What is the value of 'different'? I have written before about 'crazitivity'. Because a creative result is different there are many who believe that it is enough to be different in order to be creative. In many such cases the only value in the result is the 'difference'.
I have found this attitude in those people who believe themselves to be very creative and have built their self-esteem around this factor. There is then a need to satisfy themselves and others that they are indeed creative. Since it is not so easy to be consistently creative they find it easier to be deliberately different.
This passes for creativity amongst those who do not yet know better. It also does a lot of harm to the notion of 'serious creativity'. It also harms the individuals concerned, who are then complacent about their creativity and do not make the effort to develop a truly creative skill. There are so many people whose motivation to be creative is very high, but who do not yet understand that a truly creative skill can be developed.
So one of the uses (not values) of difference is to give the appearance of creativity.
ATTENTION CATCHING
Almost by definition, anything that is different attracts and catches our attention. We glide over the normal and routine but stop to pay attention to the 'different'. In areas where it is important to catch attention, this use of 'different' has acquired an importance - even if this importance is exaggerated. This is the case in the advertising world. As people flick through magazines or watch TV programmes it is very important to catch an attention that hurries by.
An elephant painted bright pink is more likely to catch the attention than a normal elephant - unless the normal elephant is doing something different. Interestingly, a pink elephant doing something different is not as effective as a normal elephant doing something different: one strand of difference is more effective than two. Since many creative approaches stemmed from Alex Osborne, who worked in advertising, this use of difference has become somewhat overdone.
PROVOCATION
The essence of formal provocation is that it is different from what is expected. 'Po cars have square wheels' is obviously very different from a normal car. But the square wheels are not a final idea. The word 'po' signals that this is only a provocation. There is no value at all in the provocation except that it allows the thinker to 'move' forward (using the mental operation of 'movement') to a new idea that does have value. So it is possible to 'move' forward from the provocation of square wheels to the idea of 'active suspension' or 'intelligent suspension', where the suspension acts in anticipation of needs, not just reactively to needs. Such an idea has now been developed.
The key point is that a provocation is intended directly as a provocation and is signalled as such. Too often, a different idea is put forward as a creative result - not just a step towards a result. Very often those putting forward such different ideas do not understand the nature and process of creativity.
It is true that you could say: 'Treat this idea as a creative result, but if it does not have value then treat it as a provocation'. The trouble with such an approach is that, both as a useful idea and also as a provocation, the 'different' idea will be weak. Provocations need to be bold and need to be set up as such. There are formal lateral thinking methods of setting up provocations. Just being different is a weak form of provocation.
VALUE POTENTIAL
In the process of carrying out the mental operation of 'movement' the thinker can come to a concept that is obviously different from the normal concept. This is a signal to pause and to look around. What are the values that arise from this difference?
This is where the 'value sensitivity' outlined in a previous article comes in. The thinker who has developed value sensitivity pauses at a distinct point of difference and looks around to see what values arise from the difference. If instead of penalising motorists for adding to city traffic congestion, we actually pay motorists to leave their cars at home, then different values arise: secondary markets in permits, etc.
When carrying out the mental process of movement - which is very much more than suspending judgment - it is important to notice points of difference and to pause and to look around: what are the values here? Difference is an 'ante-chamber' for value.
SUPERFICIAL DIFFERENCE
Suppose you were asked to re-design a coffee cup, what would you do?
There are elements of fault correction:
We might design a more ergonomic handle so that the cup is easier to lift...
...we might have better insulation to keep the coffee warm...
...we might re-design the capacity to meet the drinker's needs more exactly...
...we might design the cup to be more stable on the saucer.
Then there are the superficial 'creative changes':
Let's put flowers on the cup...
...what about a calendar with dates...
...personalise it with names...
...put quotes on the cup.
These suggestions do indeed have value - but they are still superficial.
Then there might be deeper points of difference.
The colour of the cup (or a band) could indicate the temperature...
...the relationship with the saucer might change, so that the saucer could also become a cover...
...there might be more than one handle for use by different sorts of fingers...
...the rim might be changed in one area to make drinking easier.
DEEPER DIFFERENCE
Superficial differences are generally modifications of an idea or even different ideas within the same concept. Deeper differences involve different concepts or even different 'directions' (see the Concept Fan in my book Serious Creativity). As I indicated above, there is value in superficial differences. The danger lies in being content always with superficial differences and therefore making no effort to seek deeper differences.
When exploring for value it can be useful to distinguish between superficial dfferences and deeper ones.
Is there a fundamental difference here?
Is there a concept change?
What is the concept and how does it differ from the normal concept?
Clarifying a new concept is important but not easy. Occasionally, a new concept is suggested as such. Much more often there is simply a new idea. The thinker then has to extract the new concept behind the idea. Usually the person suggesting the different idea does not even realise there has been a concept change.
The importance of extracting a concept is that concepts are of value in 'breeding' new ideas. The idea of having two handles on a coffee cup suggests the concept of a cup designed for multiple ways of holding it. This is a basic concept. From this can come many specific ideas: holding it by a handle; directly nestling in the hand; sip or drink holding patterns; different customs, etc.
FOCUS ON THE DIFFERENCE
One of the formal ways of getting 'movement' is to focus specifically on the difference. Even if the difference is tiny, you define and focus on the difference.
The killer phrase, 'this is the same as...' suggests that a new idea is not really new at all and is therefore not worthy of attention. I have seen many excellent ideas killed this way. People who have to deal with ideas have learned that this approach is much more successful than seeking to attack the idea itself. The appropriate response in these cases is: 'Yes, in some respects it may be the same as what we are doing, but let us focus on the difference and see what comes out of that difference'.
So the idea of having a part of the rim of a coffee cup specifically designed for drinking is not a powerful idea, since no one complains of having difficulty in drinking from existing coffee cups. But the 'difference' is that of designing for ease of drinking at one point.
Too much of a spout might seem like an invalid's cup. But there could be variations in thickness - maybe even one side thick and the other side very thin. There could be experimentation to explore 'feel', mechanical benefits, etc. From the same idea also comes consideration of the fixed relationship between 'holding' and 'drinking'.
SUMMARY
'Difference' as such is not an end in itself. Difference has a value in attracting attention. The attraction of attention may have a direct value, as in advertising, or may have an indirect value in getting the thinker to explore values that may arise in connection with the difference. In short, being 'different' is not in itself being 'creative'. There is a place for difference in creativity, but only as a step to seeking more substantial values.
Web site: http:/www.edwdebono.com/
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