Inside the Box: The creative method that works for everyone

by Drew Boyd

Write down the service or process steps on Post-it notes, one step on each note. Stick the notes onto a wall. First, arrange the steps in their conventional order. This way, you acknowledge your attachment to both the Structural Fixedness and the Functional Fixedness of the original process before you attempt to break that attachment. Then randomly pull one of the Post-it notes off the wall. With your eyes closed, stick it back on the wall. (In the unlikely event that you inadvertently put it back in its original location, try again.) Open your eyes and visualize the new configuration. Create a mental picture of it. Now, with the new ordering of the service or process steps, ask yourself what possible benefit could come of the change.