Concept Fans
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Dianne's boss has asked her to come up with some ideas for lowering overhead costs in her office.
If she doesn't come up with big enough cuts, she may have to start laying off staff.
Clearly, she doesn't want to have to do this.
Her only option is to find more ways to reduce costs. However, after brainstorming possible solutions, she hasn't had many credible ideas.
Does this situation sound familiar? We often have to solve problems that have no easy solution. This can be frustrating, especially when we're on a deadline, and when normal problem-solving approaches haven't worked.
This is where Concept Fans are useful. They help you widen your search for solutions if you have exhausted all obvious options.
Note:
Concept Fans were devised by Edward de Bono in his 1992 book " Serious Creativity ." The book teaches many similar approaches.
Using the Tool
To start a Concept Fan, draw a circle in the middle of a large piece of paper, and write the problem that you're trying to solve within it.
Then, think of possible solutions to the problem, and write these on lines radiating out to the right of your circle (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 – First Stage of a Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
If your ideas aren't good enough, you need to "take a step back" and take a broader view of the problem.
To do this, draw a circle to the left of the first circle, and write a broader definition of the problem in this new circle. Link it with an arrow to show that it comes from the first circle (see Figure 2).
Figure 2 – Broadening the Problem Definition on a Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
Then, use this as a starting point to radiate out other ideas (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 – Radiating Ideas From the Broader Problem Definition
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
If this does not give you enough new ideas, you can take yet another step back, and another, and another, and so on (see Figure 4).
Figure 4 – A Developed Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
Using Other Tools
As you start to use Concept Fans, you might find it difficult to come up with potential solutions, especially as you start to widen your perspective.
To overcome this, it's helpful to use other problem solving and creativity tools alongside Concept Fans.
Tools such as The 5 Whys Technique , Cause and Effect Analysis , Root Cause Analysis and CATWOE can help you ensure that you're addressing the fundamental cause of a problem, instead of just symptoms.
Once you're confident that you're addressing the right problem, you can brainstorm possible solutions to help you fill out each stage of your Concept Fan. (Traditional brainstorming suffers from a number of problems with group dynamics. If it isn't working for you, try techniques like Brainwriting , Crawford's Slip Method and Round-Robin Brainstorming to generate ideas.)
When you have enough options, tools such as Grid Analysis , Pareto Analysis , and Decision Tree Analysis will help you decide which options to implement.
Key Points
Concept Fans are useful for widening the search for solutions when you've rejected all obvious approaches. They give you a clear framework within which you can take "one step back" to get a broader view of a problem.
To start drawing a Concept Fan, write the problem in a circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Write possible solutions to this problem on lines radiating from this circle.
If no ideas are good enough, redefine the problem more broadly. Write this broader definition in a circle to the left of the first one. Draw an arrow from the initial problem definition to the new one to show the linkage between the problems.
Then radiate possible solutions from this broader definition. Keep on expanding and redefining the problem until you have a useful solution.
Tags:
Problem Solving, Skills
If she doesn't come up with big enough cuts, she may have to start laying off staff.
Clearly, she doesn't want to have to do this.
Her only option is to find more ways to reduce costs. However, after brainstorming possible solutions, she hasn't had many credible ideas.
Does this situation sound familiar? We often have to solve problems that have no easy solution. This can be frustrating, especially when we're on a deadline, and when normal problem-solving approaches haven't worked.
This is where Concept Fans are useful. They help you widen your search for solutions if you have exhausted all obvious options.
Note:
Concept Fans were devised by Edward de Bono in his 1992 book " Serious Creativity ." The book teaches many similar approaches.
Using the Tool
To start a Concept Fan, draw a circle in the middle of a large piece of paper, and write the problem that you're trying to solve within it.
Then, think of possible solutions to the problem, and write these on lines radiating out to the right of your circle (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 – First Stage of a Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
If your ideas aren't good enough, you need to "take a step back" and take a broader view of the problem.
To do this, draw a circle to the left of the first circle, and write a broader definition of the problem in this new circle. Link it with an arrow to show that it comes from the first circle (see Figure 2).
Figure 2 – Broadening the Problem Definition on a Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
Then, use this as a starting point to radiate out other ideas (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 – Radiating Ideas From the Broader Problem Definition
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
If this does not give you enough new ideas, you can take yet another step back, and another, and another, and so on (see Figure 4).
Figure 4 – A Developed Concept Fan
(Click here to expand this diagram.)
Using Other Tools
As you start to use Concept Fans, you might find it difficult to come up with potential solutions, especially as you start to widen your perspective.
To overcome this, it's helpful to use other problem solving and creativity tools alongside Concept Fans.
Tools such as The 5 Whys Technique , Cause and Effect Analysis , Root Cause Analysis and CATWOE can help you ensure that you're addressing the fundamental cause of a problem, instead of just symptoms.
Once you're confident that you're addressing the right problem, you can brainstorm possible solutions to help you fill out each stage of your Concept Fan. (Traditional brainstorming suffers from a number of problems with group dynamics. If it isn't working for you, try techniques like Brainwriting , Crawford's Slip Method and Round-Robin Brainstorming to generate ideas.)
When you have enough options, tools such as Grid Analysis , Pareto Analysis , and Decision Tree Analysis will help you decide which options to implement.
Key Points
Concept Fans are useful for widening the search for solutions when you've rejected all obvious approaches. They give you a clear framework within which you can take "one step back" to get a broader view of a problem.
To start drawing a Concept Fan, write the problem in a circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Write possible solutions to this problem on lines radiating from this circle.
If no ideas are good enough, redefine the problem more broadly. Write this broader definition in a circle to the left of the first one. Draw an arrow from the initial problem definition to the new one to show the linkage between the problems.
Then radiate possible solutions from this broader definition. Keep on expanding and redefining the problem until you have a useful solution.
