Module 05

Generating New Ideas

 Outline

1. The Power of New Ideas

2. Breaking old thinking patterns
3. Challenge Your Assumptions
4. Rephrase the Problem
5. Think in Reverse
6. Mix Your Media
 Outline
7. Making new connections
8. Random words
9. Picture prompts
10. Objects of interest
11. Getting fresh perspectives
12. Ways to Encourage Creative Thinking
 Generating New Ideas

It is the process of constructing through

the idea, innovating the concept, developing
the process, and bringing the concept to
reality.
ideas are the first step towards making
improvement.
Creativity is Solving Problems.
Necessity is mother of invention.
 The difference between
Invention and
Innovation
• Invention - is the creation of new
products, processes, and technologies not
previously known to exist.
• Innovation - is the transformation of
creative ideas into useful applications by
combining resources in new or unusual
ways to provide value to society through
improved products, technology, or services.
Creativity
Eliminate
 The difference between
Invention and
Innovation
DISCOVERY/INVENTION INNOVATION
• X-RAY • MEDICAL X-RAY
• LIGHT-SENSITIVITY OF • PHOTOGRAPH
SILVER Y& CAMERA
• COMPOUNDS • RADIO
• SEMI-CONDUCTORS • MAGNETIC
STORAGE OF DATA ON TAPE ,
• MAGNETIC • CASSETTES &
• SURFACES
LASERS • DISKETTES CDs , DVDs
E=MC^ NUCLEAR POWER
2
 The difference between
Invention and Innovation
 i n a market driven economy, the real winner is
company that can make something valuable through
innovation –
not the inventor who happens to come up with
something that THE MARKET may or may not want.

 I n n o v a t i o n happens when you figure out how to

make money from an invention.

 N e c e s s i t y is the mother of Invention.

Profit motive and Creativity are the
parents of
Creativity

So, think of creativity in terms of ways

of thinking which support commercial
opportunities, whether in developing
new processes, services or products.
 Example: Rise of Levi’s

Problem:
Working Clothes for Mining Workers do Not Last

Solution:
First Pair of Jeans
 Drucker
Seven
Sources
1. The Unexpected
for
2. The Incongruity Innovative
Opportunities
3. Innovation based on process need
4. Changes in industry or market Structure
5. Demographics
6. Changes in perception, mood and
meaning
7. New Knowledge
 DRUCKER’S
PRINCIPLES
FOR
SUCCESFUL
1. Begin with an analysis of the opportunity.
INNOVATION
2. Analyze the opportunity to see if people will
be interested in using the innovation.
3.To be effective, the innovation must be simple
and clearly focused on a specific need.
4. Effective innovations start small
5. Aim at market leadership
 SCHUMPETER’S
TYPES OF INNOVATION

• Source of supply,
• Technology,
• Commodity (Product),
• Markets,
• Type of organization
 SCAMPER ~ TECHNIQUES
FOR INNOVATION
• SUBSTITUTE, SIMPLIFY
• COMBINE
• ADAPT
• MODIFY, MAGNIFY,
MINIFY
• PUT TO OTHER USES
• ELIMINATE
• REVERSE, REARRANGE
“SUBSTITUTE”- AN
EXAMPLE
“COMBINE”- AN EXAMPLE

+ =
“ADAPT” – AN
EXAMPLE
“MAGNIFY” – AN
EXAMPLE
“MINIFY” – AN
EXAMPLE
PUT TO OTHER
USES
ELIMINATE
REVERSE
‘REARRANGE’ EXAMPLE
1/2
“REARRANGE” EXAMPLE
2/2
 Screening Ideas: Are they
Opportunities?
5 Questions
1. What important customer problem can
you solve?
2. How are you going to do it?
3. How many customers are there that are
willing to buy from you?
4. Why can only you provide the solution?
5. How can you defend against others?
Ask these questions BEFORE somebody else does!
 Screening an
Opportunity: 5
Questions
1. What important customer problem can
you solve?
How valuable?
How painful?
Remember, you need to change
somebody’s behavior to buy your
product.
 Screening an
Opportunity: 5
Questions
2. How are you going to do
it?
Business
model:
Product
Distribution
Location
Technology/Innovation
Service
 Screening an
Opportunity: 5
Questions
3. How many customers are there that are
willing to buy from you?
How many customers are there? (Market size)
How many will buy from you? (Market share)
Who will be your first customer (besides
your
Mom)?
Who will be your 100th?
 Screening an
Opportunity: 5
Questions
4. Why can only you provide the
solution?
How are you unique?
What do you provide that nobody else
can?
 Screening an
Opportunity: 5
Questions
5. How can you defend against
others?
Location
, Brand,
Patent
(or other
Intellectu
al
Property)
 Ideas Start With Solving Problems

Remember… Ideas Start With Solving Problems

Any Problem is Big Opportunity.
No Problems, No Solutions, & No Reasons for
Firms to Exist.
No One Pays You to Solve a Non-exist Problem
(Vinod Khosla, Sun Microsystems)
 “Solving Problems”
Take care with this use of the word “problem”…
The normal use of this word might suggest that there is
something wrong
In a business context, we might use the word simply to
represent something which makes the customer’s activities
less efficient/enjoyable/simple
So, a “problem” might be something quite trivial, everyday or
simple – however, by providing a cost effective solution, we
please our customer and make money.
 “Solving Problems”

Examples
Velcro – a simple alternative to the shoelace.
A key ring that beeps – you can find your keys anywhere in the room
Goretex – water resistant jackets.
 Attributes of Creative Thinking

Flexibility – willing to look at an issue from many

angles, not set in our ways.
Originality – attempts to find non-typical responses
to problems.
Non-judgemental – not rejecting a potential
solution without giving it appropriate consideration.
 Creating Creativity

Creative Individuals don’t just sit waiting for the

“lightbulb moment”

They approach a problem systematically

 Stages in Creative
Thought
Preparation

Incubation

Insight

Evaluation

Elaboration
 What Stops Business Creativity?
Barriers are understandable, but nevertheless can
• prevent
Fear or slow
– change the development
is always frightening. of new ideas:
• Risk – am I risking my established business?
• Convention – we’ve always done it this way.
• Self-doubt – if it’s that good, surely somebody else would
have made it by now?
• Fear of failure
 The Power of New
Ideas
An open mind is a valuable resource. When you're
interested in new possibilities, and able to think
creatively, you're more likely to stay energized in your
role – and keep your team or organization one step
ahead of the competition.
And sometimes, the success of a project depends on
more than just small tweaks or suggestions for new
ways forward.
It needs someone to come up with a big, radical,
innovative idea.
 The Power of New
Ideas
You don't have to be "artistic" to be creative.
Everyone can learn to generate bold, groundbreaking
ideas by adopting a creative approach and applying
the best thinking tools.
It's important to have a solid understanding of the
problem that you want to solve before trying the
different techniques.
There are three key approaches to generating new
ideas:
Breaking old thinking patterns.
Making new connections.
Getting fresh perspectives.
 1. Breaking Old
Thinking Patterns
We can all get stuck in certain "tracks" of thought, they may
be so comfortable that we don't even realize that they're
holding us back! So, to have fresh ideas, we need to break
away from established patterns of thought and start to see
new paths ahead.
Here are some of the best ways to do it:
Challenge Your Assumptions
Rephrase the Problem
Think in Reverse
Mix Your Media
 Challenge Your
Assumptions
Challenging assumptions is a problem
solving strategy that involves testing ideas that
are assumed to be true by an individual, group,
institution, society, science or industry.
However, it is often a worthy exercise to see
how new assumptions change your view of a
particular problem.
Challenge Your
Assumptions
 Rephrase the Problem

The way you define or frame your problem can limit your
creativity.
If you describe the issue you're trying to solve in a different way,
or look at it from a different angle, new solutions can emerge.
For example, when Uber founder Garrett Camp wanted to start a
transport service, he could have focused simply on buying and
managing enough vehicles to make a profit.
Instead, he reframed the problem in terms of how he could best
address passengers' needs.
This led to the development of a powerful app, rather than a fleet
of cars – and an innovative business was born.
 Think in Reverse

Reverse thinking is the inverse of normal thinking, where

instead of coming up with a typical goal and then figuring
out how to achieve that goal, you state the opposite of what
it is you are trying to achieve.
If you're finding it difficult to think of a new approach, try
turning the problem upside-down!
Flip the question and explore the exact opposite of what
you want to achieve.
This can present you with innovative ways to tackle the real
issue.
Think in Reverse
 Mix Your Media

Radical ideas can arise from tackling problems in unusual ways.

A great way to do this is to apply different types of creativity – don't
just talk or write about your plans, explore them through music,
painting, photography, sculpture… whatever enables you to
express yourself. Fresh thinking can emerge when you let your
creative juices flow!
Interior designers, for example, often create "mood boards" made
up of scraps of fabric, dabs of paint, photographs, sketches,
typefaces, or even small objects.
This process can produce original designs that wouldn't have
occurred to them otherwise.
 2. Making New
Connections
Another way to generate new ideas is to make new
and unexpected connections.
Some of the best ideas seem to occur almost by
chance – you see or hear something unconnected
with the situation you're trying to resolve, and a light
bulb goes on in your head!
For instance, inventor George de Mestral 
was inspired to invent Velcro® by the burdock burrs
that got stuck to his dog's fur during a countryside
walk.
 2. Making New
Connections
And architect Mick Pearce developed 
a groundbreaking climate-control system based
on the self-cooling mounds built by termites.
Try some of the following strategies for forging
creative connections:
Random words.
Picture prompts.
Objects of interest.
 Random words.

Pick a word at random from any document, then look

for novel associations between that word and your
problem.
For example, if you were exploring ways to reduce
sick leave in your company, and your random word
was "ball," you might hit on the idea of organizing a
monthly softball game, to raise morale and motivate
people to stay healthy.
 Picture prompts.

Images can be a great way to inspire creative

thinking. Pick any image, find a connection with
your problem and notice any new possibilities
that open up.
A picture of a giant redwood, for instance,
might suggest new ways to organize the teams
and "branches" within your business.
 Objects of interest.

How about asking your team members to bring a small

object of their choice to your next ideas meeting? You
could generate new ideas by asking questions such as,
"How is this object like the problem we're trying to solve?"
or "How could we use this object to meet our challenge?"
A stapler, say, might prompt you to consider whether
people on your team are becoming disconnected. Maybe
you could set up a new communications channel to
"fasten" them back together?
 3. Finding Fresh
Perspectives
Finally, you can add extra dynamism to your thinking by
taking a step back from your usual standpoint and viewing a
problem through "fresh eyes."
You'll often get a surprising new take on an issue by talking
to someone with a different perspective, maybe because of
their age, life experience, or cultural background.
Or, try playing the "If I Were" game. Ask yourself, how would
I address this challenge "if I were…?" You could be an
athlete, a successful entrepreneur, Abraham Lincoln…
anyone!
 3. Finding Fresh
Perspectives
Consider how the person you've chosen would
approach the problem, and see if that gives
you any new ideas.
Identify that person's distinguishing
characteristics, and use them to address the
challenge.
The entrepreneur, for instance, might take
bigger risks, while the athlete would focus on
achieving success through intensive training.
 Five Ways to
Encourage Creative
Thinking
The strategies we've outlined above work best in an
atmosphere of positivity and possibility. The following
ideas may help you to establish the best conditions
for creativity:
1. Believe in yourself
2. Find more down time
3. Vary your environment
4. Conquer distractions.
5. Have fun
 Five Ways to
Encourage Creative
Thinking
1.Believe in yourself : Have faith that great ideas will come! Try
techniques such as visualization and positive affirmation to keep
your sprits high.
2. Find time for downtime. Some of the best ideas appear when
you're thinking about something else – or not really thinking at all:
maybe walking, listening to music, or playing with your kids.
Rest relaxation and sleep are all important for recharging your
creative batteries.
But make sure that you have a notepad or device handy for
capturing your brilliant thoughts, whatever you're doing!
 Five Ways to
Encourage Creative
Thinking
3. Vary your environment. Changing your setting
can transform your thinking, and offer new sources of
inspiration – we've already mentioned the power of a
country walk for the inventor George de Mestral.
Hold your meeting in a nearby coffee shop instead of
the conference room in your office, or ask your people
to join you for an ideas walk in the park.
 Five Ways to
Encourage Creative
Thinking
4.Conquer distractions: When you're focused
on generating ideas, and feel in Zone stay
there! Do your thinking in a place where it's
easy and enjoyable to work.
Spend some time with your phone and laptop
turned off and your door closed, so that nothing
– and no one – disrupts your train of thought.
 Five Ways to
Encourage Creative
Thinking
5.Have fun: lay fullness and humor are
essential ingredients of creativity, especially if
you're exploring new ideas with a team.
When the pressure's on to come up with
something radical, make sure that you're still
relaxed and open-minded enough for the very
best ideas to emerge.
BEST
BESTOF
OFLUCK!