A short history of idea engines and how they change our world

Tudor Rickards,Upsalla Creativity Day, March 2nd 2009

Proposition: Ideas change the world

Engines, machines and ideas

To understand idea engines and idea machines

we have to understand the nature of all engines and machines

Machines are systems designed to carry out labour-saving tasks

efficiently

If an engine is ‘the ghost in the machine’An idea engine is ‘the ghost in an idea machine’

An early world-changing idea engine:

Cuneiform script enables record-keeping

Wind Power as Idea Engines

A great Swedish idea engine …

…Carolus Linnaeus, father of plant taxonomy

A famous scientific idea engine

A recent world changingIdea engine …

Structured approaches to creativity

J H McPherson

Arthur Koestler

Morphology for utilizing spare capacity (Sweden)

From Richie, T., 2002, http://www.swemorph.com/it-art.html

Creative Analysis

Creativity may be deliberatelyfostered through techniques (idea engines) such as morphological analysis, lateral thinking, or brainstorming

Creative analysis as an explanation of how creativity techniques support creativity

Technique (trial 1)

Operationalprocedures

Technique (trial 2)

Conceptualprinciples

An Idea Engine for Research Questions

Problem as given

Operationalprocedures

Problem as understood

Conceptualprinciples

Social Networking: An Emerging Idea Engine

The Manchester Business School DBA (Doctoral) Programme

The Mersey Care Health TrustCreativity, Culture and Well-beingproject

Current projects at MBS

Peter Kawalek (Public sectorNetworks)

Into the future …

The wisdom of the great man ..

The wisdom of the crowd ..

The wisdom of the ecosphere

To go more deeply