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Synectics is a
problem solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
methodology that stimulates thought processes of which the subject may be unaware. This method was developed by George M. Prince (April 5, 1918 – June 9, 2009)George Prince, consultant who sparked innovation, founded international firm
''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'', June 21, 2009
and William J.J. Gordon, originating in the
Arthur D. Little Arthur D. Little is an international management consulting firm originally headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1886 and formally incorporated in 1909 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist who had discovered acetate. ...
Invention Design Unit in the 1950s.


History

The process was derived from tape-recording (initially
audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...
, later
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
) meetings, analysis of the results, and experiments with alternative ways of dealing with the obstacles to success in the meeting. "Success" was defined as getting a creative solution that the group was committed to implement. The name Synectics comes from Greek and means "the joining together of different and apparently irrelevant elements." Gordon and Prince named both their practice and their new company Synectics, which can cause confusion, as people not part of the company are trained and use the practice. While the name was trademarked, it has become a standard word for describing creative problem solving in groups.


Theory

Synectics is a way to approach
creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...
and
problem-solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
in a rational way. "Traditionally, the creative process has been considered after the fact... The Synectics study has attempted to research creative process in vivo, while it is going on." According to Gordon, Synectics research has three main assumptions: *The
creative process Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...
can be described and taught; *Invention processes in arts and sciences are analogous and are driven by the same "psychic" processes; *Individual and group creativity are analogous. With these assumptions in mind, Synectics believes that people can be better at being creative if they understand how creativity works. One important element in creativity is embracing the seemingly irrelevant. Emotion is emphasized over intellect and the
irrational Irrationality is cognition, thinking, talking, or acting without inclusion of rationality. It is more specifically described as an action or opinion given through inadequate use of reason, or through emotional distress or cognitive deficiency. T ...
over the
rational Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reasons. In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an abili ...
. Through understanding the emotional and irrational elements of a problem or idea, a group can be more successful at solving a problem. Prince emphasized the importance of creative
behaviour Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as wel ...
in reducing inhibitions and releasing the inherent creativity of everyone. He and his colleagues developed specific practices and meeting structures which help people to ensure that their constructive intentions are experienced positively by one another. The use of the creative behaviour tools extends the application of Synectics to many situations beyond invention sessions (particularly constructive resolution of conflict). Gordon emphasized the importance of metaphorical process' to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar". He expressed his central principle as: "Trust things that are alien, and alienate things that are trusted." This encourages, on the one hand, fundamental problem-analysis and, on the other hand, the alienation of the original problem through the creation of
analogies Analogy (from Greek ''analogia'', "proportion", from ''ana-'' "upon, according to" lso "against", "anew"+ ''logos'' "ratio" lso "word, speech, reckoning" is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject ( ...
. It is thus possible for new and surprising solutions to emerge. As an invention tool, Synectics invented a technique called "springboarding" for getting creative beginning ideas. For the development of beginning ideas, the method incorporates brainstorming and deepens and widens it with
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
; it also adds an important evaluation process for Idea Development, which takes embryonic new ideas that are attractive but not yet feasible and builds them into new courses of action which have the commitment of the people who will implement them. Synectics is more demanding of the subject than
brainstorming Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. In other words, brainstorming is a situation where a grou ...
, as the steps involved imply that the process is more complicated and requires more time and effort. The success of the Synectics
methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...
depends highly on the skill of a trained
facilitator A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning t ...
.Michael J. Dick, ''High Tech Creativity'',
IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
Engineers' Guide to Business, pp. 117-8, 1992


Books

* ''The Practice of Creativity: A Manual for Dynamic Group Problem-Solving.'' George M. Prince, 2012, Vermont:
Echo Point Books & Media, LLC In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
, 0-9638-7848-4 * ''The Practice of Creativity'' by George Prince 1970 * ''Synectics: The Development of Creative Capacity'' by W. J. J. Gordon, London, Collier-MacMillan, 1961 * ''Design Synectics: Stimulating Creativity in Design'' by Nicholas Roukes, Published by Davis Publications, 1988 * ''The Innovators Handbook'' by Vincent Nolan 1989 * ''Creativity Inc.: Building an Inventive Organization'' by Jeff Mauzy and Richard Harriman 2003 * ''Imagine That!'' by Vincent Nolan and Connie Williams, Publishers Graphics, LLC, 2010


See also

*
List of thought processes The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to thought (thinking): Thought (also called thinking) is the mental process in which beings form psychological associations and models of the world. Thinking is manipulating ...


References

{{reflist


External links


George Prince website "Thoughts on Creativity"Synecticsworld's Founders page on George M. Prince and Bill Gordon
Creativity Problem solving