creativity and heuristics of innovation revised feb 2012

8/3/2019 Creativity and Heuristics of Innovation Revised Feb 2012

1/30

Creativity Processand

Thumb-rules for Innovators

Astad Pastakia

Feb 2012CEPT University- MTM Lab


2/30

Structure of Presentation

Definitions of creativity, innovation

Creativity process Creativity methods/ techniques (chapter 15,

Khandwalla, 2004)

Heuristics (thumb-rules) of Innovation


3/30

Creativity The ability of quality displayed when

Solving hitherto unsolved problems

Developing novel solutions to problems

Developing original and novel products

Parkhurst Howard B (1999)

Over 50 definitions by 1960


4/30

Innovation

Commercial use of scientific discovery or

invention. Schumpeter (1939)

What about non-commercial innovation?

An idea, a practice or objective perceived as

new by an individual or other unit of

adoption. Rogers (1962) What about increase in productivity, efficiency etc?

What factors affect perception of newness?


5/30

Characterizing Innovation

Involves a new and significantly better way of

doing things

Associated with improved productivity orsavings

in costs, effort or time

An idea, practice or productperceived as being

new and better by the innovator or by an external

observer (Perception being influenced by the context and world-views of the

people involved)

Pastakia (1996)


6/30

Innovation types Ranges from Incrementalimprovements to

Radicalchanges

Evolutionary vs.Revolutionary Innovation However there are shades of grey:

Merely an elaboration of an idea

Higher effort resulting in an improvement

Higher still a superior synthesis of previouslyunrelated ideas, perspectives, themes

Highest a genuine transformation that is revolutionaryin impact (Ainsworth-Land, 1982)


7/30

Six types of Innovation

A new productto satisfy existing want

A new productto satisfy a new wantthat iscreated e.g. pollution control device

Conquest of a new source of raw material

A new process to produce existing product

Discovering a new marketfor an existing

product

A new method of organisingand managing- Schumpeter, 1939


8/30

Creativity Process

Alternates between divergentandconvergentthinking

Needs both holistic and reductionistic

thinking

Creativity process models

4 overlapping stages: Preparation, incubation,

illumination, verification (Graham Wallas,1983)

Khandwallas model: page 213, inLifelongCreativity (2004)


9/30

Divergent thinking

Associative thinking(X reminds me of Y,reminds me of Z etc.) smell of biogas waste

Analogical thinking(comparisons withsimilar phenomenon in some other contextor framework) anthill and air conditioning

Imaginative thinking wishful thinking,

day-dreaming benzene ring: snakes eatingsnakes in circles

Intuitive thinking- gestalt


10/30

Convergent thinking

Clarificatory mechanisms defining, listing components, analogies, comparisons)

Analytical mechanisms

Breaking problem into components, classifications, steps, abstractformulations

Synthesis mechanisms Seeking pattern among components, unity in diversity, whole in the

parts, aggregation,converging towards solution

Optimizing mechanisms

Refining solution through substitution, addition, deletion,

modification, alternation of parts till optimal solution reached (Pgs194-195, Khandwalla, 2004)

Critical thinking Follows logical pathways and stops lines of thought that are

inconsistent with known facts and accepted theories (Beveridge,

1980)


11/30

Creativity techniques

172 techniques reviewed by Gerald Smith (198)

Khandwalla describes six in detail:Brainstorming(Osborn ) - most common and popular,

enhanced through ICT

Checklist of questions (set of simple heuristics, veryuseful)

Attribute changing(Robert Crawford) andMorphological analysis (Zwicky)

Synetics uses lot of divergent thinking, revolutionaryideas possible, developed by Boston based Synetics Inc.

Breakthroughby Khandwalla specifically for humanproblems

Heuristics (Thumb-rules) of innovation (Pastakia, 1996)


12/30

Heuristic

A procedure for searching out an unknown goal by

incremental exploration; a guiding principle which

which reduces the amount of search required. -

Polya1972, in Bullock et. al. 1988)

to reach the top of an unfamiliar hill in a fog,

a useful heuristic (thumb-rule) would be tomake every step an upward one rather than

trying steps in all directions.


13/30


Note: Colour Code

Greater potential for revolutionary ideas /

innovations.

Greater potential for incremental innovations.

Greaterpotential for developing sustainable

technologies


14/30


15/30


16/30


Reshaping/ Restructuring

Buddha shaped pears by Chinese farmer

Square shaped water melons for mechanical handling

Dwarf variety of wheat (revolutionary) Check-dam with semi-circular loops

Hybridization/ Fusion of two or more ideas,systems, processes

Internet phone Computer- TV

Edutainment


17/30


Substitution

Of components, sub-systems, materials, energy sources,

medium etc)

Total substitution possible in case of materials, energysource, medium)

Bamboo cycle, hand-pump (material)

Bullock drawn, mechanical generators (energy)

Digital lock (sub-system)

Solar, hydrogen-cell, electric vehicle (energy)

Fly-ash bricks, mud bricks for buildings (material)

Local language e-mail (medium)


18/30


Re-surfacing

Incorporating waste plastic in roads to improvestrength and smoothness

Resurfacing buildings, vehicles with nano-technology based paints - non-toxic, water-proof, corrosion-proof

Re-calibration

Nafatia (Ipomea) extract as pesticide (extract intea cup toxic enough to kill a goat), dhatura,chili powder


19/30


Inversing/ Seeking Opposite perspective

Animals eat plants but can plants eat animals?Study of carnivorous plants that eat insects

Statue in Salarjung museum

Simulation/ Modeling

Lunar buggy based on studies of models of

locomotion by various insects, spiders etc.Synthetic molecules to make drugs by modeling

molecules of herbal drugs.


20/30


Miniaturization Nano-technology applications

Walk-man, I-pod

Integrated circuits (chips) Mini-tractor/ power-tiller

Magnification

Ordinary cupboard can be magnified to serve as

a partition wall with cupboards on both sides Magnetic black-board

From mitti-cool to zero-energy cold storage


21/30


Reviving old product/ idea/ concept in

present context

Kunup Jalfrom Vrukshayurveda

Jhodads to revive Aravari river in Rajasthan

Adapting product / idea/ concept to a

different context or for different use

Groundnut harvester adapted as beach cleaner

Golf-ball picker adapted to leaf-litter remover


22/30


Using untapped potential (un-utilized

qualities) of resources/ products

Electrical energy from footfalls in public places

Tapping energy from braking cycle/ vehicle

Cow-dung cells to charge cell-phone

Mechanization/ de-mechanization

Mechanical torch light charger

Bicycle operated pump

Bullock drawn generator


23/30


Looking for anomalies in the system, spottingsomething unusual (discovery to innovation) Off-types in a field of crops

Discovery of micro-waves popping of maize seeds

Seven year old blind child who can see well with hisears (TOI, 7/10/09)

Baba who survives without food or water

Modular approach to problem/ breaking probleminto sub-problems Aruni bullock cart with turning and tilting mechanisms

Dealing with drought meeting drinking water, food,fodder security


24/30


Analogous search through memory

Ground-nut harvester with double blade based

on analogy of Gillets double blade for shavingVavdingused as anti-fungal medicine for

children, could be used as fungicide in crops

Using personal analogy

Development of certain anti-viral drugs by

imagining to be the virus in blood stream


25/30


Restating the problem

Pen which does not rely on gravity for astronauts by

NASA - ball pen developed (Soviets used pencil!) Imagining solution, working backwards (Fantasy

Analogy)

Video phone

Cloning human beings

Aero-bike/ car


26/30


27/30


Applying underlying principle used in otherproducts/ innovations/ systems Application ofSRI (system of rice intensification) to

millets

Minimising waste and recovering resources fromexisting waste materials Waste gypsum from fertilizer plant to treat saline and

alkaline soils

Use of fly-ash from thermal power plant to manufacturebricks

Use of human hair to make wigs at Tirupathi

Nirula ice-cream washed material used as milk-shake


28/30


Reusing/ Recycling materials

Bodies of 60-70 year old cars retrofitted with

diesel engines in Junagadh as rural taxis.

Broken bathroom tiles used by AMC to make

benches for public gardens

Tooth brush plastic to make plastic logs for

benches in US Land-fill area covered up and used as airport


29/30


De-manufacturing and remanufacturing

Life of different components in a machine different.

Recover and reuse the ones whose life still remaining

Xerox machines, computers, electronic goods

Removing/ minimising negative externalities

(environmental/social) of existing

products/processes

Radiation risk in radiology, CT scan etc.

Air-pollution from vehicles


30/30


Questioning assumptions

Can cycle be driven only on hard surface? Why

not on water led to amphibious bicycle

Eye of the needle why should it be less than a

millimeter only?

Can soap only be used with water?

creativity and heuristics of innovation revised feb 2012

Documents