ABSTRACT

A group of workers were charged with solving the diffi culties of potato-chip packaging. Th e standard bag packaging was inexpensive but fragile, allowing a large number of chips to be broken in transit. Th e workers tried using the synectics approach in which analogies are used to solve problems. Th ey tried to imagine things in nature that are like potato chips, and one worker thought of dry leaves. Th ese are brittle and break easily, as do chips. One worker recalled that aft er a rain, a large number of leaves are easily bagged without breaking, many more than can normally fi t into a standard bag. Th e group convened outside, wet down some leaves, and noted that, indeed, wet leaves could be compressed easily into a compact space without breaking them. Th is analogy formed the basis of the Pringles potato-chip line, which features chips that are formed while wet into a shape that is easily and compactly packaged. (Gordon & Poze, 1981)

In Sweden, a group of high school students received training in lateral thinking, a series of techniques for generating ideas by looking at situations from fresh perspectives. Corporate and industrial leaders provided problems for the young people to address. One of the problems involved the diffi culty of motivating workers in a plant that needed to be kept running over the weekend. Th e students suggested that, rather than motivating the existing workers to take weekend hours, a fresh workforce be employed that only worked on weekends. Th e idea was tried, and applicants for the weekend jobs far exceeded the number needed. (de Bono, 1992)

Ms. Cochran was concerned that her class’s science project ideas were unoriginal and oft en represented displays or demonstrations rather than research. Aft er teaching the diff erences among the three types of projects, she demonstrated how to use the SCAMPER acronym to generate ideas for improving projects. Beginning with the idea of a display on beekeeping, students suggested research projects that included assessing the eff ects of color on bees’ attraction to fl owers and comparing honey production in diff erently shaped hives. Although some students’ eff orts still were defi cient in originality, Ms. Cochran was pleased to see the variety of projects her students produced for that year’s fair.