[ Innovation ]
Mmm … Some paints are pink . But where does that pinkness come from ? Perhaps it ’ s the result of crushing bricks , and then dispersing the fine powder within some suitable liquid . So , maybe I can use a brick to make paint … And although bricks are relatively cheap , they do have value . So , perhaps bricks could be used as a currency … That might be a bit clumsy , but in principle , the UK could settle its national balance-ofpayments with the US by paying in bricks ! Oh ! Wait a minute … That sounds odd , but that ’ s exactly what happens ! Those bricks , though , are not made of clay , but of gold … You see how the ideas are flowing . And some – probably many – of the ideas are pretty poor . But not all . There are some nuggets too , and it ’ s the nuggets that matter . And in uncovering the nuggets , there ’ s a lot of ‘ spoil ’ that needs to be gone through , and then discarded . So don ’ t be concerned about that : creativity – having ideas – must be non-judgmental ; the evaluation of those ideas can happen later .
Concepts with baggage Let me get behind what ’ s happening . Concepts like ‘ brick ’ come with baggage . As soon as we read ‘ brick ,’ we immediately think ‘ building ’. This ‘ baggage ’ is of course important , for it tells us what the word brick means . But it is also a trap that channels our thinking , constraining what we think about , making it quite difficult to spot unusual ways of using bricks ; ways that are different from a brick ’ s intended use but ways that are , in principle , plausible . In describing a brick , we get under the surface and identify specific , individual ,
1 . Define the focus of attention
attributes – such as those associated with its shape , colour and value – each of which can be thought about separately . This is an instance of the deeper principle of ‘ unlearning ’ in which a complex concept , such as a brick – or , more realistically , ‘ how we currently deal with greenhouse gases ’ or ‘ how our product wears ’ – is decomposed into its underlying elements . It provides a platform for being creative by asking that fundamental question : “ How might [ this ] be different ?” ( see above ). My examples of dealing with greenhouse gases and product wear are not just random – rather , I chose them from the July / August 2022 issue of Stainless Steel World , which is jampacked with examples . In the lead article , “ Carbon Neutral by 2050 ,” we read that Aperam has recently acquired ELG , “ moving us
InnovAction ! How to have great ideas on demand
5 . Discuss
2 . Individually and in silence , write down everything you know about the agreed focus of attention
6 . Repeat steps 4 and 5 for a different feature
4 . Choose one feature , and ask ‘ How might this be different ?’
3 . Share
towards a business model based entirely on circular principles .” At some time in the past , one feature of the Aperam business model , a feature of how they used to deal with greenhouse gases , must have been ‘ we don ’ t operate fully according to circular principles .’ How might this be different ? That question has many possible answers , one of which is to acquire ELG , as actually happened . And the article “ Improving wear and galling in hydrogen applications ” includes these words : “ In the past , this problem was countered with traditional wear protection methods such as component coatings .” How might this be different ? A team of Danish engineers answered this by developing the Expanite ® surface hardening process , which is not a coating , but rather a way of changing the composition of the surface of the steel itself by incorporating carbon and nitrogen atoms . I don ’ t know whether these examples actually used the InnovAction ! process . But they might have , for it would have achieved the same results . So try it yourself . It works !
Recent Stainless Steel World articles featured examples of innovative change .
About the author
Dennis Sherwood runs his own consulting company , The Silver Bullet Machine Manufacturing Company Ltd , specialising in all aspects of organisational creativity and innovation . Dennis is the author of many articles and 15 books , including Creativity for Scientists and Engineers – A practical guide , published by the UK Institute of Physics in August 2022 .
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