Synectics (George Prince, William Gordon)
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Synectics is a structured approach to creative problem-solving. It seeks new lines of speculation, and these in turn lead to potential solutions by means of the Force Fit. The purpose of the methodology is to provide the individual with a repeatable procedure which will increase the probability of his success and hasten his arrival at an innovative solution. The process involves two basic activities:
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1) Making the strange familiar
Most challenges are not new. The challenge is to view the problem in a new way. Three basic procedures are involved: analysis, generalization, and model-seeking, or analogy. Analysis is the process of breaking down a complexity into its component parts. Generalization is the intellectual act of identifying significant patterns among the component parts. Model-seeking, or analogy, is the equivalent of asking oneself, What in my knowledge or experience is like this?
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2) Making the familiar strange
To make the familiar strange is to distort, invert, or transpose the everyday ways of looking and responding which render the world a secure and familiar place. It is a conscious attempt to achieve a new look at the same old world, people, ideas, feelings, and things. The attempt to make the familiar strange involves several different methods of achieving an intentionally naive or apparently "out of focus" look at some aspects of the known world.
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More information can be found on this website.
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