Gordon Technique
Updated 2026-08-15
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
In William Gordon's synectics technique, the facilitator conceals the actual problem to be solved and instead leads the group in discussion of a related abstract theme, only revealing the real question once fresh thinking has opened up. The core proposition is that naming the problem activates the familiar patterns and anchors the group prematurely, so entering from the abstract bypasses the mental set. The key qualification is that the analogy must be distant enough to surprise and close enough to transfer.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Withhold The Problem: keep the real question out of sight at the very first. - Offer A Far Analogy: invite association from nature or from science fiction. - Reveal And Reconnect: introduce the true problem only after the ideas flow.
Anchor fast decisions
Hearing the stated problem retrieves the standard answers attached to it, and these crowd out anything novel. A distant analogy shares structure without sharing surface, so the group reasons freshly in the borrowed domain, and the transfer back to the real problem carries the freshness with it.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synecticsverified
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