Innovation Generation: How to Produce Creative and Useful Scientific Ideas

273 Pages·2012·1.833 MB·English

by  Roberta B. Ness

Innovation Generation

Innovation Generation
How to Produce Creative
and Useful Scientific Ideas
ROBERTA B. NESS
1
1
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Copyright © 2012 by Roberta B. Ness
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ness, Roberta B.
Innovation generation : how to produce creative and useful scientifi c ideas / Roberta B. Ness.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0-19–989259-4 (hardback)
1. Creative ability in science. 2. Science—Study and teaching.
3. Creative thinking—Study and teaching. I. Title.
Q172.5.C74N47 2012
501ʹ.9—dc23 2011034698
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My most heartfelt thanks to Michael Goodman and Sara Ness, who gath-
ered data, tracked down ideas, added great thoughts, and commented
on draft s. Th ese two young people are the best of the next generation of
creative thinkers. Th e InGen Group provided wonderful research help
and brainstorms for which I am truly grateful: Jack Smith, Nancy Turner,
John D’Amore, Rhiannon Dodge, Angie Lloyd, Alana Harrison, and
Christopher Neil. Th anks also to Tracie Chase for her, as always, fl awless
technical assistance.
My parents, of course, have my everlasting thanks for 18 years of form-
ing me into the person I am. I thank my children, Joel and Sara, who
shaped me as much or more during a subsequent 18-plus years.
Finally, thanks to my husband David, who has, for decades, been the
grease to my imaginings. As always, he showed great patience and forti-
tude through the writing of this book. His comments sometimes got me
over a hump, and his love and support kept me climbing up this seem-
ingly endless mountain.
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CONTENTS
1 Don’t Read this Book 1
Th e Big Picture: Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Innovation
2 It All Depends on How You Look at It 11
3 Overcoming Frames 20
4 Say It Like you Mean It 30
5 Overcoming Metaphors 36
6 Check Th is Out! 42
7 Becoming a Keener Observer 53
8 How Biased Are You? 62
9 Overcoming Bias 71
10 Th e Brain and Creativity: Th e Seat of Inspiration 75
11 Th e Brain and Creativity: Getting Out in Front 81
Asking and Answering a Scientifi c Question Th rough Innovation
12 Th e Joy of Science 93
13 Asking the Right Question 98
14 How Is a Marriage Like a Matchbox? 107
15 Flip it! 117
16 A Man Walked into a Bar 131
17 Th e Power of Group Intelligence 144
18 Getting the Most from a Group 156
19 Incubation 162
20 Testing Your Ideas 168
21 Th at Right Idea 180
22 Th e Stodginess of Science 191
23 Overcoming the Stodginess of Science 197
24 Innovation Incubators 208
References 217
Answers to Exercises 235
Index 253
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Innovation Generation