Think Better - Productive Thinking is a Skill

Use Thinking Processes to Find Unexpected Connections for Innovation

Feb 13, 2009 Roger Lever

Think better by using thinking processes to help find innovative solutions through unexpected connections. Trying to find those connections is a skill that can be learned

To think better by finding connections is a useful skill that can be learned and applied everywhere and to anything. Those connections are found by either reproductive thinking, looking for improvements, or productive thinking, looking for something new or a new insight. Incremental improvement is good but no level of improvement or efficiency gain will produce something fundamentally new.

Kaizen versus Tenkaizen

The Japanese use the term kaizen thinking where the output is making an incremental improvement and tenkaizen thinking or productive thinking is where the output is an innovative solution or something that is fundamentally new or different. For example, think of using the horse for transport and kaizen thinking will make an incremental improvement by, say, using a saddle. It is tenkaizen thinking or productive thinking that will fundamentally change the transport solution -- with a car.

Brainstorming and the Third Third

Good brainstorming will separate critical thinking from creative thinking, in particular by not judging ideas too soon in the process and by not stopping too soon. The ideal point to stop is by reaching the third third:

• First Third. Mundane ideas that have typically been heard before or twist existing ideas in straightforward ways that are typical of kaizen thinking
• Second Third. Ideas that stretch the boundaries and are more than simple regurgitations of existing ideas but they still may not be real innovations in a real sense as they are still constrained by existing concepts and boundaries
• Third Third. Breakthrough ideas and typically are innovative solutions, pushing beyond the conventional and making the unexpected connection between concepts and ideas that generates a completely new idea

Productive Thinking Process

The productive thinking process is composed of six steps:

1. What's Going On? What needs to change, what is driving the action? What is the impact? What is the information about the problem and who is involved? What is the vision or desired outcome?
2. What's Success? What are the success criteria and clear measures? Will the solution resolve the problem?
3. What's the Question? What questions need to be answered to get to the desired outcome?
4. Generate Answers. Brainstorming phase to generate ideas, ideally this step completes after reaching the third third
5. Forge the Solution. Take the best brainstorm ideas using the success criteria and measures and develop them into the solution
6. Align Resources. List action steps needed, identify the people needed and assign people to actions. Ensure that the actions are in the right order and record observable outcomes of each step

Productive Thinking Model

This productive thinking model is a useful tool and according to Tim Hurson, "I have seen it used to solve business problems, clarify sales situations, develop technical solutions, suggest new products, create marketing campaigns, reduce conflicts, map strategies, enhance relationships, reduce frustrations, orient careers, and resolve personal dilemmas." Something else to add to the toolkit to think better about problems.

Resource: Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking by Tim Hurson. Copyright 2008 McGraw Hill. ISBN: 978-0-07-149493-9.

The copyright of the article Think Better - Productive Thinking is a Skill in Business Management is owned by Roger Lever. Permission to republish Think Better - Productive Thinking is a Skill in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Productive Thinking Model

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