A root cause analysis technique developed by Toyota that asks "why" five times to drill down from symptoms to underlying problems. By systematically peeling back layers of causation, this method reveals fundamental issues that, when addressed, can prevent recurring problems and unlock more innovative solutions. In innovation, understanding the true problem is often more valuable than generating dozens of solutions to the wrong question.

Edward de Bono's parallel thinking framework that assigns different modes of thinking to six colored "hats," each representing a distinct perspective from data (white) to emotions (red) to creativity (green). By deliberately separating and sequencing these thinking modes, teams avoid the chaos of everyone arguing from different angles simultaneously. This structured approach to exploration and evaluation helps innovation teams progress from wild ideas to implementable solutions without losing creative momentum.

Edward de Bono's approach to problem-solving that moves sideways rather than forward, deliberately seeking alternative routes rather than pushing harder on the obvious path. Unlike vertical thinking which digs the same hole deeper, lateral thinking digs holes in new places, often revealing unexpected connections and breakthrough insights. Innovation requires escaping established patterns, and lateral thinking provides the mental discipline to do so systematically rather than waiting for serendipity.

The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) emerged from analyzing hundreds of thousands of patents to identify universal patterns in how problems are solved across industries. These patterns, including technical contradictions, ideal final results, and inventive principles, provide a systematic toolkit for engineering innovation rather than relying purely on brainstorming. By recognizing that most "new" problems have been solved before in different contexts, TRIZ accelerates innovation through pattern matching rather than starting from scratch.

Systematic Inventive Thinking reverses the traditional innovation process by starting with the solution space rather than the problem, applying five patterns (Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Task Unification, Attribute Dependency) to existing products or processes. This inside-the-box approach leverages constraints as creative fuel, using only available resources to generate practical innovations. SIT's methodology makes creativity systematic, repeatable, and teachable, transforming innovation from art into engineered process.

A human-centered innovation approach that combines empathy for users, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing to develop solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable. By cycling through divergent exploration and convergent decision-making phases, design thinking balances creative possibility with practical constraints. This methodology democratizes innovation by providing a structured process that non-designers can follow to create meaningful user experiences.

The Geneplore Model describes creativity as a two-phase cognitive cycle: a generative phase producing novel mental representations, followed by an exploratory phase examining their properties and implications. This framework reveals that innovation isn't a single flash of insight but an iterative process of generating possibilities and then investigating what makes them valuable. Understanding this natural cognitive rhythm helps structure both individual ideation and team innovation processes to work with rather than against how our minds actually create.

A rigorous methodology that captures how complex systems work through formal models, enabling simulation, analysis, and optimization before physical implementation. By representing products, processes, or organizations as interconnected components with defined relationships and behaviors, systems-based approaches reveal leverage points for innovation that aren't visible at the component level. Innovation at scale requires understanding emergent properties and unintended consequences. Systems thinking provides the discipline to anticipate both.

An approach that views problems and solutions as part of interconnected wholes rather than isolated parts, recognizing that changing one element creates ripples throughout the system. Systems thinking reveals why obvious fixes often fail or create worse problems elsewhere, and why counterintuitive interventions sometimes produce breakthrough results. Sustainable innovation requires understanding feedback loops, delays, and leverage points. Without this perspective, most innovations solve one problem while creating three others.