A model of inventive ideation

Despite significant progress over the past six decades, a number of obstacles still exist as far as the understanding and application of inventive ideation techniques is concerned. This paper describes the development of a model aimed at simplifying the selection and application of these techniques. Analysis of a diverse range of creative thinking techniques as well as invention heuristics has suggested that, collectively, they use only 10 basic strategies, or 'mechanisms', to generate inventive ideas. These mechanisms are applied either in sequence or in parallel, demand different degrees of intuition, are used with different frequency and tend to be applied to certain types of problems. These features have been represented in a model of inventive ideation. The model provides a structured method to produce a diverse range of ideas, and also allows the problem solver or group to develop ideation strategies best suited to their skills, needs and the type of problem. An example is shown to illustrate its application. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.