Page 162 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

the group. I hr. all to apprehcnkl !snotty tl u

presented and, in most ((Ise. , their interrelationshi)s. I'I' U

Japanese appcar to he much more visually oriented than

their U.S. counterparts, and this has helped them improve

their creativity. Most authors on creativity agree that mem-

bers of U.S. organizations need to improve their visualization

skills in order to become more creative.

4. Analysis of inputs proceeds from this point with appro-
priate attention to the cultural environment. In Japan, this
means that comments must be phrased so as to allow oth-
ers to "save face."

SUMMARY OF STEPS

1. The problem is identified.
2. Participants write down their solutions.
3. Participants read their ideas aloud.
4. Those with no or only a few original ideas can read piggybacked

ideas as well as their own.
5. Ideas are explained aloud and in detail.
6. An idea map is drawn.
7. Ideas are discussed and evaluated in a face-saving manner.

85/21. MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS 101
CREATIVE
Morphological analysis was developed by Fritz Zwicky. As PROBLEM
you can see in Figure 5.2 it involves a matrix. On the vertical SOLVING
axis are listed particular characteristics, adjectives, adverbs, TECHNIQUES
prepositions, and the like. On the horizontal axis appears
another set of objectives, characteristics, factors, adjectives, 147
adverbs, verbs, and so on. The purpose of the analysis is to
force one set of characteristics and words against another to
create new ideas. Typically, problem characteristics may be
listed on one of the axes and a verbal, prepositional, or rela-
tional checklist on the other. But any number of factors may
be placed on either axis. The important point is to choose
factors that may provide new insights into the problem, ob-
ject, or other focus of the problem-solving effort. In a three-
dimensional matrix, a third set of factors can be used.

The advantage of morphological analysis is that numerous
ideas can be generated in a short period. A 10 x 10 matrix