Idea Techniques (Group B)

In the book THINKERTOYS, Michael Michalko, presents sets of techniques for generating ideas. In my previous post, I covered Group A linear techniques for ideas. In this post, I’ll cover Group B. The Group B linear techniques arranges information in a way so that you move in determined steps toward a new idea.

Key Take Aways

Here are my key take aways:

My favorite example is the Tug-of-War. It’s about reframing and changing the position of negative forces to neutralize thier impact and empower you.
Fitting your challenges into an Idea Box forces you to find new meanings and connections.
I like the Idea Grid’s ability to compress information. I find compressed information is easier to quickly see new patterns and possbilities.
I had a hard time following how to do the Lotus Blossum, but once I figured it out, I like how it helps you track the whole systems of interacting elements.
I like the lightweight and question-driven appraoch to Pheonix.

Techniques

Tug-of-War (Force field analysis) – How to graph a challenge’s positive and negative forces and then maximize the positives and minimize the negatives.
Idea Box (Morphological analysis) – How to identify and box the parameters of a challenge to quickly produce thousands of new ideas.
Idea Grid (FCB grid) – How to find new ideas and creative strategies using a grid to organize complex masses of information.
Lotus Blossom (Diagramming) – How to diagram obstacles and then use them to reach your goal.
Phoenix (Questions) – How to use a checklist of problem-solving questions – originated by the CIA – to guide your thinking.
The Great Transpacific Airline and Storm Door Company (Matrix) – How to create a keyword index and mix and match the key words in a matrix to produce new ideas.
Future Fruit (Future scenarios) – How to project a future scenario in order to take advantage of unexpected opportunities.