CREATIVITY

AND
THE
BUSINESS IDEA Sources of
New Ideas
Consumers

arrange
to express

for
their

Analysis uncovers ways to

improve offerings that may
result in a new product or
service.

Channel members can help

suggest and market new
products
because
of
familiarity with the needs
of the market.

Freewheeling
encouraged.

Quantity of ideas is
desired.

Combinations
and
improvements of ideas
are encouraged.

is

Consumers are provided with

a list of problems and are
asked to identify products that
have those problems.

Results must be carefully

evaluated as they may not
actually
reflect
a
new
business opportunity.

Files of the Patent Office can

suggest
new
product
possibilities.

New product ideas can come

in response to government
regulations.

Creativity tends to decline with age,

education,
lack
of
use,
and
bureaucracy.

Latent creative potential can be

stifled by
perceptual,
cultural,
emotional,
and
organizational
factors.
Creativity can be unlocked by using
any of the creative problem-solving
techniques:

largest source of new ideas is

the
entrepreneur's
own
"research and development"

A formal endeavor connected

with
ones
current
employment.
An
informal
lab
basement or garage.

in

Brainstorming

probably the most well-known

and widely used for both creative
problem
solving
and
idea
generation.

Session starts with a problem

statement.

No group member should be

recognized expert in the field of the
problem.

All ideas must be recorded.

Focus Groups

Important attribute of a successful

entrepreneur.

No criticism.

Problem Inventory Analysis

Methods of Generating New Ideas

Research and Development

Rules of brainstorming:

Creative Problem Solving

Federal Government

Formally
consumers
opinions.

Distribution Channels

Informally monitor potential

ideas and needs.

Existing Products and Services

A moderator leads a group of

8 to 14 participants through
an open, in-depth discussion
in a directive or nondirective
manner.
An excellent method for
generating
and
screening
ideas and concepts.

Brainstorming

Allows
people
stimulated
to
creativity.

to
be
greater

Good ideas emerge when the

brainstorming effort focuses
on a specific product or
market area.

Reverse Brainstorming

criticism is allowed.

A group method that focuses on

the
negative
aspects
and
dentification of everything wrong
with an idea, of a product, service,
or idea as well as ways to
overcome these problems.

can be effectively used before

other creative techniques to
stimulate innovative thinking.

created by Bernd Rohrbach

at the end of the 1960s under
the name Method 635

A form of written SILENT

brainstorming.
Giving
participants more time to think
than in brainstorming sessions

Participants write their ideas

on special forms or cards that
circulate within the group. (6
mem, 3 ideas/5 min) then
pass.

Method for developing new ideas

when
the
individuals
are
unaware of the problem.

Solutions are not clouded by

preconceived
ideas
and
behavioral patterns.

an idea-finding technique that

requires the entrepreneur to list
the attributes of an item

Big-Dream Approach

Requires that the entrepreneur

dream about the problem and
its solution, in other words,
thinking big.

Developing a new idea by

thinking w/o constraints or w/o
regards to negative

Parameter Analysis

Gordon Method

Developing a new idea by

focusing
on
parameter
identification
(analyzing
variables in the situation to
determine
their
relative
importance)
and
creative

Checklist Method

Attribute Listing

Brainwriting

Developing a new idea through a

list of related issues.

Free Association

Simplest
method

yet

most

effective

a word or phrase related to the

problem is written down, then
another and another..

Developing a new idea through a

chain of word associations.

synthesis.

one or more solutions are

developed;
this
solution
development is called creative
synthesis.

Opportunity Recognition

Forced Relationships

the
process
of
forcing
relationships
among
some
product combinations

A five step process which

focuses on generating ideas
from
relationship
patterns
between
elements
of
a
problem.

Collective Notebook Method

a small notebook that easily fits in

a pocket containing a statement
of the problem, blank pages, and
any pertinent background datais
distributed.
Developing a new idea by group
members
regularly
recording
ideas at least once, but preferably
3x a day.

A business opportunity represents

a possibility for the entrepreneur to
meet a large enough unsatisfied need
that is worthwhile

Product
Process

Planning

and

Development

Establishing Evaluation Criteria

Criteria should be established at each
stage of the product planning and
development process. It should be allinclusive and quantitative in nature.

conversational
method.

Criteria should evaluate the idea in terms

of:
o

Market opportunity.

Competition.

Marketing system

Financial factors

interview

Product Development Stage

Consumer
reaction
to
the
product/service is determined.

A consumer panel is given a

product sample and preference
is determined through methods
such
as
multiple
brand
comparisons, risk analysis, etc.

Test Marketing Stage

Increases
certainty
of
successful commercialization.

Actual sales reflect consumer

acceptance.

Production factors

E-commerce and Business Start-up

Product
Process

Planning

and

E-commerce offers entrepreneurs an

opportunity to be creative and
innovative.

Factors that facilitate high-growth in

electronic commerce:

Widespread use of personal

computers.

Adoption
companies.

Development

Idea Stage (idea, evaluate)

of

intranets

in

Promising
ideas
should
be
identified and impractical ones
eliminated.

Acceptance of the Internet as

business
communication
platform.

Evaluation method Systematic

market evaluation checklist.

Faster
and
systems.

Determine the need for the new

idea as well as its value to the
company.
(Continuing
Need,
Declining need, Emerging need,
Future need)

Concept
evaluate)

Stage(lab

secure

Using E-Commerce Creatively

Entrepreneurs have to decide

whether to:
o

Run
Internet
operations
within the company.

Outsource these operations

to Internet specialists.

devt,

Refined idea is tested to

determine
consumer
acceptance which can be
measured
through
the

more

Use e-commerce packages provided by

software companies.