Module 4 - Three Key Innovation Techniques

This module will focus on three high value innovation methodologies for about an hour each, followed by an exercise. Since the early 1980s, three innovation methods have stood the test of time.

1. Eric VonHippel's "Lead User Analysis" method.
Lead User Analysis is generally useful soft tool when "breakthrough" innovation or "next generation" innovation is needed.

Exercise #2: A real time exercise will be conducted to identify possible lead users and lead user sources for a project that one of the participants is currently working on or considering. All Summit attendees will be asked to contribute to the discussion and apply VonHippel's principles to help one of your fellow Summit participants identify the lead users for their project. Time permitting, we will do a second example for another of the Summit participants.

2. Genrich Altschuller's "Theory Of Inventive Problem Solving [TRIZ]" method.
Triz is a generally useful hard and quantative tool that covers the gamut from "incremental to breakthrough" innovation. Triz may be the tool that has the single best chance of regularly generating new intellectual property that needs to be protected and/or registered.

3. Edward DeBono's "Lateral Thinking" and "Six Hats" trademarked methods.
Six Hats® and Lateral Thinking® are extremely flexible soft tools that can be adapted to address any level of innovation that one seeks for a particular product or project.

Exercise #3: This module will conclude with a formal group exercise to try out Edward DeBono's "Six Hats®" trademarked methodology. Each "hat" requires a different thinking perspective when addressing an innovation opportunity. Pat Carlisle, a certified trainer of DeBono methodologies, will facilitate this exercise.

The goal of this module is familiarize all attendees with the capabilities of three of the most credible innovation methodologies based on their thirty-year lasting power in industry.