Innovation in Practice Blog

January 19, 2021
Published by Danny Ozment at January 19, 2021
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Mastering Creative Thinking: Two Techniques to Make Creative Thinking Stick

Becoming even just a little bit more creative will enhance what you do every day – whether at work, at home, or just about anywhere.  But […]
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January 12, 2021
Published by Danny Ozment at January 12, 2021
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The Creative Power of Thinking Big: How to Improve Your Ideas with One Simple Trick

Think big. You’ve probably heard that a lot of times.  As leaders, we need to be more aggressive, take more risks, and challenge ourselves to think […]
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January 5, 2021
Published by Danny Ozment at January 5, 2021
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The Temptation of Creative Ideas: How We View Ideas Differently Depending on the Source

The next time you come up with a great idea, don’t share it with anyone! Sounds absurd, right? Here’s a better way of saying that: If […]
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December 29, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at December 29, 2020
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You’re Awesome! How Sarcasm Enhances Creativity

Sarcasm is the idea of using irony in a way to mock somebody or to insult them. While sarcasm can be insulting and hurtful to somebody, […]
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December 22, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at December 22, 2020
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The Golden Rule of Creativity

The golden rule says that you should treat others as you want them to treat you.  Now, the golden rule of creativity states that if you […]
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December 15, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at December 15, 2020
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Where There’s Hope, There’s Creativity: The 5 Modes of Hoping

Do you feel like you’re never going to get any creative stuff going?  Well, never lose hope – because hope is a prerequisite to be creative. […]
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December 8, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at December 8, 2020
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What Makes Something Creative? The Characteristics of Highly Innovative Ideas

What is it about some products and services that make them more innovative and more creative than other products?  What is their secret ingredient? Well, it […]
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December 1, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at December 1, 2020
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Have You Reached Your Creative Peak?

Do you feel you’ve reached your optimum level of creativity? If not, when is that going to happen? And if yes, how do maintain that level […]
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November 24, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at November 24, 2020
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Finding Your Creative Sweet Spot: How to Make an Idea More Appealing

Not all ideas are equal. Some are okay, some are great. But don’t just throw those okay ideas away. The key is to find that creative […]
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November 17, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at November 17, 2020
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Six Best Books on Creativity: The Classics that Teach the How and Not the Why

If you like creativity and innovation, there are a lot of great books out there that cover just a wide range of topics. So how do […]
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February 11, 2013
Published by boydadmin at February 11, 2013
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Marketing Innovation: The Metaphor Tool Using the Division Pattern

The Metaphor is the most commonly used tool in marketing communications because it is a great way to attach meaning to a newly-launched product or brand. The Metaphor Tool takes a well-recognized and accepted cultural symbol and manipulates it to connect to the product, brand, or message. The tool is one of eight patterns embedded in most innovative commercials. Jacob Goldenberg and his colleagues describe these simple, well-defined design structures in their book, "Cracking the Ad Code," and provide a step-by-step approach to using them. The tools are:
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March 3, 2014
Published by boydadmin at March 3, 2014
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The Multiplication Technique: Multiplying Your Problems Away

One very effective—but nonintuitive—way to use Multiplication is to multiply the most offending component in a problem and then change it so that it solves the problem. Yes, you actually make more of the very thing you are trying to discard. The key is to duplicate the nastiest component and imagine a scenario in which that copy could offer useful characteristics. Two researchers used this very technique and revolutionized the way we cope with dangerous insect species today.
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April 14, 2014
Published by boydadmin at April 14, 2014
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The Division Technique: Cutting Innovation Down to Size

You can frequently make groundbreaking innovations simply by dividing a product into “chunks” to create many smaller versions of it. These smaller versions still function like the original product, but their reduced size delivers benefits that users wouldn’t get with the larger, “parent” product. This is one of three approaches of the Division Technique called “Preserving Division.”
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September 15, 2014
Published by boydadmin at September 15, 2014
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Innovation Sighting: The Division Technique in Vision Correcting Displays

Innovation is anything that is new, useful, and surprising. "Surprising" means that the idea makes you slap your forehead and say, "Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Here's a great example. Researchers at the MIT Media Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have developed a new display technology that automatically corrects for vision defects — no glasses (or contact lenses) required. It is a classic and clever example of the Divison Technique, one of the five techniques in Systematic Inventive Thinking.
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March 9, 2015
Published by boydadmin at March 9, 2015
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Daylight Savings Time: Innovation Past Its Prime

Daylight savings time is a great example of the Division Technique, one of five in the innovation method called SIT, short for Systematic Inventive Thinking. Division works by taking a component of a product or the product itself, then dividing it physically or functionally and rearranging back into the system. Daylight savings time is the result of taking the standard day, dividing it and shifting it to "appear" an hour off from standard time. It's a great idea except for one problem - the benefit of this innovation is no longer realized. Daylight savings served a purpose early in its history, but is obsolete today.
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October 19, 2015
Published by boydadmin at October 19, 2015
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Structural Fixedness: A Barrier to Creativity

Imagine you’re driving down the highway, and you notice a flag waving in the distance. But something’s not right. The flag is upside down. You’d notice it right away because it’s not in its usual position that you have seen hundreds of times before.
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April 11, 2016
Published by boydadmin at April 11, 2016
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The Division Technique: Cut Your Challenges Down to Size

The division technique works by dividing a product or its components functionally or physically and then rearranging them back into the product. Division is a powerful technique because it forces you to break fixedness, especially structural fixedness. Division forces you to create configurations by rearranging components in ways you were not likely to have done on with on your own.
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August 18, 2020
Published by Danny Ozment at August 18, 2020
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Divide and Conquer – How to Use the Division Technique

A common misconception is that creativity is a gift you are born with. People believe that if they don’t have it right from birth, they have […]
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