The capability of solving problems creatively is most desirable and indispensable not only for individual persons, regardless a student or a working adult, but also for companies, organizations,communities, and even countries. Since I joined Osaka Gakuin University in 1998, I have been working principally on the theme of 'methodologies for creative problem solving' in research,education, and promotion of social penetration. On retiring the University in March this year, it is my great pleasure to have a chance of publishing here an overview of my work for these 14 years.
The core of my working activities has been the research on TRIZ ('Theory of Inventive Problem Solving') and USIT ('Unified Structured Inventive Thinking'). I have attended and presented at international conferences on TRIZ every year, and extended USIT (i.e. a unified and simplified TRIZ)further to find a new paradigm called 'Six-box Scheme' for creative problem solving. In the field of education, besides several other classes on ordinary information science, I have been teaching on this theme in a lecture class and also in 3rd and 4th year seminars, where my students and I have made several successful case studies of solving familiar problems.
On the basis of these research and education. I have been working for the promotion of penetration of TRIZ and USIT. I established a public Web site "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" and have been operating it for these 13 years. Founding and joining the Japan TRIZ Society, we have held 'TRIZ Symposium in Japan' annually. With further development and wider penetration, the methodologies of creative problem solving will support the movement of technological innovation and will cultivate human resources having the capability of creative thinking, I hope.