1. Attitude Adjustment, Jargon, and Acronyms

There could be several reasons you are reading this book. The first is that you are beginning to use TRIZ and are reading several publications to get a better understanding, from varying viewpoints, of what TRIZ is and how to use it. Mine is only one perspective on this and I encourage you to read others’ as well. A second is that you may have read something else I have written on TRIZ or on the general subject of innovation and find my perspective useful. A third is that you have been exposed to TRIZ in some way and find it confusing or complicated. I hope this book assists you in better understanding of this valuable and unique process. TRIZ is a very rich tool kit within an overall algorithm, similar to mathematics, and it is important to know how to use the various pieces. It is not necessary to use all the pieces all of the time any more than it is necessary to use algebra to add and subtract simple numbers. We learn to add and subtract before we learn to multiply or divide because we need to know these processes to use the others. Lastly, you might have experience with other creativity tools that have their basis in psychology as opposed to science and found them lacking in value or productivity in many challenging situations. These types of tools include simple brainstorming, structured brainstorming processes such as Creative Problem Solving, mind mapping, Lateral Thinking,^® and Six Thinking Hats^®. Most of these types of processes are relatively easy to learn, but lack the depth of a science-based approach to creativity and innovation that can be used for difficult or complicated problems. Any process that helps to change our perspective on problems is valuable. The difference between TRIZ and these other tools is that TRIZ provides a serious, science-based structure to accomplish this. It is possible to combine parts of the TRIZ tool kit with these other processes and ways to do this with some of these processes will be discussed later in Chap. 16.