06 June, 2005
Creative thinking – providing synaesthetic solutions to complex challenges.
Conventional avenues of enquiry.There can be few senior people in organisations who believe there are any simple solutions to today’s complex and elastic questions, but they do need answers nonetheless. What they fear most and what they often get from conventional avenues of enquiry are not answers but, frustratingly, yet more questions.
No one would suggest that there is a single sure-fire method of coming up with right answers, yet ultimately senior managers are paid to make decisions and they have to stand by them. They should leave no stone unturned in the search for a right solution and experience tells them that answers often come from the most unlikely sources. A flash of inspiration can condemn a pile of research and focus group reports to the re-cycle bin.
Synaesthetic problem solving methods can be applied to a number of different scenarios with refreshing results, from seeking a second opinion when your feelings tell you things are not right, or when the commissioned research just does not add up, through to cracking a persistent and ongoing problem.
New ways to provide unexpected results.
The thinking method which utilises non-linear connections leads to a quick understanding of the business and a grasp of the crucial issues, without the need to question and examine every detail. Illogicality is not dismissed in the search for a solution and disparate concepts can be arranged and organised in new ways to provide unexpected results.
The analogy of a chef instinctively reaching into different pots for ingredients that naturally fit together, yet mixed in unusual ways to produce original and surprising results, is a good one. The results of synaesthetic creative thinking are often presented as ingredients drawn together and ready for the client to add the final flavouring – their unique business perspective – prior to serving.
The client’s contribution is a vital one, and when their knowledge and experience are blended with some original thinking, the combination produces excellent results. 
06 June, 2005
‘A problem is the difference between what we have and what we want.’ Edward de Bono
How does my synaesthesia help in problem solving?
There are various paths towards creating a final product or solution and even the most brilliant minds differed in their approach.
Mozart described his method of composing in a letter: When I am.. say travelling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the nights when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not; nor can I force them... When I proceed to write down my ideas, I take out the bag of my memory, if I may use that phrase, what has previously been collected... the committing to paper is done quickly enough, for everything is, as I said before, already finished; and it rarely differs on paper from what it was in my imagination.
Such a seemingly haphazard approach contrasts greatly with Edison who enforced upon himself an ideas quota of one minor invention every ten days and a major invention every six months.
This is how I work.
When set a task I see the shadowy shapes of all the components floating in my mind. It is difficult to describe but I can organise abstract ideas in this three-dimensional mind-space.
As I think about the problems, unexpected and random connections grow organically between these shadowy objects and a solution begins to form. I try to fit concepts and ideas together like colourful building blocks, some bits fit but others don't.
How problem solving really works.
If all that sounds a little wacky then it is worth thinking about how problem solving really works and there is no single method that succeeds in all cases. There has been a long argument, impossible to resolve, between two opposing bodies of opinion.
The ‘white coats’ favour research based answers and are exemplified by the popular theories of the Russian engineer and scientist, Genrich Altshuller. In the 1940s he and his colleagues perfected ‘TRIZ’ (the Russian acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) which is widely used today .
A more creative approach is taken by ‘black coats’ who rely on experience, intuition and opinion taking to find answers.
The structured form of Creative Problem Solving developed by Alex Osborn and Sidney Parnes in the 1940s laid out six logical steps of brainstorming which throw up as many ideas as possible to quickly reach a solution.
Likewise synectics devised by W.J.J. Gordon and G. M. Prince has been in use for over thirty years and is a free-thinking metaphorical method which uses trigger questions to bounce around as many unrelated ideas as possible to explore every possiblity however outlandish or improbable.
While all equally valid methods, an inability to categorise the latter styles leaves many businesses wary of taking the risk but is it all so black and white?
Choosing the right method for the job.
It goes without saying that research is a vital part of problem solving. Traditional research is particularly suited to situations where tangible things can be measured. For example, measuring TV audiences with professional market research tools provides results which unequivocally rank programmes by popularity but does little to explain why one was more popular than the other.
That is where the less structured approach of the ‘black’ coats come in. How do you know which method to use?
Where should synaesthetic problem solving be used? There are many problems which defy traditional research based analysis and evaluation often because answers do not exist in the form originally expected. People can feel completely boxed in by intractable problems with every avenue leading to a dead end or worse still – more questions.
In 1968 a repositionable adhesive was mistakenly developed at 3M but nobody could think of a use for it. Art Fry, another 3M employee was meanwhile grappling with the personal problem of fly-away bookmarks. He put the two ideas together and so the Post-It® note was born. The answer arrived from a completely different dimension than anticipated. Does this sound surreal?
Is it a kind of three-dimensional feng shui?
Just about everyone likes to arrange things whether it be the items on their desk or pictures on a wall. We know when the arrangement is done because that is when it ‘feels’ right.
Go a step further and abstracts and ideas can be arranged within an inner mental space. Synaesthetic problem solving combines this with the feel shapes have in the mind i.e. a broadly based TV audience ‘feels’ very different from a special interest group.
Difficult to explain but a synaesthete is drawing on many responses rather than the obvious compartmentalising of ideas.
Over eight million copies have been sold of ‘Mind Map’ written by Tony Buzan, the world authority on thinking skills who uses techniques known to Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and Picasso to help unlock the power of the brain.
His technique is to train the mind to produce networks of patterns rather than work in a linear way which uses a single idea to generate the next. There are many similarities here with the way a synaesthete thinks naturally in that seemingly disparate concepts can be arranged and organised in new ways to provide unexpected results.
A Final Thought.
Conventional problem solving is painstaking, structured and thorough. Like a squirrel looking for nuts it gathers facts along the way, following the information trail but perhaps ignoring things that may have proved useful if considered from another angle or should the problem take a different turn at a later stage. When the results are presented the problem solver feels confident that they have the facts but consider the fate of the Sinclair C5.
On paper this vehicle was the future of travel and claimed to be ‘a revolution in personal transport’. It was carefully designed to be a utilitarian environmentally-friendly town vehicle.
Vast quantities of money were poured into its manufacture and marketing but when it made its debut in London traffic the drawbacks became clear. The driver was at bumper height in the event of a collision with another vehicle, there was poor visibility in traffic and exhaust fumes were just about at face level.
In retrospect the concept was ill-conceived but no doubt great research had convinced the designers of its merit. On the other hand a synaesthetic problem solver isn’t so sure but the method will not have been a linear one. All options will have been explored and no potential problem ignored. The result may be surprising and unconventional but then remember the scoffing of the scientific community when Edison unveiled the light bulb…
06 June, 2005
A good problem solver will quickly understand your business and provide impartial and refreshingly different solutions.
Or do you put all your trust in men in white coats?
As Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001) said, ‘It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.’ He makes the point that there are various paths towards creating solutions and even the most brilliant minds differ in their approach.
Mozart described his method of composing in a letter: ‘It is when I am... say travelling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal… that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. When I proceed to write down my ideas, I take out the bag of my memory… what has previously been collected...'
Such a seemingly haphazard approach contrasts greatly with Edison who enforced upon himself an ideas quota of one minor invention every ten days and a major invention every six months.
White and black coats
There is no single method that succeeds in all cases. The ‘white coats’ favour research-based problem solving as exemplified by the Russian engineer and scientist, Genrich Altshuller. In the 1940s he and his colleagues perfected ‘TRIZ’, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving.
A less rigid approach is taken by ‘black coats’ who rely on experience, intuition and opinion taking to find answers.
Creative Problem Solving by brainstorming was developed by Alex Osborn and Sidney Parnes in the 1940s, W.J.J. Gordon and G. M. Prince devised a free-thinking metaphorical method which uses trigger questions to bounce around unrelated ideas however outlandish or improbable.
Are experts the answer?
Businesses exploring alternative ways of solving problems are likely to have already tried using experts, and found that however impartial, they cannot help but recommend a solution rooted in their specialisation. If they have tried a panel of experts they have probably found each one fighting their own corner and little or no progress being made.
Is it a kind of three-dimensional feng shui?
It deserves an explanation. Just about everyone likes to arrange things, whether it be the items on a table or pictures on a wall, and they know when the arrangement is done when it ‘feels’ right.
Go a step further and abstract objects and ideas can be arranged until they ‘feel’ right within a mind space. Synaesthetic problem solving does just this.
No linear process
A synaesthete is drawing on many responses rather than obvious compartmentalising of ideas, not unlike Mozart and his ‘bag of memory’. There are other similarities with Mozart’s experience in the way a synaesthete thinks naturally allowing seemingly disparate concepts to be arranged and organised in new ways to provide unexpected results.
Rather than having a pile of reports, equally important thinking research is done by unconsciously pulling together the various strands of the problem and scrutinizing them with experience and learning.
Solving today’s complex problems
For the kind of elastic and complex problems facing businesses today synaesthetic problem solving has a key advantage in its lack of linearity.
The ‘white’ coats are thorough and can provide good answers to problems provided there are logical steps to be taken and no leaps of imagination required, but when it comes to linking disparate elements, like phone and frog a different kind of problem solving is required.
A formal white-coat process inevitably leads to a recommendation, a solid, bullet-pointed conclusion to the report. This type of conclusion can be over-confident and leave the business with little choice but to accept or reject it. All is well if it is accepted, otherwise valuable time has been wasted.
Synaesthetic problem solvers provide answers often in the form of a set of ingredients drawn together and ready to be served, with the business adding the final flavouring – in the form of its unique business perspective.
The most important thing I have learnt as a practitioner is that the creative process can be much more effective and productive if it is well managed. I asked myself if this experience could be put to use to help others, and the answer has been most emphatically yes.
My experience tells me that in the right environment, managed sensitively, creatives can achieve amazing things but managed poorly they can be a disaster.
Those commissioning work also need help to interact in the right way with their creative partners.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking – providing synaesthetic solutions to complex challenges.
‘A problem is the difference between what we have and what we want.’ - Edward de Bono
A good problem solver will quickly understand your business and provide impartial and refreshingly different solutions.
Click on the titles to find out more or on 
to see a short slide show.
Speaking Creative
Speaking Creative – how it improves results through clearer, better focused better communication.
It is all about what you say and how you say it.
A creative speaker acts as an intermediary andprovides a clear channel of communication, avoiding costly misunderstandings.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Measuring & Auditing
Service auditing - measuring the quality, efficiency and
value of creative suppliers.
Measure results if you want value for money.
Creative People and Services - Value for Money?
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Mentoring & Motivating
Improving the return on creative resource investment.
It takes more than financial incentives.
Motivating and encouraging creativity.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Each Case History is a précis of projects undertaken by Town Group and marketing managers will find the scenarios familiar. If you have a particular situation which requires some outside help, or would like to know more about a particular project then please contact me for further information.