful.
However, don't keep people standing around idly while you collate
feedback.
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What members say...

Rachel wrote
Hi All
When it comes to group brainstorming, people can sometimes be
afraid to speak up.
However, you can avoid this issue by using the Crawford Slip
Writing Method. And that's this week's Featured Favorite.
Click below to find out more!
http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/
newCT_95.php
Best wishes
Rachel
July 12, 2011
bigk wrote
Hi
It sounds a very good opportunity to develop ideas and get work
done in a group.
I wish you success.
About the earlier exploration about the tool.
There are groups of people and situations I was considering this
for, I was considering the paper slip idea for both these. I find
these are still interchangeable.
The situation is not what is important.
Advanced software skilled practioners might still want to use
paper ideas exchange just as much as use distributed software
group communication work methods to share the ideas in a
network to develop or innovate in the project to get the ideas
explored.
I find still that both options are useful.
It is the project itself that sometimes decides which method needs
used first, although each can be challenged and used instead and
used alternatively.
Result and progress are important.
Bigk
June 18, 2010
Dianna wrote
Hi conlafe - welcome to the forums! It's great to hear from you.
Have you considered the Charette Procedure for your multigroup
process? http://mindtools.com/community/pages/ar ...
wCT_90.php It's a really effective way to gather ideas for multiple
issues with multiple groups (or large groups of people). I think you
could use the slip writing method for each of the smaller
brainstorming session and in this way combine the best of
Crawford's method with a process that allows you to tackle
complex issues with more efficiency. Take a look at the process
and see if it would work.
As for defining the problem statement that is really key to the
whole issue. Maybe try the 5 Whys ( http://www.mindtools.com/
community/page ... TMC_5W.php ) to better understand the heart
of the general issues being raised. Then by addressing who, what,
when, where, and how you can start defining the problem in clear
and concise terms. What you want to stay away from is
brainstorming an issue that is too general or not clearly defined.
The solutions generated are far less useful and you'll probably end
up repeating the process a few times. Maybe it's worth doing a
brainstorming session to decide what the exact problems are??
Please do keep us posted on how it goes.
Dianna
June 18, 2010
hmw1959 wrote
Hope it goes well for you.
Harry
June 18, 2010
conlafe wrote
Hi,
Next month I have to facilitate a division meeting in which a brainstorming technique is used to solve a problem (or generate ideas
which could resolve the issue). This method (Crawford Slip) seems
like a good one to try and I am also contemplating having
different groups (within the division) try other brain-storming
techniques for the same problem.
The problem I have at this point is in the presentation of the
problem and in introducing the issue to be brainstormed. The
issues suggested by members for brain-storming seem to be
vague to me; they are communication issues and taking
ownership of systems or tasks.
I will update all next month on how this goes. If anyone has ideas
of brain-storming techniques for these types of issues or how to
phrase the problem statement, I would appreciate the feedback.
ConLaFe
June 18, 2010
bigk wrote
Hi
I would agree about a learning curve needed but the paper based
and software are the same, the difference is if you do pre sort with
which ever method, human or software you should get an
increased contribution.
The objective needs aligned to what is being asked to ideas
needed.
I see paper and software very similar.

The advantage of software is to use it to pre order the ideas rather
than just a set of ideas to avoid a sprawl of items. Paper and
software can do this.
To get a good amount of ideas you need to get the ideas flowing
and also as you mention here the tools can be many.
I had mindmapping in mind as a tool but it can be useful when
you have many items connecting, but it can also become a tangle
of ideas but these if categorized can be sorted and patterns or
items identified and explored.
It might depend on the group you have to generate the ideas.
I was not trying to exclude it but often the areas being
investigated would decide what tool or tools to use, if you meant
you thought I was being too narrow in suggesting a different
method. I find in brainstorming what needs got quite quickly is a
set of ideas that explore the requirements needed and provide a
quick way to find the options needed to arrive at these quickly.
Depending on the task and the need it might not always need the
data and analysis quickly. This was a reason I suggested that I find
it slow at times.
Getting ideas beyond the total amount of ideas needed on the
topic is what I suggested the software for, to get beyond what you
might expect to be the total amount of ideas.
Paper can still do this and the people involved are important, it is
not the level or position of the person that is important.
I have never found that I would exclude anyone who seemed
quieter when assessing ideas and input regardless of what the
task and group or individual session.
The software could help get a faster set of items to work with, but
so could a few other tools.
The paper will get good results when you have the people adding
contributions and all in the same location.
I was assessing the same location and more than one location.
Maybe you misinterpreted what I meant?
If not tell me.
I am as open to as many tools as possible.
I was thinking about this for use in, strategy, vision,
communication, process development, procedure development,
team and individual development, skill improvement, and a few
other areas, more than just ideas for any topic and it's many uses.
I understood what you meant but was unsure what you meant
about one size fits all, I did not intend this to be suggested if you
thought I had been narrow in view.
Best wishes
Bigk
April 18, 2010
hmw1959 wrote
I would disagree as I would liken the method to a tool in a toolkit,
say where there is a variety of hammers, but you are judicious in
your use of the sledge hammer, because of the possible collateral
damage; so you choose the right tool for the job.
Software may work, but there is a learning curve, to enable all
participants to get to the level of comfort to use it.
Normal brainstorming may work, but you still have sort and riffle
to get to the key points, (as with all of the methods).
Sticky slip allows for some auto-sorting, by getting the team to
stick up the notes under broad headings - mind maps need a bit
more management to get similar results.
Spider diagrams could work, but suffer from some of the
disadvantages above.
One group I worked with loved the expressiveness inherent in rich
pictures, others hated it and were too uncomfortable or shy to use
it.
So as a group I would suggest Spider diagrams, mindmapping or
sticky notes; for individuals rich pictures and software etc.
It is a shame to assume that one size can fit all, some of my best
ideas have been from the quiet and self-conscious team members,
often those with years of experience but little in the way of formal
qualifications by using sticky notes.
I will not discount any tool to get the team involved.
Using the team communications session is not always an option in
the mixed groups that you would bring together for a storming
session, they may not work together on a regular basis, and you
may only find out who the non-participants are during the
brainstorming.
April 18, 2010
bigk wrote
Hi James
The tool seems very easy to access and useful to get
contributions.
If it is to get more contribution rather than just an average and
especially as you mention contributions from people who might
not otherwise feel confident enough to contribute would using
brainstorming software not be more effective?
The ideas generated here I can see lead to a group of
contributions but to get better analysis of the contributions faster
it would be useful to organise the contributions into categories if
possible similar to using 6 thinking hats and brainstorming
together or just to group items contributed as categories of
contributions rather than just a general idea generating session.
This would also make it possible to get contributions in distributed

and local team work brainstorming sessions.
However not taking away from the interactive part of the
technique it seems that it might be slow to generate quality in
analysis of the ideas contributed when these are collated then
assessed to the item being investigated. It does however allow all
the people to contribute and this is good.
Surely it could be communicated to the group that input required
would be valued by contributing rather than the amount of
contributions if it proved difficult to get contributions from
everyone.
It seems quite intensive for the output required although it
achieves a result.
If lack of confidence or contribution is the issue I would prefer to
handle this with team communication and participation skills and
mission or task orientated involvement.
I would prefer to use a faster or more productive method to
brainstorm the ideas, it seem slow.
Bigk
April 18, 2010
hmw1959 wrote
I have often used this to balance out sessions covering different
strategy points. Brainstorming the broadbrush / company
strategy, and slip method for the more technical, where there is
likely to be more imbalance in knowledge or confidence of the
team.
The differing pace and individual involvement makes for a more
interesting session.
April 16, 2010
Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation

Expanding Organizational Innovation
"Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation" is a trademark of Doblin Group (see
www.doblin.com). We have no association or connection with
Doblin.
All successful companies
develop their competitive edge
through some form of
innovation.
However, many focus on one
area of innovation only. For
instance, they may only look at
improving customer services,
or creating new products.
While all this is well and good,
they may be able to do a lot
better by innovating in other
areas as well.
Don't just innovate in one or two areas.

iStockphoto/aluxum
When we spread innovation over multiple areas, it becomes much

more difficult for competitors to copy us. It can also create much
more value. So, where should we look to innovate?
This is where Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation can help. This useful tool
highlights 10 key areas that we can look at when we need to
innovate.
About the Tool

The tool was created by the Doblin Group, an innovation consulting
firm, which developed the 10 Types of Innovation* after 27 years of
research with a variety of businesses and organizations. Doblin says
that you're far more likely to have a successful organization if you
focus on innovation in at least four of the ten areas.
The 10 types of innovation are grouped into four broad categories:
Finance
1. Business Model how your organization generates profit.
2. Networking and Alliances how you manage supplier
relationships and build strategic partnerships.
Process
3. Enabling Process the supporting tasks and processes that
happen in your organization. (These are often generic tasks that
you could outsource to contractors or other organizations.)
4. Core Process people and processes that give you a competitive
advantage in your market.
Offering
5. Product Performance the basic features of your product.
6. Product System this is your "offer," and includes any tailored or
customized product offers that you have available.
7. Service the service and services that you provide to potential
clients or customers.
Delivery
8. Channel how customers find out about your product or service.
9. Brand how you communicate the value of your company, your
product or your service to your customers.
10. Customer Experience what customers think or feel about you
when they encounter you.
Applying the 10 Types

Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation give you an awareness of areas that
you can focus on to improve your organization. Without this
awareness, it's likely that you'll focus on only one or two key areas.
You can focus your innovative efforts over a much broader area when
you have this awareness, increasing the likelihood of creating more
value, and creating a unique offering that is difficult for competitors to
copy.
There are many ways to innovate in each of the 10 areas we've
highlighted some strategies below to help you get started in each
area.
Tip:
The Simplex Process and the Innovation Circle are useful

general tools that will help you innovate in all of the areas that we
cover below. Our article on Generating New Ideas can also
help you innovate in different parts of your organization.
Finance
1. Business Model
This is where you look at your organization's business model, and

think about how you could increase your profit. Where does most of
your revenue come from? Are there any bottlenecks that are
limiting revenue, or could you be doing other things to generate
revenue?
Our articles on SWOT Analysis , PEST Analysis and Core
Competency Analysis can help you identify opportunities; our
article on Porter's Diamond can help you ensure that you're
thinking in the right areas; and our article on Porter's Five Forces
helps you take appropriate advantage of market power.
You can also use VRIO Analysis to make sure that you're making
effective use of the resources you have available.
2. Networking and Alliances
Look at how your organization is currently working with its suppliers.

Approaches like supplier relationship management ,
procurement management and the Kraljic Portfolio Model
will help you manage your supplier relationships strategically.
Your organization should be focusing on its strengths, and outsourcing
its weaker areas to a network of suppliers and contractors. (See the
next area for more on this.)
Also, can you create strategic alliances with other organizations
to make best use of your mutual opportunities?
Process
3. Enabling Process
There will be some organizational processes that don't give your

organization much competitive advantage examples of this can
include payroll management, IT support, and suchlike. In other areas,
external providers may have more expertise and skill than internal
providers for example, in marketing, design, or specialist technology
delivery.
In all of these cases, it can make sense to outsource this work. Our
articles on the Outsourcing Decision Matrix and Working with
Outsourced Suppliers will help you think about this.
Tip:
When you do keep routine processes within your organization, you

may be able to use techniques such as Lean Manufacturing
and the 5S System to work more efficiently and productively.
4. Core Process
Does your organization have any unique processes that haven't been
mastered by your competitors? Or, are you looking to create a core
process that will differentiate you from the competition?
Look at your own core processes, and try to find ways to make them
unique and more efficient. Tools like Value Chain Analysis ,
Porter's Value Chain , Core Competence Analysis , USP
Analysis , and the Product-Process Matrix can help here. (If
you're stuck on where you could improve, our article on Business
Process Reengineering has some useful strategies that can help
you get started.)
Offering
5. Product Performance
When people think of innovation, product performance is often where

they begin.
Look at the products or services that your organization offers. How

could you improve these to make them more appealing or more
effective for your customers?
You can start improving product performance with a Conjoint
Analysis . This helps you measure buyer preference so you know
what to improve. You can also use Kano Model Analysis to
explore product improvement.
6. Product System
Look at your current product line or offering. There might be ways you
can customize these items for customers, or bundle certain products
or services together to offer a more complete solution.
(Again, Conjoint Analysis
useful here.)
and Kano Model Analysis
can be
7. Service
You should be providing the very best service possible to your

customers. As well as offering them a high quality product, this also
involves improving every step of the information-gathering and
purchase process.
Look at how your organization treats its customers. How could you
improve the process for your customers?
Value Chain Analysis and Porter's Value Chain can help you
map these out. You can also help your people serve customers better
with our article on the Customer Service Mindset , and you can
improve the way you manage complaints and feedback , so that
you use this valuable feedback and business improvement channel
properly.
Delivery
8. Channel
How does information about your products and services reach your
customers? What channels does your organization use to get your
message across? What new channels could you use to reach current
and potential customers?
Start by looking at your marketing mix and web marketing
tactics to make sure you're using all the channels you have
available. Brainstorm new ways that you could get your product
or service in front of new customers. For instance, could you use
social networking, or get involved in charity events in your
community?
9. Brand
Re-analyze your brand's message by creating a Value Proposition

. This will help you communicate the benefits and value of your
brand to your customers.
You can also review and refresh customer-facing material to enhance
your brand, as well as engaging in a whole range of other brandbuilding activities.
10. Customer Experience
What do your customers experience when they do business with your

organization? How could you improve this experience to add greater
value for them? How can your brand or organization become part of
their life in a more personal way?
You can improve customer service with Value Chain Analysis
(again) and with Customer Experience Mapping , which helps
you and your team experience your business through the eyes of your
customers. You can also review user experience on your website
work in this area can yield huge business improvements for
organizations with complex websites.
Key Points
Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation was created by The Doblin Group,
an innovation consulting firm.
The 10 areas are divided into four categories, as follows:
Finance
1. Business Model.
2. Networking and Alliances.
Process
3. Enabling Process.
4. Core Process.
Offering
5. Produce Performance.
6. Product System.
7. Service.
Delivery
8. Channel.
9. Brand.
10. Customer Experience.
The tool is useful, because it highlights all of the areas where you
can innovate to create more value. This helps you build an
exceptionally innovative business one that is very difficult for
your competitors to copy.
* The work Doblins 10 Types of Innovation is the copyright of
Doblin Group.
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What members say...

Rachel wrote
Hi All
When your organization innovates in a variety of areas, it makes it
much more difficult for competitors to copy you.
Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation highlights all the different areas
that you can innovate in - learn more about these in this week's
Featured Favorite.
Best wishes
Rachel
May 28, 2013
Midgie wrote
This is a fantastic article with loads of ideas and resources to help
with developing innovative solutions to everyday business
situations.
I currently am working with a team developing a creativity in
enterprise university course and the Doblin's 10 Types of
Innovation will definitely feature in our course!!
I'm curious to know how you might have used some of the tools /
models and what were the results?
Midgie
October 10, 2011
Yolande wrote
It took me a while to work through this article - there is loads of
info here! The lack of innovation in systems and processes ("it's
always been done that way") sure is one of my pet hates and I
love how that type of thinking is challenged here. With the
passing of Steve Jobs yesterday I couldn't help but think of what
an extraordinary innovator he was. What some people saw as
impossible was just a question of time for him. And just
think...without innovation...iNothing??? Unthinkable.
Regards
Yoland
October 7, 2011
DO IT
A Simple Process for Creativity
DO IT is a process for creativity.
Techniques outlined earlier in
this chapter focus on specific
aspects of creative thinking. DO
IT bundles them together, and
introduces formal methods of
problem definition and
evaluation.
These help you to get the best
out of the creativity techniques.
DO IT is an acronym that
stands for:
Follow this 4-step process.

iStockphoto/3dbrained
D Define problem.
O Open mind and apply creative techniques.
I Identify best solution.
T Transform.
These stages are explained in more detail below:
1. Define Problem
This section concentrates on analyzing the problem to ensure that the
correct question is being asked. The following steps will help you to
do this:
Check that you are tackling the problem, not the symptoms of
the problem. To do this, ask yourself why the problem exists
repeatedly until you get to the root of it.
Lay out the bounds of the problem. Work out the objectives that
you must achieve and the constraints that you are operating
under.
Where a problem appears to be very large, break it down into
smaller parts. Keep on going until each part is achievable in its
own right, or needs a precisely defined area of research to be
carried out. See Drill Down for a detailed description of this
process.
Summarize the problem in as concise a form as possible. Robert
W Olsen suggests that the best way to do this is to write down
several of two-word problem statements and choose the best
one.
2. Open Mind and Apply Creative Techniques

Once you know the problem that you want to solve, you are ready to
start generating possible solutions. It is very tempting just to accept
the first good idea that you come across. If you do this, you will miss
many even better solutions.
At this stage of DO IT we are not interested in evaluating ideas.

Instead, we are trying to generate as many different ideas as
possible. Even bad ideas may be the seeds of good ones.
You can use the whole battery of creativity techniques covered earlier
in this section to search for possible solutions. Each tool has its
particular strengths and benefits, depending on the problems that you
want to solve. While you are generating solutions, remember that
other people will have different perspectives on the problem, and it
will almost certainly be worth asking for the opinions of your
colleagues as part of this process.
3. Identify the Best Solution

Only at this stage do you select the best of the ideas you have
generated. It may be that the best idea is obvious. Alternatively, it
may be worth examining and developing a number of ideas in detail
before you select one.
The Decision Making Techniques section of Mind Tools explains a
range of excellent decision making techniques. Decision Tree
Analysis and Force Field Analysis are particularly useful.
These will help you to choose between the solutions available to you.
When you are selecting a solution, keep in mind your own or your
organization's goals . Often Decision Making becomes easy once
you know these.
4. Transform
Having identified the problem and created a solution to it, the final
stage is to implement this solution. This involves not only
development of a reliable product from your idea, but all the
marketing and business side as well. This may take a great deal of
time and energy.
Many very creative people fail at this stage. They will have fun
creating new products and services that may be years ahead of what
is available on the market. They will then fail to develop them, and
watch someone else make a fortune out of the idea several years
later.
The first stage in transforming an idea is to develop an Action Plan
for the transformation. This may lead to creation of a Business or
Marketing Plan. Once you have done this, the work of implementation
begins!
DO IT was devised by Robert W Olsen in his book 'The Art of Creative
Thinking'.
Key Points
DO IT is a structured process for creativity. Using DO IT ensures
that you carry out the essential groundwork that helps you to get
the most out of creativity tools.
These steps are:
1. Problem Definition: During this stage you apply a number

of techniques to ensure that you are asking the right
question.
2. Open Mind: Here you apply creativity techniques to
generate as many answers as possible to the question
you are asking. At this stage you are not evaluating the
answers.
3. Identify the best solution: Only at this stage do you select
the best solutions from the ones you came up with in step
2. Where you are having difficulty in selecting ideas, use
formal techniques to help.
4. Transform: The final stage is to make an Action Plan for
the implementation of the solution, and to carry it out.
Without implementation, your creativity is sterile.
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Yolande wrote
I love acronyms such as these because when you are under a lot
of pressure, they are easy to remember and easy to apply. These
are four very practical steps leading to getting solutions for a
problem and can be applied in many different scenarios - not just
in the workplace or career.
The following is a gem:

At this stage of DO IT we are not interested in evaluating ideas.
Instead, we are trying to generate as many different ideas as
possible. Even bad ideas may be the seeds of good ones.
I've often sat in brain storming sessions or meetings, where a bad
initial idea, lead to an excellent idea.
So...lets open our minds and get thinking!
Kind regards
Yoland
May 17, 2010
Encouraging Team Creativity

Helping Your People Think Creatively
According to a 2010 study by
IBM*, creativity is the single
most important attribute that
CEOs think is important for
future business success.
The importance of creativity
and innovation can't be
overestimated.
After all, you can have the best
products and processes now,
but if your organization lacks
creative thinkers, it's going
nowhere fast.
There are many benefits to having a creative team.

iStockphoto/Team_aluxum
Without new ideas, new products, and new processes, you'll be left
behind by your competition.
In this article we'll explore the importance of creativity, and we'll help
you think about how you can foster creativity and innovation within
your team.
The Importance of Creative Thinking

Clearly, creative thinking gives us great new ideas, and helps us solve
our most complex problems.
However, by encouraging creative thinking, you can also help your
people become more engaged with what they do, increase their selfconfidence, and improve their morale. Human beings, no matter who
they are or what they do, have an innate desire to think and act
creatively. (It's not a magical trait that shows up only in artists or
musicians: all of us have a deep well of creativity at our disposal, just
waiting to be let out.)
Organizations that suppress this natural drive end up creating teams
that are stale, disengaged, dissatisfied, and unproductive. Clearly,
teams like these are incredibly bad for business!
Barriers to Creativity
So, if the creative drive is so instinctive for us, why aren't people
creative all the time? The reason is that there are many common
barriers to creativity, especially within organizations.
The attitude of the leadership team is probably the most important
factor. In another recent study, researchers concluded that the
support that leaders give has a potent influence on team creativity.
Without encouragement and support from above, people don't feel
safe enough to take risks with their ideas, and, therefore, creative
thinking is stifled.
Other issues with team creativity revolve around the common

problems that teams face when people work together in groups. For
instance, one team member may be dominant, drowning out
everyone else's ideas in favor of his or her own. Or, other team
members may be shy or apprehensive, and lack the confidence to
express their creative ideas.
Also, as teams discuss options, some team members may forget their
own ideas while they're waiting for their chance to speak. Others may
feel creatively blocked as they listen to other people's ideas.
Additionally, Groupthink can hamper creative thinking, because
people's desire for consensus overshadows their desire to come up
with innovative, risky, solutions.
Other barriers, such as the pressure to conform, and a natural respect
towards authority, can also play a role in stifling creativity.
Strategies for Encouraging Creativity

Despite these many barriers to creativity, it is possible to foster
creative thinking in your team. But it does take a concerted effort to
develop an environment that encourages creative thinking, both in
the short and long term.
To encourage creativity in your team, use the following approaches:
Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanagement can be a major inhibitor of creative thinking. This
is one of the many reasons why, as a leader, you should try to avoid
micromanaging your team. Give your people the space and
freedom they need to think creatively, and work and excel on their
own.
Build Trust
The relationship between you and your team should be one built on
trust. Without trust and mutual respect, creative thinking can't occur.
This is because creative thinking involves a certain amount of risk,
and people don't take risks with those they don't trust. If this is an
issue, learn how to gain the trust of your team , so that your
people feel safe enough to think creatively with you and each other.
You can also create a sense of safety by reminding your team often
how important creative thinking is to you and to your organization.
You may feel that you "sound like a broken record," but repetition will
drive the message home, and will demonstrate that your interest isn't
a passing fad.
Don't Penalize Failures

Many people resist expressing their creative ideas, and especially
acting on them, because they're afraid of failure. Or, they might be
afraid that they'll be penalized if their idea doesn't work.
As a leader, it's important to help your team overcome the fear of
failure , and recognize that good things can come from it. Many
failures hide important lessons and insights that, when taken to heart,
can lead to greater successes down the road.
Failure can also lead to wonderful new products and ideas. For
instance, one of 3M's most famous products, the Post-It note, is the
direct result of a failure. A researcher in the company was trying to
develop a new glue, which turned out to be incredibly weak. Another
3M professional heard about the failed glue and started using it to
keep his bookmarks attached to pages. The rest, as they say, is
history.
This classic story is just one example of how failures can lead to
innovative new ideas and products. Learn about the failures in your
own organization, use business story-telling to help your people
accept failure, and discover the important lessons that these failures
are hiding.
Use Effective Brainstorming Techniques

Brainstorming is a popular and effective technique for generating
ideas. However, many of the barriers that inhibit creativity, such as
Groupthink, deference to authority, and shyness, crop up during
brainstorming sessions. This is why it's often more effective to use
variants of brainstorming than it is to use brainstorming itself.
If you have a member of your team who tends to drown out everyone
else's ideas, then use brainstorming techniques such as RoundRobin Brainstorming or Crawford's Slip-Writing Method .
These techniques encourage idea generation, yet ensure that
everyone in your group has an equal chance to contribute.
If you believe that your team's creativity is being suppressed because
achieving consensus seems to be people's top priority, see our article
on Avoiding Groupthink . And if you sense that the size of your
group is a problem, explore using the Charette Procedure . You
may also want to press your team to analyze problems in depth,
instead of settling on the first or easiest option. Tools such as the 5
Whys Technique , Cause and Effect Analysis , and Root
Cause Analysis will help your team explore problems in detail, so
that they can come up with creative solutions to them.
If you want to introduce a new twist to your brainstorming sessions,
try brainwriting . This technique allows your people to develop
each others' ideas, while everyone still has an equal chance to
contribute.
Lead by Example
Never forget that your team looks to you first when it comes to
creativity. Encourage your people to think more creatively by leading
by example .
Come up with your own creative ideas, don't be afraid to take risks,
and stick up for team members whenever they have an unusual idea.
The more you demonstrate your own creative thinking, the more your
team will feel safe enough to follow suit.
Encourage Solitude
Sometimes, people may find it easier to come up with creative ideas
when they're working alone. Whenever you can, encourage them to
take time to explore new concepts and ideas. If possible, allow them
time to pursue projects that they feel passionate about. Also, consider
setting aside a specific space, such as an empty office or conference
room, and provide the tools and resources that they need to pursue
these ideas.
This sense of freedom and empowerment can go a long way towards
fostering a sense of creativity and excitement within your team.
Tip:
You won't get much creativity from your people if they're carrying
a crushing workload. If you want creativity, give them the time and
space they need to be creative.
Key Points
Creative thinking is vital in many business situations. Without it,
you won't come up with great new ideas, and your organization
will be left behind.
As a leader, it's up to you to encourage your team to think
creatively. There are several ways to do this.
First, make sure you know about the common barriers to creative
thinking. Groupthink, shyness, and a fear of failure can block your
team's creativity.
Next, encourage your team to think creatively. Build trust, so that
your people feel safe to express their ideas, don't penalize failures
or bad ideas, and lead by example.
The more time you spend fostering a sense of safety and
encouragement within your team, the more creative thinking you'll
start to see.
* You can read about this study, which polled more than 1,500 CEOs
from 60 nations, here.
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What members say...

Rachel wrote
Hi All,
Without new ideas, new products, and new processes, you'll be
left behind by your competition.
This is why it's so important to enable creativity in your team.
Learn how to do this, in this week's Featured Favorite.
Best wishes
Rachel
October 15, 2013
bigk wrote
Hi
People over process... indeed. however my recent performance
has not fully achieved full effectiveness but creativity is still alive
within me and will eventually resurface stronger and more
resilient than previously.
Very soon we might all share this after I renew it, restarting again
even despite too long in pondering this year rather than
exploration and implementation or not fully contributing my
experiences to the forum.
An interesting article..., I also read opinions recently that creativity
might not be a leadership trait, and the IBM, leader article.
Even if both views are valid, in comparison this suggests
leadership can still flourish using creativity even if the work does
not require creativity, working often needs creative input or
creativity?
Bigk
July 6, 2011
MichaelP wrote
These are great tips and in reading the IBM report its great to see
that even in a world of overwhelming complexity its people and
their creativity that is the key to the future.
Technology is cool but people rock...
cheers Michael
July 6, 2011
Generating New Ideas

Think Differently and Spark Creativity
"We need to think differently!"
"This needs some fresh ideas!"
"We have got to be more
creative around here!"
Are messages like these
popping up more and more in
your workplace?
Faced with complex, openended, ever-changing
challenges, organizations
realize that constant, ongoing
innovation is critical to stay
ahead of the competition.
Switch on your creativity!

iStockphoto/NREY
This is why we need to be on the lookout for new ideas that can drive
innovation, and it's why the ability to think differently, generate new
ideas, and spark creativity within a team becomes an important skill.
You need to work actively on building and cultivating this skill, and it
can be done!
Often, though, we make the mistake of assuming that good ideas just
happen. Or worse still, we get caught in the mind trap that creativity
is an aptitude; some people have it, others don't. Then there is the
other self-defeating belief "I am not intelligent enough to come up
with good ideas."
These assumptions are rarely true. Everyone can come up with fresh,
radical ideas you just need to learn to open your mind and think
differently. This article shows you how to do so.
How to Generate New Ideas

Standard idea-generation techniques concentrate on combining or
adapting existing ideas. This can certainly generate results. But here,
our focus is on equipping you with tools that help you leap onto a
totally different plane. These approaches push your mind to forge new
connections, think differently and consider new perspectives.
A word of caution while these techniques are extremely effective,
they will only succeed if they are backed by rich knowledge of the
area you're working on. This means that if you are not prepared with
adequate information about the issue, you are unlikely to come up
with a great idea even by using the techniques listed here.
Incidentally, these techniques can be applied to spark creativity in
group settings and brainstorming sessions as well.
Breaking Thought Patterns

All of us can tend to get stuck in certain thinking patterns. Breaking
these thought patterns can help you get your mind unstuck and
generate new ideas. There are several techniques you can use to
break established thought patterns:
Challenge assumptions: For every situation, you have a set of
key assumptions. Challenging these assumptions gives you a
whole new spin on possibilities.
You want to buy a house but can't since you assume you don't
have the money to make a down payment on the loan. Challenge
the assumption. Sure, you don't have cash in the bank but
couldn't you sell some of your other assets to raise the money?
Could you dip into your retirement fund? Could you work
overtime and build up the kitty in six months? Suddenly the
picture starts looking brighter.
Reword the problem: Stating the problem differently often
leads to different ideas. To reword the problem look at the issue
from different angles. "Why do we need to solve the problem?",
"What's the roadblock here?", "What will happen if we don't solve
the problem?" These questions will give you new insights. You
might come up with new ideas to solve your new problem.
In the mid 1950s, shipping companies were losing money on
freighters. They decided they needed to focus on building faster
and more efficient ships. However, the problem persisted. Then
one consultant defined the problem differently. He said the
problem the industry should consider was "how can we reduce
cost?" The new problem statement generated new ideas. All
aspects of shipping, including storage of cargo and loading time,
were considered. The outcome of this shift in focus resulted in
the container ship and the roll-on/roll-off freighter.
Think in reverse : If you feel you cannot think of anything
new, try turning things upside-down. Instead of focusing on how
you could solve a problem/improve operations/enhance a
product, consider how could you create the problem/worsen
operations/downgrade the product. The reverse ideas will come
flowing in. Consider these ideas once you've reversed them
again as possible solutions for the original challenge.
Express yourself through different media: We have multiple
intelligences but somehow, when faced with workplace
challenges we just tend to use our verbal reasoning ability. How
about expressing the challenge through different media? Clay,
music, word association games, paint, there are several ways you
can express the challenge. Don't bother about solving the
challenge at this point. Just express it. Different expression might
spark off different thought patterns. And these new thought
patterns may yield new ideas.
Connect the Unconnected

Some of the best ideas seem to occur just by chance. You see
something or you hear someone, often totally unconnected to the
situation you are trying to resolve, and the penny drops in place.
Newton and the apple, Archimedes in the bath tub; examples abound.
Why does this happen? The random element provides a new stimulus
and gets our brain cells ticking. You can capitalize on this knowledge
by consciously trying to connect the unconnected.
Actively seek stimuli from unexpected places and then see if you can
use these stimuli to build a connection with your situation. Some
techniques you could use are:
Use random input : Choose a word from the dictionary and
look for novel connections between the word and your problem.
Mind map
possible ideas: Put a key word or phrase in the
middle of the page. Write whatever else comes in your mind on
the same page. See if you can make any connections.
Pick up a picture. Consider how you can relate it to your
situation.
Take an item. Ask yourself questions such as "How could this
item help in addressing the challenge?", or "What attributes of
this item could help us solve our challenge?"
Shift Perspective
Over the years we all build a certain type of perspective and this
perspective yields a certain type of idea. If you want different ideas,
you will have to shift your perspective. To do so:
Get someone else's perspective: Ask different people what
they would do if faced with your challenge. You could approach
friends engaged in different kind of work, your spouse, a nineyear old child, customers, suppliers, senior citizens, someone
from a different culture; in essence anyone who might see things
differently.
Play the "If I were" game: Ask yourself "If I were ..." how
would I address this challenge? You could be anyone: a
millionaire, Tiger Woods, anyone.
The idea is the person you decide to be has certain identifiable
traits. And you have to use these traits to address the challenge.
For instance, if you decide to play the millionaire, you might want
to bring traits such as flamboyance, big thinking and risk-taking
when formulating an idea. If you are Tiger Woods you would
focus on things such as perfection, persistence and execution
detail.
Employ Enablers
Enablers are activities and actions that assist with, rather than
directly provoke, idea generation. They create a positive atmosphere.
Some of the enablers that can help you get your creative juices
flowing are:
Belief in yourself: Believe that you are creative, believe that
ideas will come to you; positive reinforcement helps you perform
better.
Creative loafing time: Nap, go for a walk, listen to music, play

with your child, take a break from formal idea-generating. Your
mind needs the rest, and will often come up with connections
precisely when it isn't trying to make them.
Change of environment: Sometimes changing the setting
changes your thought process. Go to a nearby coffee shop
instead of the conference room in your office, or hold your
discussion while walking together round a local park.
Shutting out distractions: Keep your thinking space both
literally and mentally clutter-free. Shut off the Blackberry, close
the door, divert your phone calls and then think.
Fun and humor: These are essential ingredients, especially in
team settings.
Key Points
The ability to generate new ideas is an essential work skill today.
You can acquire this skill by consciously practicing techniques that
force your mind to forge new connections, break old thought
patterns and consider new perspectives.
Along with practicing these techniques, you need to adopt
enabling strategies too. These enabling strategies help in creating
a positive atmosphere that boosts creativity.
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What members say...

dp7622 wrote
I'm always on the look out for good creativity resources. This
article was great. I'm also going to take a look at the that book
Teddy, it sounds interesting.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Don
April 5, 2008
Teddy wrote
There is a wonderful book called A Whack on the Side of the Head
by Roger Von Oech. Its fun, easy to read and full of ideas on how
you can be more creative by opening our mental locks.
The ideas and suggestions in this article closely resemble the
books content.
I bought this book about ten years ago and I re-read it every so
often. Its amazing how quickly we fall into our usual way of
thinking and forget to be creative.
April 5, 2008

If the idea of being creative at
work makes you think of artistic
talent, don't worry!
Business creativity is all about
finding fresh and innovative
solutions to problems, and
identifying opportunities to
improve the way that we do
things.
As such, anyone can be
creative, just as long as they
have the right mindset and use
the right tools.
Test your workplace creativity skills!

iStockphoto/fpm
This test helps you to think about how creative you are right now.
Take it, and then use the tools and discussions that follow to bring
intense creativity to your everyday work.

Instructions:
For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes
you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how
you think you should be), and don't worry if some questions seem to
score in the 'wrong direction'. When you are finished, please click the
'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.
16 Statements to
Answer
Not
Some
Rarely
at All
times
1 Creative people should specialize

in coming up with lots of ideas.
Other people should then
implement these.
2 If I have a problem, I allow myself
to back off active problem solving,

and I create some mental distance
between myself and the issue.
3 When I'm coming up with ideas, I
find myself using phrases like "we

can't" or "we don't."
4 I'm busy. As soon as I have a good

idea, I move forward with
implementation.
Often
Very
Often
16 Statements to
Answer
Not
Some
Rarely
at All
times
5 I gather information from a wide
variety of sources to stay current

with what's happening in my field
of work.
6 I see problems, complaints, and

bottlenecks as opportunities
rather than as issues.
7 When solving a problem, I try to
rethink my current understanding

of an issue to develop a deeper
insight into it.
8 I often ignore good ideas because

I don't have the resources to
implement them.
9 I find problems and issues
distracting. They cause me to lose

focus on my real work.
10 I'm confident that I can develop
creative ideas to solve problems,

and I'm motivated to implement
solutions.
11 I take time to investigate how
things are working, even when

there are no current problems.
12 I always look for the causes of
problems, so that I can

understand what's really going on.
13 I look for things in my
environment to inspire me to find

new interpretations of problems.
14 I focus on issues that are
important right now, preferring to

worry about future problems as
they arise.
15 When gathering information about

an issue, I explore solutions that
have worked elsewhere in the
past..
16 When I generate ideas, I evaluate

them and I quickly discard ideas
that I don't like.
Often
Very
Often
16 Statements to
Answer
Not
Some
Rarely
at All
times
Often
Very
Often
Total = 0
Score Interpretation
Score
Comment
16-36
You're unsure of your creative talent. Maybe you haven't

been given opportunities to be creative, or maybe you're
convinced that you're simply not a creative person.
Either way, look for opportunities to improve how you do
things, even if you don't have any current problems. Use
the discussion and resources below to be more creative
you'll be surprised by how creative you can be if you give
yourself a chance! (Read below to start.)
37-58
Your creativity is a "work in progress." You've had some

successes, so now it's time to let loose and stretch
yourself. Share your ideas and perspectives with others,
and ask them how they view problems. Adopt a
collaborative approach to problem finding, and work
actively with others to create and innovate. The tools
and resources below will help you get to the next level of
creativity. (Read below to start.)
59-80
Creativity is one of your strengths, and innovative and

creative minds are highly sought after. So don't hide your
ability! Look for ways to share your creativity process
with others. Engage colleagues and teammates in
creative pursuits, and promote creativity in your team
and organization. And remember that you can always be
more creative so use the tools and discussion below to
fulfill your creative potential! (Read below to start.)
Boosting Your Creativity Ability

In his well-respected book, "Creativity," Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says
that an effective creative process usually consists of five steps. These
are:
1. Preparation becoming immersed in problems and issues that
are interesting and that arouse curiosity.
2. Incubation allowing ideas to turn around in your mind without
thinking about them consciously.
3. Insight experiencing the moment when the problem makes

sense, and you understand the fundamental issue.
4. Evaluation taking time to make sure that the insight provides
sufficient value to outweigh the various costs involved in
implementation.
5. Elaboration creating a plan to implement the solution, and
following through.
We've mapped these five steps onto the process below. This provides
a clear and practical way for you to think about creativity, and to use
it in your everyday life at work.
1. Finding Problems (Preparation)

(Questions 6, 9, 11, 14, 15)
Creative people don't sit and allow problems to surface. Instead, they
scan their environment for potential issues, and they see this as time
well spent. Also, they're excited by the opportunity to change things.
They aren't intimidated by change; they embrace it.
To develop your creative skills, you need to adopt a positive attitude
towards change, and take an active role in identifying opportunities
and looking for potential issues. To do this, challenge your business
processes using Failure Modes and Effects Analysis , and look
for bottlenecks in these processes. Carry out SWOT and PEST
analyses on a regular basis. Keep up-to-date with customer
experiences and expectations , and try to spot problems from
other people's perspectives.
Also, engage in benchmarking to find out how well others are
addressing similar issues, and look at the issue from a wide range of
perspectives. Then, analyze your findings to ensure that a real
problem does exist. This fact-finding activity can save you a great
deal of time later on, and will help ensure that you only act on the
most relevant problems and issues.
Look first for problems and potential issues that interest you. These
are the things you'll be most motivated to pursue when you're
learning to solve problems creatively. Then, as you become more
confident, challenge yourself to investigate issues that are more
complex.
2. Gathering and Reflecting on Information (Incubation)

(Questions 2, 5)
When you have a potential issue or problem, gather as much

information about it as you can. As part of this, investigate
solutions that have been tried previously (both in your own
organization, and in other areas), and identify ideas that might have
surfaced, but were never acted on.
At this stage it's also a good idea to step away from the problem for a
while, and allow new thoughts and ideas to enter your mind. When we
concentrate on one issue for too long there is a tendency to latch
onto one or two ideas, and this can block other good ideas. (One of
the benefits of being proactive in your problem-finding is that you
have time to incubate ideas, rather than being pressurized to find an
immediate solution to a problem.)
3. Problem Exploration (Insight)

(Question 3, 7, 12)
Once you've identified and verified your problem, you can figure out
what's really going on. Often, the initial problem that you identified
will turn out to be a symptom of a deeper problem. Therefore,
identifying the root cause of the problem is extremely important.
When you do this, you'll find that techniques like CATWOE , Drill
Down , the 5 Whys , Cause and Effect Analysis , and Root
Cause Analysis are all very effective. While creativity may invoke
ideas of spontaneous insight and far-out inspiration, the truth is that
being creative in the workplace is rooted in a practical understanding
of the situation at hand.
Don't, however, be so practical that you become negative. What often
separates creative people from others is the ability to see past
potential barriers, and believe in their insights. For instance, you
could easily dismiss a great insight by saying, "Oh that could never be
the problem!" But, you won't ever know if something is contributing
to a problem unless you allow yourself to explore the possibility.
That's what creative problem exploration is all about being open to
all ideas and possibilities.
4. Generating and Evaluating Ideas (Evaluation)

(Question 4, 13, 16)
When you have clear insight into the cause of the issue, you can
move onto generating ideas for a solution. Here you want to look for
as many ways to inspire ideas as possible. Brainstorming ,
Reverse Brainstorming and Starbursting are popular for this,
however these can be undermined by problems with group dynamics.
Techniques like Brainwriting , Round-Robin Brainstorming
and the Charette Procedure can help you circumvent common
problems.
You can also enrich your ideas by using tools like the Six Thinking
Hats , Random Input , the Reframing Matrix and
Metaphorical Thinking to look at problems from different
perspectives.
Obviously not all of the ideas you have will be practical or possible.
So, as part of this step in the creativity process, you need to decide
which criteria you'll use to evaluate your ideas. (Without a solid
evaluation process, you'll be prone to choosing a solution that is

perhaps too cautious.)
There are a wide range of tools you can use for the evaluation,
including:
Risk Analysis
wrong.
: This helps you explore where things could go
Impact Analysis : This gives you a framework for exploring

the full consequences of your decision.
Force Field Analysis : This helps you explore the pressures
for and against change.
Decision Tree Analysis : This shows you how to evaluate
different options from a financial perspective.
Paired Comparison Analysis : This helps you work out the
relative importance of various factors.
Decision Matrix Analysis : This allows you to weigh many
different financial and non-financial factors.
5. Implementation (Elaboration)
(Questions 1, 8, 10)
A common misconception is that creative people spend all their time

thinking of new and interesting ideas. In fact, truly creative people
recognize a good idea and run with it. A famous Thomas Edison quote
supports this: "Creativity is one percent inspiration and 99 percent
perspiration."
For this final step, you need to be committed to taking your ideas and
making them happen, and you need to be confident that you can,
indeed, propose innovative ideas and inspire change.
To implement your ideas successfully, develop a solid plan, using
action plans for simple projects, and more formal project
management techniques for larger, more complex projects. You'll
also need to be able to sell your idea to others in your
organization. If your idea is likely to affect other people, you'll want to
develop strong change management skills so that the people
around you accept and use the products of your creativity.
Once you bring one idea through to successful implementation, you'll
be motivated and inspired to repeat the process again and again!
Key Points
In the workplace, some people are naturally more creative than
others. However, that doesn't mean that we can't all learn to be
more creative, and use creativity enhancing tools and techniques
in our daily lives.
At its core, creativity is the ability to see familiar things in a new
light, and the first step to being more creative is training yourself
to look for opportunities to improve the systems and processes

around you.
Then gather information, find the main cause of issues and
problems, and generate and evaluate your ideas. And don't forget
that the mundane work of implementing your ideas is key to being
genuinely creative!
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What members say...

StellaOnTheRun wrote
This is a very interesting idea.
Is it the chaotic surroundings that makes us get more insights, or
the fact that chaotic people will be "better" at divergent thinking?
If it is true that 90% of the thoughts we have today are the same
as yesterday, it is not a surprise that most of us are not really
creative.
I personally believe that being creative very much depends on
how good we are at forcing ourselves to not think the same
thoughts over and over and over.
Chaotic environments usually belong to people who don't need to
categorize and organize the world around them... putting the
same things on the same place as yesterday and the day before...
Cheers,
Stella
All this fires in my soul, andprovided I am not disturbedmy
subject enlarges itself, becomes methodized and defined, and in
the whole, though it be long, stands almost complete and finished
in my mind, so that I can survey it, like a fine picture or a beautiful
statue, at a glance Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
January 5, 2014
fxgg090 wrote
Exactly!
December 21, 2013
Dianna wrote
I've read about the link between chaotic environments and
creativity. It's interesting and it makes sense. I think that people
can tap into their creativity by forcing the chaos so to speak. You
don't need to live with a messy desk and crazy office but you can
put post it notes all over the place, create a chaos on the white
board, put on a bunch of different hats and see different
perspectives. It's about forcing the mind out of its routine.
Dianna
December 21, 2013
fxgg090 wrote
Creativity has to do with:
a) Imagination
b) Intention
c) Lack of order or mixed ideas
d) Need to solve some issue or find a new way.
In a new study I read they said people with disorder offices or
rooms are highly creative, it seems as if order is not for very
creative people, chaos allows to see changes, and different
perspectives of the same issue.
Being creative is also a need, to find a new way to start or
continue something, or to solve a problem, creativity I think allows
people to relax, to know something is coming up positive to help

other's, creative people could not always be adapted or accepted
by less creative or non creative groups.
December 21, 2013
Dianna wrote
Great to hear suemind! We like the quiz format too. Any areas of
concern or challenge that we can help you with? Let us know. We
are here to support your development and help you tackle specific
challenges.
I look forward to seeing you around the forums.
Dianna
December 2, 2013
suemind wrote
I found this a great tool to use as it breaks it down to understand
at which point you need to focus on.
Thanks Mind Tools!
December 2, 2013
april123 wrote
Great quiz & explanations. I know that my weakness lies not in
being creative, but in implementing! I will sit and think up new
ideas all day long, but prefer giving them to someone else to
implement. And then I get impatient if they don't do it right! I
really exasperate myself sometimes!
I believe in not being afraid to explore your own mind. Sometimes
we just don't think because we were taught to be followers, but
we have a lot of creativity locked up inside us. Being in reengineering, we are confronted with finding new creative solutions
and thinking up ideas every day. The more you have to do it, the
better you become at it.
April
May 13, 2011
Kano Model Analysis

Delivering Products That Delight
Kano Model Analysis is a useful
technique for deciding which
features you want to include in
a product or service.
It helps you break away from a
profit-minimizing mindset that
says you've got to have as
many features as possible in a
product, and helps you think
more subtly about the features
you include.
This can be the difference
between a product or service
being profitable or unprofitable.
Which attributes would give your product

"star quality"?
iStockphoto/alengo
More than this, it helps you develop a product that will truly delight
your customers.
Explaining the Kano Model

According to the Kano Model (developed by Dr Noriaki Kano in the
1980s), a product or service can have three types of attribute (or
property):
Threshold Attributes: Which customers expect to be present in
a product.
Performance Attributes: Which are not absolutely necessary,
but which are known about and increase the customer's
enjoyment of the product.
Excitement Attributes: Which customers don't even know they
want, but are delighted when they find them.
Threshold Attributes affect customers' satisfaction with the product or
service by their absence: If they're not present, customers are
dissatisfied. And even if they're present, if no other attributes are
present, customers aren't particularly happy (you can see this as the
bottom curve on the graph below).
Figure 1 The Kano Model
Using the example of a cell phone, the ability to store people's names
and telephone numbers is a Threshold Attribute. While a cell phone
without this function would work, it would be grossly inconvenient.
It's on Performance Attributes that most products compete. When we
weigh up one product against another, and decide what price we're
prepared to pay, we're comparing Performance Attributes. These are
shown as the middle line on the graph.
On a cell phone, Performance Attributes might be polyphonic
ringtones or cameras (although to a teenager, polyphonic ringtones
may be Threshold Attributes!)
Excitement Attributes are things that people don't really expect, but
which delight them. These are shown as the top curve on the graph
above. Even if only a few Performance Attributes are present, the
presence of an excitement attribute will lead to high customer
satisfaction.
For the right person (and at the time of writing!), a free Bluetooth
headset might be an Excitement Attribute on a cell phone.
(There's also a fourth type of attribute: Things customers don't care
about at all.)
Using the Tool

To use Kano Model Analysis, follow these steps:
1. Brainstorm all of the possible features and attributes of your
product or service, and everything you can do to please your
customers.
2. Classify these as "Threshold", "Performance", "Excitement" and
"Not Relevant".
3. Make sure your product or service has all appropriate Threshold
Attributes. If necessary, cut out Performance Attributes so that
you can get these you're going nowhere fast if these aren't
present.
4. Where possible, cut out attributes that are "Not Relevant".
5. Look at the Excitement Attributes, and think how you can build
some of these into your product or service. Again if necessary,
cut some Performance Attributes, so that you can "afford" your
Excitement Attribute.
6. Select appropriate Performance Attributes so that you can deliver
a product or service at a price the customer is prepared to pay,
while still maintaining a good profit margin.
Tip:
Where possible, get your customers to do the classification for you.

Partly this will keep you close to your market, but partly it will keep
you and even the most out-of-touch people in your company up-todate with people's changing expectations.
Using the example above, only a few years ago, polyphonic ring
tones (and even phone number lists!) were Excitement Attributes
on cell phones.
Also, make sure when you choose customers, that you choose
customers who are typical of the market you want to sell to.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
Thanks for the feedback - and welcome to the forums!
Do you work in product development? All of us can (and should!)
be involved with generating new ideas so tools like this one help
inspire everyone. I just wonder if this is part of your position and
whether you will incorporate this model into your process
somehow.
Dianna
August 31, 2011
worldperspectiv wrote
This is a nice logically intuitive (or intuitively logical?) approach to
assessing ideas not only for feasibility, but also for potential
success. A very nice, novel approach, with added value for new
product development!
August 30, 2011
Dianna wrote
This is a great article for those who develop products and
services. It's also something that you can you use in most jobs to
improve the service that you provide to your stakeholders.
Innovative thinking is something we can all strive for. As Yann
shows us in his innovation prompt on rapid prototyping (
http://www.mindtools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4274 )
creating a simple model using the ideas in this article is a place
that we can all start from.
Dianna
June 17, 2010
Metaphorical Thinking
Using Comparisons to Express Ideas and Solve
Problems
"Time is money."
How often have heard that
statement?
Probably many times and in
various contexts.
By thinking about time as
money, you can create some
powerful images. Time wasted
is money down the drain. Time
well spent is an investment.
The seconds are ticking away.
iStockphoto/alexs
A direct comparison between two unrelated or indirectly linked things

is called a metaphor. And as we see in the example of "time is
money", metaphors can create strong images that can be used to
great effect in everyday communications and thinking. The manager
who stands up in front of his team and says, "We need to finish this
work quickly", creates considerably less impact that the manager who
opens his comments using the metaphor: "As we all know, time is
money."
The English language is littered with metaphors, and this is testimony
to the their power.
So metaphors can be used to improve communications: They can add
impact or can help you explain a difficult concept by association with
a more familiar one. Metaphorical thinking can also be used to help
solve problems: Use and extend metaphors to generate new ideas for
solutions.
Metaphor tips:
The simple metaphor format is "A is B", as in "time is money".

Metaphors can also be indirect or implicit: "That's a half-baked
idea". This metaphor compares ideas with part-cooked food
without mentioning the food!
And, by the way, metaphors sometimes get mistaken for "similes".
A simile makes a comparison too, but uses the word 'like', as in
"time is like money"; "the idea is like half-baked food". Similes
often sound more powerful than metaphors, even if the idea is the
same.
Explaining Complex Ideas

By associating an unfamiliar idea with one that is commonplace, you
can spark better understanding of complex ideas. Let's say you want
to explain the concept of the business cycle. You could use lots of
words, definitions, and drone on for five or ten minutes leaving the
audience bored and confused. Then you could use graphs and
diagrams, to help improve understanding and interest.
Or, you could explain using a metaphor: The business cycle is a
pendulum, swinging back and forth from peaks of prosperity, down
through economic troughs, and back up again.
The metaphor captures the essence of the business cycle the
listener immediately relates to the continuous back and forth
movement. The vivid image helps people understand and also
remember the idea. So, simply and in just a few words, everyone
suddenly "gets it": To use another metaphor, the light bulb suddenly
goes on.
Creating Impact
Metaphors are great for creating impact and making something
memorable. So making use of them is a technique often used in
marketing and advertising. But it's just as effective for making impact
in your presentations, speeches and even in everyday discussions.
With metaphors, you help people get the idea quickly and efficiently.
Here's a marketing example: In a pitch to sell a vacuum cleaner, you
could go on and on about how great the new cleaner is and why
people should buy it. But, see how much more impact can you create
with metaphors: "This vacuum cleaner is so powerful, it can suck the
light out of a black hole". The vivid image helps your product and
pitch stand out, and so can help you make that sale.
Tip:
Make sure your metaphors are understandable to your audience. If

there's any risk that your metaphors will sound like jargon ,
think again. The secret is to use a metaphor that instantly rings
true with your audience.
Communication
1. Identify what you are trying to communicate.
2. Determine the essence of the message.
3. Think of other instances in life where that same characteristic,
idea, emotion, state, etc. applies.
4. There may be many metaphors for the situation you are
describing choose the one that will best relate to your
audience.
Thinking Outside the Box

When you use a metaphor to link two ideas together, you are
combining elements that have little or no logical connection. By
breaking the rules of logic in this way, metaphors can open up the
creative side of the brain the part that is stimulated by images,
ideas, and concepts. So metaphorical thinking can help you with
creative problem solving: To use another famous metaphor, it helps

you "think outside the box".
Take the problem of how to cut production costs. You could attack the
problem logically, and research new technologies or analyze
inefficiencies in the production process. You might come up with some
cost saving, but will you hit the jackpot?
Problem solving often starts with brainstorming and bouncing
ideas back and forth with your team. Brainstorming is great for
getting the creative juices flowing; it can open up a floodgate of ideas
(. more metaphors!) However, people may still be constrained by the
images they have of the current problem, or by their preconceived
notions about the potential solutions.
When using metaphors for solving problems, you link the problem to
something seemingly unrelated. Doing this allows your brain to see
the issue from a completely different perspective one that you may
not even have known existed. If the problem is how to cut production
costs, you could use the metaphor of someone wanting to lose
weight. The next step is to generate solution to the problem of losing
weight rather than the problem of shedding production costs. As you
identify various solutions to the metaphorical problem, you can then
relate these back to the real problem. Chances are, you will come up
with something creative ideas for solutions.
Here are the steps for using metaphorical problem solving, using our
product costs example:
1. First identify the metaphor for your problem or challenge.
There's no "right metaphor" the ideas can be as unrelated as
you like. If the problem involves increasing something, make sure
the metaphor relates to an increase as well, otherwise it can
become too difficult to visualize.
Increase sales > Build larger muscles
Decrease recruitment costs > Lower the price of bread
Attract more investors > Harvest more corn
So here's the metaphor of our example:
Problem: Cut production costs
Metaphor: Lose weight
2. Now it's time to generate solution ideas for the metaphorical
problem, in this case, losing weight. Brainstorming is a good
way to facilitate this.
Count calories
Exercise
Monitor food intake
Limit intake of certain food categories
Fill up on low calorie foods
Drink lots of water
Join a slimming club
3. Then, the next step is to see how the solution ideas for the
metaphorical problem might relate back to the real problem:
Solution ideas for the

metaphorical problem
Solutions ideas relating back

to the real problem
Count calories
Control expenditure on inputs
Exercise to burn calories
Use up all of their inputs (recycle,

remanufacture, etc.)
Monitor food intake
Control inputs
Limit intake of certain food

categories
Save costs by carefully choosing

certain suppliers
Fill up on low calorie food
Find low cost substitutes
Drink lots of water
Flush out duplicate processes
Join a slimming club
Share ideas and support with

other similar departments
Tip:
Don't get too hung up on how well the metaphorical solution ideas
map back. Metaphors that map too well can stifle the creativity
you are trying to generate! The whole idea is to generate solutions
ideas that you may not have otherwise thought of, so just let the
ideas flow without too much scrutiny.
4. Use the solution ideas you have generated for the metaphorical
problem to find a workable solution to the real problem.
Key Points
Metaphors are powerful shortcuts to instant and memorable
understanding. They evoke vivid images and allow us to "see"
things from a new perspective, and so are useful tools for creative
problem solving. Use metaphorical thinking to help explain
complex ideas, create impact in your presentations, and think
outside the box.
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What members say...

aarnold57 wrote
There is a book called Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for
the Rest of Your Life, by Leider& Shapiro. There are tons of
metaphors relating our lives to a journey that we pack, unpack
and repack for. There are also many exercises for living those
metaphors and applying them to goals in your life. Very fun and
motivating!
My favorite is biblical....for people who ask why I am a workaholic,
I ask if they would "Leave thier Oxen in a ditch?". Our jobs support
our lives and are part of them not separate. I don't know about
anyone here, but I don't stop thinking about my kids when I am at
the office....I don't forget about my job when I am home.
Amanda
October 9, 2006
Dianna wrote
Hi all, I was at a luncheon presentation today on personal
development and the speaker used a great metoaphor. He said
that as we move thorugh life we need to continually repack our
backpack.
Take out the things that are no longer working for us and replace
them with positive skills, attitudes, feelings, directions, visions,
etc...
I thought it was great imagery and I can now "see" myself taking
out the old and putting in the new.
Has anyone else heard some good ones lately?
Dianna
October 2, 2006
Dianna wrote
I'm glad you agree Zach - do you have any particularly insightful
metaphors you can share with us? Or some instances where you
have used metaphorical thinking to solve a problem or come up
with an idea.
Anybody else as well - I'd live to hear some real life examples.
Dianna
September 28, 2006
ZackG wrote
Metaphors are great way of emphasizing a point in meetings. A
good idea is just to think of a relevant one to the item at hand let
the group discuss it's relevancy. You'll be amazed at how it does
the work. Kind of faithful servant.
September 27, 2006
Dianna wrote
Hi Jules,
That metaphor is quite funny - and I think quite creative. My
interpretation of it would be that if you can make an elephant
dance you can make any change happen that you set your mind
to.
The lesson I see here is that if you use a metaphor that no one
understands, all you've done is create more confusion. The whole
reason for using metaphors is to clarify your ideas and concepts;
not leave people scratching their heads.
I've worked with a few people who think that using obscure
metaphors makes them look smart - like their brain works so
much more creatively than others and they can see conceptual
links much clearer than the average Joe. They almost always
ended up sounding foolish.
Good metaphors are excellent communicaiton tools. Bad ones, not
so much...
Dianna:
September 21, 2006
JulesD wrote
but I'm not sure this one worked:

I once worked for a big firm who called their change program
Making the Elephant Dance (something like that anyway). Now the
only thing that conjured for me was they'd bitten off more than
they could chew. Which turned out to be so true!
September 21, 2006
Dianna wrote
A favorite one of mine is this:
Your business operations are a cream filled cookie - the outside
layer is your employees and the filling is your systems. Each part
can be developed (eaten) independently but it's only when they
work (get eaten) together that you get the full effect.
Dianna
I'm hungry all of a sudden...
September 21, 2006
Online Brainstorming
Using Technology to Harness Your Team's Ideas
The following are trademarks: "Google Docs" (see google.com),
"Mind42" (see mind42.com),"Mind Map" (see thinkbuzan.com),
"Skype" (see skype.com), and "Stormboard" (see
stormboard.com). We have no association or connection with these
organizations.
Many managers lead partly or
fully virtual teams.
Team members may be
physically present only a few
days each week, or they may
be entirely virtual living in
distant cities, other countries,
or completely different time
zones.
With teams like these, how can
you run effective brainstorming
sessions?
There are many online tools and apps that can help
your team share their views.
iStockphoto/alexsl
This is a question that virtual team managers need to answer.

And it's why many are turning to the concept of online brainstorming.
In this article, we'll look at how you can use online services to help
your team share and discuss their ideas.
What is Online Brainstorming?

Online brainstorming, also known as "electronic brainstorming" or
"brain netting", is a term used to describe techniques that use the
Internet to share and develop ideas.
There are many tools and services that you can use for online
brainstorming. They vary in approach and complexity, but they have
one thing in common: they allow colleagues to share ideas online.
This can take place over a period of hours or days, or it can happen
simultaneously, depending on the location and preferences of the
participants.
Note:
This article looks at the platforms that you can use to host online
brainstorming sessions. See our article on brainstorming to
find out how to run these sessions the principles are broadly the
same whether you are online or off-line.
Pros and Cons of Online Tools

Online brainstorming can be more productive than face-to-face group
brainstorming. One study found that groups using online
brainstorming methods generated more unique, high-quality ideas
than groups using traditional brainstorming approaches.
Another study found that online brainstorming led to greater
satisfaction and a greater sense of equality among those taking part.
One of the main advantages of online brainstorming is that it allows
less confident team members to contribute ideas without feeling
pressured by more opinionated colleagues. Depending on the tool
used, it can also be anonymous, which may encourage people to
share more radical ideas. And, depending on the tool that you choose,
you may not need to lead the brainstorming session or take notes.
As with all Web-based approaches, however, online brainstorming
tools are dependent on a reliable Internet connection. If this isn't
available, people may be prevented from contributing.
Participants may also need training or support to use online
brainstorming tools effectively, especially if the concept or software is
new to them. Allow time before your brainstorming session to outline
how to use the approach, or have an IT-savvy colleague on hand to
help with any problems.
Online Brainstorming Tools

There are many simple but effective tools available for online
brainstorming. Use the suggestions below to find one that's right for
your team's needs.
Google Drive
One of the simplest online brainstorming tools is Google Drive.
To brainstorm with it, create a document or spreadsheet file, or
upload an existing document. You will need an account to do this, but
your colleagues don't need accounts to access the file.
Ensure that you have "shared" the document with everyone who will
be accessing it. Then send invitations via Google Drive to anyone you
want to access the document.
They will all be able to access it simultaneously (or at times
convenient to them) and their comments will appear in the document
as soon as they are entered.
Your team members can either share their ideas by inserting
comments into the document (to do this, they need to click on the
"comment" icon in the toolbar), or they can enter text directly into the
document itself. Each change will be labeled with its author's name,
and Google Drive will automatically save all changes.
An advantage of this approach is that not everyone needs to be
present at the same time. A brainstorming session can last several
days, with repeated input by people in different time zones.
Instant Messenger/Chat
An instant messenger (IM) or chat platform also provides an effective
way to brainstorm electronically if all members of your team are all
online at the same time. Simply invite them to the group chat at a
specified time.
Depending on the service that you use, you may be able to save the
"chat" for reference, and to use it to send files and hyperlinks.
Cloud-Based Platforms
Some companies use a third-party electronic brainstorming platform
to help their remote teams collaborate. The advantage of this
approach is that many of these platforms offer templates and tools
that can help you to generate or summarize ideas.
For example, Stormboard allows you to share videos, prioritize
ideas, vote on favorites, and generate reports on the group's activity
and final thoughts. Access to the tool is free, and the site also
provides a mobile app.
Mind42, another free cloud-based platform, helps you to create
group mind maps .
Note 1:
There are other online tools that you can use to share ideas with
colleagues.
Online videoconferencing is great when a discussion needs to be
recorded, but other approaches are needed if teams are online at
different times.
Skype is also ideal for bringing together dispersed teams you
can easily set up group calls with 10 or more people, if necessary.
Note 2:
If you are discussing confidential material in your online

brainstorming sessions, seek advice from your IT department to
check that your preferred platform is secure.
Overcoming Information Overload

Online brainstorming can be highly effective. However, as one study
showed, it can also lead to information overload .
Team members can occasionally become overwhelmed by the amount
of information that's being shared, especially when the group is large
or opinionated.
One way to combat this is to use a delivery method that slows down
the influx of ideas. This gives each team member more time to
process what he or she reads and more time to develop ideas based
on new information. Tools such as Google Drive are helpful here, as
users can log in independently as time allows. Alternatively, you may

want to use a facilitator to pace the discussion.
Key Points
There are plenty of good tools that virtual team managers can use
to run online brainstorming sessions.
When used effectively, online brainstorming can generate radical
ideas, bring shyer members of the team into the discussion, and
log all ideas in one place automatically.
However, there is a danger of information overload, which you can
overcome by choosing tools that team members can access
independently, or by using a facilitator to guide the session.
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Practical Innovation
Managing Ideas Effectively
Innovation is the process of
making something new and of
value.
When we think of business
innovation, two things typically
come to mind:
1. Research and development
departments bringing new
products and services to
consumers.
2. New systems and processes
stemming from business
process reengineering.
Everyone can innovate!

iStockphoto
Innovation doesn't have to be as complex as this. Innovation is

something that every one of us, at every level of an organization, can
participate in.
Innovation on a grand scale is what can allow companies to excel.
Look at some of the most influential businesses: Apple, Microsoft, and
3M. How many people want an MP3 player other than an iPod? How
many computer operating systems have most people used, apart
from Windows? What do you call those little pieces of colored paper
that have sticky edges?
These companies are all examples of business innovation at its finest.
They've made it a strategic priority to be groundbreaking and
creative. At some level, though, all organizations need to be
innovative, and to evolve their processes and products continuously.
Businesses that don't change risk being left behind. To avoid that risk,
put the power of innovation to work. This could mean developing the
next supertrend, or simply ensuring that you're doing the best with
what you have.
The benefits of successful innovation can include:
Increased competitiveness by gaining market share and
increasing the value of your product or service in the
marketplace.
Greater customer loyalty through building trust and
developing a reputation as a preferred supplier.
Smoother operations through making better decisions, better
monitoring of business processes, and progressive improvement
of the way your business runs.
More effective employees through involving them with
strategic decisions and empowering them to make a difference in
your organization.
Inspiring Innovation
Deciding that you want to be innovative is easy. Figuring out HOW to
innovate is another matter altogether.
A major barrier to innovative practice can be thinking that innovation
needs to be "top down." The first thing you should understand is that
the person working in your accounts receivable department may be
just as likely to come up with an innovative idea as the executive in
charge of communications.
That's why innovation often starts and ends with corporate culture,
and with the systems you put into place. From building a culture of
innovation and creativity to focusing on what your customers need
and want, it all starts with the right environment, support, and
systems for your people.
Encouraging Innovation
Managing innovation is ultimately about generating, analyzing, and
managing ideas so you need a disciplined approach to doing this.
Here are some effective practices you can use to manage and
maintain a steady flow of innovative ideas:
Create an employee suggestion system Many companies
use an employee "suggestion box" (even if this is, in reality, a
database on the Intranet). This can work very well and be
adapted for a variety of situations. Whatever method you use, it's
important to follow through with the suggestions received. Don't
create a "black hole," where suggestions enter and are never
seen or heard from again. Best practices for suggestion programs
include the following:
Creating a formal method for submitting ideas.
Making your system transparent. Clearly describe what
happens to suggestions that are received.
Committing to following the system for each and every
suggestion.
Providing structure for the ideas you seek. Link your
requests to a specific strategic goal, and you'll likely get
more relevant and practical ideas.
Make sure each suggestion receives a quick response. Even
ideas that may appear silly or irrelevant deserve
consideration and feedback. If the suggestion is made
anonymously (you can decide whether or not to allow staff
to submit ideas without giving their names), find a way to
acknowledge it. To continue receiving suggestions, it helps
to show that they're actually read and processed.
Use rewards and incentives When idea management
systems are implemented, they often receive lots of ideas at the
start, but this can slowly decrease to almost nothing after a
while. To encourage continuous idea generation, use monetary
incentives, or use some other form of recognition or
acknowledgment. Ensure that the person making the suggestion

continues to play a role in the design and implementation of the
idea this can motivate as well.
Implement creativity training This is becoming quite
popular. Many people believe that they aren't creative, or that
they're somehow incapable of coming up with innovative ideas.
This usually isn't true. Almost everyone can learn to be more
creative, but they have to be open to creativity, and then be
given some specific strategies to look at a situation with new
eyes. Mind Tools has a Bite-Sized Training session on
creativity that includes some great exercises for developing
your own creativity.
Form problem solving teams Make a team responsible for
assessing a specific issue, generating a solution, and
implementing a plan. Teach your staff that improvement and
change are good things. Give people an opportunity to narrow
down their ideas to one specific issue this can help them
practice problem solving techniques that they can then use in
their day-to-day work responsibilities.
Design flexible jobs Allow people to share jobs and crosstrain. This may help people understand what makes your
company successful, because they'll have a better overview of
the systems and processes you have in place. When people see
organizational functions from a variety of perspectives, it's much
easier for them to come up with innovative solutions.
Increase "why" training The better people know why they're
doing something, the more likely they are to see ways to improve
it. People can repeat tasks, over and over again, until they do
those tasks perfectly. But once learned, they may never do the
tasks any differently. Take the time to help all staff understand
how their work affects the organization's success, and you may
help them discover ways to be more effective.
Establish self-managed work teams Give staff some
responsibility and control this may provide the incentive they
need to make a project successful. The information that's often
shared within this type of team can bring a much greater
understanding of the issue at hand, which can cause team
members to look for new ways to do things. Such teams can also
provide lots of opportunity for leadership, which can motivate
people to think differently.
Bring managers and team members together on a team.
This can be a really effective way to emphasize how the
team's purpose is linked to organizational strategy. It helps
fill in the "why" aspect for everyone involved, and it
improves the chances of generating innovative ideas. Nonmanagement team members may also benefit from knowing
their ideas are heard directly, and they can experience
firsthand how ideas are developed and evaluated.
Key Points
Innovation is usually a function of how well you bring together and
manage ideas. It's not something that just happens in R&D or in
production-related departments it can happen everywhere.
Develop human resources systems that support innovation, and
you can capture and control the creativity and innovation that's
present in everyone.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
Excellent point shackledog!
A culture of innovation is so important. I can only imagine how
frustrating it would be to have all these great ideas and no
support to take them anywhere.
I'm curious to hear about people's experiences pushing an
innovative idea from the bottom. -How did you get the idea?
-How did you implement it?
-If you met with resistance what did you do?
-Was it a successful experience overall and what might you do
differently?
Dianna
January 23, 2008
MichaelP wrote
Hi, the comment that it does not have to be a top down process is
valid however it does require a top down championship!
I have personal experience of trying to propose and introduce a
scheme very much in line with your recommendations. Nothing
happened because the board of directors didn't see any added
value in the activity!!
And guess what their company is still doing today exactly what it
was doing yesterday.
January 23, 2008
Dianna wrote
That is so true johnj1. Welcome to the forum!
Responsibility is one of the greatest motivators we have. I think
your point is exactly why systems like TQM
http://www.mindtools.com/community/page ... STR_81.htm and
kaizen http://www.mindtools.com/forums/viewtop ... ght=kaizen
work so well. The people who do the jobs everyday are the best
source of improvement and innovation. Having a corner office, no
matter how much management by walking around you do, is no
substitute for doing the work day in and day out.
Dianna
January 10, 2008
johnj1 wrote
I think giving workers ownership of their work is the key to
innovation. The people who both work with something closely and
are invested in their work are the ones who are going to have the
ideas about how to make something better and are more likely to
speak up.
January 9, 2008
Provocation
Carrying Out Thought Experiments
Martin has two days to come up
with new product ideas before
the next team meeting.
However, he's stuck.
No matter what he does, he
keeps having the same, tired
ideas.
The clock is ticking!
Have you ever been in a
Carry out a "thought experiment" by inverting your
thinking.
situation like this? Many of us
iStockphoto/the_guitar_mann
need to come up with
innovative ideas from time to
time. However, it's easy to get stuck in the same thinking patterns,
which can limit our creativity. This is why using a technique like
provocation can be useful.
Provocation is a lateral thinking technique. It works by disrupting
established patterns of thinking, and giving us new places to start.
A key way that we think is by recognizing patterns and reacting to
them. These reactions come from our past experiences, and from
logical extensions of those experiences; and it's often hard to think
outside these patterns. While we may know a good answer as part of
a different type of problem, the structure of our brains can make it
difficult for us to access this.
Provocation is a tool that we can use to make links between these
patterns. In this article, we'll review Provocation, and discuss how you
can use it to come up with creative ideas and solutions to problems.
About the Tool

The Provocation technique was developed and popularized by
psychologist Edward de Bono.
You use provocation by making deliberately wrong or unreasonable
statements (provocations), in which something you take for granted
about the situation isn't true.
For instance, the statements "Cars have square wheels" or "Houses
have no roofs" can be provocations.
Statements need to be outrageous like this to shock your mind out of
existing ways of thinking. Once you've made a provocative statement,
you then suspend judgment and use that statement to generate
ideas, giving you original starting points for brainstorming and
creative thinking.
Understanding Provocation
Here's a useful way of thinking about the technique.
Imagine you take the same route to work every day. You're so used to
it that you stop noticing the scenery, and you don't even have to
think about which route to take to get to your office.
We can use this as an analogy for our normal approach to
brainstorming, where we habitually follow the same track, or steps,
when we brainstorm. This limits our creativity, because any forward
movement is based on the step or idea we had before.
Now, imagine that you're leaving for work and, suddenly, you're
magically transported to an entirely new location. You've never been
to this place before, and nothing is familiar! If this happened, you'd
have to start figuring out where you were, and how you were going to
take a new route to work.
This is what provocation does, and it's why it can be so useful. Its
purpose is to take you outside the routes that you normally think
along, and put you in an entirely new place. Then, it's up to you to
work back to where you want to be.
When you do this, you're addressing problems from a new
perspective, and, hopefully, you'll generate new ideas.
Using the Technique

Provocation is quite straightforward to use, although it can be
challenging when you first start.
All you do is make a shocking or outrageous statement about the
problem you're trying to solve. Then, you begin to work back through
several further steps.
Note:
The technique is most useful when your provocations are far-out.
De Bono suggests that at least 40 percent of your provocations
should be completely unusable. If you make "safe" statements,
you won't get the full value of the technique.
Step 1: Create the Provocation

It can sometimes be difficult to come up with a provocation, simply
because our brains are hard-wired to come up with sensible solutions.
One way to get started with provocations is the "escape method."
Here, you make a statement that everyone takes for granted. This
"take for granted" statement should be related to the problem you're
trying to solve. Once you've created a take for granted statement,
you can then come up with a provocative statement to counter it.
Example:
Due to severe budget cuts, you need to come up with ways to

bring in more revenue to your department for things like staff gifts,
holiday parties, and little extras for the office. So, your take for
granted statement would be: "We take for granted the fact that the
department needs to bring in more money."
The provocation to this assumption would be: "The department
doesn't need to earn money".
Step 2: Create Movement/Ideas

Once you've made a provocation, you need to imagine what would
come next. This is called the "moment-to-moment" technique.
Essentially, you're going to imagine, on a moment-by-moment basis,
what comes next.
Example:
Provocation: The department doesn't need to earn money.

Moment-by-Moment: Employees are coming to work, but not to
make money. Because they're no longer trying to make a profit for
the department, they decide to start working on creative pursuits
during the day.
Because the employees feel so free to be creative, they begin to
come up with all kinds of product ideas, artwork, and volunteer
opportunities. They start to improve the department to make it a
more pleasant and stimulating place. Morale and camaraderie
improves since competition isn't an issue any longer, and the
hierarchy of the department breaks down since there's no
difference between entry-level workers and management.
Keep in mind that as you use the moment-by-moment technique, you
don't have to follow one line of thinking. You'll get the greatest value
from provocation if you try to come up with several alternative ideas,
stemming from your initial provocation.
There are several other ways that you can create movement and
ideas from your provocation. Examine:
The consequences of the statement.
What the benefits would be.
What special circumstances would make it a sensible solution.
The principles needed to support it and make it work.
How it would work, moment-to-moment.
What would happen if a sequence of events was changed.
The differences between the provocation and a sensible solution.
You can use this list as a checklist to help you brainstorm.
Step 3: Extract Value

Keep in mind that your goal is not to prove that your provocation is
useful or justified. Your goal is to generate ideas that are separate
from the provocation.
You extract value from the provocation by taking one of those ideas,
and turning it into a viable solution to your problem.
Example:
Your initial problem was to come up with ideas that would add
revenue to your department. And, you came up with a few possible
solutions once you used the moment-by-moment technique.
You could give employees days off from their regular work to
pursue some creative ideas within the department. They might
come up with some innovative products or processes that would
add revenue.
Another out-of-the-box solution might be to make full use of your
team's creativity. For instance, you could encourage your team to
create some art and donate to a team "art sale" for the rest of the
company. The profits from each sale would go in a department
fund used for holiday parties.
Provocation in Groups
Provocation is also a useful technique for encouraging team
creativity .
When using the provocation technique with someone else, or with a
group, de Bono suggests using the word "Po." This stands for
"Provocative Operation." The term is also a partial root of other words
such as "possible", "hypothesis", "suppose" and "poetry" which,
according to de Bono, all indicate forward movement, which is the
purpose of the provocation technique.
De Bono suggests that when we make a provocative statement in
public we label it as such with "Po" (for instance, "Po: the earth is
flat"). "Po" acts as a signal, alerting everyone that the statement is a
provocation and not one to be seriously considered. However, this
does rely on all members of your audience knowing about
provocation!
Note:
As with other lateral thinking techniques, provocation doesn't

always produce good or relevant ideas. However, sometimes it
does, because it forces you to think in different and original ways.
Ideas generated using provocation are often fresh, creative, and
original.
Key Points
Provocation is a useful lateral thinking technique that can help you
generate original starting points for creative thinking.
To use provocation, make a deliberately outrageous comment
relating to the problem you're thinking about. Then suspend
judgment, and use the statement as the starting point for
generating ideas. You can then move forward using the momentby-moment technique, imagining how it would play out in the real
world.
Last, you extract value from picking the ideas that might be
feasible, and by developing them further.
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What members say...

Yolande wrote
Hi u2005k
A warm welcome to the Club and to the forums. I like your
provocative statement and how it immediately caused me to think
differently. Sharing ideas and thoughts are exactly what the
forums are about - that is how we all get to help and learn from
one another.
I'm curious to know whether there is something specific that you

want to learn more about? I'm also asking because I want to offer
my assistance in helping you find specific information if you're
looking for something.
u2005k, please let me know if you need any help around the
forums. We also look forward to 'hearing' your voice often.
Kind regards
Yoland
August 29, 2013
u2005k wrote
Hi,
Instead of using "Department does not need to generate
revenue", we can another one like "Department has no fixed cost"
i.e. employees salaries and other costs are completely variable
depending on revenue department is generating.
August 29, 2013
Midgie wrote
Hi everyone,
I agree with Brynn in that sometimes we need to be jarred out of
compacency By thinking of an extreme scenario, we can then
work with the thought than anything else is a bonus, and that
every little bit helps! If your survival depending on it, you'd take
action - any action!
We could also use this way of thinking sometimes in our own
lives!! We can become so complacent in our lives and get into a
rut that it only by extreme situations that we change. So, why not
create (at least in your mind) an extreme situation and take
action!
Hmm ... where in my personal and professional life can I look at
some extreme scenarios and take action?
Midgie
August 9, 2012
ladyb wrote
I like where you ended up! Some really creative ideas from your
bubble technique. I'm a fan of mind mapping type approaches too.
I do think provocation can be a good starting point though. The
initial thought that the department doesn't need to earn any
money could be what the team needed to even start thinking
about the issue with any seriousness. Sometimes you need to be
jarred out of compacency to even think about using brainstorming

and othe creative thinking techniques. I'd like to think my team
would never need to be 'provoked' into this sort of problem
solving but if it did, I guess I think the two go together and it's not
an either/or. Having said that, your technique for bringing the real
ideas forward is great!
Brynn
August 8, 2012
simplicity wrote
[color=#BF40FF:2qcb7fj0]Example: Due to severe budget cuts,
you need to come up with ways to bring in more revenue to your
department for things like staff gifts, holiday parties, and little
extras for the office. So, your take for granted statement would
be: "We take for granted the fact that the department needs to
bring in more money."
The provocation to this assumption would be: "The department
doesn't need to earn money".
I don't necessarily think that this approach would be the most
effective in coming up with a timely and productive plan. What I
would do is take the problem, visualize it as a small phrase and
then shrink it into a bubble, while alternately coming up with
different paths to new bubbles such as in mind mapping. For this
instance, you could incorporate a Holiday/Party/Themed
Fundraiser all into one. It would be open to the public and the
employees could raffle small prizes, sell crafts and work related
packets, and have it family friendly. Alternatively, you could use
the fundraiser to donate to a cause such as Cancer relief or
children in poverty, then take a portion or third to benefit the
company. It would be more successful utilizing FB, flyers, and
networking in general.
My technique is more like a branching map of ideas, after-all there
may be an idea lurking underneath that procrastiation. While the
whole idea of counter-logic and provocation may be helpful short
term I still think it's better to map it out visually, with alternatives
placed in certain situations.
Hope my input is useful!
August 8, 2012
James wrote
Hi All
Weve given this popular article a review. The updated tool is now
at http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/
newCT_08.php
You can discuss the article by replying to this post!
Thanks
James
August 10, 2011
mayc wrote
I like this a lot. Provocation carries with it a negative connotation
but with this spin it is really helpful. I'm currently trying to figure
out how to reorganize my department and the provocation I'm
going to use is, "what if I fire everyone and try to do it all myself."
I think that by taking this extreme position I can pare back to what
exactly I need others to do and then look at building some jobs
around that. It's already started me thinking and I've only just
written the statement down.
May
June 22, 2010
Yolande wrote
Sometimes an organisation is lucky enough to have a
"provocative" (in a positive sense) individual on their team who
are forever challenging old ideas and old ways of doing. It will
make some people uncomfortable to come up with provocative,
deliberately strange ideas. However, creativity is a commodity
that is freely available but completely under utilised and after
having dealt with their discomfort, people who would not normally
come up with provocative ideas might actually start to enjoy it.
And obviously, the creativity pool of that organisation is
expanded.
Having to wear boots in winter is really such a schlepp... and ...
umbrellas are useless in rainy weather...
Regards
Yoland
June 22, 2010
Random Input
Making Creative Leaps
Have you ever found yourself
stuck while brainstorming a
problem, going over the same
ideas over and over again?
In situations like this, it can be
difficult to break out of your
normal thinking patterns and
come up with truly new,
creative ideas.
This is when using creativity
Use this tool to generate fresh ideas.
techniques like Random Input
iStockphoto/zentilia
can be helpful. Random Input is
a lateral thinking technique, which moves you outside your
established thinking patterns so that you can develop creative and
innovative ideas.
About the Tool

Random Input was created by psychologist Edward de Bono in 1968,
and published in his 1992 book, "Serious Creativity." It's useful when
you need fresh ideas or new perspectives during problem solving.
For many types of problem solving, we tend to think by recognizing
patterns that we've seen in the past, and applying solutions that
we've seen work. Sometimes, though, we get stuck inside these
patterns: within them, there may be no good solution to a particular
sort of problem. This is where it can be difficult to step outside that
pattern of thinking, even if you want to.
Random Input is a technique for linking other thinking patterns into
the ones we are using. It helps us move outside our normal way of
thinking, so that we can come up with new solutions to our problem.
How to Use Random Input

To use Random Input, you select a random noun from either a
dictionary or a pre-prepared word list. It often helps if the noun is
something that can be seen or touched (for example, "helicopter," or
"door") rather than a concept (for example, "fairness" or "politics").
Then, use this noun as the starting point for brainstorming
problem.
your
With each word you choose, you'll add a range of new ideas and
concepts to your brainstorming. While some ideas will be useless,
you'll still gain some good new insights into your problem. If you
persist, then at least one of these ideas may trigger a useful creative
leap.
Tip:
You may find that Random Input is particularly effective when you
select a word from a separate field in which you have some
expertise. By doing this, you link in patterns that may be rich with
ideas and with potential solutions.
There are several techniques that you can use to select your word.
1. Choose a random page in the dictionary, close your eyes, and
run your finger randomly along the page, stopping anytime. If the
word you find isn't a noun, keep going down the page until you
read the next noun.
2. Make a list of 50-100 random nouns - like truck, skyscraper,
cloud, traffic, and so on - numbering them as you go along (you
can include words from the separate field we talked about in the
tip box above). Whenever you find yourself stuck on a problem,
pick a random number from, say, 1-100. Then, choose the word
that corresponds with that number.
3. Open a book, magazine, or newspaper, close your eyes, and
randomly select a word.
Tip:
De Bono says that no word has ever been "too random" to be

effective. The danger lies in choosing words that aren't random
enough. This is why it's best not to think of a word on your own,
but to leave the selection to chance.
Random Input Example

Imagine that you're brainstorming ways to lift your team's morale.
You've thought of all the "usual" ideas, such as a staff party or
offering half days once a month. But these have all been done before.
So, you decide to use Random Input to think of some creative new
ideas.
You open the dictionary and randomly select the word "dog." How
could dogs possibly help lift team morale?
Perhaps your department could have a "bring your dog to work"
day once a month.
Everyone on your team who's interested could volunteer to walk
dogs one day at the local animal shelter.
You create a contest to spur sales. The top sales professional at
the end of the quarter will either win nice prizes for their own
dog, or receive money to be donated to a good cause of his or
her choice.
Clearly, some of your ideas may be wrong or impractical. But, some of
them might be original, and may be the basis of some useful
development.
Keep in mind that you can continue selecting random words, and
generating ideas, until you find one that's truly useful. You might also
find it helpful to use Random Input alongside other creative thinking
techniques, such as Metaphorical
Thinking and DO IT .
Note:
Random Input is very similar to Provocation

de Bono's lateral thinking techniques.
, another of Edward
Both techniques have the same goal: to push us outside our

established thinking patterns so that we can come up with new
ideas. However, Provocation differs in that the word you choose is
one that's outrageous, and you have to work to make a connection
between the provocation, and your problem.
Random Input is simply that: completely random. It's an easier
technique to use, so it's often best to start with this (rather than
Provocation) when you're stuck on a problem.
Key Points
Random Input was developed by psychologist Edward de Bono in
1968. It's useful for generating new perspectives on a problem,
and can lead to startling creative leaps.
The technique works by providing an easy way of breaking out of
restrictive thinking patterns. It helps you to link in whole ranges of
new solutions that you would not otherwise associate with the
problem.
To use Random Input, you select a random noun from the
dictionary or from a pre-prepared word list. You then use the noun
as a starting point for brainstorming your problem.
It's best not to choose nouns that come from the same area as the
problem you're considering, as the whole idea of Random Input is
to link in new thinking patterns; not to stay inside old ones.
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What members say...

Bree wrote
Hi Yolande,
I love your idea of jotting down ideas to give your brain
permission to come up with more and more ideas
I think I'll have to give it a go and see how it goes, and how any
more ideas I get, plus how it makes me feel rather than having
tons of things swirling around my brain!
Bree
September 30, 2011
Yolande wrote
Purple dog, Michael!
I love this article. I've made a habit of it over years to always have
a notebook with me and not to disregard a single idea that my
brain comes up with. I write it down and know that I will probably
use it one day. Or even the next day! By writing it down you are
literally giving your brain permission to come up with more and
more ideas.
Cheers
Yoland
September 29, 2011
MichaelP wrote
cucumber!
tks for update great tool
September 28, 2011
James wrote
Hi Everyone
is now at
newCT_07.php
Thanks
James
September 28, 2011
Dianna wrote
Love this tool. It's so interesting and I'm always amazed by the
ideas that pop into my head by just starting from a place that
often makes absolutely no sense at all. It's all about confusing the
brain and getting out of your set patterns of thinking. Try it and let
us know what happens!
Dianna
July 12, 2010
Reversal
Reversal is a good tool for
improving a product or a
service.
To use it, ask the opposite of
the question you want to ask,
and apply the results.
Example
Imagine that you want to
Consider the issue from the opposite direction.
improve the response of a
iStockphoto/taramol
service center. Using Reversal
you would ask 'How would I
reduce customer satisfaction?'. After considering this question you
might give the following answers:
Not answering the phone when customers call.
Not returning phone calls.
Have people with no product knowledge answering the phone.
Use rude staff.
Give the wrong advice.
After using Reversal, you would ensure that appropriate staff
members were handling incoming phone calls efficiently and
pleasantly. You would set up training programs to ensure that they
were giving accurate and effective advice.
Key Points
Reversal is a good, easy process for improving products and
services. You use it by asking the exact opposite of the question
you want answered, and then apply the results appropriately.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
indeed the 'reversal' process is a great way to shake things up. A
tool I think you can strongly consider for the creative problem
solving course you are planning.
Dianna
November 2, 2012
prakashc wrote
A brilliant one indeed. Usually we focus on what we want to do,
and we do not realize that when we are not doing what we want to
do then we are still 'doing' something. It is impossible for us 'not'
to do anything. So, when we twist the question around,
immediately light is shed on the area of what we are doing
currently by not doing what we want to do! And boy does that
shake our seats......
November 1, 2012
cobberas wrote
I really like this approach. A friend used to tell me, if I was in a
quandary over something, "think what not to do"!
Cheers
Cos
June 17, 2010
bigk wrote
Hi
I looked at this recently and was unsure it would give better scope
to identify the items needed in improvement based on
improvement and unimprovement. However the technique looks
very good and the tool is easy to use to identify items for a
decision.
The requirement identified should still give the important or the
most items, to avoid missing any.
In comparison it is quick to find both positive and negative
options.
This could be used with stakeholder requirements or 6 thinking
hats or brainstorming to give more detail.
Although some items might still be missed if the analysis is not
detailed or large enough regardless of using reversal or
brainstorming.
It could be used individually or in a group.
It is a very useful tool.
I like it's quickness and it's prototype similarity to get comparisons
and help with shaping decisions.
Bigk
June 16, 2010
Yolande wrote
Hi all
What an interesting approach! To know beforehand what you want
to avoid, actually helps you realise more clearly what you want to
achieve. This is also a nice example of thinking outside the box by
approaching something from a completely different angle!
Kind regards
Yoland
June 15, 2010
A Different Approach to Brainstorming
Reverse brainstorming helps
you solve problems by
combining brainstorming
and reversal techniques. By
combining these, you can
extend your use of
brainstorming to draw out even
more creative ideas.
To use this technique, you start
with one of two "reverse"
questions:
iStockphoto/Diva_Nir4a
Instead of asking, "How do I solve or prevent this problem?" ask, "How

could I possibly cause the problem?"
Instead of asking "How do I achieve these results?" ask, "How could I
possibly achieve the opposite effect?"
How to Use the Tool

1. Clearly identify the problem or challenge, and write it down.
2. Reverse the problem or challenge by asking, "How could I
possibly cause the problem?" or "How could I possibly achieve
the opposite effect?"
3. Brainstorm the reverse problem to generate reverse solution
ideas. Allow the brainstorm ideas to flow freely. Do not reject
anything at this stage.
4. Once you have brainstormed all the ideas to solve the reverse
problem, now reverse these into solution ideas for the original
problem or challenge.
5. Evaluate these solution ideas. Can you see a potential solution?
Can you see attributes of a potential solution?
Tip:
Reverse brainstorming is a good technique to try when it is difficult

to identify solutions to the problem directly.
Example
Luciana is the manager of a health clinic and she has the task of
improving patient satisfaction.
There have been various improvement initiatives in the past and the
team members have become rather skeptical about another meeting
on the subject. The team is overworked, team members are "trying
their best" and there is no appetite to "waste time" talking about this.
So she decides to use some creative problem solving techniques she

has learned. This, she hopes, will make the team meeting more
interesting and engage people in a new way.
Perhaps it will reveal something more than the usual "good ideas"
that no one has time to act on.
To prepare for the team meeting, Luciana thinks carefully about the
problem and writes down the problem statement:
"How do we improve patient satisfaction?"
Then she reverses problem statement:
"How do we make patients more dissatisfied?"
Already she starts to see how the new angle could reveal some
surprising results.
At the team meeting, everyone gets involved in an enjoyable and
productive reverse brainstorming session. They draw on both their
work experience with patients and also their personal experience of
being patients and customers of other organizations. Luciana helps
ideas flow freely, ensuring people to not pass judgment on even the
most unlikely suggestions.
Here are just a few of the "reverse" ideas:
Double book appointments.
Remove the chairs from the waiting room.
Put patients who phone on hold (and forget about them).
Have patients wait outside in the car park.
Discuss patient's problems in public.
When the brainstorming session runs dry, the team has a long list of
the "reverse" solutions. Now it's time to look at each one in reverse to
think about a potential solution. Well-resulting discussions are quite
revealing. For example:
"Well of course we don't leave patients outside in the car park
we already don't do that."
"But what about in the morning, there are often patients waiting
outside until opening time?
"Mmm, true. Pretty annoying for people on first appointments."
"So why don't we open the waiting room 10 minutes earlier so it
doesn't happen"
"Right, we'll do that from tomorrow. There are several members
of staff working already, so it's no problem."
And so it went on. The reverse brainstorming session revealed many
improvement ideas that the team could implement swiftly and
Luciana concluded: "It was enlightening and fun looking at the
problem in reverse. The amazing thing is, it's helped us become more
patient-friendly by stopping doing things rather than creating more
work".
Key Points
Reverse brainstorming is a good technique for creative problem
solving, and can lead to robust solutions. Be sure to follow the
basic rules of brainstorming to explore possible solutions to the
full.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
Welcome Venugopal! It's great to hear your feedback. You'll have
to let us know how your project turns out and what lessons you
learned about reverse brainstorming.
Dianna
January 13, 2014
Mycareer wrote
Hello,
The article on Reverse Brainstorming is really very nice. I will be
trying this in my Project.
Thank You.
Venugopal
January 12, 2014
Dianna wrote
I too enjoy reverse brainstorming because it mixes things up and
forces you to come at the issue with a totally different
perspective. What plans do you have for using it? Are you dealing
with some workplace dissatisfaction and looking for ideas to
improve engagement?
November 3, 2011
lunitarie wrote
What a great idea! Nice way to get buy-in and to identify with a
dissatisified workforce.
October 29, 2011
anuj wrote
yes reverse brain storming is very good technique.
Its also pro active in nature and help you to identify risks in
advance
April 17, 2011
Midgie wrote
This concept of reverse brainstorming is really great because it
shifts your perspective from the typical problem solving mode that
we've gotten so used to, to one of creating the problem first
before solving it!
I love the two simple questions: "How could I possibly cause the
problem?", or
"How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect?". This is like a
refreshing angle on a situation which can generate new and
interesting ideas to solve a problem.
Give it a go and see what interesting results you get!
Midgie
October 20, 2010
Rolestorming
Improving Group Brainstorming
Have you ever been in a
brainstorming session and had
a good idea that was a little
"out there"?
If so, you might have kept the
idea to yourself, because you
felt embarrassed about sharing
it with your group.
After all, if the idea was too farfetched or different, it might
damage your reputation, right?
Generate ideas using someone else's perspective.

iStockphoto/Elnur
However, you may have felt

more comfortable sharing your ideas if they were "someone else's."
This is where Rolestorming is useful.
This simple brainstorming technique encourages group members to
take on other people's identities while brainstorming. This reduces the
inhibitions that many people feel when sharing their ideas with a
group, and it helps people come up with ideas that they may not have
otherwise considered.
About the Tool

Rick Griggs developed the Rolestorming method in the early 1980s.
Dr Arthur VanGundy then described it in his 2004 book, "101 Activities
for Teaching Creativity and Problem-Solving."
Griggs developed the technique to help people overcome their
inhibitions during group brainstorming sessions. The theory is that if
you pretend to be someone else, you'll feel more comfortable putting
ideas forward. This is because taking on another role distances you
from owning an idea, which helps you speak up.
You can also come up with additional ideas when you look at a
problem from someone else's perspective.
What's more, Rolestorming is fun, and it's great for helping team
members feel more comfortable sharing ideas with each other. It also
builds confidence, because shy or less assertive people feel
empowered to speak up.
Using and Applying Rolestorming

Follow these steps to use Rolestorming with your group:
1. Brainstorm Obvious Ideas

First, conduct a regular brainstorming
session with your group.
Not only will this generate some good initial ideas, but it will also
highlight more obvious ideas. This leaves you free to expand your
thinking and push boundaries in later steps.
2. Identify Roles
Next, decide which roles or identities you'll use. You can assign one
role to each person in the group, or play the role collectively, moving
on to another role when you're done.
The person you choose can be anyone, so long as it's a person not in
the current group. Consider people such as a colleague, your boss, a
major competitor, someone in public life, a leader from the past, or a
friend or family member. Ideally, you should know enough about them
to take on their identity for a short time. (They don't necessarily have
to be associated with the problem you're trying to solve.)
3. Get Into Character

For each role, allow group members a few minutes to get into
character. Use these questions to help with this:
How does this person see the world?
What is this person's personality or attitude likely to be?
How would this person solve problems?
What are this person's strengths and weaknesses?
Make an effort to get into the persona of the character: the more
deeply you understand this person's feelings, worldview, and
motivations, the better you can use this perspective to generate good
ideas.
Note:
If someone on your team chooses to become a person that

everyone knows, such as your boss, a client, or a colleague, make
sure that they avoid characterizations that could be harmful or
disrespectful.
4. Brainstorm in Character
When people have a good sense of the new identity they've taken on,
start brainstorming ideas using these new perspectives. Encourage
people to use phrases such as "My person..." or "My character..."
when presenting ideas this helps to create the distance that people
need to speak freely.
Make sure that everyone in the group has an opportunity to speak up
and share ideas. (Techniques like Round-Robin Brainstorming
can be useful here.)
5. Repeat as Required
Repeat the exercise with as many different identities as you need, so
that you can generate enough good ideas.
Key Points
Rolestorming is a simple group brainstorming technique that
encourages group members to take on someone else's identity
and so come up with new ideas. It was developed by Rick Griggs.
To use the technique, group members simply take on the identity
of someone else, and come up with ideas that they think the
person would suggest.
The technique is useful because it helps to break down people's
inhibitions about sharing ideas. It can also provoke better ideas,
since you're looking at the problem from different perspectives.
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Yolande wrote
This is such a great idea! Many of us have a favourite movie
character and getting into the persona of that character while
Rolestorming may also be an idea. (One of my characters / roles
would definitely be that of Atticus Finch, the lawyer in "To Kill a
Mockingbird".)
Maybe Rolestorming can also be developed into a team-building
activity. Hmmm, some thinking to do here...
Yoland
June 13, 2012
Allowing Everyone to Contribute
Imagine that you've gathered
your team together for a muchneeded brainstorming session,
focusing on the most effective
way to market your
organization's next product
release.
Bill, the most talkative and
forceful member of your team,
immediately asserts that TV
and online media are the best
platforms to use.
Others follow on to contribute
ideas that go along with Bill's.
This technique allows everyone to contribute their

ideas.
iStockphoto/adventtr
Ten minutes later, the group is immersed in TV and online ideas.

No one else has submitted any other options, once Bill had set the
direction.
It's all too easy to start a brainstorming session with good
intentions, but then to overlook or miss potentially great ideas, simply
because one assertive person sets the tone for the entire meeting.
This is why a tool like Round-Robin Brainstorming is so useful. This
method allows team members to generate ideas without being
influenced by any one person. You can then take these ideas into the
next stages of the problem-solving process.
In this article, we'll examine Round-Robin Brainstorming in detail, and
we'll look at different variations, so that you can pick the right one for
the circumstances.
How to Use Round-Robin Brainstorming

Round-Robin Brainstorming is very straightforward:
Step 1 Gather your team together around a table. Give each
person index cards so that they can record their ideas on
individual pieces of card.
Step 2 Acting as facilitator , explain the problem that you
want to solve. Be specific about the objectives of the
brainstorming session. Answer questions, but discourage
discussion. The goal in this step is to allow individual people to
think creatively without any influence from others.
Step 3 Have each team member, in silence, think of one idea
and write it down on an index card.
Step 4 Once everyone has written down an idea, have each
person pass their idea to the person next to them. Everyone
should now be holding a new card with their neighbor's idea

written down on it.
Step 5 Have each person use their neighbor's idea as
inspiration to create another idea. Then ask each person to hand
in their neighbor's card, and pass their new idea to the person
next to them to repeat step 4.
Step 6 Continue this circular idea swap for as long as is
necessary to gather a good amount of ideas. When the time is
up, gather up all the ideas. You can now collate them, eliminate
any duplicates and discuss them further as required.
Advantages and Disadvantages

Round-Robin Brainstorming is very similar to the Crawford Slip
Method . The biggest difference and advantage is that your
group uses other people's ideas to generate even more ideas, without
being influenced by assertive or vocal members of the team. Another
advantage of this approach is that it also ensures that everyone in
your group gets an equal chance to present their ideas. If your team
has shy or low-confidence members, this method can help them feel
more comfortable.
A disadvantage of Round-Robin Brainstorming is that it isn't
anonymous. When team members pass ideas around the room, they
might hold back simply because they know the person next to them
will see what they have written. Another disadvantage is that each
person gets inspiration for their new idea from the ideas of only one
other person, rather than from the entire group.
Tip:
You can make Round-Robin Brainstorming anonymous by gathering

the ideas at each stage, shuffling them, and then passing them out
again. (Rather than having group members pass their ideas to the
person next to them.).
Variations
Instead of writing ideas down, you can also use Round-Robin
Brainstorming verbally. Seat your team members at a table, and
discuss the current problem. Then, go around the table and allow
each member to state one idea. Write down each idea for further
discussion.
This is often faster than the written variation. However, some team
members may be hesitant to present ideas in front of the group. Help
avoid this by letting everyone know that no idea is unworthy of
discussion.
You can also use Round-Robin Brainstorming with larger groups.
Divide everyone into smaller groups, and have each group develop
one great idea and write it on an index card. Then, rotate cards
between groups, just as you would with the individual variation. You
then have each group brainstorm a new idea based on the previous
group's card. (See our article on the Charette Procedure for more
on this.)
Key Points
Round-Robin Brainstorming is a useful tool for having your team
generate ideas, without being influenced unduly by others in the
group. This method also ensures that everyone on your team gets
an equal say in the ideas that you generate.
You can use either the written and verbal variations of this
technique. You can also use Round-Robin Brainstorming in a large
group, by splitting the group into smaller groups.
There are some disadvantages to Round-Robin Brainstorming, so
it's not suitable for all situations.
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What members say...

soledad wrote
Hello,
Is there anyone think the Round-Robin Brainstorming is extremely
alike the Brainwriting?
Everyone writes down their ideas then pass it to someone else to
enable others to be inspired.
The only difference seems to be the number of ideas wrote down.
Can anyone tell me the difference?

Thanks in advance
Jessica
October 19, 2013
Midgie wrote
Hi Gailkay,
Thanks for sharing how you used this. It's great that people came
to the meeting already prepared with some thoughts in which to
contribute to the bigger discussion!
What difference do you believe it made to the outcome, versus
just doing the brain-storming during the meeting?
Midgire
October 15, 2012
gailkay wrote
I used this to come up with ideas on improving the department.
One variation, I gave each person a list of questions and had them
answer privately. We then did the round robin. The questions were
to help them get focused on how they preform and/or do things.
The conversation was lively and we've made some great changes.
October 12, 2012
Dianna wrote
Hi ma29,
Great idea for applying the round-robin technique. It's more and
more common to have people working together from a variety of
locations so using this technique with email makes great sense.
Thanks for sharing the tip. Let us know if/when you have an
opportunity to use it. We'd love to hear how it works!
Don't be a stranger around the forums - it's great hearing from
you!
Dianna
October 9, 2012
ma29 wrote
The concept sounds really good. You could also use this method
electronically. i.e. everyone could email the facilitator and the
facilitator can then send out all the responsesideas anonymously
to give inspiration and then get back more ideas.
October 9, 2012
Rachel wrote
Hi All
"When you're brainstorming as a group, do quieter people
sometimes struggle to be heard over more assertive team
members?
This is where Round-Robin Brainstorming is useful. This method
allows people to generate ideas without being influenced by any
one person.
Find out more about it in this week's Featured Favorite article."
Best wishes
Rachel
October 2, 2012
Yolande wrote
Hi all
This is such a great way of doing brain-storming and really
stimulating creative thoughts. Sometimes it's a bit easier to
become more creative with someone else's idea, simply because
we are a bit more objective. Reading various ideas will stimulate
creativity anyway. I love a good brain-storming session because it
usually stimulates my thinking for a long while even after the
session has stopped - but isn't that the idea? To stimulate ideageneration on a longer term?
Let me know what you think and let's share ideas!
Kind regards
Yoland
November 26, 2010
SCAMPER
It can often be difficult to come
up with new ideas when you're
trying to develop or improve a
product or service.
This is where creative
brainstorming techniques like
SCAMPER can help. This tool
helps you generate ideas for
new products and services by
encouraging you to think about
how you could improve existing
ones.
This tool can help you develop new products and

services.
We'll look at SCAMPER in this

article.
iStockphoto/aladin66
About the Tool

SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for:
Substitute.
Combine.
Adapt.
Modify.
Put to another use.
Eliminate.
Reverse.
You use the tool by asking questions about existing products, using
each of the seven prompts above. These questions help you come up
with creative ideas for developing new products, and for improving
current ones.
Alex Osborn, credited by many as the originator of brainstorming,
originally came up with many of the questions used in the SCAMPER
technique. However, it was Bob Eberle, an education administrator
and author, who organized these questions into the SCAMPER
mnemonic.
Note:
Remember that the word "products" doesn't only refer to physical

goods. Products can also include processes, services, and even
people. You can therefore adapt this technique to a wide range of
situations.
How to Use the Tool

SCAMPER is really easy to use.
First, take an existing product or service. This could be one that you
want to improve, one that you're currently having problems with, or
one that you think could be a good starting point for future
development.
Then, ask questions about the product you identified, using the
SCAMPER mnemonic to guide you. Brainstorm as many questions
and answers as you can. (We've included some example questions,
below.)
Finally, look at the answers that you came up with. Do any stand out
as viable solutions? Could you use any of them to create a new
product, or develop an existing one? If any of your ideas seem viable,
then you can explore them further.
Example Questions
Let's look at some of the questions you could ask for each letter of
the SCAMPER mnemonic:
Substitute
What materials or resources can you substitute or swap to
improve the product?
What other product or process could you use?
What rules could you substitute?
Can you use this product somewhere else, or as a substitute for
something else?
What will happen if you change your feelings or attitude toward
this product?
Combine
What would happen if you combined this product with another, to
create something new?
What if you combined purposes or objectives?
What could you combine to maximize the uses of this product?
How could you combine talent and resources to create a new
approach to this product?
Adapt
How could you adapt or readjust this product to serve another
purpose or use?
What else is the product like?
Who or what could you emulate to adapt this product?
What else is like your product?
What other context could you put your product into?
What other products or ideas could you use for inspiration?
Modify
How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your product?
What could you add to modify this product?
What could you emphasize or highlight to create more value?
What element of this product could you strengthen to create
something new?
Put to Another Use

Can you use this product somewhere else, perhaps in another
industry?
Who else could use this product?
How would this product behave differently in another setting?
Could you recycle the waste from this product to make
something new?
Eliminate
How could you streamline or simplify this product?
What features, parts, or rules could you eliminate?
What could you understate or tone down?
How could you make it smaller, faster, lighter, or more fun?
What would happen if you took away part of this product? What
would you have in its place?
Reverse
What would happen if you reversed this process or sequenced
things differently?
What if you try to do the exact opposite of what you're trying to
do now?
What components could you substitute to change the order of
this product?
What roles could you reverse or swap?
How could you reorganize this product?
Tip 1:
Some ideas that you generate using the tool may be impractical or
may not suit your circumstances. Don't worry about this the aim
is to generate as many ideas as you can.
Tip 2:
To get the greatest benefit, use SCAMPER alongside other creative

brainstorming and lateral thinking techniques such as Random
Input , Provocation , Reversal , and Metaphorical
Thinking .
Key Points
SCAMPER helps you develop new products and services. Many of
the questions used in SCAMPER were created by Alec Osborn, but
Bob Eberle developed the mnemonic.
SCAMPER stands for:
Substitute.
Combine.
Adapt.
Modify.
Put to another use.
Eliminate.
Reverse.
To use SCAMPER, you simply go down the list and ask questions
regarding each element. Remember, not every idea you generate
using SCAMPER will be viable; however, you can take good ideas
and explore them further.
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What members say...

James wrote
Hi Everyone
is now at:
newCT_02.php
Thanks
James
March 23, 2012
Dianna wrote
Improving products and services is one of the ways many
companies create and maintain competitive advantage. Using this
handy acronym helps you to think creatively about the changes
you can make that will get results. Forcing your brain to think
differently is key to the creative process and this is a simple yet
effective means of doing so. I encourage everyone to give it a try
and see what ideas you can come up with - you might uncover a
fantastic opportunity for your team and your company.
Cheers!
Dianna
July 12, 2010
Starbursting
Understanding New Ideas by Brainstorming
Questions
When a colleague suggests a
new product or idea, and you're
trying to understand it and how
it works, a typical response is
to bombard the other person
with questions.
What features would it have?
How much would it cost?
Where would we market it?
Who would buy it? And so on.
iStockphoto/PapaBear
Asking questions like these is a valuable way of understanding the

new idea, and of challenging it to ensure that all of the relevant
aspects of it have been considered before any work begins on
implementing it. To get the most out of this approach, it's important
that the questions are asked in a systematic and comprehensive way.
That's why its worth going through a comprehensive, systematic
questioning exercise every time you explore a new idea. Starbursting
is useful way of doing this.
Starbursting is a form of brainstorming that focuses on generating
questions rather than answers. It can be used iteratively, with further
layers of questioning about the answers to the initial set of questions.
For example, a colleague suggests a new design of ice skating boot.
One question you ask might be Who is the customer? Answer:
"Skaters". But you need to go further than this to ensure that you
target your promotions accurately: What kind of skaters? Answer:
"Those who do a lot of jumping, who need extra support", and so on.
This would help focus the marketing, for example to competition ice
dancers and figure skaters, rather than ice rinks that buy boots to hire
out to the general public.
Tip:
If you want to explore a really significant proposal, make sure you

also use techniques like Risk Analysis and Impact Analysis
to explore the questions you should ask.
How to Use the Tool

The best way to see the power of this simple but effective technique
is to think of a product, challenge or issue to work on, and follow
these steps:
Step 1
Download our free worksheet and print it out or take a large sheet of
paper, draw a large six-pointed star in the middle, and write your
idea, product or challenge in the centre.
Step 2
Write the words "Who", "What", "Why," "Where," "When," and "How"
at the tip of each point of the star.
Step 3
Brainstorm questions about the idea or product starting with each of
these words. The questions radiate out from the central star. Don't try
to answer any of the questions as you go along. Instead, concentrate
on thinking up as many questions as you can.
Step 4
Depending on the scope of the exercise, you may want to have
further starbursting sessions to explore the answers to these initial
questions further.
Figure 1 below shows some of the questions you might generate in a
short starbursting session, focused on the skates mentioned above.
Figure 1 Starbursting Diagram for New Product
Key Points
Starbursting is a form of brainstorming used to generate questions
in a systematic, comprehensive way.
It's a useful tool to support your problem solving or decision
making processes by helping you to understand all aspects and
options more fully.
Download Worksheet
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What members say...

GoldenBoy wrote
Hi Jag,
I just took a look at this tool, and was wondering - where were you
when we had our last planning session?
I work within a teaching environment, and our last planning
session was geared towards finding out what our real targets are,
and what our desired outcomes should be to ensure success of
the learning process for the students. We were stymied for the
first hour in the meeting, because we couldn't even think of how
to approach the topics. Eventually I proposed a combination of
DACUM - brainstorming ideas and pasting them on a board using
post-it notes - and the Ishikawa Diagram, to help us view our
timeline, anticipated outcomes, and any barriers to those
outcomes. Although we eventually achieved the desired results,
having this Starburst technique available would have been golden
to kicking off the session, instead of staring at a naked whiteboard
and wondering what comes next.
Thanks for the tool, and as they say "Better late than never".
January 12, 2007
rosietomato wrote
I'm facilitating two technical brainstorming sessions next week
and I was shuffling through potential methodologies in the tool kit.
Starbursting fits my present requirements. 1) I'm dealing with a
group of engineers (meaning they like structure which throws out

random brainstorming and any cutsie things), 2) The topic
'research areas' is lakcing context so I can't even come up with a
leading question to get the ball started, nor figure out what
targeted probing question to ask, 3) I KNOW there are some 800
pound gorillas that are impacting their 'research areas' and I don't
know what they are and I don't think the engineers are consious
of them either. If we brainstormed research areas we'd have
something but it would not be useful because at that point
roadblocks would be pointed out and we'd be back to ground zero.
Better to get them out on the table first. The multipronged
question approach of starbursting throws a very wide net and
should capture the problems that have gone-up to this pointunsaid including the definition of the research area! (part of the
list of the "What is--" questions.)
So I'm going to do the sessions in two parts: 1) question
generation--I'm going to prime the pump with some questions
such as "who is going to benefit from this research" and "what is
the definition of (research area)" and let them populate the rest.
Then we'll start semi-methodically through the questions. I'm not
going to go clockwise or counterclockwise around the star but
kind of semi-random so that we end with the key brainstorm
question "What are the research areas we need to pursue". All the
other stuff will quickly put this question in context.
I'll let you know how it goes.
January 10, 2007
josintes wrote
Thanks for this, what a great idea. I cant wait for my next
opportunity to put it into practice. It certainly gives more direction
than the typical brainstorming approach.
FAB
jo
January 5, 2007
James wrote
It's already been announced elsewhere in the forum, however the
template's now available. Just visit:
newCT_91.php
January 5, 2007
James wrote
Hi Mark
Great idea! We'll post the template early in the New Year.
James
December 27, 2006
kohakumark wrote
Jag
I like this method, would it be possible to supply templates for the
method and the other methods that you guys promote on here?
It would make it easier for the members to start using the
methods.
December 23, 2006
ladyb wrote
I guess that makes two us who would rather surf than shop on the
last Saturday before Christmas!
I too loved the starbursting approach - I've tried it a few times
with my team but this article will help me organize my approach can't wait to use it but I'll have to wait till the New Year as it
seems productivity is not the priority until then!
Here's to a great holiday season!!!
Brynn
December 23, 2006
Bree wrote
Loved the idea of starbursting. Rather than the traditional
brainstorming techniques of generating ideas, coming up with
questions first, instead of the answers, stretched my thinking in a
different direction! I'll come up with the answers later though!!
Just helps me look at things from a different direction and
hopefully come up with some interesting answers!
Hope you all have a great Christmas / Holiday season.
B.
p.s. OK ... so instead of being out Christmas shopping in the
frenzied crowds where most people are like , I'm sitting here
surfing ... the net on a Saturday morning!!
December 23, 2006
Synectics
A Useful "Backstop" Creativity Process
Synectics is a creativity and
problem solving process which
combines a structured
approach to creativity with the
freewheeling problem-solving
approach used in techniques
like brainstorming.
It's a useful technique when
simpler creativity techniques
like SCAMPER ,
brainstorming and random
Synectics can be a springboard to new levels of
creativity.
input (which are embedded
iStockphoto/simplequiet
within the synectics approach)
have failed to generate useful
ideas, as it uses many different triggers and stimuli to jolt people out
of established mind sets and into more creative ways of thinking.
However, given the sheer range of different triggers and thinking
approaches used within synectics, it can take much longer to solve a
problem using it than with, say, traditional brainstorming hence its
best use as a "backstop" when other creativity techniques have
failed.
Background:
The word "synectics" means "bringing different things together to

create a unified connection", which is what's done using the
synectics process.
It was developed by William J. J. Gordon in the early 1960s and
developed (in an artistic context) by Nicholas Roukes.
How to Use the Tool

Generating ideas with Synectics is a three stage process:
1. "Referring": Gathering information, and defining the problem.
2. "Reflecting": Using a wide range of techniques to generate ideas.
3. "Reconstructing": Bringing ideas back together to create a useful
solution.
1. Referring
In the referring stage, you lay the foundations you'll use later for
successful use of the tool. At this stage you:
Precisely define the problem you want to solve.
Properly research the factors contributing to the problem.
Understand what solutions have been tried up to this point.
2. Reflecting
Reflecting is where you creatively and imaginatively generate
possible solutions to the problem you've defined. The emphasis here
is on using a range of different "triggers" and "springboards" to
generate associations and ideas.
Just as with brainstorming, reflecting is best done in a relaxed,
spontaneous and open-minded way with an emphasis on creative
thinking rather than on critical assessment of suggestions.
Where Synectics differs from brainstorming and other creativity
approaches is in the formal and systematic way it seeks to spark
comparison with other approaches and situations, creating new ideas
by making associations between these and the problem being solved.
That said, a useful way of starting the Synectic idea generation
process is to brainstorm around the problem normally. This should
generate a range of possible solutions to the problem.
If none of these solves the problem, the next step is to use some of
the 22 possible triggers below to try to break free of existing thinking
patterns. These triggers reflect things that you can do to transform
your current product, service or approach to try to solve the problem.
They are:
1. Subtract: Remove parts of your current approach, or simplify it.
2. Repeat: Duplicate parts of it, or significantly increase resources
so that you can take existing approaches to a new level.
3. Combine: Mix existing approaches with other approaches.
4. Add: Make existing approaches bigger or stronger, or add other
elements.
5. Transfer: Move existing approaches into different situations, and
look at how they would change to cope with these approaches.
6. Empathize: Put yourself in the minds of your customers, or
pretend that you are the problem: From this perspective, how
would you do things differently?
7. Animate: Bring the problem to life. Think about it as a living
thing.
8. Superimpose: Overlay the situation with new meanings or
ideas, possibly randomly generated (see random input).
9. Change Scale: Think about what would happen if you radically
expanded the scale of the problem, or if you reduced it
substantially.
10. Substitute: Switch out and replace elements of your current
approach. Switch in parts of alternative approaches.
11. Fragment: Take the problem or your current approach apart. If
you solve some parts of the problem, does this help solve others?
Or can other people help you solve parts more effectively?
12. Isolate: And is there value in only looking at part of the
problem? Are people really that concerned about other parts?
13. Distort: Change the "shape" of your current product, solution or

service: Extend it or stretch it, think about it as a different,
distorted shape.
14. Disguise: Think about whether you can eliminate the problem
by hiding it or camouflaging it (in some cases this may be a
legitimate solution).
15. Contradict: Think about doing the opposite of what you want to
do (for example, how you would make the problem worse?), then
reverse this.
16. Parody: Think about what you'd ridicule about your problem or
solution. See if this changes the context or suggests alterations.
17. Prevaricate: Fantasize about your service. Think about what it
would be like in your wildest dreams.
18. Analogize: Think about analogies for your product or service,
and what you can compare it to in other disciplines. How do
people deal with analogous problems? (We'll look at this in more
detail later.)
19. Hybridize: Think about what would happen if you crossed your
current approach with something wildly different. Does this
suggest any ideas?
20. Metamorphose: Think about how your product or service will be
affected if current trends continue will the problem get worse,
or will it fade away in significance?
21. Symbolize: How can you strip your product or service back to its
bare essentials? How can you convert it into something this is
immediately easy to grasp?
22. Mythologize: Taking this further, how could you give it symbolic,
"iconic" or "mythological" status?
Use these triggers as starting points for further brainstorming ("What
would we have to do to give our product iconic status in our market?")
Again, once you've done this, evaluate whether you have a
satisfactory solution to the problem you're addressing.
If you haven't, it's time to move to the next stage: Using "synectic
springboards" to stimulate new ideas. These are analogies between
the current situation and other situations or things. They can be
functional analogies (with other products, services and approaches
that do a similar job), analogies with other phenomena (for example,
with an ocean storm, a rainforest or a mechanical digger), or
stretched analogies (for example, comparisons with emotions or
symbols).
Analogies can be close or can be outrageous: Close analogies are
likely to generate steady improvement, while outrageous analogies
are useful for generating fundamental shifts in the way people think.
(This springboard approach is similar to the random input
technique we discuss elsewhere on Mind Tools, in that it seeks to
disrupt stale or unproductive thinking patterns and provoke creative
associations and connections that wouldn't normally occur.)
3. Reconstructing
Reconstructing is where you collect all of the ideas you've created
during the "Reflecting" step, and evaluate them rationally, bringing
them together to create practical and useful ideas.
Visit the Mind Tools creativity section for more approaches to practical
creativity.
Tip:
Be careful in introducing and using these approaches if people

you're working with aren't familiar with these approaches and if
you don't manage expectations carefully, you can quickly look
ridiculous if you push analogies too far.
Also bear in mind that using the full synectic process can be very
time-consuming make sure that the problem you're solving is
worth the effort.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
This list of triggers that includes making analogies, removing
parts, and fragmenting the problem are very useful when looking
for a creative solution. I think too often we believe that to be
creative takes a special sort of person or situation when in fact we

can be creative all the time just by thinking about the issue in a
different way. With this list it's easy to find at least a few different
perspectives to adopt and the results will probably bring out the
creative person inside of you.
Dianna
July 6, 2010
The Charette Procedure

Brainstorming Multiple Ideas With Multiple
Stakeholders
Have you ever tried to hold a
brainstorming session with
more than 10 or 15 people?
Or tried to brainstorm ideas for
two or more related issues?
The results are rarely pretty!
These sessions quickly spin out
of control, becoming chaotic
and unproductive. What's
more, they tend to be
dominated by only a few
people, with the majority remaining silent.
iStockphoto/Nikonbuff
When an idea-generating session has numerous related issues or

numerous stakeholders, simple brainstorming is often inadequate.
This means that sessions are less creative than they might be, buy-in
is undermined, and people disengage from the process. This is a
serious problem if you need to achieve consensus.
However, brainstorming can still be effective if you take a slightly
different approach to organizing the brainstorming sessions.
One such approach has a name: The Charette Procedure (sometimes
spelled 'Charrette'). It involves organizing people into several small
groups, each of which brainstorms ideas one-after-the-other until
everyone involved has had a chance to contribute fully. Derived from
the French word for wagon, it come from the practice of architecture
students in the early 1800s, who used carts to rush their drawings
from one place to another to get final approvals. In much the same
way, when you use the Charette Procedure, you take the ideas
generated by a group, and cart them over to the next group, for them
to be built upon, refined, and finally prioritized.
The Charette Procedure allows for maximum participation in idea
generation, without compromising the quality or effectiveness of the
brainstorming. The benefits of the process include:
Effective use of time because many issues can be discussed at
the same time.
Improved buy-in from stakeholders, who have the opportunity to
contribute their ideas on each issue.
Encouragement of high quality options because the most popular
ideas are polished with each round of discussion.
Elimination of stalled discussion, because new people can
progress an issue on each round.
How to Use the Tool

The Charette Procedure is quite simple to apply. Depending on your
situation you may complete the various group discussions in one day,
or they can be held over a series of days or weeks. The system you
choose will be based on the logistics involved and the size of your
project.
1. Agree on a set of issues that need to be discussed.
2. Divide your larger group into small groups that are more
conducive to brainstorming. As with many types of group
interaction, a group size of seven participants plus the recorder is
ideal. Here again, the specifics of your situation will dictate the
size of your groups. When planning the groups, consider the
following:
If you have a set deadline, make sure that the number of
groups and iterations can be accommodated within it.
Think about the mix of people within the groups. Groups
with a diverse mix of skills, background and experience
are generally more creative than those of similarly skilled
people.
Make sure that the number of groups is equal to or
greater than the number of issues to discuss.
3. Assign an issue to each group. If there are more groups than
issues, then assign some issues to more than one group.
4. Have each group elect a recorder. You may also suggest this
person facilitates the group discussion as well.
5. Each group brainstorms an issue.
Record all ideas, as for regular brainstorming
follow the rules of normal brainstorming.
, and
Set a time limit for discussion. This will depend heavily on

your overall schedule, as well as on the complexity of the
issues being discussed. Strike a balance between
excessively short sessions that might not uncover enough
detail, and longer discussions that might lose focus.
6. When the group's time is up, the recorder moves to the next
group.
The recorder reviews the issues and current state of the
brainstorming list with the new group.
Brainstorming begins again, with each group now
discussing a new idea or issue. The new group builds on
the existing ideas and generates new one.
Repeat this step until each group has discussed each
issue once.
7. In the final group session, allow time to organize and draw
together the ideas into key ideas, themes or strands. If several
groups have been working at the same time on the same issue,
this is a good time to bring together the different streams of
ideas.
8. Once the final session has finished, reconvene the whole group
and have the recorders present their lists. This is a good time to
work with the group to prioritize issues or approaches, if this is

appropriate. A technique that can help you do this is MultiVoting .
Key Points
The Charette Procedure is an efficient and effective process for
brainstorming and capturing ideas, when there are multiple issues
to discuss and many people involved. It is a systemic and
organized approach that allows everyone to contribute in a
meaningful way. When you are faced with a complex, multiplayer
decision, the Charette Procedure is a great way of identifying the
options available, and laying the foundations of well-considered
and widely accepted plans.
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What members say...

Dianna wrote
Hi Jessica,
If you contact the helpdesk they will be able to direct you on how
to reference our sources. They can be reached at the following
email: members.helpdesk@mindtools.com
Let me know if have any follow up questions.
Best!
Dianna
October 21, 2013
soledad wrote
Dear Mind Tools staff,
I would like to use tools you introduced in my paper, however I
cannot find the reference in some pages.
Could you please tell me the sources of your offerings?
Looking forward to your reply
Best
Jessica
October 19, 2013
Dianna wrote
Hi anup,
I always like practical assignments that get students using the tool
in real life. I think if you follow the steps in the 'How to Use'
section of the tool you should be able to construct a classroom
exercise. Think of a relevant topic for them to explore (or get
them to suggest a topic) and then go through the process step by
step with them. It would be great if the problem you decide to
explore is relevant to the current studies or maybe something
going in the department or wider school environment.
Do you think that would work?
Dianna
March 21, 2013
anupmalavia wrote
i am searching for a classroom exercise/activity/assignment to be
given to my group on The Charette Procedure
if there is one pls share.
anup
March 20, 2013
Helena wrote
Hi Brent
Sorry about that - now fixed.
Best wishes!
Helena
January 24, 2007
Dianna wrote
Thanks Brent,
We're looking into it - you're right, the current link doesn't work.
Thanks again for the heads up
Dianna
January 24, 2007
brent wrote
There's a bad link to the printer-friendly version of the article.
Here's the correct link:
newCT_90pfv.htm
January 24, 2007
ladyb wrote
Now that's funny!
Thanks Jeff
January 22, 2007
jeff wrote
Algorithmically, this approach could also be called ``divide and
conquer''.
January 22, 2007

Fusing Imagination and Planning
When it comes to creative
planning, it can be hard to find
the right way to transform
imaginative thinking into
concrete business strategy.
You need to dream big in order
to come up with possible ways
of solving a particular problem.
At the same time, you need to
be able to focus on the detail
needed to put your plan into
action successfully.
We all want to turn our dreams into reality.

iStockphoto/MartinNovak
Getting the right balance between these two aspects is a real

challenge, but you can learn a lot about how to do just that from one
man, who not only mastered the technique, but used it to create a
legendary billion-dollar empire.
When you hear the name 'Walt Disney' what comes to your mind? For
lots of people it will be that famous animated mouse he created, and
the joy he's brought to millions of people through his films. But many
consider Walt Disney to have been just as much a business genius as
a creative one. Closer inspection shows that much of his success was
thanks to having a very specific approach to realizing his dreams.
Known as the Disney Creative Strategy, it was originally formulated
by Robert Dilts, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
expert.
One of the goals of NLP is to model the thinking strategies of
successful people. Dilts defined this particular strategy after
analyzing Disney's methods for turning his dreams into reality. He
details the strategy in his book, "Strategies of Genius: Volume One",
published in 1995.
In this article we'll explain the Disney Creative Strategy, and show
how you can use it to realize your own ideas.

The Disney Creative Strategy is a tool for brainstorming and
developing ideas. It involves using three sequential roles, or thought
processes, namely the Dreamer, the Realist, and the Critic.
As you imagine and develop your ideas, you move from one role to
the next, putting yourself into these different mindsets, so that you
can better analyze what you're doing.
Below are the essential elements associated with each role:
1. The Dreamer
Taking on the Dreamer role in this first phase, you and your group
focus on free association and brainstorming of ideas. Anything
goes here. It's your chance to let your imagination run wild!
2. The Realist
Next, it's time to be realistic and decide which of your ideas are
actually possible or practical. What would you need to do in the
real world in order to make them happen?
3. The Critic
Here you need to examine your chosen proposal and its real
world implications from a more critical viewpoint. You want to
make sure that your plan is as comprehensive as it can be. Every
detail needs to be scrutinized and refined.
Sound planning requires innovators to take on all three roles, and
work through them in order. Some of your team members may be
more naturally disposed to one or other role, and you need to make
sure you balance the process so that all roles are used. Not enough
emphasis on The Critic phase may mean you produce unrealistic
proposals that are doomed to fail. Equally, if you skip The Dreamer
stage, your plans could well lack the imagination needed for true
innovation to take place.
It's likely that you'll only be really successful in your planning when
you work through all three roles in the correct sequence.
How to Use the Tool

So, how do you actually use the Disney Creative Strategy?
Step 1: Create Space

If you have the space, it can be helpful to use a different room or
space within a room for each phase. This will help you and your team
to switch mindsets and move into each different role. And it's also
vital that someone is in charge of documenting each stage.
Step 2: Step into The Dreamer

Once you've gathered your team, make sure everyone is clear that
you're starting with The Dreamer role. Each person should feel free to
brainstorm and bounce ideas around during this time. Don't
introduce any limitations here. Avoid mentioning budgets, time
frames or rules. If you and your team could do anything with this
project, what would you most want to do? What ideas really excite
you?
Step 3: Transition to The Realist

Once you've given everyone plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, it's
time to switch into The Realist role.
In this phase you're going to refine and adjust your ideas to make
them more concrete. This is when your team will focus on taking
action: planning, scheduling and evaluating the idea or ideas they
find most promising.
Step 4: Transition to The Critic

In this last phase you and your team must look at your ideas from a
critical point of view. You need to question and test every step of the
process, pretending you're a "naysayer", and trying to find fault with
any proposition. Your goal is to criticize and refine your plan until it's
as good as you can get it.
Make sure you allow enough time at each stage for ideas to fully
develop. Moving from one phase to the next too quickly can stifle
people's imagination.
Tip:
It's also especially important that, during The Critic phase, you and
your team remember to criticize the plan itself, and not the person
or people coming up with the ideas!
Example: Disney Creative Strategy in Action

Diane Austin works for a young organization. The firm has been
growing rapidly since it was founded just five years ago, and now has
more than 100 employees.
The problem, as she sees it, is that there is no system in place that
allows everyone to share their know-how. She's keen to introduce
knowledge management to her firm, as she believes this could
significantly increase retention and revenue over the long term. She
needs to create and implement a user-friendly system for sharing and
spreading this collective knowledge.
Diane decides to try out the Disney Creative Strategy with her team,
in order to create a system that will work for everyone. With her
boss's approval, she's able to use three different conference rooms for
the initial meetings.
She explains to her team exactly how she's going to structure the
meetings. And during the first one the team steps into the role of The
Dreamer. Diane functions as the moderator, documenting ideas and
guiding the discussion. She writes down all the suggestions, and
encourages everyone to participate. No idea is considered too farfetched or unrealistic at this stage, and her team really gets into the
excitement of being able to shout out everything they can come up
with.
After a 15 minute break the team moves to the next room, where
they're instructed to step into the role of The Realist. It's time to
consider how practical the ideas they came up with during the first
phase are in reality. These included setting up a new part of the
company intranet for storing relevant information; "lunch and learn"
sessions; the appointment of a knowledge champion, who would
spend time holding group discussions to identify knowledge that
could usefully be shared; and the creation of a system of cross-team
"knowledge buddies".
Considering these four proposals to be the most solid and practical,
they then create a rough plan for realizing each idea. At this point
they decide to discard the knowledge champion idea as it's too

expensive, and depends too much on one person rather than on a
more sustainable, collective effort. Step-by-step implementation plans
are created for the remaining three ideas.
Diane gives the group another 15 minute break, and then they move
to the third conference room to take on the role of The Critic. Here,
she and the group look at each plan from the point of view of a
skeptical outsider. Every step is analyzed, picked apart, and refined.
As a result, Diane and her team are able to come up with a solid, well
thought out plan for introducing a knowledge management system
into the organization.
Tip:
The steps laid out here are similar to a number of other

approaches to creative problem solving. See our Introduction to
Problem Solving , and our articles on Simplex and Six
Thinking Hats for more.
Key Points
Balancing the conflicting roles of Dreamer, Realist, and Critic can
be a challenge for teams. All three elements are necessary for
successful project planning, but they need to be addressed in the
right order. Teams can easily fall into the trap of trying to do all
three at once!
By using the Disney Creative Strategy you can clearly separate
these roles, and devote time to each. When each role is defined
and set apart, teams can focus on doing one task at a time. This
will greatly increase the chances of your planning being realistic,
innovative and successful.
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What members say...

Midgie wrote
One of the things I love when facilitating brainstorming / creativity
sessions is when I introduce the Disney strategy! Literally, it's the
scene setting that I really love doing ... then, the participants do
all the work (other than me keeping them on track such as
keeping them in The Dreamer stage rather than jumping into The
Critic stage)
So many of us have been brought up seeing Disney cartoons and
films and when I do my introduction, I get participants to imagine
themselves when they last watched a Disney film and recall how
they felt. This puts them into a 'head space' where they were
mostly likely very child like and full of wonder ... which is a great
place to start brainstorming / creative ideas going!
Midgie
March 11, 2010
The Reframing Matrix

Generating Different Perspectives
When you're stuck on a
problem, it often helps to look
at it from another perspective.
This can be all that you need to
do to come up with a great
solution.
However, it is sometimes
difficult to think about what
these perspectives might be.
This is when a tool like the
Things look different when you change perspective.
Reframing Matrix is useful. In
iStockphoto
this article, we'll look at how
you can use it to look at problems from different perspectives.
About the Matrix

The Reframing Matrix tool was created by Michael Morgan, and
published in his 1993 book, "Creating Workforce Innovation." It
helps you to look at business problems from various perspectives.
Using these, you can come up with more creative solutions.
The approach relies on the fact that different people with different
experiences are likely to approach problems in different ways. The
technique helps you put yourself into the minds of different people,
imagine the way that they would face these problems, and explore
the possible solutions that they might suggest.
How to Use the Tool

The Reframing Matrix is very easy to use. All you'll need is a pen and
paper to get started.
Step 1: Draw the Grid

Start by drawing a simple four-square grid, like the one pictured in
figure 1 below.
Leave a space in the middle of the grid to define your problem, and
then write the problem that you want to explore in this space.
Figure 1 Reframing Matrix Step 1
From 'Creating Workforce Innovation' by Michael Morgan, p.75. 1993. First published by Allen &
Unwin, New South Wales. Reproduced with permission from Allen & Unwin.
Tip:
The boxes around the grid are there for your different
perspectives. If this four-box approach doesn't suit you, feel free to
change it.
Step 2: Decide on Perspectives

Now, decide on four different perspectives to use in your matrix. Two
useful approaches for doing this are the 4Ps Approach and the
Professions Approach.
The 4Ps Approach (not to be confused with the 4Ps of marketing
helps you look at problems from the following perspectives:
Product perspective: Is there something wrong with the

product or service? Is it priced correctly? How well does it serve
the market? Is it reliable?
Planning perspective: Are our business plans, marketing plans,
or strategy at fault? Could we improve these?
Potential perspective: How would we increase sales? If we
were to seriously increase our targets or our production volumes,
what would happen with this problem?
People perspective: What are the people impacts and people
implications of the problem? What do people involved with the
problem think? Why are customers not using or buying the
product?
(These are just some of the questions that you can ask as you look at
your problem using these four perspectives.)
The Professions Approach helps you look at the problem from the
viewpoints of different specialists, or stakeholders . For instance,
the way a doctor looks at a problem would be different from the
approach that a civil engineer or a lawyer would use. Or the way a
CEO sees a problem may be different from the way an HR manager

would see it.
This approach can be especially useful when you're trying to solve a
problem that involves many different types of people, or if you need
step away from your usual way of thinking so that you can be more
creative.
Step 3: Brainstorm Factors

Finally, brainstorm factors related to your problem from each
perspective, and add these in to the appropriate quadrant of the
matrix.
Once you've completed the matrix, you'll have a better understanding
of your problem, and you'll be able to generate more solutions.
Tip 1:
The Perceptual Positions

technique can be useful when you
want to see things from other people's viewpoints.
Tip 2:
See our article on CATWOE

for a similar approach. This asks you
to look at a problem from the perspectives of Customers, Actors,
the Transformation process, the World view, the Owner, and
Environmental constraints.
Example Reframing Matrix

In the example in figure 2, below, a manager has used the 4Ps
approach to explore why a new product is not selling well.
Figure 2 Example Reframing Matrix
Key Points
The Reframing Matrix tool was originally created by Michael
Morgan, and published in his book "Creating Workforce
Innovation." It helps you to look at a problem from different
perspectives.
You use the tool by drawing a simple four-square grid and putting
your problem or issue in the middle of the grid.
You then choose four different perspectives that you will use to
look at your problem, and brainstorm factors related to your
problem, starting with each of those perspectives.
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What members say...

James wrote
Hi Everyone
is now at:
newCT_05.php
Thanks
James
February 24, 2012
bigk wrote
Hi
I wonder why the people perspective is not first or second to the
product perspective. Each of these have significant importance.
I don't mind which order these are suggested in but only if they
are all view as equally important as I am sure this is what is
intended by the four perspectives.
This is a good method to gather and assess options and issues
that need planned and an action taken.
Doing some more reading, yet to find something more useful to
add.
Let you know what I find.
Bigk
July 7, 2010
TRIZ
A Powerful Methodology for Creative Problem Solving
Projects of all kinds frequently
reach a point where as much
analysis as possible has been
carried out, but the way
forward is still unclear. Progress
seems blocked, and if the
project team is to move
forward, it must develop
creative solutions to the
problems it faces.
You'll already know about
How could the idea of these Russian Dolls be
applied to retailing?
techniques such as
iStockphoto/BomBeR_irk
brainstorming , which can
help with this sort of situation.
However, this type of approach, which depends on intuition and the
knowledge of the members of the team, tends to have unpredictable
and unrepeatable results. What's more, a huge range of possible
solutions can be missed, simply because they're outside the
experience of the project team.
TRIZ is a problem solving methodology based on logic, data and
research, not intuition. It draws on the past knowledge and ingenuity
of many thousands of engineers to accelerate the project team's
ability to solve problems creatively. As such, TRIZ brings repeatability,
predictability, and reliability to the problem-solving process with its
structured and algorithmic approach.
About TRIZ
"TRIZ" is the (Russian) acronym for the "Theory of Inventive Problem
Solving." G.S. Altshuller and his colleagues in the former USSR
developed the method between 1946 and 1985. TRIZ is an
international science of creativity that relies on the study of the
patterns of problems and solutions, not on the spontaneous and
intuitive creativity of individuals or groups. More than three million
patents have been analyzed to discover the patterns that predict
breakthrough solutions to problems, and these have been codified
within TRIZ.
TRIZ is spreading into corporate use across several parallel paths it
is increasingly common in Six Sigma processes, in project
management and risk management systems, and in organizational
innovation initiatives.
Generalized Solutions
TRIZ research began with the hypothesis that there are universal
principles of creativity that are the basis for creative innovations, and
that advance technology. The idea was that if these principles could
be identified and codified, they could be taught to people to make the

process of creativity more predictable. The short version of this is:
Somebody someplace has already solved this problem (or
one very similar to it.) Today, creativity involves finding
that solution and adapting it to this particular problem.
The three primary findings of the last 65 years of research are as
follows:
1. Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and
sciences. By classifying the "contradictions" (see later) in each
problem, you can predict good creative solutions to that problem.
2. Patterns of technical evolution tend to be repeated across
industries and sciences.
3. Creative innovations often use scientific effects outside the field
where they were developed.
Much of the practice of TRIZ consists of learning these repeating
patterns of problems-solutions, patterns of technical evolution and
methods of using scientific effects, and then applying the general
TRIZ patterns to the specific situation that confronts the developer.
Figure 1, below, describes this process graphically.
Here, you take the specific problem you face, and generalize it to one
of the TRIZ general problems. From the TRIZ general problems, you
identify the TRIZ solutions to those general problems, and then see
how these can be applied to the specific problem you face.
Example
A powerful demonstration of this method was seen in the
pharmaceutical industry. Following the flow of Figure 1, the specific
problem was as follows: an important process needed cell walls to be
broken down in bacteria cells so that hormones inside the cells could
be harvested. A mechanical method for breaking the cell walls had
been in use at a moderate scale for some time, but the yield was only
80%, and was variable. Higher yields and a scaleable solution were
needed.
The TRIZ general problem at the highest level is to find a way to
produce the product with no waste, at 100% yield, with no added
complexity. One of the patterns of evolution of technology that TRIZ
identifies is that energy (fields) replaces objects (mechanical devices).
For example, consider using a laser instead of a scalpel for eye
surgery. In this case, ultrasound could be used to break the cell walls,
or an enzyme could be used to "eat" it (chemical energy). This may
seem very general, but it led the pharmaceutical researchers to
analyze all the resources available in the problem (the cells, the cell
walls, the fluid they are in, the motion of the fluid, the processing
facility, etc.) and to conclude that three possible solutions had a good
potential for solving their problem:
1. The cell walls could be broken by sound waves (from the pattern
of evolution of replacing mechanical means by fields).
2. The cell walls could be broken by shearing, as they pass through
the processing facility (using the resources of the existing system
in a different way).
3. An enzyme in the fluid could "eat" the cell walls and release the
contents at the desired time.
All three methods have been tested successfully. The least expensive,
highest yield method was soon put in production.
Eliminating contradictions
Another of the fundamental concepts behind TRIZ is that at the root
of many problems is a fundamental contradiction that causes it (we'll
give examples below.) In many cases, a reliable way of solving a
problem is to eliminate these contradictions. TRIZ recognizes two
categories of contradictions:
1. Technical contradictions are classical engineering "trade-offs."
The desired state can't be reached because something else in
the system prevents it. In other words, when something gets
better, something else automatically gets worse. Classical
examples include:
The product gets stronger (good), but the weight
increases (bad).
Service is customized to each customer (good), but the
service delivery system gets complicated (bad).
Training is comprehensive (good), but keeps employees
away from their assignments (bad).
2. Physical contradictions, also called "inherent" contradictions,
are situations in which an object or system suffers contradictory,
opposite requirements. Everyday examples abound:
Software should be complex (to have many features), but
should be simple (to be easy to learn).
Coffee should be hot for enjoyable drinking, but cold to
prevent burning the customer.
Training should take a long time (to be thorough), but not
take any time.
Example
Dairy farm operators could no longer dry cow manure for use as
fertilizer due to an increased cost of energy. They were faced with a
technical contradiction between dry manure (good) and cost (bad).
TRIZ led the operators to a drying method used for the concentration
of fruit juice, which required no heat.
Some of the TRIZ Tools

The "General TRIZ Solutions" referred to in Figure 1 have been
developed over the course of the 65 years of TRIZ research, and have
been organized in many different ways. Some of these are analytic
methods such as:
The Ideal Final Result and Ideality.
Functional Modeling, Analysis and Trimming.
Locating the Zones of Conflict. (This is more familiar to Six Sigma
problem solvers as "Root Cause Analysis.")
Some are more prescriptive such as:
The 40 Inventive Principles of Problem Solving.
The Separation Principles.
Laws of Technical Evolution and Technology Forecasting.
76 Standard Solutions.
In the course of solving any one technical problem, one tool or many
can be used.
One of these tools, "The 40 Principles of Problem Solving" is the most
accessible "tool" of TRIZ.
The 40 Principles of Problem Solving

These 40 Principles are the ones that were found to repeat across
many fields, as solutions to many general contradictions, which are at
the heart of many problems. A list of all 40 Principles of Problem
Solving can be found at http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/
1997/07/b/index.html.
Here are just a few of the Principles and examples of how they could
have been used to create products that were once new and
innovative:
Principle
Solution
Segmentation (Divide an object

into independent parts)
Individually wrapped cheese

slices
Local quality (Provide different

packaging for different uses)
"Adult" editions of Harry Potter

books
Principle
Solution
Universality (make an object

perform multiple functions)
Chocolate spread sold in

glasses (with a lid) that can be
used for drinking afterwards
Nested Doll
Store within store (coffee shops

in bookstores)
Another dimension (Tilt or reorient object)
Squeezable ketchup bottles

that sit on their lids
Using TRIZ
The best way to learn and explore TRIZ is to identify a problem that
you haven't solved satisfactorily and try it. Use the List of the 40
Principles of Problem Solving and the Contradiction Matrix tool that
can be found at www.triz-journal.com to help you through the
process.
Material for this article has been provided by a team of experts
from the TRIZ Journal: Katie Barry, Editor, Ellen Domb, PhD,
Managing Editor, and Michael S Slocum, PhD, Managing Editor.
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What members say...

Rachel wrote
Hi All
Like most sayings, "There's nothing new under the sun" has at
least a grain of truth in it. Whilst your problem or challenge may
seem totally unique and new to you, something very similar has
probably come up somewhere in human experience before - and
someone has devised an inenious solution. However, that
similarity isn't always ovbious!
When you use the TRIZ methodology, you can start searching
systemmatically in apparently unlikely areas for existing ideas and
solutions that can be applied to your situation.
Find out more by clicking the link below:
http://www.mindtools.com/community/page ... wCT_92.php
Best wishes
Rachel
January 26, 2010
zunekoo wrote
When I have brainstorm meeting for the problem-solving, I always
think, maybe some other people in other departments or other
companies had similar problems, and they had brainstorming
meeting.. and found their own solution...
In the company, if their are some the company specific "TRIZ
principles" database, I can work much easier and effectively.
New creative is also based on the old creative.
Anyway, I am very happy to know the TRIZ.~!
Zune
January 9, 2007
Rachel wrote
Just wanted to say, this is a facinating technique, and thanks for
the team at the Triz journal for providing us with the article!
Thanks too, to member 7and6 who suggested the article.
Rachel
December 11, 2006
Turn Your Idea into Reality

Getting Good Ideas Off the Drawing Board
How many times have you
thought of a really fantastic
idea?
Maybe it was something that
would revolutionize the way
your office operates.
Or perhaps it was a great
product that would appeal to
millions of people worldwide.
Most of us have been in this
Once, this was just an idea.
situation at least once, and
iStockphoto
we'll probably have to admit
that this great idea never became a reality. Sure, it was creative and
it could be done. But we never acted on it.
Why? Why do we think of ideas that we know are good, only to let
them sit in the back of our minds without doing anything about
them?
One reason is that putting an idea into practice can seem like a huge
amount of work. Even if it's a small idea, most of us see nothing but
potential obstacles when we imagine taking action. We assume we've
lost the election before we've even started the campaign!
Another reason can be fear fear of moving out of our current,
comfortable space.
In this article, we'll detail steps and tips for turning your ideas into
reality.
Implementing Your Ideas

OK, so you've got the idea. Now what?
Step One:Define Who Will Be Affected By Your Idea

Imagine that your great idea is a process that will cut your company's
month-end reporting time in half. Who will benefit from this?
Obviously, everyone who's involved in the current month-end
reporting system. But who else? Your company's executives will
clearly be interested if timely information is business-critical. And if
your new process will save half a day's work for everyone, then your
team will have more time for other things perhaps for taking care of
clients?
On a small scale, this may be obvious. On a larger scale, techniques
like Stakeholder Analysis can help you think this through
thoroughly.
Determining who will be affected by your idea is like defining your

"target market." When you're ready to sell your idea, you know you'll
have to talk to these people.
Step Two: Think About How it Will Affect Them

Now that you know WHO will be affected by this idea, briefly think
about how it will affect each of them, as an individual. What will the
benefits be? What will be the costs? And will the benefits sufficiently
outweigh the costs for this to be worth doing?
At this stage, you can do this at a superficial level. In step four, after
you've planned what you'll do, you can look at this in more detail.
Step Three: Plan "Backward"

Next, create a plan for HOW you're going to help these people.
The easiest way to do this is to create a "reverse" plan.
For most people, this may not seem to make sense. You need to plan
your steps by moving forward, right? Well, that's one way to do it. But
when you start at the beginning, there are many directions you can
take to reach your end goal, so it's easy to get lost. However, when
you start with your end goal and work backward, things tend to come
together much more easily.
Here's an example: One of your internal month-end processes takes 4
days to complete because of the vast amount of data that your
colleague Sara has to process when the month is over. This causes a
lot of stress as senior management are always agitating to get the
figures earlier, and it means that Sara can never take vacation during
that period which is sometimes frustrating for her. You want the
month end work to take no more than one day. But how can you make
that happen? Think "backward":
What's your end result? You want the final results available no
more than a day after the last activity they report on has been
completed.
Immediately, you realize that if Sara could process data in
batches throughout the month, she wouldn't have so much to do
after the month end. But this would require other departments to
provide figures every week instead of only every month.
You talk to your colleagues in other departments, and they agree
to provide the data every week. Although this does create more
work for them, they're happy to make the change as it means
they won't have to handle a large batch of queries from a
stressed-out Sara at month end.
By working backward like this, you'll develop a plan to take that idea
you've imagined and make it a reality. You probably won't get lost
along the way, because you started planning in the place where you
want to finish.
Make sure you write down your plan it's very unlikely to become real
while it exists only in your imagination. Read Action Plans ,
Business Requirements
Analysis , and The Straw Man Concept these have tips on
which elements to include in your plan, and how to make sure you
don't forget anything.
And make sure you assess the RISKS of your idea. Work on ways
to reduce the likelihood that these risks will occur or reduce their
effects if they do occur. This is especially important if you depend on
someone else for support to implement your plan. Assess, and then
explain, the risks. This will show that you're realistic about your idea.
Step Four: Evaluate Your Proposal

Now that you have a plan in place, you'll need to check it again to
make sure that it works as a plan, and that this plan is worth
implementing. This may be obvious, however, if it's not, take a look at
our Financial Forecasting and
Project Evaluation Bite-Sized Training session this will explain
how to do this thoroughly.
Step Five: Ask for Feedback

Next, discuss your ideas with a few people whom you trust. Does the
idea seem reasonable and possible to them? In particular, try it out
with some of the people who you think will benefit. Their input will
help to improve the idea.
Be careful here. Avoid negative people who like to discourage others.
Feedback can be tremendously helpful, but don't let yourself be
affected by people who don't have vision. Approach those whose
opinions you trust, and stay away from the others.
Tip:
If you want to set up a business to exploit this idea, be particularly

careful who you talk to. On one hand, talking to others will help
you improve your idea. This can be very important, and can help
you find allies and backers. On the other hand, you don't want to
lose control of the idea. Trust is all-important here!
Step Six: Start Taking Action

This is when a lot of people give up. After all, thinking about an idea
and planning how to bring it about are easy and fun, and involve little
commitment beyond the time put in. The thought of actually doing all
of the steps you've carefully planned can be a bit frightening, and
hard work can be difficult and boring.
But this is your chance to achieve something great!
You've done everything right so far you know who will be helped,
you know exactly what you need to do to get it done, and you've
received some feedback from your peers. So get going. An idea will
remain just that an IDEA unless you take action to turn it into a
reality.
In most cases, you'll need the support of others either for
permission to implement your plan, or for help to actually make it
happen.
When you seek approval to go ahead with your idea, make sure that
your "sales pitch" focuses on benefits as well as features. A feature is
a fact for example, "This new cellphone feature is a camera zoom
lens offering 10 times magnification." A benefit is the result of the
fact, the "What's in it for me?" So, "This lens helps you take great
impromptu photos of things that would look tiny on a normal phone
camera." With that sentence, your recommendation just became a lot
more personal. Show people what they have to gain ideally in time
or money, or both.
And when you try to persuade others to help you implement your
idea, focus your requests on your ALLIES, or "friends," to increase the
chances that they'll agree. Make sure the work you ask people to do is
within their capabilities, and be sure the work reasonably fits into
their schedules. Set yourself, and others, periodic short-term goals
and deadlines. This will keep the project moving and help ensure that
it's completed.
Tip:
If your idea involves setting up a new business to develop and

launch a new product or service, you'll need a lot of help and
training to get things going properly. To get this, for example,
contact a local enterprise or development agency and see what
help and advice they can give, or buy books on starting and
running your own business.
Step Seven: Focus on the End Result

Will there be obstacles and unexpected delays when you finally
implement your plan? Almost certainly. Things usually happen that we
don't plan for, so it's important to be persistent. Keep your end goal in
mind. Obstacles don't necessarily mean complete stops they're just
issues that you have to work through. You're probably going to face a
few, so expect them.
You can see the power of persistence when you look at one of the
world's greatest inventors. Famously, Thomas Edison had over 10,000
failures before he successfully created the light bulb. Through it all,
he never lost his vision. If he had, he never would have made it
through so many unsuccessful attempts and we would all be sitting
around in the dark.
So above all, don't give up!
Key Points
Many people have fantastic ideas. But because they fail to act on
them, the ideas are never put into practice. By creating a plan,
asking for feedback, and taking action, your great idea can
become a reality. But don't think it's going to be easy. Look closely
at the risks and potential barriers and create solutions to
overcome them. The more you prepare, the higher chance you'll
have for success.
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Next article
What members say...

Rachel wrote
Hi All
We all have great ideas. But it can be such a struggle to get good
ideas off the drawing board.
That's why I've chosen this article as this week's Featured Favorite
- click on the link below to turn your ideas into reality!
http://mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newCT_87.php
Best wishes
Rachel
May 31, 2011
MichaelP wrote
Easy to say and difficult to do...
I Invented a small tool for sailors and then took a whole series of
actions to bring it to market. The 'Gap' that exisits between what
people want and what they are prepared to pay for needs careful
analysis as well as how much people will pay.
My experience is unless you can make something for approx 1/4
of the selling price typically you will struggle and also selling
something they could use but currently don't is another challenge.

However the only way forwards is to take actions and seek
feedback so I agree that many good ideas stay un developed due
to lack of action, and taking little steps helps make progress. My
standard question is What can I do today at minimal or no cost to
inch forward?
Good luck to all initiators and inventors its a slow painful road but
ultimately very rewarding.
cheers
July 10, 2008

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Creativity Tools

Develop Creative Solutions to Business Problems

Creativity Skills Start Here!

How Creative Are You?

The Charette Procedure

Other Idea-Generation Tools

Attribute Listing, Morphological Analysis,

Kano Model Analysis

Generating New Ideas

Turn Your Idea into Reality

The Disney Creative Strategy

Encouraging Team Creativity

Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation

Beyond the Idea: Simple, Powerful Rules for Successful

Where to go from here:

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Creativity Techniques Start Here!

Programmed Thinking and Lateral Thinking

their can of fizzy drink. Without pattern recognition we would starve

Taking the Best of Each...

The Creative Frame of Mind

stress management techniques you will need when your creative

Where to go from here:

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Attribute Listing, Morphological

How to Use the Tools

Interesting combinations might be:

You can now use the table or "morphological box", by randomly

Attribute Listing focuses on the attributes of an object,

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This is an excellent tool that I've used / facilitated with great

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Brainstorm better with

Why Use Brainstorming?

By contrast, brainstorming provides a free and open environment that

To get the most out of your individual brainstorming session,

How to Use the Tool

Step 1: Prepare the Group

If people aren't used to working together, consider using an

Step 2: Present the Problem

Step 3: Guide the Discussion

Taking Your Brainstorming Further

Crawford's Slip Writing Approach

This is used to improve a product

The Next Step Taking Action

to organize ideas and find common

Decision Matrix Analysis and Paired Comparison Analysis

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Where to go from here:

Next Solve and Decide Learning Stream article

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between effective and less effective sessions is whether

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Brainwriting allows everyone to participate.

Everyone else then enters the

Brainwriting, however, gives everyone equal opportunity to