Synectics
Synectics: Use four types of analogy to generate creative ideas: Direct (how does nature/another domain solve this?), Personal (if you were the problem, what would you feel?), Symbolic (describe the problem in two contradictory words), Fantasy (if you had magic, what would the ideal solution do?). Each type of analogy accesses a different region of creative space.
What Is Synectics?β
Synectics was developed by William J.J. Gordon, a researcher and inventor, initially through observation of creative problem-solving sessions in the late 1950s. Gordon published his findings in Synectics: The Development of Creative Capacity (1961). The word "synectics" is derived from the Greek synektikos (capable of uniting diverse elements).
Gordon identified a fundamental problem with conventional brainstorming: participants generate ideas within their existing conceptual framework β the "nearby" solution space. Synectics addresses this by systematically importing conceptual material from distant domains through structured analogy. The further the analogical domain from the problem, the more novel the ideas it generates.
The theory behind Synectics rests on two key principles: (1) making the strange familiar β using analogies to understand an unfamiliar problem through familiar experiences; and (2) making the familiar strange β using analogies to view a familiar problem from a disorienting angle that reveals hidden aspects. Both moves expand the problem-solving space.
How It Worksβ
The Four Analogy Types:
1. DIRECT ANALOGY
β "How does nature/biology/another industry solve this problem?"
β Example: "How do plants stay upright without bones?" β lightweight
structural frameworks β application to architecture
β Best for: generating solutions from other domains
2. PERSONAL ANALOGY
β "Imagine you ARE the problem element. What do you feel/experience?"
β Example: "If I were the customer's frustration, what would I need?"
β Best for: empathy and insight into system/user needs
3. SYMBOLIC ANALOGY (Book Title)
β "Describe the essence of the problem/solution in a 2-3 word paradox"
β Example: "Reliable flexibility" (a bridge that never breaks but moves)
β The paradox forces compression that reveals core tension
β Best for: defining design intent sharply
4. FANTASY ANALOGY
β "If a fairy godmother could solve this perfectly, what would happen?"
β Remove all real-world constraints
β Best for: establishing the ideal before reality-checking
The Process:
Step 1: State the problem
Step 2: Apply all four analogies in sequence
Step 3: For each analogy: generate 5-10 responses
Step 4: Use the most generative responses as bridges back to the problem
Step 5: Develop practical ideas from the most promising bridges
Three Real-World Examplesβ
Developing a Better Cleaning Cloth (Synectics with P&G)β
Problem: Design a more effective floor-cleaning cloth that picks up fine particles.
- Direct analogy: How does nature collect and hold small particles? β Gecko feet (van der Waals force adhesion) β Burr hooks β Static electricity in silk
- Personal analogy: "If I were the dirt particle, what would trap me?" β Something that encircles me, gets into my irregularities, holds me even when I try to move
- Symbolic analogy: "Targeted randomness" β a surface that creates order from disorder by capturing random particles through systematic structure
- Fantasy analogy: "The cloth knows where the dirt is and reaches for it"
The gecko adhesion analogy (direct) and the "encircling me" insight (personal) led to a development direction for microfibre cloths with varied loop sizes that capture particles through mechanical entanglement β the technology behind Swiffer-type products.
Service Recovery Process Designβ
A hospitality company was designing a customer complaint resolution process.
- Direct analogy: How do immune systems handle threats? β Rapid identification, targeted response, memory to prevent recurrence, graduated escalation
- Personal analogy: "If I were the angry customer, what would make me feel whole?" β Being heard completely before any solution is offered; acknowledgment before apology; feeling that my specific problem is treated as unique
- Symbolic analogy: "Warm efficiency" β care delivered at the speed of indifference
- Fantasy analogy: "The problem resolves itself before the customer knows it existed"
The "warm efficiency" symbolic analogy became a design principle for the new process. The immune system analogy produced the tiered escalation structure. The personal analogy revealed that the existing process offered solutions before acknowledgment β the most critical failure.
Packaging Innovation at Kimberly-Clarkβ
Kimberly-Clark used Synectics to redesign tissue box packaging.
- Direct analogy: How does a mother kangaroo carry offspring? β Secure pouch, easy access, carried as part of body
- Personal analogy: "If I were the tissue, I want to be accessible but protected, clean until touched"
- Symbolic analogy: "Accessible sanctuary"
- Fantasy analogy: "The tissue presents itself perfectly without being touched"
The kangaroo pouch analogy led to a pop-up tissue mechanism that presents the next tissue automatically β an innovation now standard across the category.
When to Use Itβ
β Synectics is valuable when:
- You need genuinely novel solutions, not incremental improvements
- The problem has been worked on for a long time and is well-understood but unsolved
- Cross-domain insights would be valuable (biology, architecture, other industries)
- Deep user empathy is needed alongside technical innovation
β Less useful when:
- The problem is clearly defined with known solution types (optimisation problems)
- Time is very short (Synectics requires significant session time for full benefit)
- The group is unfamiliar with or resistant to non-linear creativity methods
| Pairs well with | Why |
|---|---|
| Biomimicry | Biomimicry is Direct Analogy focused on the biological domain |
| Analogical Reasoning | Synectics is structured analogical reasoning across all four analogy types |
| Design Thinking | Personal Analogy is a deep empathy tool; Symbolic Analogy defines design intent |
| Lateral Thinking | Both Gordon and de Bono approached the same problem from different angles |
Common Misuses and Limitationsβ
Skipping the fantasy and personal analogies. Direct and symbolic analogies feel more "rational" and teams sometimes focus on these, skipping personal and fantasy. But personal analogy (inhabiting the problem) and fantasy analogy (stating the ideal without constraints) consistently produce the most radical insights. Don't skip them.
Moving to evaluation too quickly. Synectics analogies generate bridges β conceptual connections between the analogy and the problem. These bridges need development time before evaluation. The question "how could the gecko foot principle be applied here?" requires exploration before "is this feasible?" is asked.
Using weak analogies. "How does our industry solve this?" is not a useful direct analogy β it stays too close to the problem domain. "How does a coral reef solve this?" or "How does a jazz band solve this?" imports genuinely different conceptual material.
Related Modelsβ
| Model | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Biomimicry | Biomimicry is Direct Analogy specialised in the biological domain |
| Analogical Reasoning | Synectics is systematic analogical reasoning with four structured types |
| Forced Connections | Forced Connections uses random analogies; Synectics uses deliberate structured ones |
Frequently Asked Questionsβ
What makes a "good" direct analogy?
Distance from the problem domain. The most productive direct analogies come from fields with genuinely different mechanisms: biology, physics, music, sports, military strategy, cooking. Analogies from adjacent industries are safer but less generative. The question to ask: "Does this domain solve the same fundamental function through a completely different mechanism?" If yes, it's a high-potential direct analogy.
How long does a Synectics session take?
A full Synectics session using all four analogy types typically takes 2β3 hours. Many practitioners use partial Synectics β choosing the 1β2 analogy types most relevant to the problem. A 45-minute session using direct and personal analogies alone can produce significant value. The time investment is higher than standard brainstorming, but the quality and novelty of output is consistently greater.
How does Synectics differ from regular analogical reasoning?
Regular analogical reasoning uses analogy as a reasoning tool: "This new situation is like X, and in X we do Y, so we should do Y here." Synectics uses analogy as a generative tool: deliberately introducing conceptual material from distant domains to stimulate new ideas. The four analogy types are specifically designed to access different dimensions of creative space. Synectics also includes Personal and Fantasy analogies that have no equivalent in standard analogical reasoning.
Further Readingβ
- Gordon, W.J.J. (1961). Synectics: The Development of Creative Capacity β the original text
- Gordon, W.J.J. & Poze, T. (1980). The New Art of the Possible β updated treatment
- Prince, G. (1970). The Practice of Creativity β accessible practitioner's guide to Synectics
Apply with AIβ
π Run a Synectics session on your challenge with MindMax β
This page is part of the MindMax Mental Models Knowledge Base.