Icy Mountain in the thread Research and Development (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=6941) in the ISO9001:2000 forum

howste,

I think you've hit it! I have heard this one, "If you put all this ISO process control stuff into Engineering you'll take away their creativity and they won't be able to design anything."

Yes, I wan't to take away their creativity to spend untold resources researching products that are not viable, to generate undocumented designs, to generate untested designs, to generate designs that manufacturing does not have the equipment to produce, to generate designs that do not meet customer requirements, to make undocumented changes to products...."
Icy Mountain made some good points about creativity, and I decided to ask you about your thoughts on the subject. So tell me:

What are the key factors needed to promote creativity?

/Claes

Responsiblity, ownership, training, and as much as I hate to use the word, empowerment.

Claes,
I am glad you posted this in this forum but it might well go here just as well:Philosophy, Gurus, Controversy and Evolution.
This story is paraphrased from a book (or tape) by Dr. James Dobson on parenting.
They were operating a day care center in Denver. The playground needed to be refurbished and this required the removal of the fence surrounding the playground. The boundaries were still in evidence due to the bare dirt strip where the fence had been. However, these boundaries were far from clear. During recess the children stratified into three groups. The largest group, by far, clustered in the center of the playground because they had no defined limits and were therefore afraid to explore near the boundaries. The next group ignored the boundries completely and headed for the hills. The smallest group tested the boundaries and were corrected until they had the boundaries defined.

My point being that our design and development systems have inherent boundaries whether we acknowledge them or not (don't devolop products that no one can manufacture). Clear definition of the boundaries (documentation) allows consistent training, and that allows a larger group to have responsibility and ownership for the process. Yes, R.S., that leads to empowerment: the capability of the largest possible group to explore the largest possible area within the boundaries, without fear of repercussions.

I think quite simply we have to remove the obstacles to creativity, such as er certification to management system standards (ahem).

I think quite simply we have to remove the obstacles to creativity, such as er certification to management system standards (ahem).


LOL...

Many engineers are designing to a pre-ordained set of customer constraints (in addition to a management system certification) & engineering creativity is "limited", therefore, by those customer constraints - silly things like input/output characteristics...And, why would that customer want a moped when I've designed a Harley?

There is very little that an engineer likes better than a problem to resolve. Sometimes the "problems to resolve" are those constraints.

sparky :bigwave:

Claes,
Clear definition of the boundaries (documentation) allows consistent training, and that allows a larger group to have responsibility and ownership for the process. Yes, R.S., that leads to empowerment: the capability of the largest possible group to explore the largest possible area within the boundaries, without fear of repercussions.

I once had an Inspector who accused me of stifling his "individualism" which I feel can be confused with "creativity". He set about making unauthorized changes to a system that 7 other people were working with. As I reined him in and explained that the "system" works for us and he will do it "our" way, he got a case of the ***. He spent more time trying to figure out an easier way to do things than to doing his job. Creativity is a good thing, if you're an Artist. Make suggestions to Mgt, recommend better ways to accomplish the same end, but most important, don't wander off the playground. I agree with Icy, I think. Creativity should be a group activity. :p

don't wander off the playground
That's why I placed responsibility first. What I was thinking was more along the lines of discipline. You know the "Stay between the lines, the lines are our friends" kind of thing.

Great answers.

I guess this could fit under empowerment, but nobody mentioned time...

In todays often anorectic organisations lots of people lack the time to sit back and consider how and even why we do things.

More..?

/Claes

Great answers.

I guess this could fit under empowerment, but nobody mentioned time...

In todays often anorectic organisations lots of people lack the time to sit back and consider how and even why we do things.

More..?

/Claes

I'm sitting at my desk staring off into the void and my supervisor asks me what I'm doing. I tell him/her that I'm creating better ways to get things done. He/she looks at my desk and says "How about creating an empty desk for starters?" :vfunny: My best ideas came while driving to and from work. That way, if your really serious about improving the system, it's on your time. That is unless you think you should be allowed to mull things over when being paid to perform functions related to somebody elses "creativity". ;)

The key element to creativity is "Imagination", everything else is on the perrifary. Imagination charges us to ask "how, why, what if" and the other questions that come from identifying needs/desires and developing the fulfillment of them.

I try to come up with at least one "new idea" per month for work. Many cases, I've gotten up out of bed and sent an email to myself at work (sos I wouldnt forgit). Any more, when I get up the wife doesn't even ask. She knows where I'm going and she knows I have no idea how long I'll be gone.

I try to come up with at least one "new idea" per month for work. Many cases, I've gotten up out of bed and sent an email to myself at work (sos I wouldnt forgit). Any more, when I get up the wife doesn't even ask. She knows where I'm going and she knows I have no idea how long I'll be gone.

Et tu, db?

I use the "one new idea per month" gimmick too, and it works like a charm. Which brings us to yet another clue to creativity: It doesn't happen by itself. It often takes a lot of effort to be creative. Even when it comes to something like creativity, it helps to set objectives

I also follow exactly the routine you describe when I get an idea at night, because if I don't, I know I've had all the sleep I'm going to get that night. I just have to write it down... then I can go back to sleep. :vfunny:

You know what they say: Great minds... ;)

/Claes

You know what they say: Great minds... ;)



Now, there is a scary thought :eek: My condolences. :p

Now, there is a scary thought :eek: My condolences. :p

LMAO.... :biglaugh: ...and you know what? You just stumbled across another cornerstone: Humour. It really does aid creativity a whole lot, imo.

/Claes

LMAO.... :biglaugh: ...and you know what? You just stumbled across another cornerstone: Humour It really does aid creativity a whole lot, imo.

/Claes

Humor!!!!! I was serious!

How do you promote creativity?
:eek: How about giving out bonuses and new company car leases for upper management the day you tell your salaried workers that they have to take a 20% pay cut!

Humor!!!!! I was serious!

Ah, but so was I... You know me by now: Only to eager to jump to preconcieved conclusions... :D ...which leads us to another one: The will and ability to leave the beaten track and see a problem/opportunity from another angle...

Got you again... ;)

/Claes

How do you promote creativity?
:eek: How about giving out bonuses and new company car leases for upper management the day you tell your salaried workers that they have to take a 20% pay cut!

Uh, Stew, I'm afraid you are confusing creativity with destruction (violence in the workplace?). Let the beatings continue until morale improves. :mad:

How do you promote creativity?
:eek: How about giving out bonuses and new company car leases for upper management the day you tell your salaried workers that they have to take a 20% pay cut!

Ouch! Ow! no, no, no, please Sir, control yourself.. :eek: That will most certainly spark creativity, but not the kind you want...

Still: setting emotions in motion will spark creativity. So: Emotion. (Is this a digital brain storm or what??) :D

/Claes

How do you promote creativity?
!:eek: How about giving out bonuses and new company car leases for upper management the day you tell your salaried workers that they have to take a 20% pay cut!
Holy Cow, Stew! I bet that improves morale by at least 150% (to the negative, doh!)

Sometimes don't ya just wonder how some of these decision makers would live on OUR salaries?

Uh, Stew, I'm afraid you are confusing creativity with destruction (violence in the workplace?). Let the beatings continue until morale improves. :mad:

Hmmmm... Destruction? Yes! If you really want to see creativity in action, you should have a look at what people do when it becomes impossible to do things the way they used to... There may be better ways than beating the management up, though (However satisfying that may be).

Thus: Necessity When you have to be creative, you get creative right quick...

Claes

Holy Cow, Stew! I bet that improves morale by at least 150% (to the negative, doh!)

Sometimes don't ya just wonder how some of these decision makers would live on OUR salaries?

Thank's Steel, you just provided us with another one: Putting yourself in someone elses shoes is a good way to get creative...

/Claes

You know what they say: Great minds... ;)

/Claes
"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

- Gen George S. Patton

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

- Gen George S. Patton

Good point, but not necessarily true. Several people may have reached the same conclusion via different paths of thought, right?

This gives us another one: A good discussion/debate aids creativity... It helps a lot to discuss problems/opportunities with someone. That may provide you with a new angle on things.

Ok... This has been fun. It's getting late here and I'm going to hit the sack now, but please continue....

/Claes

Claes you are very prolific on this issue,
So far you have:
*Time (the unit, not the magazine)
*Objectives (There you go, stifling me! JK, this was where I was going with "boundaries")
*Humour (discovered by db)
*Leave the beaten track (think outside the box?)
*Emotion (inspired by Randy Stewart's mgmt. incentive program)
*Necessity (Ah...the mother of invention)
*Putting yourself in someone else's shoes (Yes, SteelMaiden, but what if they're too tight?)
*Discussion/debate (Hopefully this was inspired by my first post. energy seconded this with "Creativity is a group activity")
*Responsibility (Randy Stewart's along with the next three)
*Ownership (Wow! You mean I get to keep the patent/copyright?)
*Training (It's fun to create but you have to know how!)
*Empowerment (I have seen a lot of things fixed after people heard, "It's so broke, you can't possibly screw it up worse.")
*Imagination (This is the other Randy's. I like this one best!)

Sometimes don't ya just wonder how some of these decision makers would live on OUR salaries?

I guess what gets me about this is that a couple months ago I heard these guys say that they blame themselves for not getting more business in here. Then they award themselves when others are screaming for help. Can you say K-Mart and Enron?

We have a 6 week window that is very very lean. When we get through it we will be back and next year looks busier than the last 2 put together.
One positive is that it has made everyone evaluate how they are operating. Things that couldn't be done any other way, well they found more cost effective ways to accomplish them (necessity)!

*Imagination (This is the other Randy's. I like this one best!)

Thank you for the kind comment.

Imagination is what caused Wilbur and Orville to change from bicycles to airplanes.

Henry Ford imagined. As did Sam Walton, Mary Kay Ash, Werner von Braun, John Kennedy when he said put a man on the moon.

The first stroke of paint on canvas was caused by someone imagining a picture. Michaelangelo imagined David when he 1st viewed a block of marble.

Jonas Salk imagined a world without Polio, Christian Barnard imagined replacing the human heart with another, Danny Thomas imagined a cancer clinic just for children (St. Judes).

The list goes on. Imagination is what 1st has to take place for the other factors to come into play.

Thank you for the kind comment.

Imagination is what caused Wilbur and Orville to change from bicycles to airplanes.

Henry Ford imagined. As did Sam Walton, Mary Kay Ash, Werner von Braun, John Kennedy when he said put a man on the moon.

The first stroke of paint on canvas was caused by someone imagining a picture. Michaelangelo imagined David when he 1st viewed a block of marble.

Jonas Salk imagined a world without Polio, Christian Barnard imagined replacing the human heart with another, Danny Thomas imagined a cancer clinic just for children (St. Judes).

The list goes on. Imagination is what 1st has to take place for the other factors to come into play.

But imagination must be tempered, or at least disciplined. Each of the above had that ability. With discipline, imagination can become destructive.

Claes you are very prolific on this issue,
So far you have:
*Time (the unit, not the magazine)
*Objectives (There you go, stifling me! JK, this was where I was going with "boundaries")
*Humour (discovered by db)
*Leave the beaten track (think outside the box?)
*Emotion (inspired by Randy Stewart's mgmt. incentive program)
*Necessity (Ah...the mother of invention)
*Putting yourself in someone else's shoes (Yes, SteelMaiden, but what if they're too tight?)
*Discussion/debate (Hopefully this was inspired by my first post. energy seconded this with "Creativity is a group activity")
*Responsibility (Randy Stewart's along with the next three)
*Ownership (Wow! You mean I get to keep the patent/copyright?)
*Training (It's fun to create but you have to know how!)
*Empowerment (I have seen a lot of things fixed after people heard, "It's so broke, you can't possibly screw it up worse.")
*Imagination (This is the other Randy's. I like this one best!)

One I would recommend adding to the list (although it may be considered a version of several already on the list) would be "Perspective" (viewing a problem/subject from a different perspective). As an example:

A former employer had been cited for "uncontrolled documentation" during each continuing assessment for over three years and could not seem to find a solution. They viewed the problem as being the result of attempting to maintain over 3300 documents, and were making attempts to somehow control all of those documents.

As a new employee (with a different perspective), I posed a couple of questions: 1. How many of these documents are actually being used? 2. How many are really necessary? After doing a little research we were able to eliminate over 2200 of these documents that were not actually being used (some were replaced with OJT w/supporting records), and a few "books of text" were replaced with 1-3 page flowcharts.

This was not the result of any ingenious revelation on my part, but merely viewing the subject from a viewpoint previously not seen by those that had been dealing with the problem. :bigwave:

One I would recommend adding to the list (although it may be considered a version of several already on the list) would be "Perspective" (viewing a problem/subject from a different perspective). As an example:

A former employer had been cited for "uncontrolled documentation" during each continuing assessment for over three years and could not seem to find a solution. They viewed the problem as being the result of attempting to maintain over 3300 documents, and were making attempts to somehow control all of those documents.

As a new employee (with a different perspective), I posed a couple of questions: 1. How many of these documents are actually being used? 2. How many are really necessary? After doing a little research we were able to eliminate over 2200 of these documents that were not actually being used (some were replaced with OJT w/supporting records), and a few "books of text" were replaced with 1-3 page flowcharts.

This was not the result of any ingenious revelation on my part, but merely viewing the subject from a viewpoint previously not seen by those that had been dealing with the problem. :bigwave:

I call this "fresh eyes"

Thank you all. I think this thread is a pretty good display of creativity in itself. :D

Claes you are very prolific on this issue
Yes... I must admit that this is one of my pet subjects. You know what? I'll put this into a mindmap and post it here. Then, with the aid of that great tool (We missed that one didn't we?) we may be able to expand it further. Deal?

/Claes

But imagination must be tempered, or at least disciplined. Each of the above had that ability. With discipline, imagination can become destructive.
Great point db! I forget who said this: "Just because we have the ability to do a thing, does not mean that we MUST do it."
The atomic bomb, slavery, and the DVD version of "Howard the Duck" come to mind.

Great point db! I forget who said this: "Just because we have the ability to do a thing, does not mean that we MUST do it."
The atomic bomb, slavery, and the DVD version of "Howard the Duck" come to mind.

Hey be careful there! Howard the Duck was a great movie, right up there with Death Race 2000, Two Lane Blacktop, and many other great classics. :biglaugh: :bigwave:

You got here before I did Dave. So what's up with the Howard the Duck put down?????

There are 2 movies I really question why they were made:
Bad Taste and Monsturd. If anything, they lived up to their names.

I knew as soon as I put ANY movie title in there I'd hook a couple (did I tell you Sheriff energy is my hero?). I just couldn't resist adding something that we could debate (hey, a creative group activity!). Anyone want to argue on the pro side of the other two?

As a new employee (with a different perspective), I posed a couple of questions: 1. How many of these documents are actually being used? 2. How many are really necessary? After doing a little research we were able to eliminate over 2200 of these documents that were not actually being used (some were replaced with OJT w/supporting records), and a few "books of text" were replaced with 1-3 page flowcharts.
Oops.. I forgot this one.. (Sorry David): Eliminate the unnecessary to reveal the problem beneath (It blocks the view)

/Claes

OK, here's a start. Help me develop it further....

/Claes

OK, here's a start. Help me develop it further....

/Claes
How about commitment? I see this especially in relation to focus. I can focus on the objective without being committed to it. There is also something to be said for contininuing education. Actually, Claes, this is getting fun! (BTW Icy Mountain - I don't have to much trouble fitting into someone elses shoes, but mine might be a tight fit for most, my Grandma used to tell me (when I would get pouty or sulky) that with feet this small I just didn't have much of an understanding!)

Actually, Claes, this is getting fun!
Fun? Yes... Creativity is fun, and having fun boosts creativity. :)
Commitment? Contininuing education? Definitely...

I'll update the map as we go along.

/Claes

Claes,
The creativity discussion may benefit a reading of the SoPK map. I firmly believe that a SoPK promotes creativity through systems thinking. Creativity being a by-product of systems thinking and appreciation of a system. ;)
Wallace.

I just viewed your map, good work Claes.
Wallace

As I posted in another thread in another galaxy, long, long ago....

I started out life with a degree in Art. I think most would agree that being an artist takes a reasonably high degree of creativity. However, I learned every valuable lesson about creativity that I know from one absolutely marvelous professor. From him I learned that creativity is a process.

Before every new project, Dr. Hubler would spend hours reviewing with us slides of other artists works that pertained to our topic. He gave us quotes and stories to read related to the topic, and held group discussions on the project. If we needed instruction on the tools related to the project, he also gave that instruction.

From this flood of information came the seeds of creativity, perceived a little differently by everyone in the class. It was like priming a pump. To this day, whenever I begin a project, I follow the Hubler route. I research the topic as thoroughly as I can, and get as many points of view as I can. Then I synthesize what I've read and seen into MY approach.

I think this is how many R&D guys I've worked with do things also. They stay tuned into the latest developments, rersearch the processes and then synthesize this into a research project. Once the R&D project has defined a new approach (and in my experience, it's mostly a technology they are developing, not a product), then the design engineering group takes on the role of proving the viability of the new technology in a product.

Sometimes it's a home run, sometimes it's not. but remember, a lot of new technology sits unused until the marketplace is ready to use it, and that could take years.

Rosie A,
You put it well. So you're using a system of knowledge gain to come to a particular conclusion that shall allow you to arrive at a personal or global world view. The Sytem of profound knowledge SoPK) is an excellent model for this Rosie.
Have a look at the interpretive model as it develops at the cove http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=6733
Wallace.

Claes,
The creativity discussion may benefit a reading of the SoPK map. I firmly believe that a SoPK promotes creativity through systems thinking. Creativity being a by-product of systems thinking and appreciation of a system. ;)
Wallace.
Systems thinking. Yes, absolutley...

/Claes

I learned that creativity is a process.

From this flood of information came the seeds of creativity, perceived a little differently by everyone in the class. It was like priming a pump. To this day, whenever I begin a project, I follow the Hubler route. I research the topic as thoroughly as I can, and get as many points of view as I can. Then I synthesize what I've read and seen into MY approach.

A very good approach, I'd say... It clearly is a process, and being creative often takes a lot of effort.

TANSTAAFL...

/Claes

Ok, I updated the map acc. to the latest input.

/Claes

A very good approach, I'd say... It clearly is a process, and being creative often takes a lot of effort.

Yes, so we come back to this: creativity is a process and in the context of a quality (or business) management system we seek to control processes. Collectively, as quality folks, we do this not just because it's so much fun but because we want to "Constantly and forever improve the system of production and service.(Deming Pt. 5)" IMO, it is difficult, maybe impossible, to constantly improve a process that is out of control since it will oscillate between improvement and degradation. Thus the desire to have an R&D process as part of our BMS/QMS which, I think, is what prompted this thread. :D

Hej Claes,

O.K., here’s a bit for the mix.

Alfie Kohn states that Creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence. His three key ingredients to achieving Excellence is through his famous Three Cs: Collaboration (cooperation), Challenge, Choice. I see a good deal of parity with these with the comments shared in this thread. Does seeing it broken into these aggregates help to generate thought??

Regards,

Kevin :bigwave:

Hej Kevin,

Thank's. Yeah I'll say it does...:)

/Claes

Claes,
Your map is coming along nicely and your Mind mapping skills are evident.
May I suggest and encourage you to consider contributing to the SoPK map at the cove. I would appreciate a fellow Mind mappers in-put to the map. I'm using two very capable software packages to map out the SoPK

Claes,
Here's portions of the SoPK map that are evolving at the cove. Kevin Mader proposed the Aim and Vision additions to the SoPK map.
I believe Aim and Vision is an integral part of promoting creativity, motivation being the by-product of Aim and Vision.
Enjoy.
Wallace.

Claes,
Your map is coming along nicely and your Mind mapping skills are evident.
May I suggest and encourage you to consider contributing to the SoPK map at the cove. I would appreciate a fellow Mind mappers in-put to the map. I'm using two very capable software packages to map out the SoPK

I will, Wallace. In fact it's been my intention to contribute to it for some time now.. Time... Aye, there's the rub...

/Claes

Good thread!!!
Some additions to all that has been said.
1. Training was mentioned earlier, but in a broad perspective, education is as important for fostering creativity. In fact I'd go a step further and say, each individual when brought up in different cultures and environments would show different levels of creativity. So I'd think that heredity, culture and environment that an individual is fostered in influences the levels of creativity exhibited by the individual. So the educations systems, the basic schooling needs to be rethought or refined if in general creativity levels of individuals needs to be increased.
2. Environment is the key to breaking barriers. The walls need to be broken to imagine, and emotions like fear for some and freedom and beautiful surroundings or nature for others bring out the best in creativity
3. Teams especially cross functional seem to come out with the best of creativity at times and that is because there would be members in such a team with little or no knowledge about a process and so their thinking will be fresh, unaffected by existing process(es) and without the blinkers on. In fact their ideas all but act as the nucleation for ideas to build up on for the remaining more knowledgable members of the team for that process.
4. Talking of teams, a team leader or a mentor is as influential in your creativity as anyone else. A good leader/mentor can bring out the best of creativity in you by correct levels of motivation ...So motivation/ mentorship can be added to the list. Remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Jonathan dares to break the walls by thinking he can swoop down, thus throwing his blinkers off or breaking the boundaries to the thinking process. Once he does it he is able to mentor other younger gulls by mentoring them to do different ....
/Sayee

Thank you Sayee,

Good points. I will update the mind map... and welcome to the Cove :bigwave:

/Claes

New version acc. to the latest input.

/Claes

Good points Sayee! I agree with them all.

I think creativity is often the result of hearing and seeing other people's approaches to problems or issues, which is consistent with the approach taken by my Design professor, back in the day.

Good points Sayee! I agree with them all.

I think creativity is often the result of hearing and seeing other people's approaches to problems or issues, which is consistent with the approach taken by my Design professor, back in the day.

Thanks Rosie. I would add reading to "hearing and seeing" above. I agree to the approach which helped me more than once for sure!

Hej Claes,

O.K., here’s a bit for the mix.

Alfie Kohn states that Creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence. His three key ingredients to achieving Excellence is through his famous Three Cs: Collaboration (cooperation), Challenge, Choice. I see a good deal of parity with these with the comments shared in this thread. Does seeing it broken into these aggregates help to generate thought??

Regards,

Kevin

If creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence, how did they get to Excellence in the first place? Is this the cart before the horse or am I confused again? :bonk:

We promote creativity when we see the bank balance flatten out!! :eek:

If creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence, how did they get to Excellence in the first place? Is this the cart before the horse or am I confused again? :bonk:

I believe that it is actually the process of achieving excellence where creativity comes into play. As Collaboration, Challenge, and Choice are a part of the process towards achieving excellence, they also drive creativity.

If creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence, how did they get to Excellence in the first place? Is this the cart before the horse or am I confused again? :bonk:

Energy, I agree. I've found that it takes a lot of encouragement to get people to think creatively. I think the first step is to get them to think DIFFERENTLY. I have a sign in my office that says "We've always done it this way" and has the international symbol for "NO" over the top of it. That's really step one.

I don't remember who said this, but one of my favorite Quality quotes is: "you can't solve problems with the same thinking that created the problem"

It takes patience and tact to make people stop the direction they've always gone in and think creatively, but once you open the floodgates, the changes can be rapid and exciting. This results in excellence.

Great thread,
Creativity is often the result of (Spurred on by) a challenge to a personal view of reality.
It has to be said that, creativity is a place we all get to at one time or another and, the vehicle that takes us there is the information that is contained within knowledge that is either personaly discovered, revealed, understood and / or shared.
Creativity is proof that the human mind has the capability and capacity for great deeds.
Wallace

If creativity (Innovation) is a product of Excellence, how did they get to Excellence in the first place? Is this the cart before the horse or am I confused again? :bonk:

I would say that creativity is a product of excellence just as excellence is a product of creativity. When you edge closer to one of them you also give the other one a boost. A good circle... :D

/Claes

I would say that creativity is a product of excellence just as excellence is a product of creativity. When you edge closer to one of them you also give the other one a boost. A good circle...
/Claes

Kevin's quote from an obviously respected whatever, simply says that creativity is a product of excellence. See why I stay away from this stuff? It's a giant smoke screen that you must agree with to convince yourself that it means something. I really don't get it. If it was described, as Dave interprets it, I wouldn't have even posted. I'm just trying to stay with the big hitters. Well, back to the bench! :bonk:

Claes,
Would you consider submitting your creativity map as an addition to the SoPK map. I firmly believe that your excellently mapped information would be ideally suited to the psychology branch of the SoPK map, tro du ikke??
Wallace.

Claes,
Would you consider submitting your creativity map as an addition to the SoPK map. I firmly believe that your excellently mapped information would be ideally suited to the psychology branch of the SoPK map, tro du ikke??
Wallace.

That's creative... ;) Yes, absolutley. I looked through the SoPK map yesterday, and you're right. It fits rather nicely. I'll post a link to this thread in the SoPK thread to that effect.

Hey... I didn't know you spoke... Norwegian, is it? :vfunny: Jag förstod i alla fall vad du menade. Norska och svenska skiljer sig inte sig inte mycket åt.. ;)

/Claes

Thanks Claes,
I do speak very bad Norsk yet, I understand Dansk more than Norsk (Crazy Eh!)
Svenska, vell, Jeg forstar det ikke sa god. My last name of Tait is a variant of "Teitr", a scandinavian name that was introduced into the north of England and the lowlands of Scotland by those **** Vickings.

Regarding your apparent mind mapping skills, do you or, have you shared this form of knowledge and information creation and exchange within your profession?
I have recently shared this format with my Ford colleagues and, the response has been phenomenal.
I have in the past cople of years become involved with a Norwegian organization called Norcan Data (Oslo), they are the developers of Visual Mind www.visual-mind.com
I initially helped them to get into the mainstream mindmapping arena with all of the big boys Mind genius, Mind manager, Mind mapper and Visimap.
It's a great little utility that is simple to use and complex enought to be a powerful business tool for information creation, development and exchange.
Have a look and let me know what you think.
I did formerly use Mind man but, I found it has become rather complex. I believe the most capable program on the market at this time is Mind genius formerly known as Ygnius.
Wallace.

Actually, if you understand norwegian, you do understand a bit of swedish, siince the two (and danish ansd icelandic) are related. The vikings... Yes they were all over the place, weren't they. :eek:

Mindmapping... I have used it or similar techniques since 2:nd grade. At the time, I obviously had no idea that it would once be called mindmapping, of course. I do remember getting a collossal dressing down from my 2:nd grade teacher for not "taking notes in a proper way".... Not very good for my creativity, had I payed any attention. Fortunately I did not. I persisted..
:vfunny:

I do use mindmapping techniques at work... I use it a lot, all the time: Meetings, projects, audit planning, you name it... And it's contageous... I'm also interested in new tools, so I'll check your links.

/Claes :agree:

Claes,
I cetainly relate to you when you write that, you had used a form of note taking simillar to Mind mapping. I too have had the same experience and, in recent years have begun to re-introduce myself and use the tools and techniques of Mind mapping mainly throgh PC software.

Regarding the use of Mind mapping within business, I firmly believe that the tools and techniques of Mind mapping have been grossly missunderstood and missapplied to the point of it becoming a novelty utility rather than a skill that anyone can be taught to use for personal, business and educational uses.
Wallace.

...that the tools and techniques of Mind mapping have been grossly missunderstood and missapplied to the point of it becoming a novelty utility rather than a skill that anyone can be taught to use for personal, business and educational uses.
Absolutley true.

People have been given the impression that mindmapping, due to its very different appearance (compared to what is considered normal) is:

complicated
hard to interpret.
a novelty, and as such of little practical use
unnecessary
time consuming
...and so on.
None of the above is true...

/Claes

Yeah Claes,
I firmly believe that the tools and techniques of Mind mapping that are available today through Software products, if used to their fullest potential would, facilitate personal, business and educational quantum improvements.
I say this by personal experience. Mind mapping has changed the way that I approach my personal and business life to the extent that, Mind mapping use has caused me to be more systems oriented.
The infusion of Mind mapped information within an organizational business system has time and time again, shown to facilitate and motivate pro-active involvement of all employees at all levels, a dream for most forward thinking organizations indeed.
Wallace.

Energy,

David's response is pretty good, but Claes' comments appear to be equally applicable. Sorry for the circular reference, of a sort.

Kev

This what I tell the design activity (over and over):

It has to work.
It has to fit.
It has to look good.

No design engineer has ever accomplished all three. Use your "creativity" and prove me wrong.

It finally happened:

Today, during training with a new employee I pulled out a mind map... and the bloke knew what it was! He said: -Oh, yeah, we learned that in school... At long last good learning tools seem to be finding their way into the schools, and not too soon either.

How about the rest of you? Do you see any trace of mindmapping or other good tools coming to use in your schools?

/Claes

No design engineer has ever accomplished all three. Use your "creativity" and prove me wrong.Hmmm. I failed to notice this post at the time... So: Nope. I see creativity as a means to make the most of what you have and to finding new ways, not to prove someone wrong.

Examples would be more appropriate in this case, but let's do that in another thread.

/Claes