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Why Be Creative?
It’s easier to succeed in business if you have a USP (Unique Selling Point). In problem solving and design, a winning solution usually has a fundamental difference from the competition.
Today most companies operate the same way: they use analysis and logic to produce results. These results are easy to justify to colleagues. Typically they are supported by data, and based on experience. A proposal is made, and accepted as the most logical solution. In most cases you’ve met your goal, but if the goal was to be original and unique you are in for a shock! Let’s say a competitor follows the same reasoning, they reach the same conclusion. Why? Simply because the same logic must produce the same result. Suddenly your new ideas are the same as everyone’s new ideas. Instead of unique, you are merely average.
So how can you generate something truly unique and worthwhile? First limit the use of logic, it is a great tool, but forget it for a while during idea generation. Logic is a convergent thinking method: it narrows down possibilities to one single solution. To produce a unique, and original solution you need a divergent method such as lateral thinking, or brainstorming.
At a simplistic level, if both you and a competitor use divergent techniques to produce 100 new ideas each, and then choose one at random, there is only a 1 in 100 chance of a match. So you have a high chance of being unique. In reality the aim of the divergent technique is that all 100 ideas would be unique.
To be innovative you should make use of divergent thinking. Substitute your logical thinking for some lateral thinking.
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