| Can a Structured System Be Taught That Results in | | | | was ever aware of for short circuiting the invention |
| Innovative Success? | | | | process, until I researched TRIZ. I actually decided to |
| Recently I participated in a meeting to review a new | | | | attend a TRIZ seminar. |
| product offering. The presenters were inventors and | | | | It was interesting and revealing. The attendees were |
| they had enjoyed a great deal of success as | | | | very much like the "mad scientist" inventors I had |
| corporate employees working inside a highly | | | | met. Incredibly bright, totally immersed in TRIZ, and a |
| structured environment. A number of their creations | | | | bit around the bend in my humble opinion. |
| are currently successfully branded products that any | | | | The discussion group was particularly interesting. The |
| aware consumer would recognize, and probably have | | | | participants were slavish in their support for the TRIZ |
| in their home. | | | | process, but they could not identify any successes |
| The presentation was unusual in a number of ways. | | | | they had enjoyed. In addition, when I commented |
| These guys came off as mad scientist types. They | | | | that Russia had not exactly been a font of |
| had decided it was time for them to profit fully from | | | | inventiveness in the 20th century, well, I had hit a |
| their creativity and were now self-employed. The | | | | nerve. Even worse, I was virtually ostracized when I |
| product was very well done, commercial, marketable. | | | | commented that invention and entrepreneurial skills |
| However, little interest was elicited from the Venture | | | | could not be learned from a process. |
| Capital group of which I am a member. I was not | | | | I lecture, mentor and coach in the area of |
| sure why I was so unexcited. | | | | entrepreneurial studies at several major university |
| After the presentation, I spent time with the | | | | business schools. I can teach a student how to write |
| would-be entrepreneurs. As I discussed next steps | | | | a business plan, create a sales model, customize a |
| they would need to undertake to improve their | | | | marketing strategy, and construct financials. |
| prospects, I was pulled into a spirited monologue | | | | However, I, and I believe no one, can teach a person |
| about a process called TRIZ. They were TRIZ | | | | to become a successful entrepreneur for a simple |
| acolytes. I had heard of TRIZ over the years, but | | | | reason: I can't teach courage. |
| never had I seen so much passion being applied to | | | | My brief dalliance with TRIZ was educational. I tried |
| this relatively abstract theory of innovation. They | | | | to keep an open mind. I want to believe that anyone |
| were full comrades in believing that their devotion to | | | | can achieve success by following a structured how-to |
| TRIZ was the way to fame and fortune as | | | | outline. But I know better. Entrepreneurs are not |
| inventors. | | | | easy to come by. Most people are dreamers. |
| TRIZ (translated from Russian Cyrillic) stands for the | | | | Entrepreneurs are do-er's. Most people can not |
| Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. TRIZ was | | | | accept rejection. Entrepreneurs pay no attention to |
| created in Russia by Genrich Altshuler. Boiled down to | | | | rejection and keep pursuing their goal. Inevitable |
| an elemental outline, TRIZ assumes that innovation | | | | problems become roadblocks to dreamers. |
| can be achieved by a structured series of Technical | | | | Entrepreneurs adjust and overcome these |
| Contrasts. No longer would inventors pursue "trial and | | | | roadblocks. Dreamers quit. Successful entrepreneurs |
| error" to find answers to technical problems. Thomas | | | | never quit, they have a laser focus on their task. |
| Edison was a fool to waste so much time attempting | | | | The pursuit of success is difficult for many reasons. |
| 1000 tests in trying to perfect the electric light bulb | | | | It is like natural selection, survival of the fittest rules. |
| according to the TRIZ enthusiasts. A series of | | | | TRIZ has a growing worldwide following. So did the |
| advanced algorithms and applications could have been | | | | Luddites and the Shakers in the 1850's. I hope TRIZ |
| utilized to solve problems such as Edison so often | | | | avoids history's dustbin unlike the Luddites and |
| faced and struggled mightily to overcome. If only | | | | Shakers. |
| Edison had known about TRIZ! | | | | I encourage my clients and students to study an |
| I was dubious but intrigued. My consulting firm, | | | | array of philosophy in order to increase their scope |
| Duquesa Marketing, works with entrepreneurs, | | | | and knowledge. TRIZ is interesting in theory but |
| inventors and small businesses every day. We create | | | | flawed in its promise. We can follow a process to |
| guerilla-marketing strategies, write business plans, | | | | assemble widgets but no one has yet figured out |
| fund and license a variety of offerings. It is exciting | | | | how to manufacture the entrepreneur that invents |
| work, but there is no one size fits all process that I | | | | the widgets. |