A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF TRIZ AS A CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND OPPORTUNITY FINDING TECHNIQUE
by
Ferdinand Jan Hendrik Myburgh (8715017)
SHORT DISSERTATION
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
MAGISTER COMMERCII
in
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
in the
FACULTY OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
at the
RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
SUPERVISOR PROFESSOR W M CONRADIE OCTOBER 2002 Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1
1.1. Background to the study 1
1.2 Problem statement 6
1.3 Study objectives 6
1.4. Research methodology 7
1.5 Limitations of the study 7
1.6. Chapter division 8
CHAPTER 2: CREATIVITY 9
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2. Definitions of creativity 9
2.3. Physiology and psychology of the brain and creativity 11
2.3.1 Workings of the brain during thought 11
2.3.2 Memory and creativity 13
2.3.3 The "Whole Brain Affair" 16
2.4. Psychological inertia and creative thinking 19
2.5. Thinking for the future 29
Figure 1: Judgemental thinking boxes 30
2.6 Creativity techniques 31
2.7. Summary 33 CHAPTER 3: TRIZ AS A CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND OPPORTUNITY FINDING TECHNIQUE 34
3.1. Introduction 34
3.2 A brief history 34
3.3. The essence of TRIZ 35
3.4 TRIZ and its underlying inventive secrets 40
3.4.1 Defining the problem 41
3.4.2 Satisfying the functions 41
3.4.3 Prioritising the functions 42
3.4.4 Meeting contradictory requirements 42
3.4.5 Separation in time and space 42
3.4.6 Formulating an ideal, final result 43
3.4.7 Forty inventive TRIZ principles 43
3.4.7.1 Nested Doll 44
3.4.7.2 The Take-Out Principle 44
3.4.7.3 The Other Way Round Principle 45
3.4.7.4 Add Another Dimension Principle 45
3.4.7.5 Triads 45
3.4.8. Measuring of a system on the path to ideality and TRIZ principles 47
3.4.8.1 Dimensionality of the system, or its parts, or objects. 48
3.4.8.2. Degree of system multiplicity 48
3.4.8.3 The physical state or phase of the system, its parts, or its objects. 49
3.4.8.4 Dynamic capability of the system, its parts and objects. 49 3.4.8.5 Type and nature of applied frequency of actions from, by or to the system, its parts, or its elements. 49
3.4.8.6 Nature, type and dimensionality of the system, its functions, and its properties 50
3.4.8.7 Degree of voidness of the system, its parts and elements 50
3.4.8.8 Four essential parts of a system 50
3.5. The psychology of TRIZ 52
3.6 Summary 56
CHAPTER 4: TRIZ IN A NON-TECHNICAL APPLICATION AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES 58
4.1 Introduction 58
4.2 Selected TRIZ inventive (non-technical) principles 58
4.2.1. Segmentation 59
4.2.2. Local Quality 61
4.2.3. Asymmetry 62
4.2.4. Merging 63
4.2.5. Universality 63
4.2.6. "Nested Doll" 64
4.2.7. Anti-weight 65
4.2.8. Preliminary anti-action 66
4.2.9. Preliminary action 66
4.2.10. The other way round 67
4.3. Further selected TRIZ inventive principles 69
4.3.1. S-Fields 70 Figure 2: Applying the substance field to other disciplines 70
4.3.2. Ideality 71
4.3.3. Trends of evolution 71
4.3.4. Substance and object segmentation 71
4.3.5. Mono-bi-poly. 72
4.3.6. Law of system completeness 72
4.4 TRIZ and other creativity techniques 72
4.4.1 Penetration area of TRIZ in relation to other creativity techniques 73
4.4.1.1. Conditioning/ motivating/ organising techniques 73
4.4.1.2. Randomising techniques 74
4.4.1.3. Focusing techniques 74
4.4.1.4. Systems techniques 74
4.4.1.5. Pointed techniques 74
4.4.1.6. Evolutionary directed techniques 74
4.4.1.7. Innovation knowledge-based techniques 74
Table 1: TRIZ evolutionary directed technique 76
4.4.2 TRIZ in conjunction with other creativity techniques 77
4.4.2.1 Functional Analysis 77
4.4.2.2 TRIZ, QFD and Robust Design 77
4.4.2.3. TRIZ and Six Sigma 78
4.4.2.4. TRIZ and Viable System Model (VSM) 80
4.4.2.5. TRIZ and Six Thinking Hats 81 4.4.2.6 TRIZ and 5W's and H 84
4.5 Summary 88
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS 91
5.1 Introduction 91
5.2 Conclusions 92
BIBLIOGRAPHY 98 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
1.1. Background to the study
To survive the competitive onslaught and to thrive, organisations need to perform in ways that give them an edge over their competitors. In order to be successful, organisations must build competitive advantage in the form of quality, speed and innovation and managers have to think and act strategically. Companies must constantly think about how to build a capable workforce and manage in a way that delivers the goods and services that provide the best possible value to the customer (Bateman & Snell, 1999:IX).
Bennett and Stewart (1999:1) say people and companies should focus on maximising the firm's current market value. Greater value rewards the share holders who are the owners of the enterprise. A quest for greater value directs scarce resources to their most promising uses and most productive users.
The more effectively resources are deployed and managed the more robust the economic growth and the rate of improvement in our standard of living.
Innovation is daunting in its complexity and pace of change, say Bateman and
Snell (1999:576). It is vital for competitive advantage. Not long ago new products took years to develop, were mass produced and were pushed onto the market through extensive selling and promotional campaigns. Today demand exists for products that have not yet been designed. The race is on to become the first to introduce innovative products and to find solutions for production, marketing, financing and design problems. The emphasis is on
1 innovation and creativity — a departure from previous ways of doing things.
Business is therefore launched on a new quest.
The need for developing new products is driven by a hunger to keep up with
what competitors are doing, and to satisfy customers' diverse and ever-
changing needs (Blosiu and Kowalick: 1996).
Business now seeks a new advantage - creativity. Kao (1996:1) describes the
creative advantage as delicate, dangerous and absolutely vital. According to
the learned author the minds of gifted people are today what truly distinguish
one organisation from another; whether it be computer software, services,
product design and improvement, or human resources management. But
minds alone, however, are nothing without processes specifically designed to
translate these ideas into valued products and services, says Kao (1996:XIV).
Therefore, today creativity is valued. Investors demand to know the rand and
cents value of creativity even in companies that, according to Kao, sell
stationery, plumbing equipment and any service or product that one can think
of.
Creative ideas translate into competitive advantage, which translates into
positive future cash flows, which means that investors are satisfied the
company is earning above what is expected in the market. Exceeding
investors' expectations will invariably translate into higher share prices, which translates in greater value for the investor.
2 The realisation that creativity and a different way of thinking, are a prerequisite for human progress, and business survival for that matter, prompted a closer examination of how the thinking process can be stimulated to be more creative, as well as of the thought processes which are involved in creative thinking. From this flowed questions, inter alia, whether creativity can be learned, why people are not creative, the relationship between intelligence and creativity, whole brain and left and right brain thinking preferences, children and creativity and whether children are more creative than adults?
An understanding of the thought process and of the creative abilities of people has been greatly enhanced by the understanding of the right and left brain concept (Neethling & Rutherford, 1996: 83). A better understanding of how the brain works helps to understand the blocks to improved thinking and patterns of thinking. Today it is known that the brain is not one centre of thought but two and that each side has control over certain skills and functions. Each half of the brain has its own memories and its own train of thoughts. The brain's functions are integrated, but the left brain deals mainly in words and is associated with analysis and logical thinking, whilst the right brain deals mainly in sensory images and is associated with intuition and creative thinking (Ornstein, 1978:79).
Central to creativity is the concept of "thinking". According to De Bono (1976:
33) thinking is the operating skill through which intelligence acts upon experience. He says that extreme thinking is impossible without some information on the subject, and at the other extreme, that perfect information
3 would make thinking unnecessary. In between both thinking and information
are required, the author says. Why are people complacent about how they
think and how the world is explained to them? Is it too difficult for the human
brain to consciously introduce different thought patterns and break free of
paradigms? Each person has his/her own style of being creative and tends to
accept the style of people whose style favours his/her own style. People are
heavily programmed in their problem solving. Today it is common cause that
conscious effort is necessary to overcome the 'business as usual' nature of
the mechanisms.
Kowalick (1999) says today the question is asked whether previous ways of
thinking are not in itself the cause of stagnation and complacency and
whether a move to different and higher levels of thinking is needed to survive
in the new millennium.
Is the human brain beyond improvement? Is the traditional way of thinking
enough to meet the challenges in this new age; are people not trapped in a
mental state of complacency and preoccupied with neurosis that hinder
mental breakthroughs? Is it possible to move from a state of unconscious
incompetence to a state of unconscious competence? Is the human ability to
select and evaluate our thinking, to take control of what is pursued in thought,
less than was imagined? After all, we are not all Einsteins! How does one get around having to work with this set of fairly unreliable thinking machines which don't show what is being seen with the eye? Are the current techniques adequate to be effective in the new age, and further what level of
4 extraordinary thinking is necessary in order to be effective in the challenging
times to come?
Today there is no shortage of advice available on ways to promote creativity
in companies and which elements play a role in every creative act in order to
increase corporate creativity, say Robinson and Stern (1997:17). Gap
Analysis, Brain Storming, Progressive Abstraction Technique, Boundary
Examination, Wishful Thinking, Lotus Blossom, and Seven Hats Technique
are but some of the techniques that have been developed to unlock an
individual's innate creativity and to improve the thought process in order to
move individuals to extraordinary thinking. Couger (1996:42) says the object
of all these techniques is to force a person to move out of their normal
problem-solving mode and how the world is interpreted to enable them to
consider a wider range of alternatives.
A creative problem solving technique which is relatively unknown to the
western world is TRIZ. Kowalick (1999) says that TRIZ is actually an old
system which was developed and has been in use for over fifty years. It was
developed in the former USSR whose government did not appreciate it, nor
even support it to any great degree. Kowalik says from one perspective it was
an underground movement and academic and intellectual in nature. TRIZ
could not be employed to support mainstream, commercial technology in the
former USSR, because for all essential purposes, there was no widespread free enterprise there. Determining and satisfying the needs of customers was
also an idea that was not part of the culture of the former USSR. It was only
5 upon its exportation to western countries, that TRIZ could be broadly tested by applying it to a wide range of technologies and an expanded range of products. By that time TRIZ was nearly forty years old.
1.2 Problem statement
Because TRIZ is relatively unknown in comparison to other creative techniques, questions which arise are:
What exactly is TRIZ, how does it work, what are the principles which
underlie this technique?
Is it applicable to various disciplines, is it easy to learn, are the principles
applicable to the field of management and other non-technical disciplines?
Is it .effective in relation to what is known about the brain and how humans
think, is it an evolving system, is it superior to other creative techniques, is
TRIZ a good idea after all?
Considering the need for higher level and extraordinary thinking is TRIZ
capable of meeting these needs?
Ultimately one would have to ask, is TRIZ an effective creative problem
solving and opportunity finding technique?
1.3 Study objectives
The objectives of the study are:
❑ To define "creativity", to understand how people think when they solve
problems, and to identify the major barriers to creative problem solving
and opportunity finding and to investigate whether these barriers can be
overcome.
6 To investigate the essence of TRIZ, its history of development, how it
works, its underlying inventive principles, its psychology and whether it is
an effective problem solving technique in the sense that it is a cure for
barriers to creative thinking.
To investigate whether TRIZ can be applied in a non-technical context as
a creative problem solving technique, whether it can be applied in
conjunction with other creative problem solving techniques and whether it
is effective in relation to other creative problem solving techniques.
To draw conclusions as to the above study objectives from the literature
consulted.
1.4. Research methodology
The study will be conducted from a literature point of view and therefore
relevant articles, books and discussion documents will be investigated as far
as they relate to the study objectives.
1.5 Limitations of the study
What exactly happens in the brain during various thought processes is, to a
certain extent, still unknown to us. A better understanding of the brain and
other disciplines will no doubt in time reveal more knowledge about creative
problem solving techniques which are beyond our understanding at present.
The purpose of the study is, therefore, not to give a comprehensive report on the physiology, psychology, quantum physics and a religious understanding of the brain, but rather to bring the relevant aspects of these disciplines to the
7 forefront as far as they help to understand effective thought processes and creativity.
1.6. Chapter division
The chapters to follow include the following:
Chapter 2 focusses on physiological and psychological aspects of the brain as far as it relates to creativity. Before proceeding with the investigation of TRIZ
"creativity" must also be defined in order to place it in context of the study. It is also important to understand what the major barriers are to creative thinking before thinking can be improved and why creativity techniques are needed.
Chapter 3 deals with TRIZ as a creative problem solving technique in relation to its essence and underlying inventive principles and its psychology.
Chapter 4 deals with the applicability of TRIZ in a non-technical sense and the application thereof in conjunction with other creativity techniques.
In Chapter 5 conclusions are drawn from the literature that has been consulted.
8 CHAPTER 2: CREATIVITY
2.1 Introduction
Human psychology and physiology in its various dimensions have been the subject of numerous studies and discussions, of which some were conducted with the aim to improve the understanding of creativity. Much has been learned of creativity from studying human behaviour in general, thought processes of prominent scientists, artists and philosophers and how they arrived at solutions to problems and opportunities which brought the world to a halt in admiration. The departure point in this chapter is confined to the concept "creativity" and how it relates to business. Physiological and psychological aspects of the brain will also be discussed insofar as it will help to understand how thought actually takes place and what is required for creative thinking. The investigation is aimed at finding answers to questions such as how information is utilised by the human brain and how effective the normal thought process is when it comes to problem solving and opportunity finding. Furthermore this chapter identifies the psychological barriers which prevent human thinking from moving to more effective thought processes and where creative problem solving techniques fit into all of the above.
2.2. Definitions of creativity
The French mathematician Poincare (quoted by Couger, 1996:14) defined the creativity process as a "fruitful combining which reveals to us unsuspected kinship between facts, long known but wrongly believed to be strangers to one another".
9 Freud defined it as a means of expressing inner conflict that otherwise would issue in neurosis and a mental purgative that keeps men sane (quoted by
Couger, 1996:14).
Kao (1996:XVII) says creativity is the entire process by which ideas are generated, developed, and transformed into value. He says it encompasses what people commonly mean by innovation and entrepreneurship. In our lexicon it connotes the art of giving birth to new ideas and the discipline of shaping and developing those ideas to the stage of realised value.
Neethling (2001:9) argues that none of the more than 400 definitions really capture the full magic of the concept. According to Neethling creativity is an experience, a fresh approach to life, in which new light is shed on the way, inter alia, how one sees oneself, or a business organisation, and then it becomes clear that one should not even try to define that which is undefineable.
Newell, Simon and Shaw (quoted by Gruber, 1962:65) believe in order to be creative, a solution must satisfy one or more of the following conditions: the product of thinking must have novelty or value; the thinking is unconventional in the sense that it requires modification or rejection of previously accepted ideas; the thinking requires high motivation and persistence, taking place either over a considerable time span or at high intensity; and the problem as
10 posed was vague and ill-defined so that part of the problem was to formulate the problem.
Couger (1996:14) states that the two characteristics that most often appear in the definitions of creativity are "newness and uniqueness" and "value or utility". If the business profession uses a creative approach that includes these outcomes substantive results can be expected. In distinguishing creativity from innovation and invention Couger (1996:17) says that creativity is present in each of the steps of invention, innovation and the final result. He argues that although the terms "creativity" and "innovation" are often used interchangeably, creativity is a much broader concept. Innovation is the more restricted process of turning an idea into a product or service.
Although Neethling is correct in stating that creativity is magic and to a certain extent undefineable, in a business sense, it is submitted that in order to be creative an idea or solution should be unique, it should present the best solution and should add value to the business.
2.3. Physiology and psychology of the brain and creativity
2.3.1 Workings of the brain during thought
Donovan and Wonder (1996:57) say just like the body, the cord and four brains in the nervous system need exercise and nutrition to stay healthy, to function efficiently and to develop to their greatest potential. Brain cells do not reproduce but they expand in volume because of growth of connections between cells. An electrochemical process forms and nourishes these
11 connections and it all starts with thought. The authors explain that every thought sets off a stream of chemicals called neurotransmitters that flow from the brain cell's axon, a slender fibre that reaches out toward another cell's receptor device, called a dendrite. The axon is attracted to a cell with which it has something in common, one whose interests are consistent with the thought impulse that flooded the mind. In other words, the axon searches for a welcoming dendrite in certain instances and in other instances it would have to search far and wide. The gap between the axon and a dendrite, called a synapse, is bridged electronically and chemically. Glial cells introduce two cells and insulates the cells and connections.
Donovan and Wonder (1996:58) explain all through life thoughts and actions have a direct impact upon the brain's shape. Each brain therefore has its own shape. During the first few months of life the number of axon-dendrite connections between the brain cells increase dramatically as a result of stimuli of all sorts. The overall area of the brain's outer layer increased tremendously. A baby's cerebral cortex increases rapidly in size during the first few years of life because of the growth in brain connections produced by its learning brain. Extra stimulation and deprivation are only two reasons why each brain is different and why each person is different. The rate of change is influenced by genes and their interaction with the life that is led.
Chopra (2000:205) says although it sounds stable the network of neurons within the brain is constantly shifting. Even if a neuron could remain the same, growing no new branches, the signals streaming down the dendrites are
12 never the same from moment to moment. Chopra explains that brains are like
telephone systems with a thousand calls taking place every second, however,
the cable lines of a nervous system are unstable, constantly changing their
molecules with every moment of experience. One dendrite isn't strung into
another; there is always a tiny gap between them.
But the gap between an axon and a dendrite can only be bridged if there is a
welcoming dendrite. The chemical process can only continue if the axon is
attracted to a cell with which it has something in common. Thus, there has to
be information or memory to encourage the link and the chemical process.
2.3.2 Memory and creativity
Couger (1996:141) explains that memory is comprised of several components
with different storage functions. Transactions or messages are inputted to
memory primarily through visual or auditory sensors, recording what is seen
and what is heard. Messages are also taken in to a lesser extent, through the
other senses of touch, taste and smell. Each of the five inputs has its own
sensory memory area and is retained there only a few seconds before being
transferred for processing in the short term memory. The message will only be
retained in the short term memory by rehearsal. Data is also stored in chunks.
Through concentration more data can be stored. If, however, other processing demands are made, the capacity is lowered. Rehearsal allows one to link the incoming message with a related item in the long term memory in order to retain the input indefinitely. In other instances where a link exists the message
13 may be transferred to long term memory without being rehearsed. Long term
memory can last a life time and is virtually unlimited. Although more recent
information may be used more frequently, the old information still exists. Long
term memory is permanent and essentially unlimited store.
Couger (1996:147) says that long term memory is characterised by properties
such as semantic concepts, associations among concepts, visual images, and
auditory events that may be stored; the form of storage for the semantic
concepts can be viewed as a network, with nodes representing concepts and
links representing the associations between concepts.
It is believed that the greater number of folds and uneven surfaces indicated
on the neo-cortex, the more information is stored by the brain. A new-born
baby's brain is, for example completely smooth as no learning or storing of
information has taken place, says Neethling (1996:69).
Chopra (2000:205) argues that "storing" of information is a somewhat
controversial aspect. He says that amid these chaotic swirls of chemicals and
electrons no one has ever found a memory. He poses the question: "Where do I go to retrieve information intact? Certainly not into the firestorm of the
brain. Even though we can identify the memory centres of the brain, no one
has ever proved that memory is stored in the brain. It is assumed. The notion that memory is stored the way bits of information are stored by imprinting microchips with bits of information is not supported by evidence." He argues further that a neuron is a poor receptacle for memory because at bottom its
14 molecules are not solid. Because they are patterns of invisible energy
grouped into the appearance of particles, and because they survive only on
the quantum level and desolve into the virtual level, the vibrations vanish into
nothing.
Can memory be stored in nothing? Chopra (2000:206) says yes. But he
explains that it isn't the brain that recalls information, anymore than a radio
contains music that is heard in a car. Chopra believes that the brain is the last
stop down river, the end point of impulses that begin on the virtual level, flow
through the quantum level and wind up as flashes of electricity along the
trunks and branches of our neurons. When something is remembered
movement takes place from world to world, maintaining the illusion that there
are still here among familiar sights and sounds. According to Chopra
(2000:209) the neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, after experimenting with
patients under anaesthesia, came to the conclusion that it is the mind which
experiences and it is the brain which records the experience.
The relevance of memory to creativity is made more clear by Clemmens
(quoted by Gouger, 1996:148) who identifies three major steps in the creative
thinking process, namely recording information, retrieving information, and
recombining information. Couger's (1996:148) comment on this is that highly
creative people are highly curious. He says they mentally file vast amounts of
information that might be used for recombining. Retrieving is entirely dependant on has been recorded. Gouger states that it is evident that most
15 ideas come from associations with previous information. This step is entirely
dependent on the success of information storage.
If the reasoning of Couger is combined with that of Donovan and Wonder, and
Chopra, the conclusion can be drawn that the brain can only function
optimally if there is sufficient information to act upon. In the physiological
sense, the gap between the axon and the dendrite can only be bridged if there
is a welcoming dendrite. The more connections that can be made the higher
the possibility of bridging the gap and eliminating a search that is far and wide
with no results. Memory has an important function in thinking, in both creative
and critical thinking.
De Bono (2000:205) qualifies the importance of information. He says it has
high value and can provide answers which are difficult to work out.
Information can provide the ingredients for a new design, but information on
its own will not do all the thinking. He argues that the information age is over
and that "thinking" is the new bottleneck. Part of the problem is that billions
are spent on information but virtually nothing is spent on better thinking.
2.3.3 The "Whole Brain Affair"
Donovan and Wonder (1994:53) say that the two sides of the cerebral cortex
have distinctive processes: one that is analytical and verbal, housed in the left
half; another that is intuitive and visual, seated in the right hemisphere. As
people change activities and thoughts they shift back and forth between these hemisphere. Most people prefer to use one side of the brain more than the
16 other, and are therefore said to be left- or right-brain dominant. Donovan and
Wonder argue that this affects how people have fun, work, communicate and
interpret the world. Left dominant people are logical and organised in thinking,
talk in specifics and detail, and like to plan ahead. Right dominant people are
emotional and artistic, see the big picture rather than the detail, and like to "go
with the flow". Life experiences often force right-dominants to develop left-
brain skills and vice versa.
Donovan and Wonder are further of the opinion that people become more
whole-brained as they age. A rational person, or left brain-dominant, would try
to reduce or squeeze data down to their essential elements. As shifting takes
place through a variety of information in a step-by-step fashion, looking for
logical connections, whilst the primary vehicle of analysis and expression is
verbal. If a person is arational, or right brain-dominant, data is allowed to
grow, to expand into whatever patterns emerge. Information is taken in from a
variety of sources simultaneously, using a soft approach rather than a hard
approach. Intuition is a key mechanism that helps to see a bigger picture from
pieces of information. Conclusions may also come in the form of images,
sounds or feelings.
Neethling (1996:70) includes the following under the left brain: analytical, logical, concrete, linear, organised, mathematical, technical; under the right brain: space, holistic, feelings, music, interaction, gut feeling. The author also says that these principles explain why one person is, for instance, excellent at working with numbers but feels uncomfortable in a group situation, and why
17 another generates wonderful ideas but finds it difficult to structure and act
upon them. Neethling argues that this phenomenon occurs not only in the
case of individuals, but is also found in any group, organisation or company.
There can, therefore, be a comprehensive left brain work and culture focus
within an organisation, the author says.
Donovan and Wonder (1994:56) say the two halves of the cortex are
connected by the corpus callosum and the anterior commissure. The corpus
callosum, larger from birth in most females than in males, helps integrate the
thoughts and actions of the two sides of the brain. For this reason, the authors
say, women have more capacity to integrate the two sides of the brain.
Couger (1996:165) says people are most creative when they think holistically.
While it is good practice to separate generative and evaluative activities, both
hemispheres of the brain must be used simultaneously in solving problems,
says Couger. He also stresses the fact that one side of the brain is more
relied upon and that a conscious effort is needed to utilise the other
hemisphere in order to apply both in a holistic fashion.
In his discussion on why the whole brain cannot get going, Neethling
(2001:50) argues that when a change in the status quo is due, there is always a possibility that historical and cultural factors can become obstacles and stumbling blocks. He also identifies ignorance as a major stumbling block.
The small percentage of people who have some knowledge of the matter are inclined to confuse right brain with artistic talent. He says with the relevant
18 training such ignorance is eliminated and the individual and the organisation
realise that the primary issue is what your brain preferences are, and those of
others in the organisation. Neethling also identifies fear as a stumbling block.
Once fear is eliminated the realisation dawns that the brain can be trained and
that there is nothing mystical or supernatural about it and a positive reaction
follows soon after.
Thus, when the brain is whole the unified consciousness of the left and right
hemispheres adds up to more than the composite properties of the separate
hemispheres and increases the creative potential. Conscious effort is required
to become a whole brain person and to be aware of your own brain
preferences.
2.4. Psychological inertia and creative thinking
A concept which transcends most of the barriers to creativity is psychological
inertia. Kowalick (1998) says the term implies an indisposition to change and a certain `stuckness' due to human programming. It represents the inevitability of behaving in a certain way — the way that has been indelibly inscribed somewhere in the brain. It also represents the impossibility — as long as a person is guided by habits — of ever behaving in a better way, says Kowalick.
Psychological inertia represents the many barriers to personal creativity and problem-solving ability. In problem-solving it is the inner, automatic voice of psychological inertia whispering "You are not allowed to do that" or "Tradition demands that it be done this way".
19 Mann (1998) says if the problem is similar to one that has already been
solved, one is likely to attempt to solve it using vertical or logical thinking.
Mann says psychological inertia is the thing that tells people that if one keeps
digging on a bit longer, one is bound to eventually come across the solution
one is looking for. Previous paradigms are therefore used over and over to
solve problems mainly because they have proved to be effective on previous
occasions and under certain scenarios. Mann's perspective of psychological
inertia is in essence the same as that of De Bono (2000:193), the father of
'lateral thinking'.
Kowalick identifies some 44 forms of psychological inertia. According to the
author formatory thinking or in-pattern thinking also takes the form of
unconscious thoughts that may or may not become verbalised. The other form
that Kowalick identifies is where the problem involves motion along a line.
Here the problem-solver does not consider going out of the dimension to
solve the problem. Therefore, the problem-solver is also often trapped
because of not thinking excessively, or in the direction of extremes.
Kowalick (1998) is of the opinion that it is easier, and far more practical, to
examine "thinking" from a functional rather than from an anatomical point of
view. He says very little can be practically realised by studying the anatomy of
the brain. But by studying the functions much can be realised. He explains that there are definite correlations among human functions, the associated
languages or tools that are behind these functions, and the human ability to creatively solve problems. Kowalick considers the following type of functions:
20 instinctive functions
moving functions
emotional functions
intellectual functions.
Instinctive functions are connected with the survival of the body itself. Sub-
classes of instinctive functions are physiological functions like breathing and
blood circulation, the capability to hear, smell, taste and feel. Another sub-
class is "sense", visible impressions, temperature etc.
Moving functions are connected with learned movements. These include
aspects of the functions of speaking, writing, running, etc. as well memories of
such functions. Moving functions need to be learned.
Emotional functions are connected with feelings and emotions. They are
widely looked down upon or discredited by certain members of the scientific
community, says Kowalick, but are very important and necessary for the
highest levels of creativity and problem-solving. This function includes joy,
sorrow, fear, ecstasy, enthusiasm, etc. This corresponds with the views of
Neethling and Donovan and Wonder as expressed in paragraph 2.3.3. above.
The intellectual function is connected with thinking and associated human
capabilities. Kowalick is particularly interested in the thinking function. An
examination of the structure of the intellect reveals information about human thinking functions, as well as about the different languages associated with
21 these functions. Kowalich argues that the lowest level of thinking is not really
thinking at all. This type of thinking may also be described as thinking under
the laws of psychological inertia. No attention is required for this function to
operate, because it operates automatically.
Kowalick (1998) also says that psychological inertia can be avoided or
reduced. He says there are exercises and techniques for achieving this which
affect one's personal creativity. The goal of the exercises is to force people to
be out of pattern and are geared to break the inertia that would take people
down a habitual problem-solving path. He adds that the techniques that he
proposes is very difficult because human functions occur at speeds that are
far more rapid than intellectual or thinking functions. Exercises result in more
control of that part of the mind which is responsible for higher-level thinking. It
is added that with a group or several members of a team, for instance, the
exercises become more powerful especially when they remind each other
when the other person is not conscious of psychological inertia.
In order to consciously proceed to high-level design solutions practice is
needed, says Kowalick (1999). The more problems and brain-teasers that is worked with the better one will become at problem-solving. Solution
approaches that others have published need to be studied in depth. One must
identify the forms of psychological inertia that are present. Practice living out of the pattern and learn to think differently about very complex problems or design challenges. Change habitual patterns like changing the way to work, and change eating habits. One should also work under the tutelage of
22 someone who has mastered it to a large degree. The author mentions that his
personal efforts in consciously working against the influence of psychological
inertia are a major factor in his ability to work with professionals in any product
field or technology with the goal of addressing and solving difficult technical
problems.
Rawlinson (2002) explains information is taken, models are created, those
models are assessed against other systems, alternative models of systems
are proposed and these models are tested against other models. Embedded
in that series of operations are some fundamental scientific models of the
physical world, some fundamental laws of different kinds, some mathematical
models suggesting ranges of operational interactions. There are also some
analogies between systems which can be fairly firm or fairly loose. These
operations require some mental processing by the brain machine. The latest
neuroscience suggests our traditional model of how this machine works needs
rethinking, says Rawlinson.
Rawlinson continues to say that models in one's head are of many different
kinds and exist in different places. The ability to select and evaluate thinking
and to take control of what is pursued in thought is less that what is imagined.
The first thing to be remodelled is the idea that the sense of the world as vision, hearing, taste, touch and small is nicely located in particular places.
There is so much cross-fertilisation between the different sensory maps that it
is perfectly reasonable to say one also sees with one's fingers and hears with one's eyes!
23 But things have functional, linguistic, emotive and event memory attributes.
For instance, a kitchen table is a place for preparing food, for talking with
people over a glass of wine, for standing on to do the decorating, and may
even trigger memories of family members. Any one or more of these
attributes being triggered by something else may lead to seeing, hearing,
feeling or smelling.
Rawlinson explains further that when something is created it probably needs
to be communicated with other people, to share the intentions, to plan actions,
to check thoughts, and to ask for information. Communication is a difficult
thing to master, but neuroscience explains why. For example, when one talks
about a table, it is a very different table from the table one has in one's head.
It has a host of different attributes and connections which one could spend
months trying to check and double check. These differences are important for two quite distinct reasons.
The first reason relates to the logical/functional/scientific difference, so that when a table is seen in the head, something which has functionality may be seen because of its flexibility (made of wood) warmth, and strength (being a sculptor) whereas another person would "see" its functionality as weight, surface weakness, non-malleability (being a production engineer).
Therefore people may regard themselves and others as very professional people but the models that people have may be very different, even on the
24 most fundamental issues of functionality of design. The brain will be wired
differently because a different history leads up to the separate wirings, says
Rawlinson.
The affective rather than effective dimension is a further difference which
Rawlinson mentions. He explains that if scientific models are different, that is
nothing compared to how different emotive connections will be two different
things. In deep memory there will be primary value attributes connected to so
many things.
Rawlinson explains that when one wants to invent, or simply solve problems
with current inventions, one can go through the sequence of steps that will be
familiar to most people, such as asking what is it that needs to be done, what
ideas are available on how to do it, what is valued about these different ideas,
Which ideas shall be selected to work on, what other problems does one have
to make these ideas work, how are these other problems solved, is there a
plan, etc? Different process models may play with these steps in different
orders and with some loops back and forth. When one thinks about these
steps in relation to the more complex view of what is happening in the brain it
will be seen that things are likely to get very messy very quickly.
In practice, Rawlinson says, it also matters why one wants to do something
because when one starts generating ideas about how to do something, and selecting which approach one wants to pursue, the different primary reasons for doing it will emerge. The personal energy to pursue solutions comes from
25 the inner drive to seek those solutions, and if the energy is taken away, the project starts to founder. People tend to lose interest because this is really how the brain works.
Rawlinson comes to the conclusion that the brain is not a simple logical machine going from one concept to another in a systematic way, but that it takes short cuts; it pushes thoughts in one way and then another for all kinds of reasons. The thinking machine is creative, but mainly for its own purposes.
Th arguments of Kowalick and Rawlinson is that programming is the main cause of psychological inertia. However, they do not deal with an important question, and that is whether programming is inevitable and whether one will always function under the laws of psychological inertia unless there is intervention of some sort.
Couger (1996:74) identifies the following five blocks to creativity:
❑ Perceptual blocks
Perceptual blocks are obstacles that prevent a person from clearly perceiving either the problem itself or the information needed to see the problem, for instance graphic evidence that is not always perceived accurately. Cougar says awareness of the perceptual blocks is necessary in order to begin the unblocking process.
26 Emotional blocks
Emotional blocks interfere with freedom to explore and manipulate ideas, such as fear of making mistake, of failing, of risk-taking, inordinate desire for security, inability to tolerate ambiguity, or inability to relax, incubate and sleep on it.
Cultural blocks
Cultural blocks are acquired by exposure to a given set of cultural patterns.
Examples of cultural blocks are taboos; beliefs that fantasy is a waste of time; that feeling, intuition and qualitative judgements, and pleasures are bad.
Environmental blocks
The organisation can provide a nurturing environment or one that represses creativity. Couger identifies a lack of support to bring ideas into action, overemphasis on co-operation or on competition and punishment of risk- taking that does not work out as examples of cultural blocks.
Intellectual blocks
Couger says that intellectual blocks are caused by an inefficient choice of mental tactics or an unwillingness to use new solution approaches.
Identification of choices of strategy is therefore limited. Reliance on logical thinking, inability to abandon an unworkable approach, mindsets, and fear of exploring the unknown are examples of intellectual blocks.
27 A concept which also explains the various psychological blocks to creative
thought is 'paradigms'. Adam Smith (quoted by Couger, 1996:79) defined a
paradigm as a shared set of assumptions. He said it is the way the world is
perceived. It explains the world and helps to predict behaviour.
The scientific historian Thomas Kuhn (1970:10) says that paradigms are
accepted examples of actual scientific practice which include law, theory,
application and instrumentation together that provide models from which
spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research.
Thus, the more familiar a person is with anything, the more these interactive
patterns will be loaded in the brain system. The more patterns that are loaded, the harder it is to change how one thinks, or feel or think about what one
sees. Most control is achieved when least is known and the more a person is
an expert in a certain field of knowledge, the more that person will have trouble thinking about what is going on in a new way. It seems as if the
problem solver constantly operates under the laws of psychological inertia, which may be either conscious or unconscious state of mind.
The brain requires information to act upon but at the same time it has been argued that information is used by the brain for its own and unique purposes.
Life comes to a person as a whole, of which information is only one part. It seems as if programming is inevitable, but the statement that information is important for creative thinking should be qualified by saying that information
28 can be creatively utilised if the user is conscious of the dangers of
psychological inertia and is conversant with ways to combat it.
2.5. Thinking for the future
De Bono (2000:41) argues that although the human brain is a wonderful
mechanism in which nerve networks allow incoming information to organise
itself into patterns, these patterns form the routine response to the world
outside. The brain learns to cope with a stable environment. The brain finds it
very difficult to cope with a changing environment and even more difficult to
set out to change the environment.
The author says over the last two and a half thousand years classical thinking
methods have been developed and refined. These thinking methods are
marvellous but at the same time it is inadequate. De Bono (2000:193) is of the
opinion that traditional methods are concerned with 'what-is' thinking. This
allows experience and learning to be used and to apply standard solutions to
standard situations. The author says that to be effective 'what-can-be' type
thinking is necessary. It is this type of thinking that is concerned with
creativity, new ideas, new approaches and designing the way forward.
De Bono (2000:202) says 'possibility' is a key part of thinking. Along with the
hypothesis, it is the basis of science and technology with vision. He argues that unless something can be imagined, it cannot be undertaken to achieve it.
Possibilities require a creative and design effort. More importantly, traditional thinking habits ignore creativity completely because it is regarded as a
29 mystical talent that some people have and that produces creative results.
Naturally, the author says this is nonsense. There is a need to cross pattern.
This is the creativity which is involved in new concepts, new ideas and new
design and perceptions.
Figure 1: Judgemental thinking boxes
Boxes
Once we have identified something and placed it in its 'box', then we do not
need to think further about it. We know what it is. Judgement is an effort to
place everything in its right box.
Source: De Bono (200:213)
De Bono further argues that design is the opposite of judgement (see figure
1). Design is seeking to bring about something that is not yet there. A person can analyse the factors needed to invent a new game, but the game must still
30 be designed. If the purpose of design is to deliver value, consequently, if there
is no value there is no design. A design may be a new way of putting together
well-known things. It may also involve new concepts.
From the above arguments it appears that when a person tries to solve a
problem the possibility is great that he/she will get things wrong.
People are heavily programmed in problem solving and therefore a conscious
effort is needed to break free of the barriers to creative thinking. Thinking
patterns must be changed and modes of problem solving must be tested.
People need tools that will enhance and support the process of breaking mind
patterns to come up with surprising and creative solutions to problems.
Couger (1996:174) discusses the creative problem solving process at length
and proposes a divergent and convergent activity for each of the five steps of
the process. The steps are problem definition, data gathering, solution finding,
evaluation and implementation. Couger says that during each of these steps
creativity is needed.
2.6 Creativity techniques
Creativity techniques are there to tell the problem solver that what is seen is in
fact true, to test facts against a wide range of possibilities and to force the
problem solver through the psychological inertia barrier. The objective is to force people out of their normal problem-solving mode to enable them to consider a wider range of alternatives (Couger, 1996:42). In terms of
31 Couger's variant of the creative problem solving-model for each phase of the process specific techniques are listed which he believes will assist the user in each phase of this structured process.
Couger (1996:41) is of the opinion that even in a field where one might expect little structure, inspiration only occurs after substantial effort. He says in a field such as business it is useful to try to unstructure the thought process in order to produce some new ideas and perspectives. There are, therefore, structured approaches to ensure the unstructuring of the thought process.
Many effective procedures have been developed in the past few decades to expand the scope and nature of idea generation dramatically. Today many organisations realise the need to make such advanced procedures an integral part of their training and culture if they wish to be competitive and come out on top. These organisations make progress and use creative procedures for strategic planning, marketing, manufacturing, sales and human resources management (Neethling and Rutherford, 2001:25).
Bearing in mind what has been said about psychological inertia, creativity techniques can be seen as tools that, when applied consciously and repeatedly, will help to wake and strengthen creative potential. But the real value of creativity techniques can only be illustrated by applying them to real problems and evaluating the results.
32 2.7. Summary
In order for an idea or solution to be creative in a business context it must be
unique, it should present the best solution and add value.
Every thought sets of a stream of chemicals called neurotransmitters that flow
from the brain cell's axon to the receptor device. But cells must have
something in common in order to connect and that is why information is
important. The chemical process can only continue if the axon is attracted to
a cell with which is has something in common. It can only function optimally if
there is sufficient information. Memory has an important function in creative
thinking, but conscious effort is also required to become a whole brain thinker
and to counter the effect of psychological inertia.
Psychological inertia represents the inevitable of behaviour in a certain way.
The more thought patterns loaded, the harder it is to change thought patterns
because we constantly operate under the laws of psychological inertia.
Previous paradigms are used over and over to solve problems because they
have proved to be effective on previous occasions. However, in order to move to a state of conscious incompetence, and after that, to conscious competence, one needs to practice 'out of the pattern' thinking.
Creative problem solving techniques can be used to assist with the thought process and to tell the user that what is seen is in fact true. What one thinks one is seeing can be tested against a wide range of possibilities.
33 CHAPTER 3: TRIZ AS A CREATIVE PROBLEM
SOLVING AND OPPORTUNITY FINDING TECHNIQUE
3.1. Introduction
For decades the business world has been ready for any revolutionary new
approach that significantly increases the pace of invention and innovation. A
revolution, unknown to the western world, was ignited fifty years ago by the father of TRIZ, Genrich S Altshuller. Altshuller was granted his first patent at the age of 15, and by the time he was 30 he had already published more than
20 books and 350 technical papers. In 1946 he conceptualised his Theory of
Inventive Problem Solving, now commonly known as TRIZ, its Russian acronym (Blosiu and Kowalick: 1996).
From the outset questions which arise are: what is the essence of TRIZ and how does TRIZ work; where and when was it developed, what are its underlying principles, and how does TRIZ work in relation to what is known about the human thought processes and preferences.
3.2 A brief history
Kowalick (1999) says that when TRIZ first appeared it was superior to existing problem-solving approaches, but because it was developed in the former
USSR, whose government did not support it, it was in disfavour with that government. Therefore, it could not be employed to support mainstream, commercial technology in the USSR. It was not until much later, upon its
34 exportation to western countries, that TRIZ could be broadly tested by
applying it to a wide range of technologies and a range of products.
Kowalick says that when TRIZ began to catch the attention of corporations in
the early 1990's its power and capabilities were recognised by only a few
westeners. TRIZ is still in its infancy as a problem-solving tool. Since 1998
there are over a dozen legitimate TRIZ consulting and training firms, but only
a few have the capability of teaching and applying TRIZ at the highest level.
More recently TRIZ was adopted in Europe, Japan and Israel. Leading
companies in the United States and institutions are now claiming this new
innovative problem solving tool as the conceptual breakthrough of the future.
Various companies have embarked on training and education workshops and
are applying or beginning to apply TRIZ methodology (Blosiu and Kowalick:
1996).
3.3. The essence of TRIZ
Nakagawa (2002) says the essence of TRIZ is the recognition that technical systems evolve towards the increase of ideality by overcoming contradictions mostly with the minimal introduction of resources. For creative problem solving TRIZ provides a dialectic way of thinking, i.e. to:
understand the problem as a system;
to imagine the ideal solution first;
and to solve contradictions.
35 Nakagawa goes on to say, first of all, TRIZ is stated to be a recognition or a
new view of technology. From this point of view a new position of tremendous
scope, of not only technology, but also science, society, our life, etc can be
reached.
Nakagawa explains the most important recognition is that technical systems
evolve. Technology is seen mostly as technical systems. Any system is
composed of a number of components and their relationships and may be
regarded as a subsystem of its super-systems. Every technical system
evolves, changes, or develops in its history. This evolution forms huge trends
containing overwhelming individual inventions. The evolution may appear in
different phases and different ways, such as birth, expansion, integration,
convolution etc.
Technical systems evolve towards the increase of ideality. This recognition is
called the Principal Law of Evolution. This definition is qualitative in nature.
The main recognition is that various forms of evolution can be viewed
universally as movements in the direction of increase of ideality. This
recognition forms the basis of foreseeing and developing future technical
systems, says Nakagawa.
The evolution occurs only by overcoming contradictions. Contradictions appear first as the gaps between demand and supply, or current technological performances. Such contradictions once recognised as obstacles are
36 overcome by break-through inventions. These inventions form the micro- steps of evolution in technical systems.
Overcoming of contradictions are achieved mostly with minimal introduction of resources. Introduction of additional resources often complicates the systems and does not solve contradictions. It is the TRIZ recognition that contradictions are overcome only with no or minimal introduction of resources.
This corresponds well with the law of increase of ideality, says Nakagawa.
Nakagawa argues that the objects of the problem should be regarded as technical systems, for which TRIZ gives deep insights. It should be understood that the problem itself forms a hierarchical system of problems and one should have a multiple and evolutionary viewpoint of the problem and its possible solutions.
Part and parcel of the principle that technical systems evolve towards ideality is to imagine or project the ideal solution. This is sometimes a thinking process in the reverse direction, in contrast to the conventional way of thinking with trial-and-errors starting from the present system.
TRIZ, however, has succeeded in showing concrete guidelines to solve contradictions in technical problems. The core process is to derive, by reformulating the problem, a physical contradiction and to solve it with a separation principle. Once a physical contradiction is derived, this solution
37 technique is amazingly powerful to find break-through solutions, says
Nakagawa.
Although not discussing TRIZ as such, De Bono's (2000:106) criticism of the
"evolution" concept is that it is not really a "design" process, though it does
improve on existing designs. Evolution means that a design produced
apparently by random mutation will eventually triumph over an existing design
because the new design is better adapted for survival. There is no effort to
combine designs to achieve the best of both as there might be in a real design
process. Evolution is still a triumphant process in which one design triumphs
over others, argues De Bono.
The concept of ideality shows similarities with the Wildest Idea and Wishful
Thinking techniques. The thought process that is followed in the application of
Widest Idea is described by Couger (1996:255) as follows: "the facilitator
selects (or asks the group to select) a wild idea. With this starting point, the
group continues to generate ideas. If no practical ideas emerge, another wild
idea is used and the process continues until an acceptable idea is found."
Couger (1996:57) also says the Wishful Thinking technique is designed to
permit a degree of fantasy in the solution process, in other words, an ideal
solution.
The concept of "contradictions" also shows similarities with the Force Field
Analysis technique which defines direction, identifies strengths to be examined, and identifies weaknesses to be minimised. Couger (1996:51) says
38 the primary function of Force Field Analysis in idea generation is to present
three different stimuli for thinking of new options or solutions. There are three
ways to move to a more desirable future or result, namely, by strengthening
an already present positive force, by weakening an already present negative
force, and by adding a new positive force. Contradictions which tug towards
the ideal result are identified. The thought process which is followed shows
similarities with that of identifying contradictions.
A prerequisite for a solution in the TRIZ context is therefore to imagine the
ideal solution, or state of affairs, and thereafter to eliminate the contradictory
factors in order to achieve the ideal solution.
Domb (2000) says TRIZ research began with the hypothesis that there are
universal principles of invention that are the basis for creative innovations that
advance technology. The point of departure was that if these principles could
be identified and codified, they could be taught to people to make the process
if invention more predictable.
Domb says the primary findings of TRIZ research are that problems and
solutions were repeated across industries and sciences, and that innovations
used scientific effects outside the field where they were developed.
General TRIZ solutions have been developed over the course of 50 years of
research and have been organised in different ways. Some of these methods are:
39 The Ideal Final Result;
Functional Analysis and Trimming;
Locating the Zones of Conflict;
The 40 Principles of Problem Solving;
Separation Principles;
Laws of Technical Evolution and Technology Forecasting.
The 40 Principles of Problem Solving are the most accessible tool of TRIZ
and were found to be repeated across many fields, as solutions to many
general categories of problems. TRIZ research has identified 40 principles
that solve technical contradictions and four principles of separation that solve
the physical contradictions. Once a contradiction is expressed in the technical
contradiction form, the features can be located in a contradiction matrix and
the problem can be solved by applying the principles of invention that are
most likely to solve the problem, says Domb.
3.4 TRIZ and its underlying inventive secrets
Kowalick (1996) lists seventeen powerful creative tricks and approaches of
the century, which he says, will raise the creative capability of the individual
and invite the inventor to dig deeper into the general subject of TRIZ.
Kowalick says these "inventive secrets" underly TRIZ as a creative problem solving technique. Six of these secrets are listed in paragraphs 3.4.1 to 3.4.6.
below.
40 3.4.1 Defining the problem
The most important aspect of problem solving is rarely the same as the problem initially posed. That is why it is necessary to establish an accurate, specific statement, or a model of the problem to be solved. The procedure of defining the problem is facilitated by using a problem-defining procedure, or algorithm, or ARIZ, the acronym for 'algorithm for the solution of inventive problems'. Kowalick says existing Russian problem-solving algorithms are not very useful because they are excessively dialectic so that the algorithms become almost incomprehensible to the average user.
Couger (1996:195) is also of the opinion that careful problem definition ensures that the right problem is worked on. Sometimes the problem is unclear and further investigation of the circumstances surrounding the problem is required to derive a definition of the problem.
3.4.2 Satisfying the functions
In order to make the problem solving process easier, problems or design challenges are expressed as "functions". Kowalick says the main purpose of a system is to satisfy one or more functions, and the result is a form or a technical design that satisfies one or more functions. The main task for the designer is to build the form so that each function works reliably, and the design as a whole is perceived by its user as valuable.
41 3.4.3 Prioritising the functions
Kowalick says the important task for the designer is to determine which
function to work on first. The purpose of function analysis, or functional cost
analysis, is therefore very important. Pruning of the technical system is one of
the highest forms of creativity. From a user point of view the value of a system
lies in its ability to satisfy required functions at a high level of reliability. Parts
are pruned without eliminating their required function.
3.4.4 Meeting contradictory requirements
Kowalick argues that solving technical design conflicts by making trade-offs is
not as useful as stating the objective in the form a contradiction and meeting
the contradictory requirements by design. Kowalick emphasises that a
contradiction is not a trade-off contest between two features or functions. In a
contradiction the system demands diametrically opposed properties or
characteristics.
3.4.5 Separation in time and space
Each problem also has its local zone, or exact position, where the problem
exists, and it must be identified before the problem can be properly solved.
Problems can often be solved by using the idea of "separation in time in
space". An example of this principle is where a structural foundation is
constructed at the base of a rectangular hole, eight feet below ground level.
The foundation's function is to support a very heavy piece of equipment weighing several tons. Cranes are unavailable to lift the equipment into the hole. A time in space solution means that at one time the hole is full in order
42 to move the equipment over the hole in to position, and at another time it is
empty to allow the equipment to be lowered all the way down. Blocks of ice
will serve this purpose, because in its solid form it will be able to take weight
and it becomes progressively weaker as it melts and whilst the equipment can
be lowered into the hole.
3.4.6 Formulating an ideal, final result
Formulation of the "ideal final result" is an incredible motivator, says Kowalick.
By accepting the ideal final result as a goal the designer becomes attached to
the best avenue of solution. The ideal solution can also be achieved by having
its function performed by another product or another part of the system and
sometimes it is achieved by preliminary performing the necessary action so
that there is no need to waste time and energy at the necessary moment.
3.4.7 Forty inventive TRIZ principles
There are forty inventive TRIZ principles behind all inventive problems and
when applied to the important elements or objects it can solve complex
problems. These principles, discovered by Altshuller and his associates by
examining the global patent collection, make the transition from problem to
solution possible, says Kowalick.
Each of the forty principles has a detailed definition and explanation with documented examples of inventions that illustrate the application of each principle. The following are selected examples of the forty principles mentioned by Kowalick: segmentation; take-out principle; local quality;
43
asymmetry; merging; universality; nested doll; anti-gravity; preliminary anti-
action; preliminary action; other way round; and add another dimension
principles.
Kowalick says designers seeking next generation designs can apply these
principles one by one to the objects in a technical system. He adds that the
process is time consuming, but that as a creative exercise, the practice is well
worth. For each standard conflict there is an inventive principle, or several
inventive principles, that can be used to solve the standard conflict.
3.4.7.1 Nested Doll
The applicability of Nested Doll in a technical sense is where one object is
placed inside another and then that object is placed inside another, for
example aerials, presentation printers, ball point pens.
3.4.7.2 The Take-Out Principle
This principle tells one to consider removing that portion or part or action
which causes the undesirable interaction, especially where two objects have
harmful or useless or generally undesirable interaction. An example is to
locate a noisy power source away from the point where its energy will be
applied, or to solve a too much weight problem by taking out of a solid
structural component the mass which only minimally contributes to the
structure's strength.
44
3.4.7.3 The Other Way Round Principle
Invert the action used to solve the problem, for example instead of heating an
object, cool it down. Or instead of attempting to pre-align a stack of unaligned
copy papers using various handling motions with the help of a flat table
surface, place the unaligned stack of papers into the copy-paper holder first,
and quickly move the holder with the stack of paper in it. The stack of papers
become instantly and precisely aligned.
3.4.7.4 Add Another Dimension Principle
A circular, manual adjustment knob, attached to a threaded rod is surrounded
by a strong spring, is used to adjust the force or load acting upon another
object. Because of the strong spring, the adjustment is difficult to turn. One
solution is to change the pitch of the threads of the rod in a favourable
direction so that the knob becomes easy to turn, but then many more turns
are required. The best solution would be to make the adjustment direction
perpendicular to the spring direction, which makes the knob easy to turn. A
slight angular knob will move the spring out of its plane, causing significantly
greater changes in the spring force.
3.4.7.5 Triads
Kowalick argues that a function must also have 3 elements. If there are fewer
than 3 there is no function. There is also a strong relationship between the
parts of a technical system and a function of the technical system. This
relationship is expressed as a "triad" of three interacting elements, which
consists of two substances and a field. For example a substance can be
45 anything from a sub-atomic particle to an atom to a molecule to a solid object, such as an aluminium can that contains beverages and gases.
The wall of a beverage can is stiffened by the internal pressure. The function is therefore the beverage that pushes against the wall of the can.
Every function has the form "subject acts on object", which again can be described as the "active action of a tool, or instrument, on the passive object being worked on". The function has the sequence "subject-verb-object", with the object being the element that is being worked on. The subject is the element doing the work, or performing the functional action, and is sometimes called the instrument, or substance 2. In the beverage example the beverage and the can are not enough to stiffen the walls of the can. There has to be a third element namely the field, or the enabling element. The combination of these three elements is called an "S-Field". A negative effect, such as too much pressure on the inside of the can, can be solved by adding a third substance S3. This would be a generic solution. A specific solution is the addition to the outside of the can wall, of a thin, smooth, strong, plastic coating (S3). The plastic material replaces some of the aluminium wall, thereby reducing overall costs. It also gives additional strength to overcome the bursting problem, and the plastic surface lends itself to being printed upon. Using this way of describing a system often simplifies the designer's tasks. It can also be used to describe solutions for functions that have deficiencies, or to indicate the form or structure of next generation concepts.
46 Kowalick says TRIZ through the language of S-Fields is capable of technology forecasting that is both rapid and accurate.
3.4.8. Measuring of a system on the path to ideality and TRIZ principles
Every engineering system follows a predictable path towards "ideal system" with "ideal functions" and "ideal characteristics", says Kowalick (1996). There are certain measurables used to describe where a system is on its path from non-ideality towards ideality. These measurables are used to predict in the form of detailed design concepts, what the next-generation design will look like, and the one after that. Progressing along the path is equivalent to improving an existing system. The measures of evolution mentioned by
Kowalick, which are underlying TRIZ principles, are:
Degree of dimensionality of the system or its objects.
Degree of system multiplicity.
The physical state or phase of the system or any of its objects.
Degree of dynamic capability of the system and its parts and objects.
Type and nature of applied frequency of actions from or by or to the
system, its parts and objects.
The nature, level and dimensionality of the system, its functions and its
properties, and;
The degree of "voidness" of the system, its parts and/or objects.
47 3.4.8.1 Dimensionality of the system, or its parts, or objects.
Kowalick argues that one specific measure of an engineering system's quality,
is the dimensionality of the system, or its parts, or objects. This measure can
be illustrated with reference to the simple, but costly logging industry problem
of the log capacity of lakes. From a dimensionality point of view the mass of
individual logs floating on a lake form a two dimensional structure. Under this
measurement the solution is to go into another dimension. The function is log
storage capacity in lakes. By tying enough logs together in bundles in order
that the cross-sectional area of the log-bundle ends exceeds its sideways, the
log bundle will float in the lake with the logs oriented vertically. This increases
the lake's storage capacity. Therefore, changing the dimensionality of a
system or its parts or objects generally improves system functions in many
types of engineering systems.
3.4.8.2. Degree of system multiplicity.
If an engineering system, or sub-system, is a mono-system, it evolves by changing it to a bi-system, and if a system is a bi-system, it evolves by changing it to a poly-system. Kowalick gives an example of where it is costly and difficult to trim, cut shape or polish the edges of thin glass plates, because they are prone to cracking or breaking. By transforming a single glass plate, or mono-system, into a stack of glass plates, productivity is significantly raised, and breakages and other defects are reduced to zero. By applying this principle of increasing the multiplicity of the system the degree of ideality increases as the system moves closer to becoming a poly-system.
48
3.4.8.3 The physical state or phase of the system, its parts, or its
objects.
The principle here is that a system moves towards ideality as its parts or
elements become more mobile. The physical state or phase of the system or
its objects can be changed, such as gaseous objects that can accomplish
what more inflexible, solid objects cannot.
3.4.8.4 Dynamic capability of the system, its parts and objects.
The system must become more dynamic or flexible to required conditions.
Flexible in this context means going from a rigid, immovable system to a
system that is more flexible, for example, the use of electromagnetic, instead
of substances.
3.4.8.5 Type and nature of applied frequency of actions from, by or
to the system, its parts, or its elements.
A system action may take the form of an interaction between two parts, or
between a part and something outside the system. As an action moves from
being continuous to vibrating to vibrating at a resonant frequency to standing
waves, the system and its functions approach the ideal system. For example,
the action of breaking up boulders is accomplished by huge jack-hammers
attached to heavy mobile machinery. Vibrating blows are far more effective
than blows by a sledge hammer with high intensity. The frequency of the
vibration of the blows must be matched to the resonant frequency of the
boulder and its surroundings.
49
3.4.8.6 Nature, type and dimensionality of the system, its
functions, and its properties.
The starting point for a system is to have one particular function, with the next
step in the evolutionary path to have "biased" properties for the mono-
function. That is the capability to simultaneously perform a given function in
varying ways. The next level is for the system to have poly-functions, for
example a sewing machine which folds the cloth and also sews it. The highest
evolutionary step would be for the system to have opposite functions, such as
a sewing machine which not only sews two segments of the cloth together,
but also cuts or trims the cloth.
3.4.8.7 Degree of voidness of the system, its parts and elements
The lowest-level system/part/object has no voidness. Its is a monolith — one
solid piece. The next step in its evolution would therefore be the inclusion of a
large void, then many voids, followed by a porous system.
3.4.8.8 Four essential parts of a system
Every technical system has four parts. The parts - engine, transmission, limbs
and controls - must all be present otherwise the system will not work. The
engine is the source of the energy for the system. The transmission is the part
of the system which connects the energy source with the working parts of the
system. The Wright Brother's aeroplane can be used as an example to
describe how the various parts interact. The engine for the Wright Brothers
was gravity. Gravity provided the energy for the aeroplane to move, and the
energy was transformed into kinetic energy of the plane.
50 The transmission system interacts with the body or wheels of the plane, in
order for the plane to receive gravity's free takeoff energy by accelerating the
plane from a velocity of zero to final velocity, which is then used by the
working parts of the plane. For the lift function the working parts were the
wings which interacts with air to produce flight. The wing surfaces do the work
for the system which is the aeroplane. The engine provides the energy, the
transmission then transforms this energy from the engine into rotational
energy, to the entire aeroplane body in the form of kinetic energy.
Kowalick says that flight was possible because high velocity air moved over
and under the wings. Curvature differences on the top and bottom of the
wings creates lift because air below the wings travels at lower velocity, and
higher pressure than the air above. The pilot served as the control system by
interacting with the plane's structure by moving weight in the desired direction
for the required effect.
By using the above principles a system can, therefore, be analysed as
regards to its path on the way to ideality. These TRIZ tools provide the user with a measurement to identify contradictions which stands in the way of ideal functionality.
Measurement of ideal functionality can pose specific problems for the
inexperienced user. It is nevertheless a methodology which can be applied when a system is evaluated in order to find the ideal solution.
51 3.5. The psychology of TRIZ
The goal of creativity techniques is to force people out of their normal problem
solving mode. Does TRIZ give a solution for the many barriers to personal
creativity and can it force the brain through the blocks to creativity. If so, in
what way does it deal with the psychological inertia obstacle?
Rawlinson (2002) asks the question: "How do we get round having to work
with this set of fairly unreliable thinking machines, which don't even 'show'
one what is being seen with one's eyes?" He suggests that it is very useful to
use a set of tools which helps to handle each of the thinking steps so that one
can check and double check that one's brain is not misguiding one about what
is going on. He proposes that the concept of TRIZ functionality be used. If
there is any doubt about the functionality because it is being offered and
explained at an abstract level, one can ask for functionality descriptions at a
harder molecular/quantum level. The concept of resources can also be used
to get people to check that the entire list of possible resources of what is
available and what could be available has been worked on for possibilities.
The concept of ideality can be used to ask how much the model can be
simplified, and, all in all, what can be left out?
Rawlinson further argues that by using TRIZ tools in a systematic way many
of the problems that emerge can be avoided. The brain cannot be reliable
because it is not built for reliability but for efficiency. With TRIZ tools the offering of the brain can be checked step by step. Rawlinson says that thoughts can be moved along analytically, in ways that do not destroy the creative potential of doing things in a different way.
52 Rawlinson asks why does TRIZ work? Many great advances in science have
come about because a way was found to review what one thinks one sees.
This is pretty much what happens when the microscope helps one to see
what is going on, and ever-finer ways of probing small things give ever-
greater insight into what is there. The brain can create any number of ways of
seeing things and our brains take an active part in how the world is
constructed. Just as the telescope and the microscope are tools for seeing the
physical properties of objects, there are other tools, such as science and
mathematics, logic and modelling, for seeing into the functionality of things.
As the tools for examining these models become more sophisticated, the
models improve.
Rawlinson argues that TRIZ helps to manage creative thinking by allowing the options that the brain suggests to be tested, slowly and methodically, either in a simple logical way or by comparison with analogous designs. The TRIZ tools provide a different kind of focus on features of ideas, and this different focus give new features which will help to review models. An external process is needed for checking the thought process, if this is to be truly reliable. TRIZ offers one set of checking tools. TRIZ need not, and maybe should not, be seen as a set of process tools based on engineering design and problem solving. The object of the research with TRIZ was really the thinking process itself. TRIZ has aided the development of thinking about thinking. At heart, it is a fundamental set of psychological tools for the very essence of thinking,
Rawlinson argues.
53 Kowalick (1999) claims that the practice of TRIZ leads to breakthroughs in the
way people think. He argues that the result of the application and
understanding of TRIZ philosophy and practices is that it changes personal
creativity in a powerful way, significantly expanding the mind's capacity.
However, one of the problems with the TRIZ approach is that it fails to present
psychological inertia in an organised way. Kowalick says that future problem-
solving systems will have to recognise psychological inertia as only one of the
several barriers to creative problem-solving.
The author also identifies ordinary imagination and identification as major
barriers to creativity. Ordinary imagination is a form of day dreaming or uncontrolled wandering of the mind. Those who are trapped in it have little chance of observing its harmful effects on creativity, but it is possible to observe it and work against it. This loss of creative energy means that less energy is available for higher and more creative functions. The object of the exercise, as well as TRIZ, should be to escape from ordinary imagination.
Identification is the power of objects, thoughts, emotions, persons, concepts, and situations in general to attract the attention of human beings, leaving them unable to apply attention in a creative, intentional way, says Kowalick.
He says successor systems to TRIZ will be based upon overcoming these barriers to creativity.
Wiik (1999) says that TRIZ aims at finding contradictions. The method teaches to actively pursue these contradictions and to fight them with
54 improvements that are not new compromises but solutions with sufficient
innovative height to eliminate the compromise.
Wiik (1999) points out that most of the creative techniques that have been
developed to support "out of the box" thinking have a psychological
background and are aimed at training people to become more creative. In
order to be creative a mental pattern has to be broken. Wiik says in contrast
to this Altshuller felt that the effect of creativity tools depended too much on
the individual. He wanted TRIZ to utilise the recorded creative work of the
world by accumulating creativity used in inventions in such a systematic
fashion that it could be used to synthesise inventions. Although Altshuller's
vision of extracting, compiling and generalising knowledge so that it becomes
accessible in area is still valid, a less mechanical approach and a more
organic approach to innovation is taken.
Wiik further divides TRIZ into analytical and analogical tools. The analogical tools are creative tools that help the user to break mind patterns, such as contradiction matrix, inventive principles, separation principles, standard solutions, and laws of evolution. These tools enable the user to think in terms of analogous situations to solve problems related to the current situation.
It appears that TRIZ works against the misguidances of psychological inertia in its various forms by using the various possibilities and the concept of functionality and ideality. The thinking process will also not destroy creativity, but will merely move the thinking process along analytically. Because of the
55 way the brain perceives the world, TRIZ can help to manage the thought
process. It is a process of reviewing what one sees which expands the mind's
capacity. The objective should be to escape from ordinary imagination,
thoughts, concepts and emotions. If TRIZ is divided into analytical and
analogical tools the argument is that it breaks mind patterns and helps to think
in analogous situations to solve problems.
3.6 Summary
Although developed over 50 years ago in the former USSR and still relatively
unknown, TRIZ was recently adopted in Europe, Japan and Israel, whilst
leading companies in the United States are also now adopting this technique
as a possible creative problem solving technique.
TRIZ presents a dialectic way of thinking in terms whereof the problem
system is understood as a system, the ideal solution is imagined and the
contradictions are then solved to attain the ideal state within the system. From these principles flow other principles such as that the contradictions are overcome mostly with the minimal introduction of resources, and that part and
parcel of ideality of a system is first to imagine or project the ideal solution. It is sometimes a thinking process in reverse in contrast to the conventional way of thinking with trial-and-errors from the present system.
These principles show similarities with quite a few other creative problem solving techniques and are therefore not unique to TRIZ. TRIZ is also not a single problem solving technique but are organised in different ways such as
56 the Ideal Final Result, Functional Analysis and Trimming, Locating the Zones of Conflict, the 40 Principles of Problem Solving, The Separation Principles, and the Laws of Technical Evolution and Technology Forecasting.
Of great significance is the argument that by using TRIZ tools in a systematic way many of the problems that emerge during thought can be avoided. The result of the application of TRIZ is that it changes personal creativity in a powerful way. One important set of criticism is that it does not present psychological inertia in an organised way. TRIZ can help to manage the thought process and help the user to escape from the many forms of psychological inertia by breaking mind patterns.
57
CHAPTER 4: TRIZ IN A NON-TECHNICAL
APPLICATION AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES
4.1 Introduction
After having considered the essence of TRIZ and selected inventive principles
which forms the basis of the technique the question arises whether it is
possible to apply these principles in a non-technical context, and whether in a
non-technical context, the inventive principles exhibit similarities and
differences relative to their use in technical problem solving applications. In
this chapter the effectiveness of TRIZ in relation to other creative problem
solving techniques is investigated and whether it is effective to the extent that
it can function in isolation.
4.2 Selected TRIZ inventive (non-technical) principles
Mann and Domb (1999) say interest in the possible applicability of TRIZ tools
and techniques to the world of management and organisational innovation
issues continues to grow. The numerous inventive principles provide
innovators with systematic and potent means of breaking out of current
paradigms into exciting and beneficial new ones. The same psychological
inertia busting benefits may also accrue when the principles are applied in a
business rather than a purely engineering context, say Mann and Domb. They
confirm that in a business context, the inventive principles exhibit a number of
similarities and differences relative to their use in technical problem solving
58 applications. It is submitted that the term "non-technical" should be used to
describe the application of TRIZ other than in a technical sense as described
in chapter 3.
Mann and Domb are of the opinion that, to use the inventive principles, the
problem should be formulated by using the same methods used for TRIZ for
technical problems. It will also be helpful to formulate the ideal final result and
the reasons that the ideal cannot be achieved, which will lead to
contradictions. An analysis will reveal several potential problems and families
of solutions. Some of the inventive principles may then be used to look for
solutions to each of these categories of problems, and then the one, or more,
that has/have the highest probability of working in the particular situation may
be selected.
When applying the selected inventive principles the TRIZ concept of removing
the reason for the contradiction, as well as using the available resources,
should be kept in mind, say Mann and Domb. The authors' opinion is that the
inventive principles should be selected at random to keep thinking
independent. The examples given in paragraphs 4.2.1. to 4.2.10 below where
TRIZ principles are applicable in a business application is given by Mann and
Domb. Examples given by Tate and Domb (1997) under the various principles are reflected in bold and explain the principle in a technical context.
4.2.1. Segmentation
A. Divide an object into independent parts:
59 4 Divide an organisation into different product centres;
4 Autonomous profit centres;
4 Use a work breakdown structure for a large project;
4 Marketing segmentation by lifestyles, demographics, sociographics,
psychographics.
4 Replace mainframe computer by personal computer;
4 Replace a large truck by a truck and trailer.
Make an object easy to disassemble:
4 Flexible pensions;
4 Use of temporary workers on short-term projects;
4 Flexible manufacturing systems;
4 Modular furniture;
4 Quick disconnect joints in plumbing.
Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation:
4 Quality Circles;
4 'Empowerment' — segmentation of decision making;
4 Distance learning;
4 Replace solid shades with Venetian blinds;
4 Use powdered welding metal instead of foil or rod to get better
penetration of the joint.
Separate an interfering part or property from an object, or single out only the necessary part (or property) of an object:
60 4 Break down barriers between departments;
4 Eliminate targets;
4 Drive out fear;
4 Just-in-Time inventory management;
4 Activity-Based costing instead of allocation cost account;
4 Locate a noisy compressor outside the building where
compressed air is used;
4 Use the sound of a barking dog, without the dog, as a burglar
alarm.
4.2.2. Local Quality
Change an object's structure from uniform to non-uniform, change an
external environment/external influence from uniform to non-uniform:
4 Move away from rigid salary structures/job grading;
4 Flexible working hours;
4 Franchise fast food outlets have local dishes in addition to normal
product range;
4 Casual (`dress down') days;
4 Encouraging 'out of the box' thinking;
4 Use temperature , density or pressure gradient instead of
constant temperature, density or pressure.
Make each part of an object function in conditions most suitable for its
operation:
4 'Empowerment' of individuals;
61 4 Have each employee's workplace customised to his/her ergonomic and
psychological needs;
4 Working hours phased to accommodate people working on
international, shifted time-zone projects;
4 A lunch box with special compartments for hot food and cold
solid foods and for liquids.
Make each part of an object fulfil a different and useful function:
4 Organisational division by function rather than product;
4 Staff specialists in centres of excellence;
4 Position factory or distribution centre near to customers;
4 A hammer with nail puller;
4 A pencil with an eraser.
4.2.3. Asymmetry
Change the shape of an object from symmetrical to asymmetrical:
4 Skewed normal distributions;
4 Use a different marketing approach for each class of client;
4 Budget for different departments individually rather than using a
constant percentage increase or reduction for all department;
4 Put a flat spot on a cylindrical shaft to attach a knob securely.
If an object is asymmetrical, change its degree of asymmetry
4 360° appraisals;
4 More equitable 2-way dialogue between management and workers;
62 4 Shift away from calendar-influenced sales bias;
4.2.4. Merging
Bring closer together (or merge) identical or similar objects, assemble
identical or similar parts to perform parallel operations.
4 Personal computers in a network;
4 Cell-based manufacture;
4 Toyota JIT;
4 Merge companies with related products;
4 Internet Café;
4 Personal computers in a network;
4 Vanes in a ventilation system;
4 Electronic chips mounted on both sides of a circuit board or
subassembly.
Make operations contiguous or parallel; bring them together in time:
4 Enlisting customer help in designing the product;
4 Multi-media presentations;
4.2.5. Universality
A. Make an object or structure perform multiple functions; eliminate the
need for other parts:
4 Multi-skilling of work-force;
4 Team leader acts as recorder and timekeeper;
63 4 'One-stop shopping' — supermarkets sell insurance, banking services,
fuel, newspapers, etc;
4 Rapid Reaction forces in the military — cross-trained, equipment
versatility;
4 Semco — managerial staff set their own salaries, shop floor workers set
their own productivity targets, part of change agent's job is to eliminate
need for his/her job;
4 The handle of a toothbrush contains toothpaste;
4 A child's car safety seat converts to a stroller.
4.2.6. "Nested Doll"
Place one object inside another; place each object, in turn, inside the
other:
4 Store-in-store;
4 Mapping priority innovation areas;
4 Hierarchy of employee needs — Basic, Environment, Simple
Individual, Complex Individual, Transcendent;
4 Measuring cups or spoons;
4 Portable radio system with microphone inside transmitter, which
fits inside a amplifier case.
Make one part pass through a cavity in the other:
4 Plug holes in organisation structure;
4 Use 'Why, What's Stopping?' question sequence to break through
layers of problems to get to root cause;
64 4 Expose traditional inward facing job-holders to external
events/customers;
4 Door sensors count customers into and out of a store/office. The data
can be used for market profiling, etc.
4.2.7. Anti-weight
To compensate for the weight (downward tendency) of an object,
merge it with other objects that provide lift:
4 In a merger of two companies, one 'lifts' the other with whatever its
stronger features are, such as distribution system, marketing,
methods, capital;
4 Companies increase flagging sales by making connections with
other rising products (e.g. move tie-ins);
4 Inject foaming agent into a bundle of logs, to make it float
better;
4 Use a helium balloon to support advertising signs.
To compensate for the weight (downward tendency) of an object,
make it interact with the environment (e.g. use global lift forces):
4 A small company is lifted by a resource to the level of the larger
companies;
4 Political parties boost poll ratings by attaching themselves to
popular causes;
4 Attach product/service marketing to customer and business driving
forces;
65 4 Hydrofoils lift ship out of water to reduce drag.
4.2.8. Preliminary anti-action
If it will be necessary to do an action with both harmful and useful effects,
this action should be replaced with anti-actions to control harmful effects:
4 When making a public announcement, include all the information, not
just the harmful parts.
4 Use formal risk assessment methods to quantify risk and identify
mitigating aions before and during a project;
Create beforehand stresses in an object that will oppose known
undesirable working stresses later on:
4 Epson product development engineers spend time as sales and then
service staff before they are allowed to work on product development
activities;
4 Prior to a lay-off, prepare compensation, outplacement and
communication packages for all affected employees;
4.2.9. Preliminary action
A. Perform, before it is needed, the required change of an object (either
fully or partially):
4 Project pre-planning;
4 Perform non-critical path tasks where circumstances permit;
4 Use of 'story-boarding' to facilitate creative problem solving (i.e.
gathering the data before the "creativity" session).
66 B. Pre-arrange objects such that they can come into action from the most
convenient place and without losing time for their delivery:
4 Kanban arrangements in a Just-in-Time factory;
4 Publish an agenda before meetings;
4 'If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 6 hours sharpening
my axe' Abraham Lincoln;
4 Benetton - clothing is knitted before it is dyed; colour only applied
when the season's popular colours emerge;
4 Dealer-fit car accessories — CD player, alloy wheels, air-con, etc.
4.2.10. The other way round
A. Invert the action(s) used to solve the problem (e.g. instead of cooling an
object, heat it):
4 Bring the mountain to Mohammed, instead of bringing Mohammed to
the mountain;
4 Expansion instead of contraction during recession;
4 Benchmark against the worst instead of the best;
4 Blame the process not the person;
4 To loosen stuch parts, cool the inner part instead of heating the
outer parts;
4 Bring the mountain to Mohammed, instead of bringing
Mohammed to the mountain.
B. Make movable parts (of the external environment) fixed, and fixed
67 parts movable):
4 Home-shopping;
4 Home banking;
4 Park-and-ride schemes in busy cities;
4 Don't make changes just because they are fashionable management
fads.
C. Turn the object (or process) 'upside down':
4 Cash-till assistant is the most important part of a retail organisation;
4 Computer help lines were originally often set up with relatively no
technical staff at the front-end, directing calls to progressively more
technically able staff the more complicated the problem was;
4 Mercedes Benz vision changed from 'the best or nothing' to 'the best
for our customers' i.e. shift from internally to externally focussed vision
statement;
4 Corporate 'unlearning' — acquiring the ability to forget about the past
where appropriate;
4 Russian government pays inventors for patent applications/West
makes the inventor pay to apply;
4 Chairman of company spends time in the complaints department
answering customer complaints;
4 We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we
stop playing;
68 4.3. Further selected TRIZ inventive principles
In addition to the above Mann (2000) says, although initially conceived as a
systematic creativity and innovation methodology for engineers and scientists,
TRIZ has recently been recognised as having much to offer the non-technical,
business and management communities.
Mann says that innovation is seen as the principal long-term business
success driver and that systematic innovation is the route by which
organisations effectively manage risk and thus become business drivers.
According to Mann all of the TRIZ tools that follow have something of value to
offer the definers and solvers of non-technical problems: inventive principles,
contradictions, S-Fields, ideality, trends of evolution, law of system
completeness, multi-screen approach, trimming and subversion analysis. A
comprehensive search of the finest published management practices has not
revealed any inventive steps which do not somehow fit into the 40 Principle framework, says Mann.
Mann points out that although early applications of the contradiction tools within TRIZ in a business context, demonstrated that for technical contradictions at least, the TRIZ methodology is only partially successful in driving problem solvers towards good solutions, as far as business related physical contradictions are concerned existing TRIZ solution strategies are more successful. For both technical and physical contradictions it has already been observed in several instances that merely expressing a problem in terms of a contradiction is often enough to provide a sufficiently new perspective
69 that good solutions begin to appear seemingly automatically. The formulation
of a business related problem in accordance with TRIZ contradictions
principles is therefore seen to be a powerful problem solving strategy.
4.3.1. S-Fields
The substance-field problem solving tools contained in TRIZ offer powerful
analogies in a business context, such as 'substances' to 'customers' and
Figure 2: Applying the substance field to other disciplines
Source: Mann (2000) as adjusted
`suppliers' and 'fields' to 'communication', says Mann. The relationship is grammatically described in figure 2.Mann argues that, as with the substance- field model, all of the terms in the business analogy need to be utilised in the most generic sense possible.
70 Customers and suppliers can therefore be both internal and external to the
organisation, and communication refers to any form of interaction between the
two substances. The starting point here is that all three elements must be
present if a system is to be viable.
4.3.2. Ideality
The TRIZ concepts of ideality and ideal final result (IFR) are both directly
applicable in a business (non-technical) as well as the originally technical
sense. The principle "achieve the function without the resource" has
particular relevance to the likely future evolution of organisation structures,
says Mann.
4.3.3. Trends of evolution
The evolution trend towards increasing ideality also applies in both technical
and non-technical contexts, says Mann.
4.3.4. Substance and object segmentation
This trend which shows objects' transition from the macro to the micro-scale applies to business evolution from the perspectives of both customers (`mass customisation) and organisations (evolution from `blue-collar' to 'machinist' to
`work team' to 'worker' to 'person' for example), says Mann.
The evolution towards 'fields' in a non-technical sense can also be seen as analogous to 'emotions' or 'feelings'. Products, for example, can be tailored
71 to be responsive to not just individual customers, but to individual customer
moods, such as hotel rooms which allow the occupant to alter the feel of a
room through use of variable colour lights.
4.3.5. Mono-bi-poly.
According to Mann the mono-bi-poly trend is particularly evident in symbiotic
marketing applications such as the integration of film, soundtrack and
merchandising in the entertainment industry, and in a number of multi-media
applications. This trend may also be used in their original technical sense, to
identify future product, process and service opportunities.
4.3.6. Law of system completeness
The TRIZ Law of System Completeness states that every technical system can only be complete if it contains the four elements: engine, transmission, control unit, and working unit. In many senses, this model also has relevance in an organisational context.
4.4 TRIZ and other creativity techniques
How effective is TRIZ in relation to other creativity techniques, can TRIZ function in isolation without the use of other techniques or are there inherent deficiencies in this system which needs to be supplemented by other techniques?
72 4.4.1 Penetration area of TRIZ in relation to other creativity techniques
In their discussion of creative methods Zusman and Zlotin (1999) say that
traditionally design, problem solving and creativity have their own main focus.
Creativity focus on the human, problem solving is built around a problem, and
design is built around a system to be developed or improved. The authors
argue that there is a trend toward mutual penetration of these activities. Many
creative techniques include preparation or implementation phases, while
some problem-solving techniques include verification and reformulation. The
steps required can be well-defined, organised and controlled, easy to explain,
learned and utilised with predictable results; or difficult to explain, hard to
follow, poorly controlled, lacking a degree of results, or in other words, those
requiring creativity.
Zusman and Zlotin say creative methods have been aimed at unleashing
natural creativity and eliminating mental blocks, stimulating and mobilising of
resources which are helpful for generating ideas by a group or individual, and knowledge based support to organise, restructure and exploit available knowledge and experience and eventually utilising specially developed external knowledge or innovation knowledge base. The authors classify creative techniques as follows:
4.4.1.1. Conditioning/ motivating/ organising techniques
These techniques help to create an environment that facilitates the removal of various mental blocks, and unleashes creativity, such as Napoleon technique and listening to music.
73
4.4.1.2. Randomising techniques
This technique helps to force an individual to make more random attempts to
solve a difficult problem by overcoming psychological inertia.
4.4.1.3. Focusing techniques
Special focusing techniques help people to focus on one issue at a time.
4.4.1.4. Systems techniques
A system contains a set of random steps to be followed in a specific order.
4.4.1.5. Pointed techniques
With pointed techniques single or multi-step recommendations are offered by
following a predetermined promising direction.
4.4.1.6. Evolutionary directed techniques
These techniques offer directions according to fundamental patterns of
evolution.
4.4.1.7. Innovation knowledge-based techniques
With these techniques structured knowledge, which is derived from past
human innovation experience, is used.
Zusman and Zlotin (1999) say that traditionally techniques, which belong to
the first five groups, were psychological-based. Today they may be combined
74 with knowledge with the development of knowledge-based approaches such
those in groups 6 and 7 (evolutionary directed techniques and innovation
knowledge-base techniques). Table 1 indicates that the various elements are
represented by TRIZ. The most successful technique for operating with
knowledge was offered by Miles's value engineering, which were followed by
morphological analysis, quality function deployment, and FMEA.
Zusman and Zlotin say that the innovation knowledge-base approach to
creativity is relatively new. The first stage of this approach were attempts to
elucidate the intuition of successful inventors in a general way. The next
phase was introduced by the father of TRIZ, Henrich Altshuller. The purpose
of Altshuller's analysis of inventions was to reveal patterns of invention and of
technological evolution. The advantages of innovation knowledge—base
problem solving are that, firstly, accumulation of the best practices in creative
problem solving is possible, secondly, proved knowledge can be assessed,
and thirdly, results are repeatable and do not depend on personal,
psychological issues.
Zusman and Zlotin come to the conclusion that the most significant result of
Altshuller's direction is TRIZ. Today TRIZ, and the TRIZ-based ideation/TRIZ
methodology, are the only innovation knowledge-base and evolutionary- directed techniques that can provide the user with the accumulated power of the world's best inventors and innovations. The TRIZ methodology is the result of integrating a carefully selected set of the most powerful, productive
75 techniques. The integration guarantees its superiority and competitive
advantage.
Table 1: TRIZ evolutionary directed technique
Group
Method 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Source/Reference
Lateral Thinking X X X De Bono
Brainstorming X X
Mind Maps X X Tony Buzan
Lotus Blossom X X Matsumara Yasuo,
Technique Clover Management Research
Fishbone Diagram X X X Kaoru Ishikawa
Why-why Diagram X X
Creative Problem X Parnes (1992)
Solving (CPS) Model lsaksen and Trefflinger (1985)
TRIZ Contradiction X X X X X X
Table and 40 innovation
Principles
TRIZ Ideality Concept X X X X X X
Source: Zusman & Zlotin (1999) adjusted.
76
4.4.2 TRIZ in conjunction with other creativity techniques
Dewulf and Mann (2002) are of the opinion that a systematic programme of
research to compare and contrast different creativity tools, methods and
philosophies in terms of their relevance to primary scientific, engineering and
business applications has concluded that TRIZ currently offers the most
useful foundation for a higher order systematic creativity model. In addition,
some of the methods that can compliment TRIZ have to a certain extent
already been explored with the view of integrating them with TRIZ, such as:
4.4.2.1 Functional Analysis
The general idea of functional analysis is to construct an abstract framework,
suited to deal with various problems from mathematical analysis that perhaps,
at first glance, see to enhance nothing in common, but when all inessentials
are stripped away, appear to be similar. The fundamental objects to be
studied in functional analysis are functions in a system (Pedersen, 2000:11).
Dewulf and Mann (2002) say that TRIZ can be used to make a conceptual
addition to Functional Analysis by using the technique to describe the harmful,
and ineffective and excessive functional relationship in a system, as well as
the harmful ones drawn in classical function analysis. It also offers an
extremely effective means of modelling complexity and defining problems.
4.4.2.2 TRIZ, QFD and Robust Design
Robust Design, just as QFD, draws on many ideas from statistical
experimental design to plan experiments for obtaining dependable information
77 about variables involved in many engineering decisions. It specifically
addresses how to reduce economically the variation of a product function in
the customer's environment. It is an engineering methodology for improving
productivity during research and development so that high-quality products
can be produced, quickly and at low cost (Phadke, 1989:11).
According to Dewulf and Mann (2002) these three complement each other
very well. TRIZ generates solutions that fit the specification, robust design is
about optimising the implementation details of the solution offered, and QFD
captures the voice of the customer and translates it into design specifications.
The major problem that is encountered with QFD is that is fails to capture the
customer expectations accurately. TRIZ is emerging as a more effective
starting point, although QFD can still play a significant role later on.
4.4.2.3. TRIZ and Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a statistical way to describe how much variation exists in a set of
data, a group, or a process. Much emphasis is therefore placed on statistical
data. The problem-solving phase consists of problem definition, data, data
analysis, improve and control (DMAIC) (Pande and Holpp, 2002:27).
Pande and Holpp say that during the problem-solving phase the team can work from a problem statement to implementation of a solution. The team also
interacts with the larger organisation, interviewing customers and gathering data. A project in the Six Sigma context should also have benefit to the customer and business. The team should identify high-priority problems to
78 work on. The business necessity of the project should be articulated and the
problem should be defined.
Problem definition and identification of the contradictions within a system
forms the essence of TRIZ, but statistical measurement is a method of
problem recognition and the resultant deviations in a non-technical system.
Pande and Holpp (2002: 33) say that measurement has two main objectives,
namely, to gather data to validate and quantify the problem, and to begin
teasing out facts that offer clues about causes of the problem. Six Sigma
takes a process view of the business and use that view to set priorities and to
make good decisions about what measures are needed.
In the analysis phase the team delves deep into the details, enhances its
understanding of the problem and identifies the root cause of the problem.
Here a variety of factors are considered. During the improvement phase a variety of creativity techniques are used to help the team with idea generation.
Pande and Holpp (2002:40) describe an organisation and processes as being like rubber bands. As soon as it is left the organisation snaps back to its old shape. This is the objective of the control phase. A monitoring process is developed, a response plan is created to deal with problems that may arise, and management's attention should be focused on the outcomes.
79 Thus, TRIZ lacks structure as far as data gathering, measurement and
continuous improvement is concerned. At the same time it could be useful in
the problem definition phase as well as in the improvement phase. A
technique such as Six Sigma provides a more holistic approach to the
business environment and a more user-friendly application which is required
for acceptance by the organisation.
There are a number of potential useful tools and techniques contained in Six
Sigma. It centres, inter alia, around problem measurement. They offer the
potential for small beneficial advance if they are incorporated into the problem
definition elements of TRIZ.
4.4.2.4. TRIZ and Viable System Model (VSM)
VSM emerged from the study of organisation structures and resulted in two
important findings, say Dewulf and Mann (2002). The first is the identification of the five elements that a system had to contain if it were to be viable. The second is the idea of recursiveness, as well as the discovery that the five element viability test still applied at different hierarchical levels of consideration of a system organisation structure.
The first finding contradicts the TRIZ definition of system completeness and provides a stronger definition of completeness than TRIZ. The second identification is believed to offer significant scope for fundamental conceptual evolution of systematic creativity.
80 Dewulf and Mann conclude that it is fundamental that the evolution of a
systematic creativity model will merge the integration of the different tools and
methods that currently exist. They say that work has barely began to also
explore the potential benefits of other systematic creativity models such as
Chaos Theory, Spiral Dynamics and General Periodicity.
It must be emphasised that there is no single creativity entity that will satisfy
every individual desire. What is more important is due recognition of individual
differences.
4.4.2.5. TRIZ and Six Thinking Hats
Mann (2001) says that although one of the great strengths of TRIZ in relation
to other creativity methodologies is that it is built on solid technical rather than
psychological foundations, the power of TRIZ can be enhanced by
appropriate combinations with the best methods developed by psychology-
based researchers, such as Six Thinking Hats developed by Edward De
Bono. Mann says that the Six Thinking Hats concept is built on the fact that the brain works in different modes depending on the sort of task it is being asked to perform.
Each mode has been identified by a different coloured hat. A White Hat denotes a mode of thinking during which an objective look at data and information is required. A Red Hat denotes the mode of thinking associated with feelings, hunches and intuition. A Black Hat denotes the mode of thinking associated with caution, judgement, and looking at the negative aspects. The
81 Yellow Hat is associated with examining the feasibility and benefits of a given
situation and looking logically at positive aspects. The Green Hat denotes the
mode of thinking associated with generation of new ideas, creative and lateral
thinking, and the blue hat denotes the mode of thinking associated with the
overall control and organisation of the thinking process.
Mann says the problem solver is most likely to require use of the White Hat
thinking strategy during the use of TRIZ problem definition and problem
solving at the following points:
During the initial problem assessment and definition phase when
conducting the first stages of functional analysis;
During the phase in which the problem solver is looking to select the most
appropriate of the TRIZ tools;
Defining the ideal final result and working back to a physical realisable
solution;
When defining contradictions;
When using a functional knowledge base;
When recording generated ideas or solutions;
The Red Hat is used when we are using and relying on our intuition and emotions. We need to be aware of Red Hat thinking and try to use it to positive effect, says Mann. Red Hat thinking can be used as a psychological inertia-breaking tool if use of the TRIZ problem solving tools has not produced viable solutions.
82 Black Hats are most likely to be used at the following points during problem
definition and problem-solving process:
During the initial problem solving phase;
When the harmful, insufficient and excessive functions are identified which
exist in the current system;
During assessment of solutions options when trying to gauge the
weaknesses of the possible solutions;
When answering the question whether the chosen solution is good
enough;
The Yellow Hat is worn when the feasibility and benefits of the potential
solution are examined. Yellow Hat thinking is required at the following points:
When the resources that exist are examined in and around the system.
During assessment of solutions in relation to the relative strengths of the
solution.
When seeking to challenge the validity of the initial defined problem
constraints.
The Green Hat is worn when creativity is seeked and is mostly likely to be used during the following points of the process:
83 ❑ During any point when using the TRIZ problem solving tools translation of
generic solution triggers are sought;
Immediately after the definition stage to realise a large number of
additional ideas;
The Blue Hat is worn when the overall thinking process is organised. It is the
overall organising hat:
During post-session recording of events;
During subversion analysis when trying to ensure that all failure modes are
being adequately traced and recorded;
Mann concludes by saying that the successful use of TRIZ tools demands
that the distinctly different modes of the brain are recognised and that the
appropriate hat is matched to the appropriate part of the overall process.
4.4.2.6 TRIZ and 5W's and H
Apte, Shah and Mann (2001) say that if the 5W's and an H and related techniques are used in conjunction with TRIZ, the techniques are shown to be effective in helping to find the contradictions and harmful effects crucial to successful application of the TRIZ solving tools. The first and main task in inventive problem solving by TRIZ still remains to be the toughest one, and that is to identify and formulate the problem.
TRIZ can be divided into four main stages, namely: evaluate, define, solve and select. Select means the rules and guidelines which influence which of
84 the TRIZ tools are most relevant. The 5W's and an H technique can be used to identify the problem and then to provide a possible solution to it. The technique can be used during each of the TRIZ stages already mentioned. A modified version of the Why-What's-Stopping analysis tool can be used to assist with problem definition. The tool is aimed at overcoming the highly common situation which starts with the statement "the problem is". The authors say countless situations point to the fact that the initial problem definition turns out to be anything but the right one. The tool forces the user to think about the broader and narrower problem by first asking the "Why?" question to broaden the problem, and then "What's stopping?". The scheme can then be broadened and narrowed and the user would obtain vertical stack problem definitions from which the right problem statement should emerge.
Apte, Shah and Mann (2001) describe how the different TRIZ solving tools should influence the 5W's and an H questions that are asked while the problem is being described as follows:
Who has the problem? Identify the person.
What does the problem seem to be? This question is asked in order to
narrow the problem and to focus in on one key issue. The TRIZ tools
should be kept in mind when asking "What?". One should try to specify
conflict or contradictions, harmful and inefficient/useful action/interactions.
85 When does the problem occur? Clearly identify the time related aspects of the
problem. If the time of the conflict, the time just before and after can be
identified, there is a strong basis for identifying physical contradictions which
may be amenable to separation in time.
Where does the problem occur? Determine what is the zone of conflict by
looking at the system and sub-system. The aim should be to keep in mind the
TRIZ physical contradiction solution strategies. Again the question should also
be asked whether there is a physical contradiction amenable to separation in
space and if there is the "where" question is the key to identifying it.
Why does the problem occur? This question can be asked 5 times. The aim
is to broaden the problem and to specifically identify the root causes.
How does the problem occur? It encourages the user to think about the
underlying causes and effects of the problem.
The authors also identify 4 stages of technical system evolution, namely:
synthesis, selection and improvement of parts, dynamisation of parts and self-
development of parts. The 5W's and H technique can be applied to identify the stages of evolution by asking what is the main function of the system, how to improve the parts, how to dynamise the parts, and how to control and automate the function?
86 Furthermore, the technique can be used to identify the parts of a system by
asking what is the source of energy, how is the source connected to the
output, what are the parts that do the work, when/where to control the
limbs/controls, and how to provide consistency/ reliability to actions of the
limbs?
The technique can help to formulate the ideal final result. Ask who has the
problem, what does the customer want, when does the problem occur, where
does the problem occur (zone of conflict), and why does the problem occur,
what is the ideal final result, what are the obstacles to achieving this?
The 5W's and an H can play a strong role across the board in helping to
define the right problem. However, knowledge of the TRIZ problem solving tools should influence how the technique is used in formulating questions
during the problem definition stage.
The above indicates that various creative techniques can be fruitfully combined with TRIZ principles to result in more than the sum of the individual techniques. The underlying methodology of other techniques and their thought processes which are followed in certain instances also corresponds with that of TRIZ. It is submitted that a combination of techniques will always result in a more effective thought process and, ultimately, high level solutions. Although techniques are classified as psychology and methodology based the end result is that with both classifications psychological inertia is more effectively
87 overcome. The use of creativity techniques in tandem helps to expand
solution possibilities.
4.5 Summary
The competence of fast decision making in business and management can be
achieved and enhanced by using a TRIZ-based approach. It replaces the
unsystematic trial-and-error method in the search for solutions in everyday
life, whilst the majority of decisions are based on intuition and personal
experience.
With little effort TRIZ principles can be adapted to business problems without
having to have an in depth understanding of the principle in a technical sense.
There is also no shortage of examples where TRIZ principles can actually be
applied in a non-technical sense and it seems as if the interest in the
applicability of TRIZ in this context continues to grow. A non-technical
problem can also be formulated in terms of a conflict or contradiction with a
positive and negative aspect similar to technical contradictions. By using the
innovation principles or the separation principles for the deepened conflicts,
non-technical problems can be overcome.
It has also been argued that TRIZ is the only innovation knowledge base and evolutionary directed technique that can provide the user with the accumulated power of the world's best innovations.
88 Zusman and Zlotin come to the conclusion that the most significant result of
Altshuller's direction is TRIZ. Today TRIZ, and the TRIZ-based ideation/TRIZ
methodology, are the only innovation knowledge-base and evolutionary-
directed techniques that can provide the user with the accumulated power of
the world's best inventors and innovations. The TRIZ methodology is the
result of integrating a carefully selected set of the most powerful, productive techniques. The integration guarantees its superiority and competitive advantage.
TRIZ need not be applied in isolation but can be complimented by other creative problem solving techniques such as 5W's and an H and Six Thinking
Hats, in the first instance, primarily to assist in the problem definition phase of problem solving. In addition to this the argument is also that a systematic programme of research to compare and contrast different creativity tools and methods in terms of their relevance to primary scientific, engineering and business applications has concluded that TRIZ offers the most useful foundation for a higher order systematic creativity model.
89 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Introduction
In this concluding chapter conclusions are drawn in relation to the study objectives.
The objectives of the study were:
To define "creativity", to understand how people think when they solve
problems, and to identify the major barriers to creative problem solving
and opportunity finding and to investigate whether these barriers can be
over come.
To investigate the essence of TRIZ, its history of development, how it
works, its underlying inventive principles, its psychology and whether it is
an effective problem solving technique in the sense that it is a cure for
barriers to creative thinking.
To investigate whether TRIZ can be applied in a non-technical context as
a creative problem solving technique, whether it can be applied in
conjunction with other creative problem solving techniques and whether it
is effective in relation to other creative problem solving techniques.
To draw conclusions as to the above study objectives from the literature
consulted.
90 5.2 Conclusions
The more one reads about creativity and effective problem solving the
more one realises that it is very difficult to define the concept. In a
business sense it is accepted that the solution or opportunity should be
unique and that it should add some sort of value to the organisation. A
further test in order for a solution to be described as "creative" should be
that the thought process that was followed to reach the solution should not
have been burdened by psychological barriers. Conscious competence is
thus required which would entail that a process is followed to check that
what one thinks one sees is in fact true.
In an unconscious incompetent state the brain is utilised to solve problems
quickly and effectively, not creatively. People mainly use a judgmental
thinking process to solve problems. Judgement has its place in human
thinking and for certain problems time and energy would be wasted
without judgemental thinking. Judgement habits of the past keeps the
problem solver out of trouble, but creative design habits will open up new
opportunities. The aim should be to move forward, to imagine the ideal
solution and to design the future.
Design and effective problem solving can only take place if there is
sufficient information to act upon. From a physiological perspective the
gap between the axon and the dendrite can only be bridged if there is a
welcoming dendrite. But making connections is not enough to regard a
solution as being creative. The whole brain affair indicates that in order to
91 improve creativity man needs to think holistically, utilising both
hemispheres of the brain and consciously being aware of brain
preferences.
Psychological inertia in its various forms represents the many barriers to
personal creativity. Existing paradigms are very difficult to escape from
and they will be used mainly because they have proved to be effective on
previous occasions. This is mainly an unconscious state of mind which
leads one to dig deeper and deeper into the psychological inertia hole. The
study indicates that thinking under psychological inertia is not really
thinking at all. It operates automatically and therefore no effort is required
during such a function. There are other levels of human functions that are
more effective and productive in problem solving.
❑ Despite what is now known about our way of thinking, and solving
problems for that matter, people still regard themselves as very
professional in the way they solve problems. Fact is that people have
different models through which the world is filtered because brains are
wired differently due to a different personal history that leads up to the
separate wirings. The brain automatically takes short cuts and pushes into
certain directions for all kinds of reasons. A brain, which operates under
the laws of psychological inertia, is unreliable when it comes to creative
problem solving. In order to improve the quality of thinking practice is
needed to live out of the pattern. One needs to think differently about
challenges and design problems. Because the unconscious incompetent
92 brain is so unreliable people need creative problem solving techniques to
break through the barriers to creative thinking and to support the thinking
process.
The essence of TRIZ is that technical systems evolve towards ideality by overcoming contradictions mostly with the minimal introduction of
resources. The father of TRIZ, Genrich S Altshuller, developed various techniques which can be applied to technical inventive problems by studying registered patents and identifying the thought processes that were followed during the problem solving process. As with other techniques the aim is to force the problem solver to think in a particular way, for instance, by solving the contradictions, by identifying the problem, by locating the area where the problem exist, etc. TRIZ is based on some
40 inventive principles that can be applied, one after the other, to any particular technical problem. This may be a time consuming process and difficult for beginners, but the overwhelming argument is that technical problems are effectively solved by using TRIZ. It is submitted that the effectiveness depends on the mental abilities of the user and the extent to which he/she is able to understand the underlying inventive principles.
In a psychological context, the overwhelming argument is again that TRIZ is a very useful tool to facilitate the thought process during which one can check whether the brain is operating under the misguiding powers of psychological inertia. The result is therefore that a way is found to review what one thinks one sees. TRIZ provides an alternative focus, which is
93 different from what is normally offered by the brain. It has been argued that
TRIZ fails to present psychological inertia in an organised way. This may be an area for future development that can contribute to making TRIZ more superior to other creativity techniques.
Not much has been written on the use of TRIZ in a non-technical context.
It appears the technique is still in a relatively unexplored stage of
evolution as far as its application in this context is concerned. It cannot be
argued that the given examples are a result of the direct application of
TRIZ is, however, not a stand-alone application and it must be
complemented by other methodologies that perform other functions better that TRIZ or, that TRIZ does not perform. For the future, however, TRIZ
may provide a powerful framework from which to systematically define
and solve business, organisational management type problems. As
indicated by the literature that was consulted, TRIZ tools and methods
have direct or analogous application in a non-technical context. TRIZ is a
powerful addition to the set of problem solving tools available to engineers, organisational developers and strategic planners. To learn
TRIZ will take time and not to have the patience to learn will lead to frustration and failure. To adopt TRIZ in an organisation will also require another paradigm shift.
Creative problem solving techniques, such as 5W's and an H and Thinking
Hats can be utilised to help define the right problem and find the contradictions and harmful effects crucial to the application of TRIZ tools.
94 TRIZ is therefore a flexible system which does not exclude other
techniques in the problem solving process. It is recommended that TRIZ
be enhanced by applying the CPS model in conjunction with other
techniques to facilitate the various important steps in problem solving.
The effectiveness of TRIZ lies in the fact that proven inventive principles
can be applied to a problem in a dialectic way which in itself helps the
user to cope with normal, unreliable thought processes.
In conclusion is must be emphasised that creativity requires a conscious
effort. Talking about it does not have much effect. Before something can
done about it there needs to be an understanding of how people think when it comes to solving problems and finding new opportunities. It is evident that it is no longer enough to talk about solving problems creatively. There is a great need to learn the skills of creative thinking.
Because creative thinking is so much different from our normal analysis/judgement mode of thinking great effort is required. An intelligent analytical thinker does not automatically become a creative designer because it is two different modes of thinking.
TRIZ offers a superior approach not shared by other problem solving tool techniques. It is because of how the brain works, with its multi- layered patches of networks and connections, which are impossible to mimic, that a technique like TRIZ is needed to keep ideas in good order. Ideality thinking is concerned with value and that is why companies and individuals
95 should adapt it. Progress depends on discovery, inventions, creations and design, but it doesn't happen by itself.
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