Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results

I have read the book twice - one of those few that I've read twice for the past 10 years. I believe the 5 Thinking Tools or SIT work because (1) they are derived from TRIZ, (2) the examples described, and (3) I tried it myself. I was able to generate some creative ideas for product design and business almost effortlessly and in a short amount of time. The writing style used is clear and free flowing unlike Creativity in Product Innovation (Goldberg and Mazursky) which reads like an engineering textbook. Inside the Box seems to be a rewrite of Creativity in Product Innovation. Although SIT is very useful to generate creative ideas (and is much more effective than other creativity tools out there), I am not convinced that SIT covered enough of TRIZ principles and tools. The last chapter on resolving technical contradictions, for example, is better handled using TRIZ. I would still learn and use TRIZ for the bigger and more complex problems. Boyd and Goldberg did an excellent job in creating innovative thinking tools and communicating these to non-engineers who may not likely hear of, like, or use TRIZ.

Systematic Inventive Thinking -S.I.T is a very practical methodology to enhance the results of your creativity efforts.The question is not if you are creative but how can you be creative. This book introduces the methodology and present useful examples and insights.The book does not cover how a creative idea can then be evolved into a viable business opportunity, it does include relevant questions to ask either to innovate or solve complex problems o negotiation difficulties.I do recommend the book. The methodology is in itself a mental model you can apply in everyday life.This methodology should be taught at school, college and university.Be prepared to take lots of notes.

The authors have good points about innovation... it reminds me of McGyver! Interesting viewpoint on innovation and how to work with what you have. I am not totally sure if good innovation comes from this theory, but the book does present valid argument on the subject. One thing is this book goes against the popular creative thinking of "outside the box". My take on this is that successful innovation is all about timing more so than on the technological advance an idea would make. Some of that is discussed in the book. So it really boils down to is if one is lucky to pick the right time to introduce a right product. One of the best ever invention I came across is the Pet Rock! So far, nothing beats it!

Being a long time follower of Roni Horowitz and his ASIT (ADVANCED SYSTEMATIC INVENTIVE THINKING), and a consistent user of SIT methods in my consulting practice (both in creative aspects and the development of new services), I must say that this book have outstanding information to help readers to enhance their thinking process and defeat mental blockades.The Closed World Principle, and the Tools that are presented are very well explained with the use of real examples.The book is easy to read, but powerful in concepts. I like a lot the two approaches: the one that come for a business world, and the one that comes from "a lab rat", as Goldenberg refers to himself. Being a mix of both worlds, read the stories was delicious.If you want a fresh approach to creativity and innovation, please, read this book.

I've always considered myself creative. I'm a musician and a self proclaimed artist. I am always looking for ways to fuel creativity, and noticed that while lots of books for artists advise on ways to let your creative spirit "flow,"not much is written about HOW to be creative, in practical terms. I found myself thinking in new ways before I even finished the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone of any age.

This is an absorbing book in which authors tried to break down any innovation into a simple and handy system of 5 different techniques. Very entertaining and inspiring reading.

Inside the Box and its concepts are essential to business management, self-help and all types of productivity. This book proves that not all new and creative ideas must be generated from brainstorming and thinking “outside of the box”. This novel provides a new perspective: that creative processes can be developed internally (behind the scenes).Boyd and Goldenburg highlight that external thinking can often lead to distraction. Oftentimes, the answers are right in front of you. Too much far-out thinking can create a lot of noise, cause a person to become too dependent on irrelevant ideas and can cause information overload. Inside the Box highlights that more content is not always better.This book also makes you ask the question- what is the value to my organization/product? If there is no value, there is no purpose, and if there is no purpose, there is no reason for its existence and there is no reason for wasting time.There are plenty of case studies, personal stories and practical steps with lots of visual representation. Boyd and Goldenburg do an excellent job of incorporating real life examples with practical methods of innovation. The methods show how oftentimes, our problems can be easily transformed into advantages. My only critique- a few of these processes are too similar to one another and could be combined into even more simpler terms.This book is for all leaders and creators looking for alternative ways of innovation. Through simple modification and re-imagination- you can take current content and redevelop it in new and exciting ways. These methods are applicable to everyone regardless of job description. Inside the Box shows that experience is the greatest teacher and anyone can create if they are willing to look within.

The beginning of the book has a lot of new ideas about innovation, the middle chapters are all essentially filler, with various stories, and then the end has some more interesting insights about problem solving more generally.I would recommend this book if you're trying to innovate on existing products or services (rather than trying to generate completely new ideas), and it had some interesting ideas on how creativity is not something you're born with, though rather a learnt skill. I did feel like I was reading various stories and examples during the middle section rather than actually learning anything new though, it felt a lot like filler content to pad out the book.

This book provides 5 repeatable, easily understood and easily applied methods to problem-solve and innovate. It ends with a chapter dedicated to how we might quickly recognise when innovation is possible by noticing false contradictions… (which is present in almost all problem statements). I practice a lot of methods for innovating - design thinking and sprints included. I run workshops and consult. This book has become a key part of my toolkit. Very grateful to the authors for their incredible, timeless work. Thank you Drew & Jacob!

Having been a Creative Director for an Advertising agency I feel that I can comment on the contents of this book. It is simply the best example of how thinking can be structured to create new and innovative solutions. If you want to know the process of creative thinking this is a must read.

Spot on, perfect read!

To keep it short - it was a fun and informative read, though some examples seemed retrofitted and a bit far fetched.Authors present a method called SIT - systematic inventive thinking which is a set of five heuristics and a few assumptions that may be helpful in problem solving.SIT is basically a very lite version of TRIZ, yet due to being lightweight it's easy to learn and reap benefits faster than when applying TRIZ. At least sometimes. Still - I recommend starting with SIT and when someone would find it too simple then switch to TRIZ.