Inside the Box: The Creative Method That Works for Everyone

Current business wisdom holds that to forge a powerfully original solution to problems, we must think outside the box. But, as Goldenberg and Boyd reveal, based on expertise and experience in both corporate and academic worlds, this is utterly wrong. It may seem counterintuitive - but faster, better and more original innovation and creativity comes from working inside your familiar world. The newest and most inventive ideas are much closer than you think, and can be found by using five simple techniques - subtraction, task, unification, multiplication, division and attribute dependency. This strategy helped Philips use subtraction to create the slim-line DVD players we use today, while attribute dependency allowed Domino's Pizza to corner the market with their thirty-minute delivery promise. These strategies can be used by anyone, from CEOs of multinational companies to the Chilean miners' rescue team and even leading jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, who actually restricts the range of his instrument to induce increased creativity. Intuitive, revelatory and easy-to-implement, these ideas will help you find the creative streak you never knew you had.

Jacob Goldenberg is Professor of Marketing at the School of Business Administration and one of the founders of SIT, a major innovation consultancy. His work has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, BBC News, Wired and Economist. Drew Boyd spent seventeen years at Johnson & Johnson, and is now Executive Director of the Master of Science in Marketing Program at the University of Cincinnati.