Newton’s third law of motion states that “Every action is accompanied by an equal and opposite reaction. And, these forces always occur in pairs”. This simple law reveals that a reactive force cannot exist without an active counterpart.
An answer is a reaction of opposition, agreement or indifference to a previous action. The magnitude or quality of an answer largely depends on the question. The principles in the art of conversation instruct that desired results depend on the right answers, and the right answers depend on the right questions.
This truth is especially critical in creative thinking and ideation, where optimal results are desired.
A simple way to build a strong question is to phrase it around an Invitational Stem.
An Invitational Stem is the beginning part of a question that focuses on very specific phrasing. The focus on the phrasing is what creates a great question, thus resulting in a great answer. The key structure of the phrase is:
“In what ways might we…..”?
“In what ways might we increase productivity?” is a better question than “How do we increase productivity?”, or “Let’s increase productivity!”
The term “How?” is narrow-focused and asks for a specific. “Ways” is broad, open-ended and encourages creative thought.
Another great phrase alternative is:
“How might we…”?
“Might…” implies a greater level of curiosity, wonder and experimenting.
In ideation, quantity is a value as much as quality.
A truly innovative idea must fill a specific human desire and need.
If an idea lacks value by not filling a need, it is only a novelty item and cannot be called an Innovation. An individual can be highly creative and find an innovative household solution, yet lack the capacity to market their idea as a real-world, useful solution – an Innovation.
Not enough time is spent developing ideas that are useful.
This is genius innovation! A labeling system that reacts to the product and tells a story.
Consumers are conscious over the quality of food products they purchase, and often the concern is just as equal over the legitimacy of food labels.
To solve this problem, To-Genkyo designed a food label that changes color by reacting to ammonia given off when food is spoiling. If the product is no longer edible, the change of color makes the barcode non-scannable.
The greatest ideas typically result from Abductive Reasoning, where one looks at a set of seemingly unrelated data with the understanding that a solution is there.
Two additional reasoning methods can be used to develop ideas and explore opportunities, Deductive and Inductive Reasoning.
Deductive Reasoning (DR) begins with a Theory, an observation or speculation about a particular interest or subject; a belief. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, a definition of Theory is a “supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, esp. one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.” A Hypotheses is then formed around the Theory, to provide an explanation that is not based on concrete evidence. Through a series of testing, observations and prototyping the Theory is proven either true or false. DR works from the general to the specific.
Application: DR works well with existing ideas (products, services, beliefs). Implementing DR in a creative session can expose weaknesses of a particular idea, thus providing an opportunity to improve the idea, or create a new one.
Inductive Reasoning (IR) works from the specifics (observations, testing, prototyping) to the general (The Theory).
Application – IR is a great tool that can be used by entrepreneurs to identify and capitalize on trends. By observing cultural nuances, social shifts and early-adopter behaviors, theories can be concluded and turned into entrepreneurial opportunities.
Having a broader understanding of reasoning and logic, additional approaches are available for identifying and generating ideas.
Complacency and apathy are the beginning of a downward spiral; for individuals and organizations. In the context of productivity and accomplishment, a forward tension exists between two factors; Skill Level and Challenge Level.
Skill – the ability to do something well; expertise Challenge – a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities
Both factors are organic, ever-changing and expandable. Therefore individuals and organizations have the ability to maximize the output of ideas, innovations and productivity by identifying and intentionally balancing the Skill and Challenge levels.
Flow theory, coined by Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is the mental state of performance when an individual with a task at hand experiences energized focus, complete involvement, and achievement.
Flow is focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. In flow the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. To be caught in the ennui of depression or the agitation of anxiety is to be barred from flow. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task. (Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman)
According to Mihaly, three condition must be present to achieve Flow:
One must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals. This adds direction and structure to the task.
One must have a good balance between the perceivedchallenges of the task at hand and his or her own perceivedskills. One must have confidence that he or she is capable to do the task at hand.
The task at hand must have clear and immediate feedback. This helps the person negotiate any changing demands and allows him or her to adjust his or her performance to maintain the flow state.
If one possesses highly developed and unique skills, and applies the expertise in a non-challenging context – feelings of relaxation, boredom and dissatisfaction will accompany the task, ultimately leading towards apathy and complacency. Similarly, if one places themselves in a highly challenging situation without having the right skill set, feelings of anxiety and worry will arise – also resulting in apathy and complacency.
Therefore, by balancing high levels of Skill and Challenge, an individual and organizations are able to generate high output of ideas, productivity, satisfaction and forward momentum.
Given the organic nature of Skill and Challenge, one must continually strive to develop skills, and apply the skills in highly challenging situations.
Abductive Reasoning is at the heart of Creativity, including Innovation, Design Thinking, and all other methods and visionary goals. The most ground-breaking ideas resulted from looking at a set of seemingly unrelated components.
Abductive reasoning typically begins with an incomplete set of observations and proceeds to the likeliest possible explanation for the set. Abductive reasoning yields the kind of daily decision-making that does its best with the information at hand, which often is incomplete. (Source Link)
Our imaginations follow this type of thinking pattern. It is ideas and thoughts that at first appear absurd and ridiculous. Einstein regularly experimented using this method to explore the world around him.
Action: Using small note cards, write down anything that captures your attention during the course of a week (things, objects, ideas, products/services used, food consumed, tangible, intangible, etc.). At the end of the week, take the inventory of cards and force yourself to find relationships, trends, opportunities and ideas – regardless of how ludicrous that may be.
What was the question asked that inspired the development of Anti Wi-Fi Paint to neutralize radio frequencies. Certainly it was not “Let’s make paint that will neutralize wave frequencies“. The question asked was, “How can we stop radio frequencies from traveling through unwanted spaces and environments?”
The end-results heavily depend on the coining and molding of the right question. Here’s a simple exercise to mold a great question:
Begin with your initial question/statement – whether it’s a challenge, a problem or an opportunity at hand
Write it down across the top of a page
Identify key words in your statement
Using a Thesaurus, begin to create variations of your statement by replacing the key words
Statements and questions with fresh perspectives will begin to form. Pay close attention to the variations.
Below is a very basic example to illustrate the point. For a creative entrepreneur and an innovator, each statement opens very different possibilities and solutions:
How can I travel to Miami more quickly (original statement)
A collaborative project by Bonnier R&D for a Magazine Reader. One of the major problems with current eReaders is their inability to read and display magazines and rich imagery.
The concept aims to capture the essence of magazine reading, which people have been enjoying for decades: an engaging and unique reading experience in which high-quality writing and stunning imagery build up immersive stories.
The concept uses the power of digital media to create a rich and meaningful experience, while maintaining the relaxed and curated features of printed magazines. It has been designed for a world in which interactivity, abundant information and unlimited options could be perceived as intrusive and overwhelming.
