The document discusses principles of innovation and problem solving. It provides quotes on creating an innovative organization and warming up creativity. It poses puzzles and problems to solve, including how to get customers to rewind tapes at a video store. It discusses concepts like blindspots, satisficing, and leveraging limits. The overall message is on the importance of continuous learning and improvement.

1. MATTHEW E. MAY May 5, 008 ELEGANT SOLUTIONS Innovation At Every Level

2. 1,000,000

3. Elegance is chess, not checkers.

4. Innovation… must be defined for the everyman

5. Beware the Temptations

6. SAKICHI TOYODA (1867-1930)

7. PERFECTION “ 18”

8. INGENUITY Change the work.

9. FIT Respect “the box”

10. There is nothing new here These principles are universal They must become discipline

11. Let Learning Lead

12. Learn to See

13. Design for Today

14. Think in Pictures

15. Capture the Intangible

16. Make Kaizen Mandatory

18. To be an innovative organization, you have to ask for innovation. You assemble a group of talented people who are eager to do new things and put them in an environment where innovation is expected. It’s that simple… Paul Cook (Raychem)

19. Warming Up

20. How can you hold 100 tons of water suspended in air without any visible means of support?

21. Move one stick to make a correct equation: XI + V = XI

22. Draw the following figure in one motion without lifting your pen/pencil off the paper:

23. Identify the pattern in the following letters: A E F H I K L M N T V W X Y Z B C D G J O P Q R S U

24. What appears to be the problem… What appears to be the solution… What appears to be impossible… Isn’t

31. HERE’S YOUR PROBLEM! (based on a real case) It’s 1990, before DVDs an auto-rewind VCRs. The corner video store has a problem: 33% of customers don’t rewind; big source of dissatisfaction Incentives, penalties, reminders, rewinders don’t budge the number Your goals: 100% customer rewind accountability (no store burden) No additional burden on customer Low-no cost (pennies on the tape) Your best idea in 10 minutes!

32. What happened ?

33. Leaping to solutions

34. Who Am I? A new chief executive, one of the youngest in his nation’s history, is being sworn into office on a cold, cloudy day in January. He was raised as a Catholic. He rose to his new position in part because of his vibrant charisma. He will play a crucial role in a military crisis facing his nation. His name will become legendary.

35. Blindspots

36. Blindspots are Real!

37. Filling In

38. Magic

39. SATISFICING

40. Blindspots, etc. Bed Rest Awake Tired Dream Wake Snooze Blanket Pillow Doze Slumber Snore Nap Peace Yawn Drowsy

41. Blindspots, etc. Which of these words was not on the list? Bed Wake Gasoline Sleep Doze

42. Magic

43. Run the Numbers

44. Not invented here

45. XI + I = X

46. Master the Tension

47. Down grading

48. COMPLICATING

49. Leverage the Limits

50. Keep it lean …

51. … because there’s nothing elegant about excess.

52. Stifling

53. Beating the sins with I.D.E.A. loops

54. I nvestigate

55. D esign

56. E xecute

57. A djust

59. There’s a way to do it better. Find it. Thomas Edison

60. [email_address]