I. INTRODUCTION
There are many definitions of human beings, one of them is that human beings are thinking creatures.
Many studies have shown that our brains work really actively when we have problems to solve or/and decisions to make.
But from possessing thinking ability to knowing how to think to solve problems and make decisions is a long distance.
One of the missions of the creativity science - creatology - is bridging this distance.
This paper will give a brief review on the renewal history of thinking methods having been used in problem solving and decision making processes.
II. DEFINITIONS OF "CREATIVITY", "PROBLEM", "CREATIVE THINKING", "INNOVATION" AND "COMPLETE INNOVATION"
1. CREATIVITY: is an activity leading to any thing (in the broadest meaning) having both newness and usefulness simultaneously.
The thing having both newness and usefulness simultaneously is called the "improved object"
Newness is any thing different from any previously known object of called a "prototype"
Any newness brings about usefulness only inside its certain "region of application". So the given newness being applied outside its region of application can bring about harm. In this meaning, any creation can be a double-edged sword.
Creativity is associated with change, diversity, complexity, competition, evolution and development.
2. A PROBLEM is a situation where a solver knows aim (in the widest
meaning) but
a) does not know any way to reach it, or
b) does not know the optimum way to reach it among several known ways to reach
it (i.e. decision making process).
2.1. Problems can be personal, collective, national and global.
2.2. Problems can occur anywhere, at any time with anybody.
2.3. Problems can be seen by everyone or hidden.
2.4. Human being's life is a chain of problems to solve and decisions to make.
3. CREATIVE THINKING is the thought process leading the solver from
not knowing to
a) knowing the way to reach his/her aim, or
b) knowing the optimum way to reach his/her aim among several known ways.
3.1. We called this process creative thinking because there are both "newness" : from "not knowing" to "knowing" and "usefulness" : at last the desired aim is reached (at least for the given solver).
3.2. Creative thinking is the thinking process for solving problems and making decisions.
4. INNOVATION is a process of implementation and inculcation converting both the potential newness and usefulness which reside in the solution into real ones to be accepted stably and fully by the given system.
5. COMPLETE INNOVATION in our opinion, the problem can be considered as successfully solved only when its solution has been accepted fully by the system "practice" (COMPLETE INNOVATION), i.e. when all acceptors (or neraly all ones), potentially needing to use the given solution in reality have used it as usual. In other words, what we need is not creativity for the sake of creativity but for the sake of the problem being solved successfully in practice, that is, for the sake of "complete innovation". Only in such case we will have a genuine development in reality ("The end of fishing is not angling but catching"). See fig.1.
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| Figure 1 |
III. ON THE ROAD TO CREATOLOGY
In Volume 7 of his "Mathematical Anthology" the Greek mathematician Pappos who lived around 300 A.D. first coined the term "heuristics". And although Pappos cited Euclid, Appolonius of Pergamos and Aristos the Elder as his precursors, the origin of heuristics - the science of making discoveries and inventions - is associated with his name. From the first the terms "discovery" and "invention" were given the broadest interpretation in heuristics. Discovers and inventors were taken to include artists, poets, politicians, military leaders, philosophers and others. Later many mathematicians including Descartes, Leinbniz and Poincare applied themselves to the problem of creating heuristics. Evidently, since it was denied the possibility of experimental development, mathematics felt the need for an instrument for solving creative problems earlier and more strongly than other sciences.
In the second half of the 19th century research studies on the psychology of scientific and technological creativity began to appear. The status of deliberate and explicit research on the topic of creativity within the United States was pointed frequently to the presidential address given to the American Psychological Association by J.P. Guilford in 1950.
In 1950s and 1960s the field of creativity received a stimulus for the new development stage thanks to created practical methods or methodologies which allowed really to improve personal and collective creative abilities and these methods or methodologies could be taught and learned. (For example, brainstorming was created by Alex F. Osborn in the USA, algorithm of invention - by G.S. Altshuller in the former Soviet Union, lateral thinking - by Edward de Bono in the UK).
In 1954, Osborn founded the creative Education Foundation (CEF). A year later the first Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) was held at the State University of New York at Buffalo. CPSI (pronounced sip-see) has been an annual event ever since.
Through the work of Osborn the Center for Studies in Creativity (CSC) was formed at the Buffalo State College. An undergraduate curriculum was approved in 1974 and the graduate program - in 1975, and in November of 1994 the 100th student earned a Masters of Science in Creativity and Innovation from Buffalo State College.
In the former Soviet Union (now the Community of the Independent States - CIS) Altshuller founded the Laboratory for Invention Methodology (LIM) in 1969, and collaborated with others to form the academic and research Institute of Inventive Creativity (IIC) which belonged to the All-Union Association of Soviet Inventors in 1971. Luckily, the current author was one of its first students.
In Cambridge, UK, Dr. de Bono founded the Cognitive Research Trust in 1969, and then the Center for the Study of Thinking.
Now it is very difficult to enumerate fully all centers or units working in the field of creativity and innovation in the world. But most of them are located in the Europe and Northern America. This statement is also true for creativity and innovation networks, associations, national, international conferences, professional journals and teaching programs on creativity and innovation.
There has been tremendous growth in the number and nature of national, regional, continental and international forms of networking, for example: the American Association of Managers of Innovation, the American Creativity Association, the Canadian Creativity Network, the Danish Creativity Network, the Nordic Creativity Network, the PERISCOPE Group in the Western Europe (from which the European Association for Creativity and Innovation was formally established by notarial act on 27th , October 1993), the PRISM Group in the Northern America, TRIZ Association was formed in the former Soviet Union in July 1989, the International Creativity Network connecting individuals on an international level.
Not only has the level of networking expanded, but also the number and kind of international conferences. The trend to have more than one or two main conferences a year continues.
Another very promising trend is the increase in number and quality of resources available in the literature. From 1967 to today, the creativity field has grown from one to four dedicated journals : 1) The Journal of Creative Behavior was issued in 1967, 2) Creativity Research journal - 1988, 3) TRIZ Journal - 1989 and 4) Creativity and Innovation Management journal - 1992. Except for that, highly respected journals within a variety of disciplines are now publishing articles and research on creativity and innovation. Only the Creativity - Based Information Resources created by the Center for Studies in Creativity contains over 5,600 annotations of periodicals, journals, assessment instruments, books, edited collections, software, theses and dissertations.
The term "Creatology" was suggested for the first time by Hungarian Istvan Magyari - Beck at the Conference on Creativity Research hosted by the Center for Studies in Creativity in August 1990. He proposes that creativity could be studied within a new, independent, cross-disciplinary frame work called creatology which is able to synthesize many different approaches to creativity and innovation that are currently isolated from each other. These approaches include sociological, psychological, economic, scientometric, management science, theory of organization, computer science, theory and history of art, humanities, and sciences. And there is agreement among leading scholars about the possibility and necessity of this kind of discipline.
Like many other sciences, creatology also has its applied aspect aiming at creation of tools (in the broadest meaning) for increasing productivity and effectiveness in creative thinking. The next part of the paper will outline this very important aspect for all people.
IV. TRIAL AND ERROR METHOD
Many studies have shown that the most popular method for problem solving is the trial and error method. That is, problems have been solved by reviewing widely differing variants and most of them failed. See fig.2.
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Figure 2 |
There are many sayings about making trials after trials:
At the end of the 19th century Edison was using the trial and error method. His workshop employed up to a thousand men, and this made it possible to break down one problem into several subproblems, and for each to simultaneously test many variants. When Edison was intent upon creating incandescent light, he went through more than 9,000 experiments in an attempt to produce a bulb. His often phrase : "I'll try anything. I'll even try Limburger cheese".
Disadvantages of the trial and error method:
The trial and error method wastes much time, thinking energy, material means and even human lives.
The number of ideas achieved per unit of time is few, so the problem solving process lasts for a long period of time. In other words, productivity of generating ideas is low.
The existing vector of psychological inertia prevents the solver from the right solution because it drives the mind to what is previously known.
There is not a mechanism to reveal all possible variants, as a result, the right solution can reside beyond the trial variants.
Criteria for "right" or "wrong" variants are subjective so a solver can miss appropriate solutions.
The trial and error method has no mechanism for directing the solver's thinking towards the solution : the solver is unable to define the direction in which the necessary solution might be found. This is the fundamental disadvantage of the trial and error method.
V. METHODS OF ACTIVATING CREATIVE THINKING
The methods of activating creative thinking include forced-relationship; morphological analysis; check-listing; brainstorming; synectics; lateral thinking; mind-mapping... and their modifications and combinations.
These methods have a common postulate like the following opinion said by Linus Pauling : "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas".
Depending on a specific object to be improved some of these methods can permit to get billions ideas within several dozens minutes. In other words, the methods of activating creative thinking increase a productivity of idea generation.
The main merit of these methods is their simplicity and accessibility. They can be easy taught, learned, digested, mastered and used.
These methods are very appropriate for the kind of problems having a great number of possible trials and at the same time a great number of diverse solutions such as problems concerning the diversifying of items, goods, models etc. See fig.3.
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Figure 3 |
Because of their old tactics of selecting trials these methods are not suitable for the kind of problems having a great number of possible trials but at the same time only one or several solutions. That is, the methods of activating creative thinking lose their strength in solving problems of higher difficulty levels. See fig.4.
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Figure 4 |
VI. TRIZ: CREATIVE THINKING BASED ON THE OBJECTIVE LAWS OF SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
TRIZ is the Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TIPS in English). TRIZ was created by Genrik Saulovich Altshuller in the former Soviet Union (now CIS), starting in 1946. Now the term TRIZ has become an international term for professionals working in the field of creativity and innovation. More and more americans, western europeans are interested in TRIZ.
As we have known from part three of this paper, the sixth disadvantage of the trial and error method is fundamental one, i.e. the lacking of a directing mechanism in problem solving thinking processes.
Imagine what happens if we have a such directing mechanism. Thanks to it the solver can eliminate a considerable number of barren trials, not coinciding with the solution's direction. See fig.5.
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Figure 5 |
In the ideal case, if the directing mechanism can be built very exactly, the solver can use only one trial leading to the neccessary solution. See fig.6.
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Figure 6 |
Thus the solver can transfer problems having a great number of possible variants to problems having several variants, where the usual principle of considering variants is suitable. In fact, this is the heart of the whole problem : one must be able to swiftly reduce the field of inquiry and turn difficult problems into easy ones.
TRIZ mainly differs from the methods of activating creative thinking mentioned above in finding this directing mechanism.
The analogous example
What is the directing mechanism ?
6.1. It is widely believed that creativity has roots in a subjective human psychology. That is true but not enough, see fig.7.
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Figure 7 |
6.2. The analogous example : the fable about creativity.
Mentioning to creative thinking, we usually and immediately think of the psychological process happening inside the solver's brain and reason that looking for the laws of creative thinking means looking for the laws of subjective psychology. In fact, What is the matter? Imagine the following situation (see fig.8):
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Figure 8 |
A car was on a winding, up and down road. There were a driver and a researcher in the car. The researcher's duty was observing, and describing the driver's psychological behaviours and drawing necessary conclusions. The following is the researcher's report after the trip.
"I sat by the driver during the trip from B to C, never failed keeping my eyes on him. Thus, what I saw was absolutely enough. Obviously, this driver was more active than those drivers I had met, at least more than the one driving me from A to B, because he frequently makes the steering wheel left and right. Moreover, he usually changed the gear and speed. The sun was shining his left and then right face. The speed ventilating the car was changed as well. This allowed me to suppose that he was keen not only on activity but also sunbathing his face. The change of wind velocity into the car is the reflection of the driver's inspiration. In one word, through the study of several drivers on lots of journeys, I could see a great variety of them. However, there were some considerable same points: they loved sunbathing and had their own tastes of enjoying ventilation. No doubt, that conclusion is an affirmation with clear demonstration. From that we can reason that: in order to let him work well we have to make up the conditions that meet their own tastes."
The imagined situation above is more and less a fable and has a close relationship to creative thinking. Let's "anatomize" that situation. The driver who wanted to drive safely had to watch out the road clearly and get his car into the right line. Therefore, on a winding, up and down road, he could not help turning the steering wheel left and right, and changing gear many times. The researcher paid no attention to that objective matter, but focused his mind on the driver (never failed keeping his eyes on the driver), and considered the driver's behaviours and psychological reactions something very decisive to drive from B to C. Generalizingly, we can regard the road as the objective law (you have to follow me or you get accident). So the roots of the problem are the objective laws themselves, primarily those concerning evolution and development of matters.
In that imagined situation above, it is fortunate to have the road ready, in other words, the development law has been known at a very specific level. In reality, the matter is far more complicated. The road might not be found yet. However, in any case, on the aspect of methodology and cognition, we have to make the efforts to look for objective development laws in priority and creative thinking has to rely on those laws. Thinking by subjective experiences will have to pay a dear price as a good experience in this case will become the worst in another case. As Hegel's speaking: "Weak point is the lengthening of strong point."
However, that does not mean psychological laws are thrown away. On the contrary, it is necessary to perceive them thoroughly to develop their good points and limit their weak points.
6.3. It is possible to claim that except for a subjective side (human psychology) there is an objective side of creativity.
6.4. TRIZ especially emphasizes the objective side of creativity and concentrates its great efforts on finding out the objective laws of creativity, namely, the laws of systems development. These laws in TRIZ have served the foundation of the directing mechanism in problem solving and decision making.
6.5. The message sent by TRIZ is simple : "Only those people who grasp these objective laws and manage their psychology along them can achieve a high efficiency in creativity".
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Figure 9 |
TRIZ is a large theory with a great number of "tools" : 8 objective laws on systems development; 40 principles; 11 transformers; 76 standard rules based on substance-field (energy) - information - analysis (Vepol Analysis in Russian); the full program for problem solving (ARIZ in Russian) consisting of 40 steps; a knowledge-base containing many strong scientific effects (in the meaning of usefulness for creativity at higher levels)
It requires 200 to 300 teaching hours including
a lot of diverse exercises to master TRIZ. To become a TRIZ-specialist, someone
should study for several years. But TRIZ structure is flexible and permits:
a)
teaching and learning parts of TRIZ
b) using parts of TRIZ according to the type
and level of difficulty of the problem.
In July 1989 an International TRIZ Association was formed in the former Soviet Union with its president - Mr. G.S.Altshuller, and the Journal of TRIZ had been issued since 1990.
In recent years, there have been some new studies aiming at constructing greater theories based on TRIZ such as the theory of development of technological systems (Russian acronym TRTS); a general theory of strong thinking (OTSM) and a theory of development of creative personalities (TRTL).
VII. CONCLUSIONS AND VISIONS
Conclusions
As TRIZ disciples we must enlarge TRIZ into non-technological areas and make real attempts on the path toward creation of the general theory of creative problem solving like Mr. Altshuller wanted us to.
The efforts for enlarging TRIZ and teaching enlarged TRIZ for the large public should be made on the basis of definite requirements, rules and resources to avoid distorting TRIZ philosophy/spirit.
On the basis of our own experiences in using TRIZ for solving different kinds of problems (not only technological), teaching enlarged TRIZ for the large public for more than 25 years and experiences of our former learners, we believe that our activities are on the right road to implement Mr. Altshuller's humane ideal.
Teaching enlarged TRIZ has the purpose to prepare creativity methodologies users on a daily basis. We believe that learners will actually apply creativity methodologies in all aspects of their lives only when the program can induce inside learners the needed emotions promoting them to do that. So our program involves many examples, stories, cases taken from different areas of human activity, graphic depictions, cartoons and exercises that may inspire such emotions.
In spite of the achieved results, there are many points we would like to make better, for example, teaching and training works at our Center are often overloaded so we lack the time for processing all obtained results, doing research and writing new textbooks.
Judging by
a) the composition of our classes which are mixed in ages, levels of education, professions and positions,
b) the financially self-supporting work of our Center from the very beginning,
We believe that, with appropriate ways, enlarged TRIZ can be introduced into any system (organization, society…) and accepted by its people.
Visions:
In the full program of teaching TRIZ there is one important part: Development of Creative Imagination. Additionally, in Nine-Systems Thinking Display there are three systems in the future: supersystem, system and subsystem. According to TRIZ tradition, this paper would be insufficient if we did not give some thoughts about the future which can be influenced by TRIZ.
Mankind's history has shown that civilization has been created not because of enhancing (amplifying) human psychological and/or physiological abilities. Instead, civilization has been created mainly by people working with more and more perfect tools (in the largest meaning) which have been built on the basis of discovered objective laws and are appropriate for the great masses.
Among three areas: nature, society and thinking which should be understood and transformed by humankind, thinking had been receiving the least attention until recently. This imbalance between these three areas has served as a deep cause for a great number of tragedies at personal, group, even national and global levels.
In the thinking process for solving problems and making decisions, the trial and error method is a natural tool which has a great amount of disadvantages. In contrast, TRIZ with its system of artificial thinking tools is created on the basis of discovered objective laws of systems development. In this relation, the TRIZ approach is significantly stronger than an approach based only on human psychology and has much larger prospects.
Imagine how great humankind's civilization will be when ordinary people work with the perfect tools in thinking as they do in the other two areas: nature and society? To realize this point, TRIZ needs to be developed towards becoming tools for the great masses, not for engineers only.
Human life is a succession of problems. Because of many contemporary challenges, with time, the amount of problems increases at all difficulty levels. To convert the challenges into opportunities, everyone should be a good solver in the meaning that he/she is able to solve all problems he/she is faced with in a scientific way without errors during all of his/her life. In this regard, we believe that beside traditional professions which are different for different people there is a common profession for all: the profession of solving problems and making decisions. In other words, a need for inventing the general theory of creative problem solving has emerged.
TRIZ with its great advantages and potentials is one of the best candidates for that.
The education (in the largest meaning) we need is creative and innovative education which educates all people in creativity and innovation - the utmost humanity. Such an education will prepare solvers who can solve successfully any problem they encounter in their life and work to satisfy their just needs and thus to satisfy social needs of sustainable development.
TRIZ philosophy in general, TRIZ win-win logic and its science-based tools in particular will contribute to constructing the creative and innovative education in order to beat catastrophe.
Preparing good solvers will help to kill several birds with one stone.
a) to solve problems such as how to find relevant information in the information ocean, how to handle (process) information streams effectively, how to transform information into knowledge (see Figure 10).
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| Figure 10 |
b) to prepare the creative and innovative workforce (in the largest meaning) which is so needed for the knowledge economy, because, essentially, the knowledge economy is the economy based on creativity and innovation.
c) to raise moral and cultural levels in societies, because the tools' user not only uses the tools but the tools also influence the user. In the case of thinking tools, they can improve greatly the user's attitude, behaviour, life skills, emotions and actions in relation to other people and nature.
d) to enable us to establish concordance at all levels from group to global easier and faster than before, because all people have the common thinking language and methodology.
e) to prepare people who will become the masters of their lives and make an active improvement of the quality of their lives not waiting passively for assistance from outside.
TRIZ is a large theory. To master TRIZ requires a lot of time to learn, exercise and practise let alone to master the General Theory of Creative Problem Solving (GTCPS) in the future. One practical solution is combining TRIZ with personal computers through creating appropriate software.
What is more essential, we think, is to teach enlarged TRIZ (or GTCPS when it has been created) from kindergarten to higher schools (of course, with programs corresponding to related learners) for some dozen hours each year so the full program is completed when the user graduates from university. Furthermore, teachers of other disciplines need to study TRIZ (or GTCPS) and also to teach their disciplines in its light and help their students to themselves discover/invent knowledge of these disciplines in a scientific way.
TRIZ has been built relying on a lot of sources. Developing TRIZ further, we believe that, in its turn, developed TRIZ will help these source-sciences to solve their problems more creatively and innovatively.
