FROM DILIP MUKERJEA'S ITINERANT TOOLBOX: REVERSAL

[continued from the Last Post.]

Applying ‘Reversal’ as a Technique in Creativity:

We frequently find it extremely difficult to come up with solutions in a direct manner. In such instances, we look at the problem back to-front, upside down, right to left, inside out, any way that is the reverse of that which is direct.

Hence if the real challenge at hand is to consider “How might we motivate our staff,” let’s flip it 180 degrees and consider instead, “In what ways can we demotivate our staff?”

In what ways can we demotivate our staff? Now, consider the 180 degree opposite (Real Objective)

1. Slash their salaries.

2. Make them work longer hours.

3. Reduce social gatherings.

4. Remove incentive schemes.

5. Demote them.

6. Constantly supervise them.

7. Cancel all bonus payments.

8. Cut down on paid vacations.

9. Make the work zone unhealthy.

10. Eliminate all medical benefits.

The list on the left offers some direct answers to the reversed problem. By simply flipping this list 180º, the solutions to our ‘real’ problem emerge automatically! Remember, the real objective is the opposite of that stated in the problems.

Now try your hand at the following challenges:

Problem: How can you ensure that a terrific new product will fail in the market?

Problem: In what ways can you guarantee a collapse of your relationship with your best friend?

[To be continued in the Next Post. Excerpted from 'Surfing the Intellect: Building Intellectual Capital for a Knowledge Economy', by Dilip Mukerjea. All the images in this post are the intellectual capital of Dilip Mukerjea.]