Friday, September 29, 2006
TRIZ in Business Week
Good news--TRIZ gets another nice note in Business Week. Hard copy is Sept. 25, page 4 of the Innovation supplement. On-line go to http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/index.html then click on "Innovation Toolbox" and you'll find
TOOLS AND TRENDS
Tool: TRIZ
Although it's gaining steam as a trendy method for fostering structured innovation, TRIZ (a Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) is a 60-year-old strategy conceived by the late inventor and patent inspector Genrich Altshuller. Altshuller devised a matrix of 39 basic engineering problems and 40 possible solutions to solve them. Consultants say an updated, broader version can teach inventiveness. Avon, BMW, Electrolux, GM, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola, Pfizer, Samsung, and Toyota are all using TRIZ. But managers beware: This pet tool of engineers is wildly complex and best suited for solving technical dilemmas.
TOOLS AND TRENDS
Tool: TRIZ
Although it's gaining steam as a trendy method for fostering structured innovation, TRIZ (a Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) is a 60-year-old strategy conceived by the late inventor and patent inspector Genrich Altshuller. Altshuller devised a matrix of 39 basic engineering problems and 40 possible solutions to solve them. Consultants say an updated, broader version can teach inventiveness. Avon, BMW, Electrolux, GM, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola, Pfizer, Samsung, and Toyota are all using TRIZ. But managers beware: This pet tool of engineers is wildly complex and best suited for solving technical dilemmas.
Bad news--it is only wildly complex if it is badly taught and it works very well for solving management problems, too.
