INNOVATION
‘If at first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it.’
ALBERT EINSTEIN
x. Interrogate and extrapolate
So here we are: 12 creative thinking tools to take your business further. To solve problems, seize on opportunities and innovate. This is the section you’ll want to refer back to when you’re running your sessions, for a refresher of the approaches and for choosing which ones to use when. I would always recommend that you use three or four approaches each time, to have the best chance of getting the best answer.
Each creative thinking tool is divided into five sections: Visual, Theory, Action, Example and Summary.
Visual
A simple visual aid to help you illustrate to others how the tool works. These are also available online at www.thinking-tools.co.uk to print out if you want to display them during your sessions.
Theory
Each tool starts with a brief explanation of why it works. Each will change the way you think about the issue or the way you interact with your environment (whether that’s your colleagues, your processes or the way you conduct problem-solving sessions).
Action
Here’s how to run the creative thinking tool during your brainstorming session.
The toolkit at the start (and subsequent explanation) will give a clear step-by-step guide, but each tool is described as simply as possible, focusing on the approach and mindset more than a minute-by-minute breakdown of the process. The tool will provide the 1 per cent inspiration. You (and your team) need to put in the 99 per cent perspiration.
Problem, opportunity or innovation?
There’s a flipside to each of the tools too: they’re often also great for opportunity-seizing. In fact, many of the world’s most creative and innovative companies use these kinds of approaches for their most successful developments.
Look at Apple. Steve Jobs famously said, ‘We don’t do market research.’ The world’s most valuable company, committing multi-millions to product launches with integrated ecosystems and vast advertising campaigns … without any market research.
Why? Well for one thing, Apple wants to surprise and delight its customers. If you ask someone what they want for their birthday, they’re hardly likely to be surprised when that’s exactly what you give them.
But if you’re not going to ask your customers what to do, and you want something bigger than an iterative step-change based on what you’re already doing … then how are you going to make the breakthrough?
With many of the same creative thinking tools revealed here. And by exploring each tool you’ll quickly discover how to flex it according to the use you’re putting it to.
One more thing. For simplicity, the action describes the tool as if you’re having a group brainstorm and you’re going to spend 30–60 minutes using one tool to crack your problem.
That may not be the case, of course – and certainly, some of the approaches require longer to work through or may need you to do some advance prep. Take the time you need and don’t expect that you’ll necessarily solve your biggest business issues in one meeting you’ve got scheduled for a rainy Thursday afternoon. You may also be working alone rather than in a group, and that’s fine too – there’s more about brainstorming in Part III: Inspiration.
Example
Each tool has a case study to illustrate the principle – a demonstration of the sort of solution/breakthrough (and business success) that can be achieved using that specific approach. You might want to tell these stories to your colleagues when introducing the creative thinking approach, for inspiration.