Посты с тэгом: SIT

Inside the Box: “Oh, This Is Going to Be Addictive”

Published date: July 15, 2013 в 11:39 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

When you use Subtraction, you don’t always have to eliminate the
component. There is also what we call “Partial Subtraction.” It is a valid
technique as long as the product or service that remains delivers a new
benefit. To deploy Partial Subtraction, you pick a component and then
eliminate a specific feature of that component. Consider the case of
Twitter, a microblogging application used by hundreds of millions of
people worldwide. By simply restricting each tweet to 140 characters,
Twitter has become a vast digital conversation about what individuals
around the globe are thinking and doing. A Partial Subtraction of
the traditional blog down to 140 characters dramatically increased the
volume of and participation in this Internet phenomenon. How did it
happen?

Twitter founders Noah Glass, Jack Dorsey, and others knew that the
concept was right and that they had a potential hit on their hands. Their
intent was to create a service that allowed people to send text messages
to many friends at one time. Originally, Twitter was supposed to be only
a way for people to easily update their friends on their current status.

But when attempting to build a service with text messaging as
its foundation, the Twitter team ran into challenges. First, texts were
expensive. On top of that, phone companies imposed a limit on the
size of text messages. Any text message of more than 160 characters is
automatically split into two messages. So the first thing that the Twitter
founders did was to place a limit on the number of characters in a
short message service (SMS) text (now called a “tweet”). They Partially
Subtracted text messages by reducing the size to 140. That left room for the sender’s user name and the colon in front of the message. In February 2007, Dorsey wrote, “One could change the world with one hundred and forty characters.”

He was right. Today more than 100 million users subscribe to Twitter. The Twitter website gets more than 400 million unique visitors each month. It has become the global “listening post” when real-time events such as the March 2011 Japanese tsunami and the Egyptian revolution two months earlier are happening. Glass said in an interview, “You know what’s awesome about this thing? It makes you feel like you’re right with that person. It’s a whole emotional impact. You feel like you’re connected.”

Partial Subtraction can create just as much value as the full Subtraction Technique. Partial Subtractions have another advantage. Sometimes you can convince skeptics to do a Partial Subtraction rather than stripping out a component completely to get them on board.

We Dedicate This Book…

Published date: June 11, 2013 в 3:19 pm

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

“We dedicate this book

to all past and future

generations of innovators

making the world

a better place.”

 

Today, we released “Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results.”  The premise of the book is that creativity can be systematic and predictable.
We dedicated the book to past generations of innovators for a simple reason. For thousands of years, inventors have embedded five simple patterns into their inventions, usually without knowing it. These patterns are the “DNA” of products that can be extracted and applied to any product or service to create new-to-the-world innovations. These patterns form the basis of a method called Systematic Inventive Thinking, and we describe the method and how to use it in this book.

Our hope is that future generations can use this method to find new and creative ways to improve the world we live in.

We hope you’ll take the time to read it, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have questions and ideas about it.

Drew and Jacob
 
 
 

Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results

Published date: June 4, 2013 в 5:55 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,

Next week, Jacob Goldenberg and I will launch our new book, Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results. It is the first book to detail the innovation method called Systematic Inventive Thinking, the subject of this blog for the last six years.

In the twenty years since its inception, SIT has been expanded to cover a wide range of innovation-related
phenomena in a variety of contexts. The five techniques within SIT are based on patterns
used by mankind for thousands of years to create new solutions. These
patterns are embedded into the products and services you see around you
almost like the DNA of a product or service. SIT allows you to extract
those patterns and reapply to other things.

The five techniques are:

  • Subtraction:
    Innovative products and services tend to have had something removed,
    usually something that was previously thought to be essential to use the
    product or service. The original Sony Walkman had the recording
    function subtracted, defying all logic to the idea of a “recorder.” Even
    Sony’s chairman and inventor of the Walkman, Akio Morita, was surprised
    by the market’s enthusiastic response.
  • Task Unification:
    Innovative products and services tend to have had certain tasks brought
    together and “unified” within one component of the product or service,
    usually a component that was previously thought to be unrelated to that
    task. Crowdsourcing, for example, leverages large groups of people by
    tasking them to generate insights or tasks, sometimes without even
    realizing it.
  • Multiplication: Innovative products and services
    tend to have had a component copied but changed in some way, usually in a
    way that initially seemed unnecessary or redundant. Many innovations in
    cameras, including the basis of photography itself, are based on
    copying a component and then changing it. For example, a double flash
    when snapping a photo reduces the likelihood of “red-eye.”
  • Division:
    Innovative products and services tend to have had a component divided
    out of the product or service and placed back somewhere into the usage
    situation, usually in a way that initially seemed unproductive or
    unworkable. Dividing out the function of a refrigerator drawer and
    placing it somewhere else in the kitchen creates a cooling drawer.
  • Attribute
    Dependency: Innovative products and services tend to have had two
    attributes correlated with each other, usually attributes that
    previously seemed unrelated. As one attribute changes, another changes.
    Transition sunglasses, for example, get darker as the outside light gets
    brighter.

Using these patterns correctly relies on two key
ideas. The first idea is that you have to re-train the way your brain
thinks about problem solving. Most people think the way to innovate is
by starting with a well-defined problem and then thinking of solutions.
In our method, it is just the opposite. We start with an abstract,
conceptual solution and then work back to the problem that it solves.
Therefore, we have to learn how to reverse the usual way our brain works
in innovation.

This process is called “Function Follows Form,”
first reported in 1992 by psychologist Ronald Finke. He recognized that
there are two directions of thinking: from the problem-to-the-solution
and from the solution-to-the-problem. Finke discovered people are
actually better at searching for benefits for given configurations
(starting with a solution) than at finding the best configuration for a
given benefit (starting with the problem).

The second key idea to
using patterns is the starting point. It is an idea called The Closed
World. We tend to be most surprised with those ideas “right under
noses,” that are connected in some way to our current reality or view of
the world. This is counterintuitive because most people think you need
to get way outside their current domain to be innovative. Methods like
brainstorming and SCAMPER use random stimulus to push you “outside the
box” for new and inventive ideas. Just the opposite is true. The most
surprising ideas (“Gee, I never would have thought of that!”) are right
nearby.

We have a nickname for The Closed World…we call it Inside the Box.

How Companies Incentivize Innovation

Published date: May 27, 2013 в 11:45 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,

Ninety percent of companies do not ‘as of yet’ have a formal mechanism for incentivizing and rewarding innovation but believe “it’s something we should be doing better”. That is one of the many conclusions in SIT’s latest Insight Paper, How Companies Incentivize Innovation (April 2013).

The Tel Aviv-based innovation consulting company interviewed more than twenty companies from around the world, ranging in size from 200 to 200,000 employees.  They covered a variety of sectors including finance, healthcare, consumer goods, marketing, agriculture, food, hardware and more. They interviewed people in roles across the organizations including senior management, innovation managers, engineers, marketers, and others. The one common denominator was: Innovation is important to the organization and they want to see more of it.

The research explores how companies incentivize their employees to
engage more actively in innovation. How do you get staff to move out of
their comfort zone when sticking to regular things on one’s plate seems
like a safer bet? And most innovation efforts never see the light of
day?

Other key issues addressed by the report:

  • Barriers to rewarding: What’s keeping companies from using rewards for innovation?
  • Rewards versus recognition: What is the difference and how do they relate to each other?
  • Reward-worthy: What does an employee need to do to get rewarded?
  • Types of rewards: What kinds of rewards do employees receive?
  • Choice in the matter: Do employees get to choose what they receive?
  • Public or private: Does it make a difference if the reward is broadcast to others?
  • Time to reward: What stage in the product development process will rewards do the most good?
  • Who to reward: The inventor? Implementor? Individually or team-based?
  • Who decides who gets rewarded: Is this an HR function, division head, or third-party?

SIT advises companies to “invest the proper time to determine which reward would work in your company, if at all. This is not a case of one size fits all, whether between companies or even within the same company. If you choose rewards as tokens of appreciation, that could provide more flexibility in the terms and criteria in which it is given. However – if it is to act as a motivator, ensure that it will match up, otherwise you won’t see the benefits you had hoped it would achieve.”

You can download the full report here.  Be sure to visit www.sitsite.com to learn about other publications on innovation.

The Stereotypy Trap

Published date: May 14, 2013 в 6:23 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

Struggling retailer JC Penny hired former Apple executive Ron Johnson as the CEO to save the company. Seventeen months later, he was ousted in what many consider a colossal failure. Why? Not because he failed to take action, but rather because he tried taking the same actions that worked for him at Apple. He was guilty of a managerial bias called stereotypy – the tendency to believe that what worked for you in the past will work for you in the future. From Time:

Johnson pictured coffee bars and rows of boutiques inside JC Penney stores. He wanted a bazaar-like feel to the shopping experience, and for JC Penney to be “America’s favorite place to shop.” He thought that people would show up in stores because they were fun places to hang out, and that they would buy things listed at full-but-fair price.
Essentially, Johnson wanted JC Penney and its shoppers to be something that they’re not. He wanted them to be more like the scene at Apple Stores, or even Target, when in reality, there was probably more overlap with Macy’s, or even Walmart.

And why didn’t Johnson understand what JC Penney’s core customers enjoyed? Well, one reason is that he didn’t really ask them. When Johnson floated plans for the chain’s radical makeover, he was asked about the possibility of trying the new pricing strategies on a limited test basis. Johnson reportedly shot down the idea, responding, “We didn’t test at Apple.”

In medical terms, stereotypy is a repetitive or ritualistic movement, posture, or utterance. Stereotypies may be simple movements such as body rocking, or complex, such as self-caressing, crossing and uncrossing of legs, and marching in place. In managerial terms, it is a blind spot caused by force fitting your current situation into past situations, causing you to believe that what worked before will work again. Consider research by Posavac, Kardes, & Brakus (2005):


“MBAs were asked to consider four marketing strategies for increasing market share for an established product: increasing advertising, cutting prices, hiring more sales representatives, and investing in research and development. The MBAs were told that, to save time, they would be asked to focus on one randomly selected strategy and to judge how likely it was that this was the best strategy. In addition to overestimating the likelihood that this randomly selected strategy was the best, they predicted that the majority of the executive board would also prefer this strategy.”

People focus too quickly on a single option, even when the option is selected randomly and there is no a priori reason for preferring this option. Worse, when we actively evaluate the situation using pseudo-diagnostic information, we make erroneous choices. We get into a new situation like Ron Johnson did. We look at the current situation to see what elements are the same or similar. Despite the differences between then and now, we convince ourselves that the new situation is close enough. We embrace a single option and fail to appreciate how different the new situation is.

For innovation practitioners, the message is clear: ignore what you have done in the past. Innovate systematically around the new situation to create combinations of strategies you never would have come up with on your own. To do that, apply a method like Systematic Inventive Thinking to give yourself strategy options that are right for the moment. Forget the business model that worked well for you in the past. Create new business models that capitalize on the situation at hand.

Innovation Sighting: Attribute Dependency in Signage

Published date: May 6, 2013 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,

Signs are perhaps the most ancient yet still relevant tools of marketing. According to the International Sign Association, signage is the least expensive but most effective form of advertising and can account for half of your customers.

Can sign makers use systematic methods of creativity?  Absolutely.

Here is a classic example of Attribute Dependency in signage.  Attribute Dependency is one of five techniques of the corporate innovation method called SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking).  It differs from the other techniques in that it uses attributes (variables) of the situation rather than components. Start with an attribute list, then construct a matrix of these, pairing each against the others. Each cell represents a potential dependency (or potential break in an existing dependency) that forms a Virtual Product. Using Function Follows Form, we work backwards and envision a potential benefit or problem that this hypothetical solution solves.

In this example, the sign’s message is dependent on the height (therefore, age) of the viewer. That is the hallmark of Attribute Dependency – as one thing changes, another thing changes.  I always think of transition sunglasses as an example.

For an interesting history of signs, visit the American Sign Museum located here in Cincinnati.  Special thanks to my co-author, Dr. Jacob Goldenberg, for sharing this with me.

Innovating in Human Resources

Published date: April 29, 2013 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,


Systematic Inventive Thinking is not only for inventing new products and services.  You can apply it to a variety of functions and processes. SIT is based on the idea that mankind has used distinct patterns when creating new solutions or innovations.  These patterns are embedded into the products and services you see around you.  The SIT method structures your thinking and channels your ideation to take advantage of these patterns by re-applying them to something else.

Consider the human resources function of an organization.  Here are suggestions of which SIT technique to apply in a variety of HR activities:

  • Process innovation: HR departments support every other department with a host of processes
    like recruiting, staffing, compensation, succession planning, and
    performance management.  The DIVISION technique is ideal for innovating these processes.  Division has a tendency to break “structural fixedness,” the tendency to overlook new arrangements and configurations.  To use Division, start by listing the process steps, in order, and place them on a wall using PostIt notes.  Select a step and place it somewhere else in the process arbitrarily.  Using Function Follows Form, try to envision new benefits or opportunities.
  • Organization Design:  Restructuring is a way of life in the corporate world.  HR is almost always involved at some level given the implications on jobs and careers.  To shake things up, try using the MULTIPLICATION technique.  Make a list of the job functions in an organization.  Then select one, imagine making a copy of that function, but then changing the copied function is some novel way: role, location, alignment, deliverables, and so on.  Using Function Follows Form, try to envision new benefits or opportunities of having both functions.  Modify the idea to improve it and make it more implementable.
  • Training:  Companies spend enormous amounts of money on training.  HR is usually involved because of the impact on performance and standards.  A great technique to use here is SUBTRACTION.  This technique tends to break our “functional fixedness,” the inability to realize that something known to have a particular use may also be used to perform other functions.  To use the technique, list all the components of a training program.  Select one at random (an essential one), then imagine all the other components left to do the training job.  What would be the benefit (to the trainee, the company, to its customers, and so on)?
  • Strategy: HR departments need to have a strategy to stay relevant and to deliver the optimal support.  ATTRIBUTE DEPENDENCY is
    the most complicated of the five techniques, but tends to produce
    amazing innovations and insights.  To use it, list the attributes of
    your HR group (size, experience, locations, and so on) as well as
    attributes of your external environment (size of company, performance of
    company, performance of competition, etc).  Then, create statements such as, “As X changes, Y changes.”  For example, “as performance of competition changes, our HR department size changes.”
  • Planning:  Once a strategy is created, HR groups need to plan their activities.  TASK UNIFICATION is a perfect tool to innovate new plans.  Like Subtraction, it helps break functional fixedness, and it helps managers see resources around them in new ways to perform new functions.  To use it, make a list of the components in your HR department and outside the department.  Select a component and imagine it taking on a new role.  It can “steal” the job of another component, or perform a completely new function (in addition to its current function).

For more insights about using the SIT method, visit Inside the Box.

Academic Focus: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for S.I.T.

Published date: April 15, 2013 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

The University of Cincinnati announced it will launch its first Massive Open Online Course (called MOOC) next fall. It will be the first MOOC to teach Systematic Inventive Thinking (S.I.T.), an innovation method based on templates.

MOOCs are unique because they allow literally thousands of students to learn together via distance learning technology. MOOCs provide students from around the world the opportunity to learn from industry experts at little or no cost. They are a great way for individuals to learn new concepts and test their readiness for continued professional development.

S.I.T. is a structured process of innovating new products, services, and processes used by many corporations globally.  A growing number of universities are teaching the method including Columbia University, University of Chicago, Wharton, MIT, and several outside the U.S..

Open online courses have risen in popularity over the past year, but they have generally not been tied to a university credential. UC is addressing this issue by launching an innovative new program this fall known as MOOC2Degree. In MOOC2Degree, the UC MOOCs will feature the same academic content and taught by the same instructors as our traditional classes. More importantly, students who successfully complete the MOOC2Degree course and enroll in an applicable UC degree program may earn credit.

As noted by Dr. Larry Johnson, UC’s interim provost notes, “We’re confident that once MOOC students begin interacting with our expert faculty and their fellow classmates, they’ll begin forming a lasting educational relationship with the university.”
Since Academic Partnerships and UC’s announcement of the MOOC2Degree program in late January, the revolutionary program has already been featured in articles from The New York Times, Inside Higher Ed and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The first UC class to be offered in the MOOC2Degree initiative will be Innovation and Design Thinking, a cross-disciplinary course collaboratively offered by the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences. The MOOC will be taught by assistant professors Drew Boyd and Jim Tappel.  Students who complete the MOOC and enroll in a UC Business or Engineering degree program can apply the credits.

For more information on the UC MOOC2Degree program, please contact BJ Zirger (bj.zirger@uc.edu) (513-556-7148) at the Lindner College of Business or Eugene Rutz (Eugne.Rutz@uc.edu) (513-556-1096) at the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Get our innovation model that has worked for 1000+ companies.

    No thanks, not now.