Roger von Oech is an internationally-recognized creativity consultant who has worked with major companies from around the world, including Anheuser-Busch, General Foods, Hallmark Cards, Hewlett-Packard, NASA and Procter & Gamble. He’s also the founder and president of “Creative Think”, a consulting firm that specializes in stimulating creativity and innovation.
His book, “A Whack on the Side of the Head”
Below you will find some of Roger’s methods and techniques for stimulating creativity; that is, for whacking you on the side of the head and kicking you in the seat of the pants. 
A Whack on the Side of the Head
A “whack” is something that stimulates us to think differently. Sometimes we all need a “whack on the side of the head” to break us out of our habitual thought patterns, so that we can look at problems in a fresh new way.
Roger’s book, “A Whack on the Side of the Head”
- The Right Answer;
- That’s Not Logical;
- Follow the Rules;
- Be Practical;
- Play Is Frivolous;
- That’s Not My Area;
- Avoid Ambiguity;
- Don’t Be Foolish;
- To Err Is Wrong, and
- I’m Not Creative.
The book is filled with provocative puzzles, anecdotes, exercises, metaphors, cartoons, questions, quotations, stories, and tips designed to systematically break through your mental blocks and unlock your mind for creative thinking. Here’s an example on breaking the rules when necessary instead of rigidly adhering to them:
In the year 333 B.C., Alexander the Great from Macedonia arrived in the ancient City of Gordium. While there he heard of the legend of the Gordion knot: whoever was able to untie the complicated knot would become the king of Asia.
Intrigued, Alexander asked to be taken to the knot in order to make an attempt at untying it. He tried unsuccessfully to untie it for a few minutes, and then he stepped back and asked himself: “How can I untie this knot?”
At this point, he got an idea. He pulled out his swords and sliced the knot in half. Asia was fated to him.
Blindly following rules has two main detriments: the first, is that we can get locked into strategies and ways of doing things that may not be the most appropriate. And second, we may be facing a situation in which the circumstances in which the rule was created have changed, so the rule is no longer applicable; yet we keep applying it because we fail to analyze the reason for and the validity of the rule.
Look Within for Change Instead of Blaming Others
Another lesson from “A Whack on the Side of the Head”
“Our products cost too much.”
“I’ve got a crummy territory.”
“I don’t get along with my manager.”
Roger then writes: “What was their problem? They weren’t taking responsibility for their own performance. They spent their time creating excuses rather than thinking of innovative sales solutions.”
The successful salespeople, instead, did not wait passively for outside circumstances to favor them. Instead, if they were turned down, they would simply start looking for alternative ways to make the sale. They saw change as something that resided within themselves and which they could achieve by being proactive.
A Kick in the Seat of the Pants
In “A Kick in the Seat of the Pants”
When Jack arrived at the doctor’s office, the doctor proceeded to ask him some questions.
“First, have you stuck your neck out and taken any risks lately?”
“Not that I can remember,” Jack answered.
“Have you been asking what if . . . ? to stretch your imagination?”
“I’ve been too busy.”
“Have you kept an open mind when evaluating new ideas?”
“I know what works and what doesn’t.”
The doctor’s diagnosis was that Jack was stuck in a rut. He explained to Jack that he had his ends reversed:
“You see, the human body has two ends on it–one to create with and one to sit on. As long as you actively pursue new ideas, your creative end stays in good shape. But if you sit around doing the same old things, your brain descends into your rear. The result is that your ends get reversed.”
When Jack asked for the remedy to his problem, the doctor stood up, walked over to him, and gave him a swift kick in the seat of the pants. That kick gave Jack the jolt he needed to get his ends realigned.
The Four Players in the Creative Process
In “A Kick in the Seat of the Pants”
The judge and the warrior are then responsible for carrying the ideas into the world of action. This second phase involves linear, critical, left-brained thinking. Roger explains that it’s important for the process of creativity to sharpen the skill of all four players. Here’s a closer analysis of the roles played by the explorer, the artist, the judge and the warrior in the creative process:
The explorer searches for raw material with which to create ideas. We should explore anywhere and everywhere: as we take the dog for a walk, in the museum, at the grocery store, in magazines, and so on. In fact, we should also go outside of our territory and visit places we’ve never been to before and do things we’ve never tried. The only equipment the explorer needs is an open, curious mind. Exploration should be fun.
The role of the artist is to cultivate, incubate, and manipulate the raw material gathered by the explorer. The artist asks: “How can I make this idea my own?” In addition, “what if . . . ?” questions are invaluable to the artist. The artist employs creativity techniques and is not afraid to be wacky and appear ridiculous.
When the judge comes into play it’s time to start giving the ideas the thumbs up or the thumbs down. While rational analysis and logic can inhibit creativity and kill good ideas if applied at the wrong time, applied at the right time they help ensure that the right ideas go forward into fruition. When the right idea has been chosen, it’s the warrior’s turn to eliminate excuses, do the necessary work, and implement the idea. If the warrior fails to execute the idea, the idea dies.
Stimulating Creativity With Constraints and Limits
While thinking “outside the box” is often used as a synonym for creativity, thinking “inside the box” with limitations of time, money and other resources often helps the mind to focus and respond with innovative solutions to problems. In an interview published on “Heads up! on Organizational Innovation”, Roger explains that constraints force the innovator to think and look more deeply for opportunities.
As an example, he explains that he was watching a Roman Polanski’s 1962 film, “Knife in the Water”. One of the DVD’s special features had an interview with Polanski and his screenwriter in which they both stated that they forced themselves to stick with Aristotle’s “three unities for a good tragedy”:
- All action takes places within 24 hours;
- All action occurs in the same place; and
- There is a limited number of characters
This made them think more deeply about plot and character rather than taking cinematic shortcuts. That is, these three limits helped them create a much better film than they would have put together had they not set any limits.
In addition, Roger explains that in writing his creativity card decks he was forced to get his point across using precise, carefully chosen words due to the limited space on each card. When it came time to developing his Ball of Whacks
Conclusion
In an interview Roger von Oech gave to entrepenuer, venture capitalist, and blogger Guy Kawasaki, he explained that his mantra is: “ “Look for the Second Right Answer.” This opens his mind and pushes it to go beyond the obvious and to continue looking for even better solutions to problems. This mantra also helps him avoid falling in love with any one particular approach and encourages him to use failed ideas as a springboard to explore a different path for reaching a solution.
If you would like to read more about Roger von Oech, head on over to my Squidoo lens: “Roger von Oech”.
Please share in the comments below the methods and techniques you use when you need to be jolted out of conformity and stagnation and get your creative juices flowing.
photo credit: E. E. Piphanies
Related Posts:
- Lateral Thinking: Think Out-of-the-Box
- Creative Thinking Techniques: The Playful Edition
- 30 Creativity Cards: A Gift I Made for You
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