leading innovation engineers iet

“Leading Innovation Through Creativity”Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSP

alan @ cre8ng.com http://www.cre8ng.com

Leading InnovationThrough CreativityCreative Thinking Strategies for Engineers & Scientists



http://www.cre8ng.com



When & Where

Do you get your

IDEAS

When & Where

Do you get your

IDEAS



Running, walking.doing other things,in the shower,gardening….

Running, walking.doing other things,in the shower,gardening…. ?



Do you run, walk,Garden, takeShowers at WORK

Do you run, walk,Garden, takeShowers at WORK?



We need to be

on Demand at WORKNOT when the MUSE comes

We need to be

on Demand at WORKNOT when the MUSE comes

!Creative



Who Might Be



?What have someEngineers & Scientistssaid about Creativity

What have someEngineers & Scientistssaid about Creativity



They laughed at Columbus, Fulton, the Wright Brothers. They also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”

Carl Sagan, founder & first President of The Planetary Society



If your goal is to create something new and big, you're going to have to do something

that everybody else will laugh at -

so that becomes the test. Marc Andreessen,

founder of Netscape



“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I, myself, prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, humanist



Dr. Seuss

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”



“All it takes is one idea to solve an impossible problem.”

-- Robert H. Schuller



The highly Creative Thinkerlooks at every ideaas a possibility.

Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSP



“Most people see what is, and never see what can be.”

Albert Einstein



“Engineers like to solve problems.

If there are no problems handily available,

they will create their own problems.”

Scott Adams



“It's true that the original idea was mine, but what you see today is the work of probably tens of thousands of the world's best engineers, all concentrating on improving the product, reducing the cost, things of that sort.”

Jack Kilby (Intel silicon chip)



“Normal people...

believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Engineers believe that if it ain't broke,

it doesn't have enough features.”

Scott Adams



“Scientists dream about doing great things.

Engineers do them.”

James Mitchener



“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail..”

Edwin Land (Polaroid)



“It's not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas..”

Edwin Land (Polaroid)



Being creativeis a choice…

Individuals, leaders,entire organizationscan make the choice.

a daily choice!



Getting to Eureka & Beyond

Overcoming Blocks32 Creative Thinking TraitsCreative Thinking Tools6 Ways to set up a…

CCrree88nngg Community



G.A.P.S.S. of…

GAPSS

GIFTATTITUDEPROCESSSTRATEGYSystems



BREAKING

THE BOXBREAKING

THE BOX



Paradigm 2016

a. If it ain’t broke.....leave it alone.

b. If it ain’t broke….break it.

c. Better fix it before it breaks

d. Keep using it until it breaks



No MoreCreative Blocks!



Creative block?



??



SOMETHING'S PERCOLATING

BRAIN'S RECHARGING

EXCESSIVE SELF-CRITICISM

PERFECTIONISM

SOMETHING'S PERCOLATING

BRAIN'S RECHARGING

EXCESSIVE SELF-CRITICISM

PERFECTIONISM



What WeCan Do w/

CreativeBlocks!



Add one ritual behavior

Brainstorm

Change clothes

Do simple projects/tasks

Work on something else



Creative Thinking ToolsCan help Remove or

EliminateCreative Blocks



32 TraitsSee possibilitiesSelf- knowledgeableSelf-actualizingSelf-disciplinedSense of destinySensitiveSeverely critical of…Specific interestsSynthesize correctly often intuitivelyTolerant of ambiguity

AdaptableCuriousDivergent thinkerEnergeticFantasize, able toFlexible thinkerFluentFuture orientedHumorIdealisticImaginative

IndependentIngeniousLearning, alwaysNon-conformingNot motivated by moneyObservant, highlyOpen-endedOriginal - uniquenessPassionate about their workPerceive world differentlyQuestion asker



32 TraitsSee possibilitiesSelf- knowledgeableSelf-actualizingSelf-disciplinedSense of destinySensitiveSeverely critical of…Specific interestsSynthesize correctly often intuitivelyTolerant of ambiguity

AdaptableCuriousDivergent thinkerEnergeticFantasize, able toFlexible thinkerFluentFuture orientedHumorIdealisticImaginative

IndependentIngeniousLearning, alwaysNon-conformingNot motivated by moneyObservant, highlyOpen-endedOriginal - uniquenessPassionate about their workPerceive world differentlyQuestion asker

All are learnable…

All are learnable…



Thinking ToolsDivergent & Convergent



What?What Else!Why?Why Not!

WW

WW

WH

WW

WW

WH



=Divergent Thinking Tool

Brainstorming

Quantity breeds Quality

Freewheeling of ideas

Hitchhike/Combine Ideas

No Judgement




BrainwritingQuantity breeds QualityFreewheeling of ideasHitchhike/Combine IdeasNo Judgement




Alphabetizing

ABCDEFG

HIJKLM

NOPQRST

UVWXYZ



Accounting Restaurant DiscountAdvertising Hotel/Motel SoftwareArchitecture Insurance SportsAutomotive Interior Design TravelBeekeeping Health/Exercise TruckingCall Services Janitorial VendingDentistry Legal UndertakingEngineering Real Estate Yacht DesignForestry Retail/Discount Zoo Keeping

Too often we allow our experience and expertise to cloud our visions and thinking.

In order to break out of such traps we can take time to imagine how other industries, businesses,

professions, occupations might view the problem and possibly solve it.

OTHER INDUSTRIES



stretch it raise the price make it breakablecombine it make it terryifying make it funnyappeal to kids separate it cushion itWinterize it appeal to seniors make it flyilluminate it darken it do it backwardgo clockwise slow it down magnetize itfreeze it loosen it make it invisiblemisspell it go under it put it in picturessweeten it put it to music make it weaker

Throughout our schoolingwe are asked “WHAT IS IT?”

To expand our creativenessand our creative skills we need only change the question to…”WHAT IF WE?” or “WHAT ELSE MIGHT IT BE?”

“What If We?”



=

S. = substituteC. = combineA. = adapt, adoptM. = minify, magnifyP. = put to other usesE. = eliminateR. = reverse Divergent Thinking Tool



Forced Relationships

+ =

Feathers-Soft + chair is hard = make seat softYellow + chair is ship gray = add colorDivergent Thinking Tool



Wild, Whacky, Weird

ToReal

Wild, Whacky, Weird

ToReal



Easier to take a WILD, WHACKY, WEIRD Idea

& TAME IT DOWN

Then to make a boring idea EXCITING



Forced Rela...MetaphorsExcursionsBionics

Cla

ssic

s!



ImprovImaginationPerspectiveNon-Human



5 SensingIdea Grids! Excursions?

Super Heroes!



Useless

Inventions



1. A black highlighter pen 18. Non-stick cello-tape

2. A book on how to read 19. Zero proof alcohol

3. A dictionary index 20. Powdered Water

4. A pedal powered wheelchair 21. Reusable ice cubes

5. AC adaptor for solar calculators 22. Seatbelts for motorbikes

6. Battery powered battery charger 23. See through toilet tissue

7. Braille drivers manual 24. Silent alarm clock

8. Do-it-yourself road map 25. Skinless bananas

9. Double sided playing cards 26. Smooth sandpaper

10. Ejector seats for helicopters 27. Solar powered flash light

11. Fireproof matches 28. Submarine screen doors

12. Fireproof cigarettes 29. Waterproof towel

13. Glow in the dark sunglasses 30. Toe implants

14. Hand powered chain saw 31 Turnip ice cream

15. Inflatable anchor 32. Watermelon seed sorter

16. Inflatable dart boards 33. Waterproof sponge

17. Mechanical pencil sharpener 34. Waterproof tea bags Use

less

In

ven

tion

s?



What Some Corps Do…



% Of Profit

15% Rule

Creativity or Idea Clubs

Company Books (Dupont)

Contests

Creativity/Innovation

Newsletters - Print/Electronic

Creativity/Innovation Rooms

Groups---Oz Group

Guest Speakers

Idea Meetings

Idea Systems

In-House Training

Innovation Fairs

Libraries

Management Support

Newsletters - External

Posters

Problem Solving Teams

Rebel Groups-Unofficial

Retreats

Rewards & Reward Systems

Seminars

Support Conference Attendance

Training Programs

Workshops




% Of Profit

15% Rule

Creativity or Idea Clubs

Company Books (Dupont)

Contests

Creativity/Innovation

Newsletters - Print/Electronic

Creativity/Innovation Rooms

Groups---Oz Group

Guest Speakers

Idea Meetings

Idea Systems

In-House Training

Innovation Fairs

Libraries

Management Support

Newsletters - External

Posters

Problem Solving Teams

Rebel Groups-Unofficial

Retreats

Rewards & Reward Systems

Seminars

Support Conference Attendance

Training Programs

Workshops


None do it

Systematically

or Throughout

or for more than

18 months



S.P.R.E.A.D.SPREAD

UPPORTINGROMOTINGECOGNIZINGNCOURAGINGPPLYINGEVELOPING



O F P I S AMessObjective

FactFinding

ProblemFinding

IdeaFinding

SolutionFinding

AcceptanceActionFinding



May you live In the

Land of EurekaWhenever You Choose!

May you live In the

Land of EurekaWhenever You Choose!



YourBeginning!

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