How to build a better toaster

The Quality Conundrum - How Indian Industry is managing quality

Human beings have a unique advantage: we have thought-processes buried in our subconscious. If released, these can be a storehouse of innovative ideas to solve problems.

This is what brainstorming is all about. One brainstorming tool is synectics, developed by William J Gordon in 1961 as an approach to creative thinking. Synectics stimulates thought processes of which the subject is generally unaware. It is a systematic process that allows random connections/ and intuition to develop unique solutions.

The term "synectics" was derived from the Greek synektiktein, which means the "joining together of different items". It illustrates the A +B = C type of creative equation, where new ideas can be created from old ones.

The synectics approach calls for looking at what appears on the surface as unrelated phenomena and drawing relevant connections; often used in group work, it can help participants develop creative responses to problem solving, to retain new information, in generating writing, and to explore social and disciplinary problems. Synectics helps users break existing minds sets and internalise abstract concepts.

The main tools of synectics are analogies or metaphors. It encourages fundamental problem-analysis and alienation of the original problem through creation of analogies, which sometimes lead to new solutions.

These analogies are personal (creating identification) and/ or symbolic (leading to contradictions). An analysis of the direct analogies and their application to the problem leads to the development of possible solutions.

Synectics is used to jumpstart the creative process and find "fresh" views to solving problems. This brainstorming tool enables learners to avoid the fear of starting a creative piece and provides a method for gaining new insights into otherwise mundane or uncomfortable topics.

It is different from other scores in the additional methods and principles that it adds to techniques such as brainstorming and random input to get around problems. Since these methodologies are embedded in synectics, the sessions are often very much like brainstorming.

However, they are supercharged with additional techniques to assist in even greater success. The technique uses many different triggers and stimuli to jolt people out of established mindsets and into more creative ways of thinking. Here's how it works:

To start with, the leader asks the group for a goal or problem statement to define the session. From this phrase, a keyword is chosen. A completely unrelated topic is then selected and the group is asked to come up with analogies of the keyword that relate to the new topic.

For instance, say the goal is to build a better toaster and the keyword is "food". The leader may choose the topic "music" and ask the group for analogies and examples of how "food" and "music" are alike.

Initially, the group ignores the goal of the discussion and takes a journey away from the problem. The focus is on examples produced by the "analogy" step. Members of the group work individually and note down any associations they have with the examples about the unrelated topic.

The group is now asked to work in pairs and use these associations to come up with an idea that address the original problem from the "define" stage. This idea will likely be impossible, impractical, absurd or silly.

After a presentation of the ideas to the group, the group takes the absurd ideas from the previous step and combines and refines them to make them more practical and applicable to the goal. This step often produces some surprising and creative solutions to the original problem.

The Synectics approach is mostly done with "brainstorming"-type teams and uses several methods:

Problem owner: Only one person in the group owns the problem; others only help.

Springboarding: Using "I wish..." and other wording to trigger thoughts in other people.

Headlining: Giving ideas up-front with no prior explanation.

Excursions: Doing side-exercises to stimulate new creative thinking when ideas run out (for instance, the use of metaphors).

Itemised response: Plusses-and-minuses approach to solution evaluation.

More than four decades after they were devised, synectics and brainstorming techniques are still being used effectively to generate great ideas that develop into even greater products.

Dr Surinder Kapur is chairman, CII Mission for Manufacturing Innovation, and chairman and managing director, Sona Koyo Steering Systems