The Use of Metaphors to Aid the Process of Creative Problem Solving

Creative problem‐solving techniques such as brainstorming and lateral thinking are relatively well known. A less well known set of techniques make use of the metaphor as their primary mechanism for stimulating insights into problems. Prominent amongst these techniques is synectics (TM) which has been applied widely in helping to find creative solutions to difficult problems. This article highlights the use of Synectics and looks at the use of a number of other metaphor‐based techniques which can be used to stimulate creative thinking.