One of the best ways to challenge people’s thinking and get a group moving in a direction towards innovation is to get the group to define the box.
Of course a million and one innovation and creativity consultants will endlessly drone on about thinking outside the box, but how can think outside the box if you’re not first clear on what the box looks like that you’re trying to think outside of?
When I speak about poking the box, I’m not doing so in the Seth Godin ‘take a risk’ sense, but from the perspective of wanting people to visualize themselves standing in the box, giving a voice to what each of the six main sides are for the context in which you’re trying to innovate.
Start by making a list of the top six assumptions/constraints that we all make in this context:
- What does success look like in this context? — or alternatively, another Assumption/Constraint
- What does failure look like in this context? — or alternatively, another Assumption/Constraint
I’d like to thank innovation colleague Ton Verbeek for sharing the following video which looks at the ‘box’ of ground transportation and what happens if you shift from a 2D approach to ground transportation to a 3D approach:
So, what are the assumptions in ground transportation?
What are the constraints?
What does success look like in ground transportation?
What does failure look like in ground transportation?
How has the designer who created this video poked the box?
How has the designer explored the walls of the box and proposed pushing some of them outwards?
Which other assumptions or constraints could be challenged in ground transportation and what characteristics would potential solutions have in order to push a particular wall outwards?
As an example, I would say that the assumption the designer has challenged here in the context of ground transportation is the following:
— Must make efficient use of land to transport the maximum amount of people and goods
What other walls of the ground transportation box could and what would that look like?
Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.
Njia bora ya changamoto ya watu kufikiri na kupata kundi kusonga katika mwelekeo kuelekea ubunifu ni kupata kundi kufafanua sanduku. Bila shaka milioni na moja ubunifu na ubunifu washauri itakuwa endlessly drone juu ya kufikiri nje ya sanduku, lakini jinsi ya kufikiri nje ya sanduku kama wewe si kwanza wazi juu ya nini sanduku inaonekana kama kwamba wewe ni kujaribu kufikiri nje ya? "Ninaposema ""kuchunguza sanduku,"" si kwa maana ya Seth Godin ""kuchukua hatari,"" lakini kwa mtazamo wa kuwa na watu wanaotaka kujiona wakiwa wamesimama ndani ya sanduku, wakitoa sauti kwa kila moja ya pande kuu sita kwa muktadha ambao unajaribu kubuni." Kuanza na kufanya orodha ya juu sita dhana na vikwazo kwamba sisi wote kufanya katika muktadha huu: - Nini mafanikio inaonekana kama katika muktadha huu? <unk> au mbadala, nyingine Dhana/Kizuizi - Nini kushindwa inaonekana kama katika muktadha huu? "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mfano wa usimamizi wa usafiri wa ardhi"" ni ""Mfano wa usimamizi wa usafiri wa ardhi"" na ""Mfano wa usimamizi wa usafiri wa ardhi"" ni ""Mfano wa usimamizi wa usimamizi wa usafiri wa ardhi.""" Kuna vizuizi gani? Mafanikio yanaonekanaje katika usafiri wa ardhini? Kushindwa kwa usafiri wa ardhini huonekanaje? Mtengenezaji wa video hii amefanyaje hivyo? Mbuni amechunguzaje kuta za sanduku hilo na kupendekeza kusukuma baadhi ya kuta hizo nje? Ni nini cha kuaminika au cha kuaminika ambacho kinaweza kuathiriwa na usafirishaji wa ardhi na ni nini kinachoweza kuwa na uwezo wa kuimarisha mazingira ya usafirishaji? Kwa mfano, ningesema kwamba dhana ya mbuni imepinga hapa katika muktadha wa usafiri wa ardhi ni yafuatayo: lazima utumie vizuri ardhi kusafirisha idadi kubwa ya watu na bidhaa. Kujiandikisha hapa kupata Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly kutolewa kwa inbox yako kila wiki.