Analogy - what is it? analogy method. Symbolic analogy

SYNECTICS

Synectics organizes people whose profession is the generation of ideas. Synectics author William J. Gordon used brainstorming as a prototype. In 1961 W. Gordon's book "Synectics - the Development of Creative Imagination" was published in the USA. The book presented an approach to organizing the creative process, the rules of work and training for synectors.

Sinector - a person with a broad outlook, who, as a rule, has two specialties (for example, a mechanical doctor, a chemist-musician, etc.) under the age of 35 years. Synectors can work productively for 5-7 years, after which they are recommended to take up another type of activity.

The word "synectics" is of Greek origin and means combination incompatible concepts and elements.

The essence of synectics is to create conditions and prerequisites for group thinking. This is possible due to the fact that the set of psychological states of a person in the process of creativity turns out to be similar to different people. These states are defined as follows:

1. REPAIR. The feeling that the inventor describes as "being distant (from something)".

2. ENGAGEMENT. Intimacy is defined by "How would I feel if I was a spring? I can't get rid of my own resilience."

3. POSTPONE. Feeling that it is necessary to restrain oneself from prematurely trying to reach a final conclusion.

4. SCOPE OF WORK. The realization that the task will be necessarily solved one way or another, but only after a certain amount of work has been completed.

5. REFLECTION. Repetitive attempts to get the mind to act freely ("What happens if the altimeter is just a spring?...").

6. AUTONOMY OF THE OBJECT. The feeling described by the inventor at the end of his work, when the problem itself comes to a conceptual solution ("I feel like this thing is on its own, completely outside of me...").

Gordon's main merit lies in the fact that he was the first to come to the conscious use of the psycho-physiological activation of the creative process.

It has been established that the achievement of the goal is preceded by two interconnected mental states. On the initial stage this is the awareness of the correctness of the path, passing at the next stage into insight, insight. This is accompanied by high positive emotions, spiritual uplift. In synectics such psychological states cultivated and artificially evoked in order to solve the set creative task.

The main tools or operators of synectics are the concepts of analogies. Synectors are trained in the professional use of all famous species analogies.

Analogy means the similarity of two objects in some of their properties or relationships. At present, there are four types of analogies.

Direct analogy.

The use of direct analogy is associated with a free associative search in the field of impressions of the external world, based on the relationship of external forms, functions and procedures performed.

One of the most common is direct functional analogy. To use it, you must first determine what functions the object of the invention should perform, and then look for who or what in the surrounding world performs the same or similar functions. One should search first of all in third-party branches of knowledge - biology, geology, astronomy. Biology is known to be the most productive. As a result, a whole science was born - bionics.

Example. It was necessary to create a device that detects the approach of a storm. It turned out that in nature a storm is very accurately predicted - in 10 - 15 hours - an ordinary jellyfish. Studies have shown that the jellyfish is very sensitive to infrasonic waves with a frequency of 8-13 Hz. It remains to develop a device with the appropriate sensitivity, which was done.

Another common type of analogy is direct structural analogy.

Examples. Multi-tiered towers Shukhov V.G. similar in structure to the stem of plants; honeycomb walls and radiators - honeycombs; the drill bit is modeled after the teeth of extinct lizards.

The use of structural analogy suggests that, having found out the approximate structure of the device, they are looking for similar structures in the surrounding world, which the best way perform assigned tasks.

Another kind of analogy is direct analogy of the external form, when a newly created object is made similar in appearance to an already known one, the properties of which it is desirable to obtain.

Example- artificial jewelry (rhinestones), synthetic fabrics.

Determine what type of analogies the following examples belong to:

the first battering rams accurately reproduced sheep's foreheads;

in the best designs of excavators in the middle part of the bucket there are semicircular teeth, the central pair of which is advanced in relation to others, like incisors, fangs, tusks;

modern lattice forms of ceilings, bridges, roofs of large sports halls have their counterpart in the elytron of the beetle;

the first machines for underground work threw the soil back; engineer Alexander Trebelev launched a mole into a box with rammed earth and X-rayed the box. It turned out that the mole constantly turns its head, pressing the soil into the walls of the tunnel, which was a good solution for the “artificial mole”;

inventor Ignatiev A.M. scratched by a kitten, he thought: why are the claws of a cat, the teeth of a squirrel and a hare, the beak of a woodpecker constantly sharp? He came to the conclusion that self-sharpening occurs due to the multilayer structure of the teeth: harder layers are surrounded by softer ones. During operation, these latter are less loaded than solid ones, so the initial taper angle does not change. Ignatiev embodied this principle in self-sharpening cutters.

submarines copy the configuration and quality of the skin (outer and inner, thicker and spongy, like a sponge; the inner layer changes its configuration depending on the pressure of the water when the dolphin moves, reduces turbulence and friction on the water) in dolphins;

the bats- ultrasonic location;

Until now, there are natural phenomena that a person would willingly use if he understood:

the strongest steel is inferior in specific strength to the web (the ratio of tensile strength to weight);

marine adhesive stuck;

the bug finds the victim, guided by the temperature difference between the end and the base of its proboscis. This corresponds to a temperature measurement with an accuracy of over 1:1000C.

the cold light of a firefly.

skin of a polar bear.

The author came up with electronic beam scanning for television when he plowed a potato field, successively digging up long rows of beds.

Personal analogy (empathy)

Personal analogy presupposes the personal identification of the inventor with the elements of the problem, which frees him from a mechanical, external analysis of it. To identify oneself with a technical object is not just to call oneself some part of a technical system or process. It means to find in yourself some echo of what the system is doing, to understand the difficulties, the undesirable effects that arise through your difficulties. This is similar to how an actor enters the character before the performance.

Rational teaching methods are replacing empathy, and for most adults, by the age of 25, this skill disappears. With synectors, this gap is eliminated by special exercises.

SIMULATION WITH THE HELP OF LITTLE PEOPLE (MMH)

The practice of using empathy in solving educational and production problems shows that empathy is not only useful, but sometimes harmful. The fact is that identifying himself with a particular machine (or part of it) and considering its possible changes, the inventor involuntarily selects those that are acceptable to humans and discards those that are unacceptable to the human body, for example, cutting, crushing, dissolving in acid. The indivisibility of the human body prevents the successful application of empathy in solving many problems.

Weaknesses in empathy have been addressed in the Little People Modeling (MPM). Its essence is to present the object in the form of a multitude (crowd) of little people. Such a model preserves the virtues of empathy and does not have its inherent disadvantages.

From history, spontaneous cases of the use of MMP are known. The first is the discovery of Kekule structural formula benzene (I saw a cage with monkeys, which, grabbing their paws and tails, formed a ring).

The second is Maxwell's thought experiment when he developed the dynamic theory of gases (Maxwell's "demons").

For modeling, it is important that small particles see, understand, and be able to act. It is associated with the person. Using MMP, the inventor uses empathy at the micro level, which is a powerful technique.

The technique of using MMP is reduced to the following operations:

1. Select the part of the object that cannot perform the required opposite actions; represent this part as a set of “little men”.

2. Divide the MP into groups that act (move) according to the conditions of the problem, i.e. bad, as expected.

3. Consider the resulting problem model (picture with PM) and rebuild it so that conflicting actions are performed, i.e. contradiction was resolved.

4. Go to the technical answer.

Usually they perform a series of drawings - “it was”, “it is necessary” and combine them to make it, “as it should be” or “became”.

When soldering radio elements to printed circuit boards, a failure occurs: after one or two solderings, the copper printed conductor (contact pad) comes off the dielectric base. After that, the board cannot be repaired. How to be?

Consider the course of thought in the decision.

The first question that arises is: why does the copper conductor come off, or rather, what does it come off? This happens only when heated, in the process of soldering with tin. How can tin tear off a printed conductor?

Imagine a row of little men made of copper, they hold each other tightly. And on top - little men of their tin, which must drag up the little men of copper in order to tear them off. They do this only when they are “ordered” by the thermal field of the soldering iron. But after all, when melted, tin men, on the contrary, try to get closer, tend to the center of the layer. When can they leave? When cooling. But after all, not only tin is cooled, but also copper. Small men made of tin are shrinking, and little men made of copper are shrinking. Then the tin must come off the copper, and the copper comes off the board. Why? It is important here which of the little men is more strongly linked to each other. Metals adhere to each other more strongly than metal and plastic. This means that copper and tin hold each other tightly, but behave differently. Let's try to draw it.

On the problem of applying MMP

It turns out that tin men, cooling down, “bend” copper men. This is a bimetallic plate. Two metals with different coefficients of linear expansion are connected and bend when heated. The bending starts from the edges, and then the entire track comes off.

What to do? Clearly, it is necessary that instead of tin there should be solder with the same coefficient of linear expansion as that of copper.

It is also possible to make copper tracks in dovetail grooves and they will never come off.

The MMP method has not yet been fully explored; there are many mysteries in it. For example, in tasks for measuring the length, it is better to represent the selected part of the element not as a continuous line of little men, but through one. It is even better if the little men are arranged in the form of a triangle. And even better - an irregular triangle (with unequal or curvilinear sides).

Fantastic analogy

The decision maker inventive task, must be aware of what laws of the surrounding world are in conflict with the ideal solution to this problem. The sinector needs to step aside for a while from the existing inconsistencies in order not to let them stop the process of creative work. A fantastic analogy serves to facilitate this process.

essence fantastic analogy is to use fabulous means to solve the problem (for example, magic wand, goldfish), defining the final result, the goal. Thus, in synectics, the construction operator is realized purely functional model desired solution. Another direction in which the apparatus of fantastic analogies is developing is the denial of physical laws that hinder approaching the solution or create a feeling of familiarity, ease of the task being solved.

Example. Creation of a hermetic fastener for an astronaut suit.

Symbolic analogy

The symbolic analogy uses objective and impersonal images to describe the problem. At the same time, the synector forms a specific response to the problem, which should be concise, figurative, contradictory, and have a great emotional and heuristic meaning \\.

The purpose of symbolic analogy is to discover paradox, ambiguity, contradiction in the familiar. A proper symbolic analogy is a two-word definition of an object. Each of the words is a characteristic of the subject, but in general they form a contradiction, they are opposites. Other names for this analogy are "the title of a book", a device for finding a metaphor.

Examples. Grinding wheel - precise roughness ** ratchet - reliable discontinuity ** flame - transparent wall, visible warmth ** marble - iridescent constancy ** strength - enforced integrity ** multitude - prudent limitedness ** receptivity - involuntary readiness ** atom - energetic insignificance.

There are no clear rules that allow one to formulate a symbolic analogy for a given object. There is a set of recommendations, auxiliary techniques, which are given below.

First of all, the main function of the object is revealed, the action for which it was created. Almost all objects perform not one, but several main functions, and it is desirable to see them all.

After that, it is determined whether the object has oppositequality, whether the function inverse to one of the main ones is executed. Their combination will be the basis of the symbolic analogy.

In a broader sense, the mechanism of symbolic analogy is the representation of an object in the form of a symbol, image, sign, pictogram. That is why the symbolic analogy can also be expressed in the form of a drawing.

Note. Actually symbolic analogies have been known for a very long time, much earlier than synectics. In linguistics, such combinations are called "oxymotrons" - they are used to make speech more expressive. For example, "Ringing silence", "Blinding haze", etc.

Example. Search for a damper design to control pulp flow. Living armor* *Invisible mail* *Permanent diaper* *Regrowing armor*. The last analogy suggested technical solution: supply a cooling agent to the damper - it will be covered with a layer of ice that protects against abrasion and recovers as it is destroyed.

In order to form a three-dimensional, comprehensive idea of the object of study and to develop the skills of identifying technical objects, information about which is given in a figurative form, students are workshops. The purpose of the work at the seminar is to identify the object according to the presented list of specially selected oxymotrons (metaphors). For example, “running stillness, converging parallels, convex track, horizontal stairs, non-selectable path, flat bearing, double loneliness, jumping smoothness, continuous thud, curved straightness, rocking hardness” is the railway.

Object - fan

Analogies: frozen stream, air fountain, refreshing speed, hard wind, discharged pressure, table draft, frozen whirlwind, annoying pleasure, electric wind, warm coolness.

Object - mirror

Living portrait, brilliant darkness, flat receptacle, flat container, motion picture, reflective dust collector, double unity, non-magnetic magnet, compressed distance, limited infinity, screaming silence, universal double.

The object is the center line of the highway.

Safe barrier, flat barrier, discontinuous continuity, horizontal vertical, crooked axis, flat traffic light, meandering stillness, permeable barrier.

The object is a cloud.

Opaque nothingness, rumbling weightlessness, pouring umbrella, changing sculpture, snow-white eclipse, leaden lightness, flying reservoir, disjointed unity, motionless movement.

Object is a method.

Non-material tool, dumb prompter, armless helper, powerful no one, resolving taboo, fictional reality, exact inaccuracy, immovable guide, non-material lever.

Psychological research shows that the two hemispheres human brain process information using two different strategies.

The left hemisphere processes data in a sequential, incremental manner. It operates best with logical, verbal and analytical categories. This is a direct and slow way of communication.

The right hemisphere processes information in a simultaneous, holistic manner. It operates better with images, metaphors, meanings, intuition, etc. It is indirect and fast way communications.

The hemispheres communicate with each other, they work simultaneously, but each processes its own specialized share of information.

Simplifying, we can say that left hemisphere assimilates verbal information, which is contained in significant quantities in technical disciplines, and the right assimilates the meanings that the teacher consciously or unconsciously broadcasts. These can be, for example, motives, personal assessment, social assessment, etc. Such information can directly influence the subconscious thinking and attitudes of a person. This increases the intellectual resources of a person, because each student can process images with his own own way and extract from them those meanings that correspond to his inner personal situation.

It should be noted that psychological mechanism figurative thinking has been used for teaching since ancient times. An example is the ancient Chinese collection of koans (small parables, stories), which is called "Iron Flute" and contains information about behavior strategies for all occasions.

Sinectors work according to a specific program that has been improved over time, just like the training program for the sinectors themselves.

At the first stage, synectors formulate and clarify the problem as it is given (PKD). A feature of this stage is that no one except the leader is initiated into the specific conditions of the task, so as not to impede abstraction, to allow you to get away from the usual way of thinking.

At the second stage, the problem is formulated as it is understood (PKP). Consider turning an unfamiliar and unfamiliar problem into a series of more common tasks. Each participant is obliged to find and formulate one of the goals of the problem. Essentially, at this stage, the problem is broken down into sub-problems.

The third stage is the generation of ideas. Are used different kinds analogies discussed earlier.

At the fourth stage, the ideas identified in the process of generation are transferred to the PKD or PKP. An important element of this stage is the critical evaluation of ideas by experts.

Part of the time, synectors study and discuss the results, consult with specialists, experiment, search for better ways implementation of solutions.

Quite often, the final solution that the synectors arrive at seems so natural that it is difficult to get rid of the impression that it could have been obtained without intricate analogization procedures. However, the services of Synectic Inc. are constantly used by many well-known American firms.

EXPRESSIONS AND METAPHORS FOR TRAINING AT SEMINARS OF FIGURATIVE THINKING

It's not the weapon that shoots - the consciousness shoots (the motto of the American special services)

The formulated task is being solved (the slogan of sinectors)

A person can have everything he wants, if he does not have something, then he does not want it enough (NLP principle).

God punishes a person by fulfilling his desires.

The map is not the territory (NLP postulate)

There are no defeats - there is only feedback

Magicians exist, magic does not, only features exist. human perception(NLP)

“Shotokan” - “Waves and Pines” (the name of the karate do school)

Think before you think (St. Jerzy Lec)

To answer the question correctly, you need to know half the answer to it (R. Sheckley)

Experience is not what happened to you, it's what you do with what happened to you. (Aldous Huxley, NLP)

An example of programming consciousness with the help of verbal formulations.

If you're so smart, why are you poor? Option: If smart, then show your money.

Proverbs reflecting various programs of consciousness.

Choose the lesser of two evils (Russian)

There is no choice between two evils (French)

An example of engineering consciousness programming.

Measure seven times - cut once (Russian)

Cut first, measure later

Wars are won by teachers

An example of alternative metaphors for one phenomenon

1. Freedom is an opportunity to do what is better paid for.

2. Freedom is the ability to do what you like, and not what you pay well for.

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Creativity in the conditions of a sharply limited time resource.

The hierarchy of motives (according to Leontiev) is changing

Examples - artist Aubrey Beardslein - show drawings. Nadya Rusheva, 16 years old, poems and drawings.

Creativity in the conditions of an unlimited time resource.

"Monastic work" - gold embroidery, embroidery with beads and small river pearls, embroidered, woven carpets, icons, bedspreads, fine silk lace.

An example is the organization of work in sharashkas (invented by L. Beria), see articles and memoirs of academicians. closed cities. Mailboxes. Not only secrecy, but also the cultivation of "monastic creative consciousness."

FUNCTIONAL-COST ANALYSIS

Functional cost analysis (FCA) is a method of systematic research of an object (product, process, structure) aimed at improving the efficiency of using material and labor resources. Source - "Basic provisions of the methodology for conducting functional cost analysis", approved by Decree No. 259 of the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology on June 29, 1982. (“Economic newspaper”, 1982, No. 28, p.19).

English economist W. Gage: “The FSA is a concentrated attack on the “excessive” cost, primarily on that part of it that is associated with the imperfection of the design.”

E. Miles, 1947 an employee of the firm "General Electric", the author of the engineering cost analysis .. He defined his method as "applied philosophy." He believed that "cost analysis ... is an organized creative approach, the purpose of which is to effectively identify overhead costs or costs that do not provide quality, utility, durability, appearance, or other customer requirements."

1949-1952 Yu.M. Sobolev in the USSR created a method of element-by-element development of the design. The method is based on an individual approach to each structural element, the division of elements according to the principle of their functioning into main and auxiliary ones, finding new, more profitable design and technological solutions as a result of the analysis. Example. Yu.M. Sobolev used FSA on the microtelephone mount. He achieved a reduction in the list of used parts by 70%, material consumption by 42%, and labor intensity by 69%. As a result, the unit cost decreased by 1.7 times.

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Everything in the world
For all
It seems:
Snake -
On the strap
Leather;
Moon -
For the round eye
Huge;
Crane -
On skinny
Crane;
Striped cat -
For pajamas;
I am on you
And you -
For mom.

Roman Sef

Analogy is the search for similarities in various objects or phenomena. It is used not only in RTV, but also in other techniques for generating ideas, creating new products and services.

Here are just some analogies in modern inventions (I took examples from the book Michael Mikalko "Rice Storm"):

Helicopter can "hover" in the air and fly backwards like a dragonfly.

Injection needles- how scorpion tail that injects poison.

echo sounder — the bats, which emit vibrations that are elusive to humans and themselves perceive them reflected from objects encountered on the way.
Snowshoes – reindeer hooves, their shape prevents animals from falling into the snow.

Tank is a living example of an impregnable moving fortress, like turtle.

The plane is a bird the work of the “steering organs” of the aircraft largely repeats the work of the tail of a bird.

There are several types of analogies:

personalized
Straight
Symbolic
fantastic

I'll tell you more about them.

Personified analogy.

To work with this technique, you need to imagine yourself as an object that needs modernization (or part of it). Next, you need to feel how the object affects its environment, and environment on him.

For example, the CEO of a wall covering company, looking for new production ideas, wondered what wallpaper was afraid of.

Indeed, what? Put yourself in the place of the wallpaper, what would you say?

Developing a personalized analogy, he invented non-toxic wall coverings, that is, wallpapers that are not afraid of fire.

For the development of creative thinking in children, it is useful to play a game "transformers".

You need to represent yourself with one or another object, telling, where he lives, with whom he is friends, what he likes or dislikes. An additional effect of such a game is the development of speech.

Direct analogy.

Drawing direct analogies is probably the most productive way generating ideas. This technique allows you to come up with comparisons and find similarities between various events, facts and phenomena.

Searching for associations by analogy is the key to generating new ideas. According to people in the know, best ideas are found in establishing links between heterogeneous, rather than close, areas of knowledge.

The more strange the analogy seems - that is, the more "remote" from each other the concepts under consideration - the higher the likelihood of a new idea.

Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral noticed that burdock stuck to his dog's fur every time he walked. He studied the burrs under a microscope and found that they were so difficult to pull out because of the tiny hooks that cling to the matted wool. This discovery prompted him to think about a new type of clasp. De Mestral created artificial analogues of burdock and wool hooks - this is how Velcro appeared.

With children, you can play a game where you need to pair up those objects that are somewhat similar, similar.

An airplane and a dragonfly can fly, a soap bubble and a bottle are transparent, a beetle and a car can buzz, etc.

The main thing is to choose such subject pictures where the search for analogies would be interesting in terms of age. For kids, it is better to take analogies in shape, color, parts. For older ones, choose analogies for action or less obvious signs (taste, tactile sensations, sounds).

Symbolic analogy

Symbolic analogy is the presentation of the key elements of the problem in a visual form, for example, an image, a metaphor, a sign.

One of the most famous examples of symbolic analogy was Friedrich von Kekule's discovery that benzene and other organic molecules are closed chains or rings.

Perhaps this type of search for analogies for solving problems is suitable when working with older children. For preschool children I can offer preparation games with symbolic dominoes (just print and cut).

Fantastic analogy.

Best of all, it allows you to go beyond the usual patterns. To be able to find new idea, you need to ask as fantastic a question as possible. It is important to let go of all connections with reality, to leave the imagination in charge. Then you should look for associations and connections, developing a fictional situation, gradually returning to reality.

This method is also more suitable for older children. With those who are under 8, but over 5, you can play the game "What if…." (further we substitute any fantastic hypothesis and reason together).

Note! Analogies appear through selection of associations. The ability to find associative links is well developed through search for images in various objects. You can read about the development of figurative thinking at.

I wish you to conquer direct analogies as soon as possible and move on to fantastic ones!

Synectics is the process of searching for and creating new associative links. Synectics is a cocktail of logic, facts, fantasy, analysis and synthesis.

The synectics method, like others, is based on the property of the human brain to establish connections between words, concepts, feelings, thoughts, impressions. This leads to the fact that a single word, observation, etc. can cause in the mind the reproduction of previously experienced thoughts, perceptions and "turn on" the rich information of past experience to solve the problem.

Types of analogies

Direct analogy

An example of a direct analogy in a LEGO ad

Direct analogy- we are looking for similar solutions, business ideas, looking for similar facts in different industries, comparing and researching. Most often comparisons are made with biological systems(plants, trees) and technical systems(vehicles, aircraft). To work well with this analogy requires people with a wide range of knowledge, prone to system analysis tasks and problems that easily go beyond their professional boundaries.

Personal (subjective) analogy

Personal (subjective) analogy - Imagine yourself as what the problem is about. Object, phenomenon, problem. For example, you can imagine yourself as an advertised product and try to describe "your" capabilities and feelings. To work with this analogy, a good imagination is required from the sinector, the ability to transform will be an advantage. The important thing is to “get used to” the role, become part of the problem at hand, and then kill your rational censor, who usually whispers blocking nonsense in your ear. Express what defies logic and rational reasoning.

Symbolic analogy

Symbolic analogy in Snickers advertising

Symbolic analogy - search for paradoxes and contradictions in the familiar and understandable. The synector must understand and describe the very essence of the phenomenon, then find the opposite of this phenomenon, discover what these phenomena have in common and ... briefly, in one or two phrases (sometimes completely illogical and strange), describe the connection between these phenomena. Comparisons, allegories, metaphors can be used here, where the properties of something one are identified with the properties of another.

Fantastic analogy

Fantastic analogy allows you to come up with the most unusual images. In a nutshell - you describe the desired result and at the same time do not take into account any objective laws of reality, give free rein to your imagination. You just need to turn on your imagination and imaginative thinking to the maximum, and everything will work out!

Fantastic analogy

Main stages of work

Stage 1

First, a group of specialists is selected - the so-called "development department". It should consist of 2-3 people who are specialists invited from outside and representing different scientific disciplines, fields of knowledge or professions; and 2-3 people who are members of the main team for which the work is being done. Specialists should be selected based on a combination of their knowledge, flexibility of thinking, variety of practical experience, age and psychological type(It is better that everyone has it different). The group should be placed in a separate room. All the necessary conditions must be created for its operation: the room must be equipped with the required equipment, it must have a marker board, markers, paper, pens, etc.

Stage 2

The group should be given the opportunity to conduct a test session on the use of analogies to “warm up” all participants and practice their creative skills. Synectics should discuss the found analogies in order to analyze the creative process, to understand the search for solutions to the task.

Next, the four types of analogies presented above (direct, personal, symbolic, fantastic) are put into action. They are fundamental, because can capture the experience, knowledge and thoughts of all members of the group. It is important that each member of the group overcome their fear, boldly express their most unusual thoughts. To do this, you must first familiarize the participants with the work of experienced synectics, showing, for example, a video recording of the synectic method in action.

Stage 3

At this stage, the problem is directly solved, which also consists of several components:

Formulation of the main problem (so that all participants clearly understand the problem that needs to be solved);
Discussion possible solutions and rejection of inefficient ones (allows you to reduce the time to solve the problem and not waste energy and creativity on unnecessary ideas);
Search for analogies that can make it possible to express the task in terms that are familiar and familiar to each member of the group (so that each participant will be able to put forward their own proposals);
Identification of all kinds of problems and difficulties that create obstacles to solving the problem (allows you to eliminate emerging obstacles and come to a solution in the shortest way);
Quest leading questions and "working out" of each of them (clarification and concretization of the solution).

If the analogies become too abstract, the discussion of the problem is transferred to a more understandable channel for everyone. And when at least one promising idea appears, it must be developed until the moment when it becomes applicable in practice.

Often, analogies allow familiar ideas to be transformed into unfamiliar ones, which increases the likelihood of finding a solution to the problem, and also contributes to the fact that the knowledge and experience that the participants already have can be used in the process of finding this solution.

Stage 4

If the solution to the problem was found and turned out to be effective, then the group of synectics is invited to look for solutions to other problems that are relevant for this team at the moment. Conditions and time frames for this stage are negotiated separately.

Main differences from brainstorming

There are two of them. Synectors do not put forward complete ideas, but are limited to associations, analogies, images, metaphors, comparisons and descriptions of sensations - again. Unlike the classic "brainstorming", when using synectics, criticism is allowed - two. These two differences add up to improve, change, or discard the ideas expressed.

On the initial stage analogy synectics methods are used for the most clear identification and assimilation by participants of the essence of the problem being solved. Obvious solutions must be abandoned. Then, in the process of a specially organized discussion, the main difficulties and contradictions that impede a solution are identified. New formulations of the problem are developed, goals are determined.

In the future, with the help of special questions that cause analogies, a search for ideas and solutions is carried out. The resulting solutions are evaluated and verified. If necessary, there is a return to the problem to re-discuss it and develop the ideas received earlier.

Example

W. J. J. Gordon used this strategy to develop the Pringles chips. The challenge for the company was to create new potato chips and packaging that would be more efficient and not require the bag to be filled with more air than the chips themselves. The paradox was that the chips should be packed more compactly and still not break. The "title of the book", which expresses the essence of this paradox, was "Compact Indestructibility". As an analogy, they chose to put fallen leaves in a bag in autumn. When you try to put dry leaves in a plastic bag, you run into some difficulties. But when the leaves are raw (a unique feature), they are soft and change shape easily. A wet sheet takes the shape of an adjacent sheet, leaving only a little air between them. Wetting and shaping dry potato flour solved the packaging problem and gave rise to Pringles chips. A few years ago, I gave a seminar to a group of engineers who worked in a foundry that sandblasted forged metal parts. They used sand to clean the parts, but it got into the cavities, and it took a lot of time and money to remove it from there. The paradox is that in order to clean the parts, the particles must be solid and at the same time not solid, so that they can be easily removed. To describe the essence of the problem, the "title of the book" "Vanishing Hardness" was used. This led them to think of ice as an analogy. The unique feature of ice is that it melts. The solution to the problem was the production of particles from dry ice. Solid particles will clean the parts and then turn into a gas and evaporate.

Michael Mikalko, Mind Games. training creative thinking, St. Petersburg, "Peter", 2007, p. 302.

More creative techniques

Brainstorming is a method of searching for ideas, which was proposed by Alex Osborne (USA) in the 40s. 20th century The goal of brainstorming is to generate as many different ideas as possible. The essence of the method is to teach participants not to be afraid of fantastic ideas: they are easier to "tame" than to come up with. This method awakens a weary imagination. The main provisions of the method: the collective search for ideas, sharing […]

Methods of associative search for ideas help to establish connections between concepts, allow you to generalize information, update information stored in memory, and give impetus to creative thinking. You have probably noticed how a word you accidentally heard or some object you see gives rise to seemingly unrelated images and activates your imagination. This is how associative thinking works. What are associations? An association is a link between separate views, where […]

Synectics is a form of searching for new ideas through the construction of analogies. Author - W. Gordon (USA, 1952). Synectics is an advanced brainstorming technique based on the principle of "make the known strange and the strange known". The synectics method, like other methods of associative search for ideas, is based on the property of the human brain to establish connections between words, concepts, feelings, thoughts, […]

This mechanism differs from the mechanism of previous analogies in that it uses objective and impersonal images to describe the problem. In fact, the synector forms at this stage a poetic response to the problem. (The term "poetic" means concise, figurative, contradictory, with a great emotional and heuristic meaning).

The purpose of symbolic analogy is to discover paradox, ambiguity, contradiction in the familiar. A proper symbolic analogy is a two-word definition of an object. The definition is bright, unexpected, showing the subject from an unusual, interesting side. This is achieved by the fact that each of the words is a characteristic of the subject, and in general they form a contradiction. Rather, they are opposites. There is another name for such a pair of words - "the title of the book." It is necessary in a bright, paradoxical form to show the whole essence of what lies behind the "title".

Sinectors argue that symbolic analogy is an independent tool for seeing "the extraordinary in the ordinary".

Here are a few examples of such a vision of the analyzed objects, usually cited in popular literature on methods for solving creative problems:

Grinding wheel - precise roughness;

Ratchet mechanism - reliable intermittency;

Flame - transparent wall; visible warmth;

Marble - iridescent constancy;

Durability is enforced integrity.

Indeed, consider the first example. The grinding wheel is usually closely associated with such a concept as machining accuracy. But at the same time, it processes the material because it is rough. And the more irregularities on the surface of the circle, the faster the processing. But the more irregularities, the less processing accuracy. So the symbolic analogy allowed us to see the complex real problem facing people involved in the development and use of grinding wheels. 74

There are no clear rules that allow one to formulate a symbolic analogy for a given object. There is a set of recommendations, auxiliary techniques, and it is better to start mastering with them.

First of all, the main function of the object is revealed, the action for which it was created. Almost all objects perform not one, but several main functions; would like to see them all. After that, it is determined whether the object has opposite qualities, whether the function is performed, the inverse of one of the main ones. Their combination will be the basis of the symbolic analogy.

The practice of using symbolic analogies shows that in the process of learning, students quickly master this form of object representation. Let us give a number of examples obtained during the training in synectics.

Object: parquet.

Analogies: slippery friction, integer fractionality, discrete continuity, singing silence, sinuous floorboard, high bottom, shiny roughness, polygonal rectangle, swollen plane, flat Christmas tree, wooden carpet, crackling immobility, desired punishment, trampled luxury, multi-element monotony.

Object: tree.

Analogies: motionless dynamics, motionless movement, green fire, swaying firmament, soft strength, living mineral, changeable constancy, porous density, reverberant

consumer, knotty harmony, splintery smoothness, straight branching, towering deepener, green heat, dry water pump.

Object: fan.

Analogies: frozen stream, air fountain, refreshing speed, hard wind, discharged pressure, table draft, frozen whirlwind, annoying pleasure, electric wind, warm coolness.

The application of this mechanism in practical work is also very valuable.

to. allows you to see in the object a complex set of opposing tendencies, aspects, qualities.

Example. In the process of solving a practical problem, it was necessary to improve the gearbox, make it more compact, adjustable in power. The process of formulating symbolic analogies brought the creative team much closer to the solution. The greatest heuristic value, according to the developers, had symbolic analogies, where the gearbox was defined as a “fixed step” and “crumpled lever”.

Note. Actually symbolic analogies have been known for a very long time, much earlier than synectics. In linguistics, such combinations are called "oxymotrons" - they are used to make speech more expressive. (For example - "Ringing Silence", "Blinding Haze", "Invention Algorithm", "Creativity as an Exact Science", etc.).

This approach has long been used for problematization in teaching. So, for example, who lived in the VIII century A.D. e. the English monk and scientist Alcuin, who was invited to teach Pepin, the son of Charlemagne, built learning in an interactive mode. Pepin asked questions, Alcuin answered. And his answers are very reminiscent of symbolic analogies - they are short, expressive:

What is fog?

Night by day.

What is language?

Air scourge.

What is a dream?

Image of death, etc.

This form of description of objects has very deep connections with the Icelandic kannungs.

Synectics is a method of finding creative solutions.

Grade 11. Topic: technology for solving creative problems.

Completed by: Anuchina E.A.

Severouralsk

Synectics- (translated from Greek) combination of dissimilar elements.

Features of the method - the discussion is based on brainstorming. Discussion takes place in permanent groups (5-7 people) Leads the group synector - generator of new ideas.
The qualities of a sinector: the ability to abstract, mentally separate from the subject of discussion; rich fantasy; the ability to switch, move away from obsessive ideas; the habit of finding the unusual in the ordinary and the ordinary in the unusual; associative thinking; tolerant attitude towards ideas expressed by comrades; erudition, broad outlook.

The essence of the method:

Synectors are used when discussing analogy- similarity, correspondence of two objects (phenomena) in some properties or relationships.
For example: mathematics - similarity of triangles, angles; physics - structure atom by analogy with the structure solar system; technical objects - by analogy with biological objects.
THEN. synectics - finding a solution that is close in essence by successively finding analogues (similarities) in various fields of knowledge
Skillful use of analogies allows you to cover a huge number of objects, compare them with those under study, find something similar and use it in solving problems.

Types of analogies used by synectors

STRAIGHT

Personal

Symbolic

fantastic

Object (process)

Compare with

similar from

other area

technology or from

wildlife

for found.

sample solution

express

literally

in a nutshell

essence of the problem

identify

yourself with technical

chemical

object

Enter any

fantastic environments

stva (or characters),

doing what is

required under conditions

tasks

An example of a direct analogy:

Solution condition: The object (process) is compared with similar ones from another field of technology or from wildlife to find a sample solution.

For example, a task: a mixture of iron ore particles with water moves along a pipeline - pulp. The damper that regulates this flow is very quickly erased, and in order to replace it, you have to stop the process. How to make a damper permanent?

Solution: consider how plant stems (tree trunks) are protected from environmental influences; how the esophagus of animals that eat "prickly" food is arranged, etc. Something similar can be used to protect the damper from friction and abrasion.

Personal analogy (empathy):

Imagine yourself as a technical object and try to understand how you would act in these circumstances.

(This is how the actors “immerse themselves” in the image of their hero, live by his feelings, thoughts, sensations.

Solution: Imagine ourselves as a damper, we first dodge the blows, and then we can take some kind of shield to repel the ore particles ..

In reality, the damper was magnetized, and it was covered with ore particles like armor. This layer was constantly worn away by friction, but was again replaced by new particles trapped magnetic field dampers.

Symbolic analogy

It is required to define the object (concept) in a paradoxical, metaphorical form, highlighting its essence. The definition should consist of two words (usually an adjective and a noun), where one word contradicts the content of the other. Those. the connection between words should contain something unexpected, surprising:

Defined concept

Definition

Silent narrator, private dialogue

Weighted confusion

Light heaviness, airy water, opaque emptiness

Strength

Forced Integrity

Solution: metaphors have been proposed: living armor, invisible mail,

Growing shell. The last analogy suggested a technical solution

Application: Apply coolant to the damper to protect it with a layer of

growing ice.

Fantastic analogy:

You need to present the mutable object in the way you would like to see in the ideal case,

without taking into account existing limitations and opportunities (availability of energy sources, necessary conditions, physical laws, etc.) After formulating a fantastic analogy, it is necessary to find out what prevents transferring the found solution to real conditions and try to get around this obstacle.

For example: In the 17th century, the movement of blood in the body was compared to the tides of the sea. English Doctor W. Harvey introduced a new analogy - a pump - and came to the fundamental idea of continuous blood circulation.

Practical work:

№ 1. Come up with and write down largest number symbolic analogies (metaphors) for each of the objects: board, clock, map, window, book, fan.
№ 2. Consider objects (a sheet of white paper, a socket, a glass, an audio cassette) from the point of view of representatives of different professions (painter, diver, teacher, astronaut, etc.)