Chapter 2: Idea Generation

Presented by: Barbara, Asingua, Bacong, Vitor, Cabahug

Ideas for new goods, services, processes, business
models, organizations, or markets are the first steps in
the entrepreneurial process. Problem-solving with
creative and original solutions is not simply a start-up
effort; it is a process that continues throughout an
organization's life. It's a prerequisite for not only
emergence, but also expansion, diversification, and
rejuvenation. In the real world, the immediate takes
precedence over the essential; survival takes
precedence over invention; operations take precedence
over imagination. Those that appreciate the importance
of creativity also understand that everyone has it, but it
needs to be unleashed, nurtured, and taught on a
regular basis.
This chapter addresses three creative competencies
that need to be developed in order to be a master idea
generator: 
Idea Generation
• play 
• improvisation
• observation. 

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Paths of Idea Generation
The stories of the escape fire and the ice industry represent two
paths of idea generation
Despite alert thoughts, which are more spontaneous
and less premeditated, alert ideas are more easily
identifiable. Because the creator is using her previous
knowledge in a specific topic as a platform for idea
development, the search process is more deliberate and
purposeful. Through a remarkable level of attentiveness,
Frederic Tudor discovered the ice water trade. By
According to historical reports, Frederic Tudor was
continually looking for new ideas in the world. He tried
his hand at business in commodities such as pimento,
nutmeg, flour, sugar, tea, candles, cotton, and silk
before he came up with the ice idea. However, none of
these ventures gave him the life he desired.

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It is admittedly tough to distinguish
between either-or thinking when it
comes to the creation of new ideas.
It's extremely likely that the
concept you're thinking about right
now has elements from both of
these approaches.The distinction
between paths is essentially a
framework for organizing and
presenting information.

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Paths of Idea Generation
The stories of the escape fire and the ice industry represent two
paths of idea generation
•the information to you, the reader, and to
illustrate that there is no one identifiable path. The
most important thing is that you do generate ideas,
but this requires creativity and we all have it.
• Creativity researchers often discuss the 3 Bs of
where new ideas are generated:

bathtub, 
bed, and
 bus.

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The idea of having a "aha" or "eureka" moment, on the other hand, is a myth. In his book Explaining Creativity: The
Science of Human Innovation, Keith Sawyer explains the findings of a research that looked at the creative process from
the perspective of notable people like the Wright brothers, Charles Darwin, Jackson Pollock, and others. "While
executing an idea, creativity occurs in a chain reaction of numerous little sparks rather than one spectacular flash," he
discovered. Our minds have been working on something for a long time, even if it appears to be a spontaneous
occurrence.
Creativity is difficult to define because of its elusive, mysterious, and somewhat enigmatic nature. The "why didn't I think
of that" syndrome occurs when you see great yet simple inventions such as the paper clip, Post-it Note, Slinky, Frisbee,
or the ballpoint pen. Consider Bette Nesmith Graham, who invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s and later sold it to Gillette
in 1979 for $47.5 million. Bette felt the frustration of making one mistake after another with no simple solution for
correction. Admittedly a poor typist, Bette felt the frustration of making one mistake after another with no simple
solution for correction.

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Paths of Idea Generation
The stories of the escape fire and the ice industry represent two
paths of idea generation
• Degree of novelty implies newness and uniqueness of
an idea, while value and usefulness imply that a
significant group of people will adopt the idea, buy
the product, accept the solution, or some variation on
this theme. In pure product terms, an innovation is
high on both novelty and usefulness there is a
market. Though inventions have an incredibly high
degree of novelty, especially if patentable, unless
there is a market for the invention it will likely live on
a shelf collecting dust over an extended period of
time. If an invention does find a market, then it moves
to the innovation category. For example, Liquid Paper
was originally invented by Bette Graham Nesmith, but
once to market it emerged as a highly valued
innovation.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Most ideas that hit the market fall into the improvement
category.
• A whitening agent is added to toothpaste; 
• boot-cut jeans replace flared jeans; 
• wheels are added to suitcases; 
• cameras are built into cellular phones.
 These are all improvements—enhancements to
existing products that lack a high degree of novelty
(this does not mean zero novelty), but the market
readily accepts the improvement. 
• Finally there are the irrelevant ideas that are
neither novel nor useful. Coors Brewing Company
introduced bottled water using Rocky Mountain
spring water. Irrelevant. Maxwell House introduced
pre brewed coffee in a half-gallon milk style carton.
Irrelevant and, of course, the “New Coke” with a
formula that differed from the classic—definitely
irrelevant.

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Paths of Idea Generation
 Fear is by far the most significant roadblock.

•it hits us from two angles—the starting point

of creating (ideas in) and the finishing line of
sharing what you created (ideas out). As you can
imagine, being surrounded by such fear can only
lead to a feeling of being boxed in or even
paralyzed. Exhibit 2.5 highlights what I call the fear
factor and its causes. To illustrate how the fear
factor invades our lives, let me tell you a story
about Max.

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Paths of Idea Generation
 A More Creative Mind for a Challenging World

. •In a very compelling book called A Whole

New Mind, author Daniel Pink discusses an
imperative we are facing in the new millennium.
The twentieth century was one dominated by left-
brain thinking, but circumstances of today require
right-brain (or what he refers to as right-directed)
thinking. In other words, we need to cultivate our
creative minds. Exhibit 2.6 highlights basic
differences between left- and right-brain
thinking.
•
The notion that our brain is split into two distinct
hemispheres was theorized by Roger Sperry and
Robert Ornstein in the 1960s. Ornstein studied the
amount of time people used one side of the brain
versus the other. Each hemisphere has distinct
functions, as outlined in Exhibit 2.6.
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Paths of Idea Generation
Toward Idea Generation Mastery

. •Every person is creative but not every

creative technique will work for all people. The best
advice I can give is to experiment with many
techniques, but sharing such techniques is not my
primary purpose here. Idea generation requires
training, ongoing practice, and application; and
the willingness to engage and use ideation
techniques demands a frame of mind

•conducive for creative thinking. Without such a

mindset, your participating in idea generation
techniques is mostly an exercise in futility rather than
creativity. Practice, however, is required for the
mindset as much as the techniques.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Improvisation Prescription

• "Yes, And" is a well-known improvisational practice.

. Its essence is simple.a good example of the
improvisational theory In discussion, the power of
yes cannot be overstated.

To improvise is to expand and heighten the discoveries in the moment. Avoid

preconceived ideas. Start each improv like a blank canvas waiting to be
covered with details. Move action forward by adding to the last moment, not
sideways by trying to wedge your idea into the fray. Be alert. Listen very hard to
everything outside of yourself. Everything is important. Everything matters. Try
not to invent. Try to discover. Show, don’t tell. Think of all your possibilities or
think of all the availabilities. Improvising is a bit like Zen archery. One must
misdirect oneself to be on target. Incorporate the moments of discovery from the
past into the institution of the future.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Exhibit 2.9 Observation Continuum
Observation Prescription

It seems simple and intuitive, so why don’t we

. practice observation more often. First, we think we
are already observant, so we observe only what we
allow ourselves to see or what has become “normal”
or “natural” for us to see. Second, we don’t
necessarily know what to look for, and we think we
must observe something extraordinary.
•

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Paths of Idea Generation
Building Block 1: Play

Play is incredibly important to the creative process,

and the creative process is essential to idea
generation, if not the essential part. The problem,
.
however, is that we tend to identify play with
childhood, a time when we had a lot of fun and had a
lot of imagination.backyards into wonderful foreign
lands, and living rooms into hoursswimming pools
were transformed into tent cities, and unexplored
waterways were littered withplush animals and hidden
treasure sat at attention waiting for the
assignmentfrom a teacher who is just seven years
old.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Play Prescription

 These gaming features also contribute to enhanced

creativity. Improving self-efficacy leads to a greater
belief in one’s ability; collaboration requires group-
based problem-solving; user-directed exploration
.
incites tolerance of ambiguity and curiosity; and
continuous feedback provides real-time learning to
apply as one moves forward through the game. In
many of the multiplayer collaborative gaming
environments that exist today, beating the computer is
not possible. Virtual worlds have emerged that
depend on the movements of the players, where
gaming is redefined as purposeful and
creative engagement to achieve desired outcomes.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Building Block 2: Improvisation

Even though many of the same principles apply to

other forms of improvisation, such as jazz
improvisation, my lens is purely from a theatrical
perspective. The modern form of theatrical
improvisation was developed to help actors solve
.
problems on stage. Rather than halting a performance
because lines were forgotten or something on the set
was misplaced or simply missing, actors could
improvise and the audience would not recognize any
irregularity. The skill
of theatrical improvisation has become its own art
form, leading to the proliferation of improvisation style
comedy clubs and the popular television show Whose
Line Is It Anyway? hosted by Drew Carey, which ran
from 1998 to 2006.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Successful improvisation actors understand the
importance of 

• (1) listening to others without prejudgment, 

• (2) trusting that the group (not the individual
actor) will solve a
• particular problem, 
• (3) building on a storyline in creative but useful
ways, 
• (4) letting go of the need to control a situation,
.
and 
• (5) thinking quickly and acting under pressure
to maintain momentum.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Improvisation Prescription

A popular improvisation exercise is called “Yes, And.”

The essence of this exercise is very representative of
improvisation doctrine. The power of yes in
conversation cannot be. To improvise is to expand
and heighten the discoveries in the moment. Avoid
preconceived ideas. Start each improv like a blank
canvas waiting to be covered with details. Move action
.
forward by adding to the last moment, not sideways
by trying to wedge your idea into the fray. Be alert.
Listen very hard to everything outside of yourself.
Everything is important. Everything matters. Try not to
invent. Try to discover. Show, don’t tell.
Think of all your possibilities or think of all the
availabilities. Improvising is a bit like Zen archery. One
must misdirect oneself to be on target. Incorporate the
moments of discovery from the past into the institution
of the future.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Exhibit 2.9 Observation Continuum
Observation Prescription

It seems simple and intuitive, so why don’t we

practice observation more often?
First, we think we are already observant, so we
observe only what we allow ourselves to
see or what has become “normal” or “natural” for
us to see. Second, we don’t necessarily
know what to look for, and we think we must
observe something extraordinary. The irony is
that you should observe the mundane, the
.
everyday activities or motions. The goal of
observation is to develop empathy for those you
are watching, but empathy only emerges
from truly understanding what the person is
going through, as if you were going through
the same thing.

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Paths of Idea Generation
Exhibit 2.10 Observation Dimensions

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Paths of Idea Generation
Exhibit 2.10 Observation Dimensions

 a plethora of possibilities surface. Freedom plus

imagination plus possibilities equals innumerable novel
and useful ideas. An individual, particularly an adult,
who can develop the core competencies of play,
improvisation, and observation and use
them in a deeply interconnected way will be a master
idea generator. Enjoy the journey!
New Eyes for New Futures. The purpose of this chapter
is to identify the building blocks of idea generation that
.
can be developed and trained over time. Creativity is
something we are all born with, but it must be
cultivated with care and intention. The work is tiring
but fun, exhausting but invigorating, scary but exciting,
uncomfortable but comfortable. Remember, the most
creative people work both ends of the spectrum,
embrace contrast, and know that both the left and right
hemispheres of the brain need to be utilized.
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ThankYou

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