Page 92 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

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problem.

What possible solutions emerge from your analogy?

A major use of analogies, and comparisons in general, is the
excursion technique. This technique is usually employed
after more traditional approaches, such as individual or
group brainstorming, or mind mapping, have been attempted

without success. Those involved put the problem aside for a
while and "take an excursion" in their minds. This is essen-

tially a word association exercise that uses visualization. A
word or group of words that are colorful and have a lot of
visual appeal should be used. The problem solvers spend
time constructing fantasies based on the word or words cho-

sen. Then they are asked to make a connection between their
fantasies and the original problem. The "excursion" could

be a trip through a natural history museum, a jungle, a zoo,
or a big city. Numerous companies have used this technique
successfully after other approaches have failed. The excur-
sion technique can be used by an individual but because it is
essentially a group process, it is described in Chapter 5.

SUMMARY OF STEPS

1. Find another field of science or area of endeavor that could pro-

vide an analogy to your problem.
2. Create an analogy that allows you to apply facts, knowledge, or

technology from the other field to your problem
3. Determine what insights or potential solutions this analogy

yields.

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