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Appendix D -- Adaptation, Reversal & Assumptions
 
The words we use to define a problem impose constraints on our thinking, and may close our eyes to new possibilities as well as important assumptions we may be making. The word “buy” for example, narrows the search for ways to obtain a piece of needed equipment much more than the broader term: “obtain”, which encompasses other options such as “hire” and “borrow”. Pronouns such as “I” and “we” can have a similar effect. The refinement also takes note of the actions as well as structures.

A simple way to open up possibilities is to write a simple sentence describing the unsatisfactory situation, not necessarily what we see as the key problem, in the form:

SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT.

As an example, a store may want to find ways to cut costs, and a simple description of the unsatisfactory money-losing situation might be:

The staff + serve + the customers.

The next step is to generate 10 or 20 variations of the statement by the insertion of a variety of different Subjects, Verbs and Objects. For example:

The customers + serve + the customers

Scrutinizing these new statements may well reveal creative new possibilities -- such as the idea of self-service. This reversal also exposes the assumption that staff serve customers.

The same statement might recruiting part-time or holiday staff from the customer base who are familiar with the products and operation.

We can also investigate structures and variables by considering the creative implications of statements made by adding adjectives and adverbs to exaggerate things.

As a simple example, consider the problem of an office machine servicing company, in a big city, whose engineers were getting stuck in traffic and taking far too long getting from job to job. The search begins by listing ten or twenty statements that describe the elements of the situation. For example:

“Our engineers drive Ford Mondeos.”
“They are all men.”
“They keep in contact with the head office by mobile phone.”
Etc., etc., etc.

Each statement is then deliberately reversed. For example:
“The engineers do not drive Mondeos.”
“They are not men”.
Etc., etc.

Each new statement is then passively floated and visualized in the imagination for just a few seconds, waiting for some kind of insight to arrive. A useful insight from the first reversal might be that the engineers drive motorbikes or mountain bikes instead of Mondeos – enabling them to move easily through busy traffic and also carry necessary tools. This simple technique can quickly generate scores of interesting ideas.

Even the most ludicrous reversal could be considered – such as, “The Mondeos drive the engineers!” – suggesting perhaps that it might be good to have them travel by taxi or public transport, thereby avoiding the need to park. After accumulating a few dozen possible ideas, those should then be quietly scanned and contemplated in turn in the imagination, looking for a magical synthesis of insights to emerge.