interesting content: synectics (gordon/little's method)

Disseny Bàsic Vilanova

Gordon/Little’s method (synectics)


Gordon/Little’s method (synectics)Practice: Equilibrium

Grup 2_tarda 30/09/2015


About the topic:

The method of Gordon / little is based on the technique of Synectics:

Synectics is a problem solving methodology that stimulates thought processes of which the subject may be unaware.

The name Synectics comes from the Greek and means "the joining together of different and

apparently irrelevant elements”.

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This method was developed by George M.

Prince and William J.J. Gordon , originating in

the Arthur D. Little Invention Design Unit in the

1950s.

Gordon and Prince named both their practice

and their new company Synectics. While the

name was trademarked, it has become a

standard word for describing creative

problem solving in groups.

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About the protagonist:

William J. J. Gordon (1919 – 2003) was an inventor and

psychologist, who divided his time between the

academic and business worlds. Between 1950 and 1960

he developed many commercial patents. Many of the

elements of creativity being debated and confirmed by

neuroscience today were uncovered long ago by the

team led by Bill in the late 50s and early 60s.4/12


Gordon left Synectics in the early 60′s to explore the

application of Synectics to education and founded the

Synectics Education Systems.

William Gordon wrote a book about his theory:

“Synectics: The Development of Creative Capacity”.1961.

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Method:

Situation: a problem has to be solved , for solving it we need a

team of people who don’t know which is the real problem.

1st step: the team has to answer an abstract question but

somewhat connected to the real question.

Example: we want to reduce absenteeism, we start asking: how

can we make the people do what we want?

Answers: make it attractive, pay them, cheating, threatening

them, persuade them…

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Method:

Next step: The team keeps answering questions every time

more focused on the real problem.

Example: why do people likes doing things, why they do things

that they really didn’t like, why people works…?

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Method:

Next step: The real question is revealed to the team, in this

point they stop to analyze the answers given to the previous

questions relating them to the topic.

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Method:

Next step: The team now have to try to solve the real problem

based on the analysis done before.

Example: rewarding their attendance with promotions (to make

them feel valuable), to publish a list of the members who got

100% attendance (to receive praise from other partners)

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Method:

Next step: The team leader makes an analysis of pros and cons

of the answers given to the real questions and repeats the

question to the team, who should try to improve the solution

with the analysis given from the leader.

This step can be repeated until a successful answer is given.

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Conclusions:

Pros.

Answers not preconceived

A new fresh view of the problemMore original answers

Cons.

Initial answers may not be related with the topic

Opinion

A good way to get creative solutions to problems

The best method for to reach the third level of abstraction

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Synectics is:

“make known the unknown

and the known unknown”

Thank you for your attention