A few years ago, I came across and bought the knowledge management book by Drew Boyd and Jacob Goldenberg titled “Inside the Box: A Proven System for Creative Problem-Solving”

In a sector like the corporate world, where every time decision-making systems are discussed, everyone eventually nods when someone mentions the “brainstorming” system (though very few know how to apply it properly) or the need to “look outside the box” for solutions, I was struck that someone had taken the trouble to think about the exact opposite.

And that is what the book is about. The main message is that creativity and innovation do not always require “thinking outside the box”; on the contrary, they can often be generated more effectively and predictably by “thinking inside the box,” which means working with the limitations and existing components of the product or system.

p. 153.  Within the Multiplication chapter: “…as is the case with most of the techniques in this book, the problem would not have been solved without breaking some kind of fixation—in this case, functional fixation.”

And in me, the authors found a follower since I first read it. The main reason lies in my own philosophy of life, or even when applied professionally to resource-efficient management systems, or Lean Management systems, where one of the levers for value generation is the elimination of waste in the process. “Thinking inside the box” leads us to that stage, to that point of managing your own resources to seek solutions, because, as the authors say in the “Closed World Principle,” the most effective innovation arises from focusing on and manipulating the elements that are already present in the product, service, or immediate environment.

And since I am also passionate about creativity, especially about generating the right environments for creative ideas to emerge, my new role as a follower of the authors was also activated when they propose that creativity is not a random spark, but a rigorous and systematic process that can be learned and applied through the use of patterns or templates—that is, creativity is systemic. Thus, it is a book I have recommended many times in team management and creativity sessions.

p.163. “Then it occurred to them. What if the plug-in unit ‘expelled’ a different scent at different times so that the nose would detect it each time after getting used to the first perfume?”

 p.181. In the Task Unification section, one of the keys to Apple’s success is pointed out: “…Apple has successfully used Task Unification in the first way: assigning a task that was previously performed internally (creating applications for its hardware) to an external component (people outside of Apple and its traditional network of independent software vendors).”

The heart of the book focuses on five proven techniques or templates for generating disruptive ideas that force you to work with what already exists:

1. Subtraction: Consists of identifying an essential component of the product and eliminating it to see what new functions or markets emerge.
   • Example: Removing the dust bag from a vacuum cleaner (Dyson) or the need for a cable (mobile phone).
2. Multiplication: Involves copying a component of the product and modifying it in some way (changing size, material, color, etc.) to create additional value.
   • Example: A razor blade with multiple heads or glasses with double lenses.
3. Division: Involves dividing a component of the product, either functionally (separating tasks) or physically (placing it elsewhere), and reorganizing the parts.
   • Example: A wireless keyboard separate from the monitor or the components of a sound system separated (tower, speakers).
4. Task Unification (or Attribute Association): Consists of assigning an additional task or function of the system to an existing component. The component takes on a new role.
   • Example: A rearview mirror that also displays the outside temperature or the ice in a freezer that also cools the motor.
5. Attribute Dependency: Involves creating a dependency relationship between an internal attribute of the product and an external attribute of the environment. If one changes, the other must change as well.
   • Example: Eyeglass lenses that darken with the intensity of sunlight or packaging that changes color to indicate freshness.

The book argues that by applying these templates within existing constraints, the obstacle of “functional fixation” is overcome, and a more disciplined ideation process is achieved, which generates solutions that are more novel, viable, and market-ready than traditional brainstorming.

288: “Never forget that conceiving a creative idea is not enough. Creativity is the act of generating a new idea and connecting it to something useful. The Systematic Inventive Thinking method is a broad approach aimed at creating a culture of innovation in organizations.”

Recommendation by Jose Ramon Largo (CEO at RAMPALLO Consulting S.L.) on the edition by Empresa Activa, published in february 2014. ISBN 9788496627789.