A Secret to Creative Problem Solving: Entrepreneur

Ever find yourself going over and over a problem in your business, only to hit a dead end or draw a blank?

Find an innovative solution with one simple technique: re-describe the problem.

"The whole idea behind creative problem solving is the assumption that you know something that will help solve this problem, but you're not thinking of it right now," explains Art Markman, cognitive psychologist and author of "Smart Thinking." Put another way, your memory hasn't found the right cue to retrieve the information you need.

Changing the description tells your mind that you're in a different situation, which unlocks a new set of memories. "The more different ways you describe the problem you're trying to solve, the more different things you know about that you will call to mind," says Markman.

Ask yourself two questions:

1. What type of problem is this?
Most of the time, we get stuck on a problem because our focus is too narrow. When you think specifically, you limit your memory and stifle creativity.

Instead, think more abstractly. Find the essence of the problem.

Take vacuum cleaner filters, for example. Vacuums used to have bags that were constantly getting clogged, so innovators focused on how to make a better filter.

James Dyson realized that the problem was actually about separation, or separating the dirt from the air, which doesn't always require a filter. "That freed him to try lots of different methods of separation," says Markman. Hence: the Dual Cyclone vacuum that led Dyson to fame and fortune.

2. Who else has faced this type of problem?

When you think about your problem abstractly, you realize that other people have solved the same type of problem in radically different ways. One of their solutions may hold the key to yours.

For example, Dyson realized sawmills use an industrial cyclone to separate sawdust from air and modified that technology to create the first filter-free vacuum.

"When you begin to realize that the problem you're trying to solve has been solved over and over again by people in other areas, you can look at the solutions they came up with to help you solve your own," Markman says.

You may not use one of their solutions exactly, but you free your memory to retrieve more information, making that elusive "aha" moment easier to reach.

By re-describing the problem, you're much more likely to find inspiration for a truly creative innovation.

What creative ways have you come up with in problem solving? via entrepreneur.com

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Need help brainstorming? Try the ‘Ask Einstein’ card deck

By Chuck Frey

Ask Einstein is a new deck of 150 thought-provoking "imagine if..." questions that are designed to stretch your thinking in new, creative directions. Developed by Gary Bertwhistle of Blue Moon Creative in Australia, this brainstorming tool was inspired by the insatiable curiosity of Albert Einstein, who always asked questions.

Ask Einstein was also an outgrowth of Bertwhistle’s work as an advertising executive: “Previously I would stand in front of a group and throw questions out at them to give them hooks to alter their thinking and give them new directions to grab onto. However, I found that people like to have a physical tool that they can take out of their cupboard and put on their desk or the boardroom table to use by themselves or within a group. Having the Einstein cards allows them 150 questions that they always have with them that they can use in a number of different applications,” he explains.

The Ask Einstein cards

Each card is laminated for durability. One side contains the “imagine if…” question, while the other side of the card contains a whimsical illustration of Albert Einstein that is themed to the question. What’s amazing is the sheer number of cards in this deck (150) and the nature of the idea-stimulating questions it asks. For example, it asks you to think about connections between your current challenge and several famous brands: What if it was a Rolex? What if it was a Mercedes? These and other “imagine if” questions help you to engage in lateral thinking, combining your product, service or challenge with different attributes or qualities – a very effective ideation strategy!

Some of my favorite cards in the Ask Einstein card deck include these:

• Imagine if it was in a circus
• Imagine if it was a superhero
• Imagine if it was a toy
• Imagine if it was a cartoon character
• Imagine if it spoke to you

I asked Bertwhistle where he came up with such a large quantity of thought-provoking questions. “The questions were designed from doing ten years of workshops and me putting myself in the shoes of an attendee and looking at what would stimulate my mind to answer their questions or problems,” he recalls. “I simply looked at what I would use to generate ideas for breweries, chocolate companies, software manufactures or wholesale merchants. I kept the questions that would stimulate my mind and give me potentially useful and profitable outcomes and ditched the ones that wouldn’t.”

Applications of Ask Einstein

The card deck’s instructions recommend a number of possible uses for Ask Einstein:

• Generating new ideas for your company, brand or product
• As an interactive tool to energize your team
• As a brainstorming tool for your team or office
• As a catalyst for client meetings

Bertwhistle says his card deck is used by creative thinkers in many different types of businesses, from hospitals and landscaping firms to sales teams and restaurants. “Pretty much anybody who needs new ideas will find a use for the cards,” he says. He did a “soft launch” of Ask Einstein in Australia seven months ago, and demand for it has grown quickly via word of mouth.

Conclusion

Ask Einstein is a very promising brainstorming tool. It combines a large quantity and an impressive variety of idea stimulators in an affordable package. In addition, its simplicity means nearly anyone can pick up this card deck and begin generating potentially profitable ideas almost immediately.

You can order the Ask Einstein card deck exclusively from the Fink Inc. website for A$129 (approximately US$98) via innovationtools.com

 Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A global management consulting firms specialized solely in helping organizations of all sizes in all industries catalyzing top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies. He is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and grandfather of five. Jim is board president of a charter school located in Colorado Springs whose sole purpose is to prepare otherwise disadvantaged students more competitively for college. To arrange for Jim to speak at your next event or devise an effective hypercompetition strategy email or call us at 719-649-4118 for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.   

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Edison vs. Tesla: two Approaches by Scott Berkun

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Two heroes in the pantheon of inventors are Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Of their many contrasts, a favorite was their divergent approaches for how to solve problems.

Edison is famous for his affirmations of hard work as the key ingredient in invention:

• “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration”
• “I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work”

It’s good advice. The idea for something is rarely the hardest part. Instead, it’s the willingness to work on the long list of little issues that must be solved to bring an idea to fruition (or the marketplace). In problem solving lingo, this kind of approach is called brute-force. You apply great energy to exhaustively try out every different alternative.

Tesla had a different approach. His intuitive understanding of the principles of science allowed him to think about problems in ways Edison either could not, or did not want to. Tesla wrote:

• “If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once… to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.”

Both of them were right.

The best approach to problem solving is synthetic: to use the synthesis of both ways of thinking to serve you. You should be willing to apply brute-force, but also be willing to do thinking in advance to make solving a problem easier.

Decades ago, in my computer science classes, I recall a clear division among my programmer peers. When given a new assignment,  some would jump right in to writing code. I’d call them little Edisons. Others would put the keyboard away, and think for a while on paper. They’d sketch things out, and perhaps ask a question or two online. These were the little Teslas. Which are you? via scottberkun.com

Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A global management consulting firms specialized solely in helping organizations of all sizes in all industries catalyzing top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies. He is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and grandfather of five. To arrange for Jim to speak at your next event or devise an effective hypercompetition strategy email or call us at 719-649-4118 for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.   


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Robotic jellyfish may never run out of energy

  

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The power comes from heat-producing chemical reactions between oxygen and hydrogen with platinum coated on the surface of the bio-inspired robot, known as RoboJelly. 

The heat is transferred to the artificial muscles in the robot, causing them to contract just as real muscle does in a jellyfish, the Virginia Tech team behind RoboJelly explains in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Smart Materials.

The muscles are little wires called shape memory alloy composites that are built on the inside of the jellyfish-like robot frame. via Future of tech

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Business today is a chess match without rules. Requiring nimble competitiveness in which conventional thinking is discarded. InnoThink Group is provocative. Dynamic. Imaginative and committed to helping our clients out compete for top line growth. To see what we can do for you contact us. Hire Jim Woods To Speak to Your Organization.

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Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a global innovation, growth and hypercompetition consultancy. He is an author and speaker on strategic innovation, education and competitive advantage. To hire Jim to speak to your organization - Call 719- 649- 4118 or email us for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter?

Self-charging power-stroller folds & unfolds automatically

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Billed as “the world’s first power-folding stroller,” Origami demands nothing more from the user than the simple touch of a button to collapse or unfold it.

Folding or unfolding a traditional baby stroller is often a cumbersome task, but a new innovation debuted at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this year is now looking to change that. Billed as “the world’s first power-folding stroller,” Origami demands nothing more from the user than the simple touch of a button to collapse or unfold it.

The creation of Pittsburgh-based 4moms, the new Origami stroller’s main selling point is its ability to fold and unfold automatically, but it boasts a wealth of other features as well. The device houses a built-in generator in its rear wheels that charges the stroller as it’s pushed, as well as enabling parents to charge their cell phones. Daytime running lights and pathway lights are on board for safety, as are four-wheel suspension and child safety sensors in the seat, which ensure the stroller won’t fold by accident. An LCD in the handle bar, meanwhile, displays a thermometer, speedometer, and odometer. The video below offers a quick demo of the device in action:

Priced at USD 850, the Origami stroller is available online and at select stores. Retailers around the globe: one to add to your own high-end line of kid-focused offerings? via springwise

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Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a global innovation, growth and hypercompetition consultancy. He is an author and speaker on strategic innovation, education and competitive advantage. To hire Jim to speak to your organization - Call 719- 649- 4118 or email us for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter. 

Cite Green Rewards to Motivate Customers To Be Eco Friendly

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CitéGreen is a site that rewards participants with points — redeemable for gifts and discounts — whenever they perform actions that are good for the environment.

There’s nothing like tangible rewards to help motivate consumers to do the right thing, and protecting the environment is no exception. Enter French CitéGreen, a site that rewards participants with points — redeemable for gifts and discounts — whenever they perform actions that are good for the environment.

To begin using CitéGreen, which is now in beta, consumers simply register for free and indicate what types of actions they’d like to have rewarded — carpooling or recycling, for example. Through its partnerships with local communities and relevant agencies, CitéGreen then accounts for each action automatically — for example, a microchip placed in participants’ recycling bins is used to track the volume of materials they recycle each week — and credits a corresponding number of points to users’ accounts. Participants can then compete with each other by comparing the number of points they accumulate. They can also convert those points into rewards in the form of discounts or exclusive gifts offered through Paris-based CitéGreen’s local and national partners. CitéGreen claims that, on average, it gives participants an extra EUR 200 of purchasing power per year.  

There appears to be no end in sight to the gamification trend, whereby everyday chores are converted into tasks with rewards. What other activities could be gamified to encourage otherwise reluctant members of the public? via springwise

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Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a global innovation, growth and hypercompetition consultancy. He is an author and speaker on strategic innovation, education and competitive advantage. To hire Jim to speak to your organization - Call 719- 649- 4118 or email us for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.

Problem solving platform connects businesses with talented students

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MindSumo is a new platform on which businesses can invite students to solve problems, while those students are given the opportunity to show off their ideas to potential employers.

                                      

Regular readers will already be well aware of how crowdsourcing can be used by businesses and organizations to solve challenging problems, and $300 House would be one recent example of this. Now we’ve come across MindSumo, a new platform which hopes to be as beneficial to those contributing solutions as it is for the companies hosting challenges.

MindSumo is a new website dedicated to connecting organizations with students. Businesses can invite students to solve problems, while those students are given the opportunity to show off their ideas to potential employers. Companies begin by logging onto the website and proposing challenges to the community. Students can then offer their ideas for solutions, be inspired by their peers’ creativity, and have direct contact with businesses. As an extra incentive, cash prizes are also on offer to university-goers getting involved. Led by Stanford University graduate Trent Hazy, through the college’s StartX project, the site is currently available to students at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and University of California, Berkeley. The concept is explained further in the video below:

MindSumo claim that a company’s ability to predict candidate quality increases by 37-40 percent when there is a sample of that person’s work available. An idea to replicate in your country or organization? via springwise

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Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group; a global innovation, growth and hypercompetition consultancy. He is an author and speaker on strategic innovation, education and competitive advantage. To hire Jim to speak to your organization - Call 719- 649- 4118 or email us for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.