• Member
• April 30, 2025

Multiple Perspectives from Multiple Analogies by Shailendra Jaiswal

Mapping of single source domain to a target domain has been extensively used for idea generation however there is little information available on generating more than one inference from a single analog or on the use of multiple analogs. (Gadwal 2010). Multiple analogies mapping onto a common target is the technique developed and practiced by the author. A source domain model is chosen and represented by its key determinants.  During the mapping features of structure and relationships are transferred from source domain to target domain.  The uncommon elements and  structural relationships   uncover many  hitherto  unknown aspects of target domain and  illuminate  new perspectives .Analogies are special models which externalize the relationships and processes embodied in the actual phenomenon leading to generalized relationships and processes. The process is repeated for multiple   source domains. Superposition of multiple analogies from fields of economics, art, sports, politics, warfare, culture, media, industry, sociology, cultural anthropology, psychology, mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, biology etc, leads to multidisciplinary model having   multiple perspectives.

The method   takes forward the technique of analogy   by    using several source   domains   instead of one expanding the overcoming the limitations in any one source. Different  model for same phenomenon shows new interconnections and dynamics by   removing  the constraints under which the phenomenon was being studied  encouraging  flexibility In aircraft development, the project engineer, the  aeronautical engineer, the electronic engineer, the engine builder, the interior designer, and  the market analyst all look at the same aircraft using distinct  perspectives. Representing different disciplines, they use different models and data.  

Functional fixedness, involves restricting    source  domains  to contiguous  or  related phenomenon    inhibiting creative  processes and   leading  to ideas with  lesser  chance of   originality and  novelty  .   Analogies    used  to  facilitate  multiple  perspectives   range from  familiar    to  strange  .The potential for creative insights  seems highest   when the  source domain  is very distant to target  domain  Research by Chan shows positive effects   of   analogical distance on novelty  and n quality of solutions.  Classic accounts of creative discoveries   and inventions often highlight the potential of far-field analogies for creative insights, including George Mestral’s invention of Velcro via analogy to burdock root seeds, and Neil Bohr’s discovery of the structure of atoms via analogy to the solar system. Empirical work has also supported a link between far-field analogies   and innovative outcomes. For   instance, it has been shown that the number of far-field analogies used by designers during ideation is positively related to the originality of proposed solutions, as rated by a sample of potential customers. Distant analogies promote outside in thinking considered essential for environmental mapping and strategy making process of any organization. The original source domains are therefore encouraged to be   distant provoking    originality and outside the box thinking. The technique  proposed by the author  combines   the advantage of novelty and originality of   ideas  provided by  distant analogies  while  simultaneously  ensuring  convergence  through   the  artifact of intermediate  domain .

The   participants first   transfer  determinants    of  source domain     to    intermediate domains  which   is  similar to  the challenges faced  by management  education . In this  step  the process  of mapping  of  determinants   is externalized   and a model is created for  process of mapping and   transferring  of essence  while  mapping elements from  source domain to  intermediate domain. A model is created for near analogies which have relevance   to the target domain. Thus the intermediate    analogy plays the role of facilitator of structure and relationship mapping.