Thinking that the solution to the problem will be inside their own field of experience and expertise and not turning to alternative technologies/fields to develop new concepts is defined as “psychological inertia“. Psychological inertia can be caused by the following reasons:
- Habits
- Beliefs
- History/Traditions
- Procedures/Regulations
- Rules
- Education
For these reasons, our brain usually directs us to solve our problems inside our comfort zone. Getting out of Psychological Inertia allows you to get out of your comfort zone. However, our brain works the other way around, forcing us to stay in our comfort zone.
There are many different tools to get out of Psychological Inertia. I will talk about SCAMPER Analysis, which we use especially in Innovation and Lean 6 Sigma projects when vertical problem solving methods do not work for us or the solutions we find in this way are costly. SCAMPER Analysis consists of the initials of 7 English words and allows you to develop new ideas by allowing you to look at the subject you focus on from different angles:
- Substitute: asks you to identify alternatives for materials, processes, techniques, and other items you are currently using.
- Combine: prompts you to combine alternatives for materials, processes, techniques, and other items you are currently using.
- Adapt: entails searching for ways to adapt a material, process, technique and elements you already have to solve your problems.
- Modify/Magnify/Minify: requires enlarging, reducing, or disassembling a material, process, techniques, and elements that you already have.
- Put to other use: makes you think of alternative uses for your product or service to help you solve your problem.
- Eliminate: asks you to find ways to get rid of some or all of a material, process, technique, and element you already have.
- Rearrange/Reverse/Reorganize: asks you to find a way to change the place/order of materials, process, technique and elements you already have to get more efficiency
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