New Approach to the KJ Method Using Brain Models: Idea Generation Inspired by Visual Information Processing and Hegel’s Dialectics

The KJ method is a representative Japanese brainstorming technique. It comprises KJ Method A, where ideas with similar content are grouped and their relationships are illustrated, and KJ Method B, where the results are written out. In contrast, the receptive fields of ganglion cells in the visual system exhibit opposite properties in their center and peripheral regions, and this information is integrated at higher levels, leading to more advanced results. This study introduces a brain-model-based KJ method inspired by the visual system. First, as with the traditional KJ method, when forming groups (creating islands), ideas with similar content are collected to create islands and subsequently named; however, inspired by Hegel’s dialectic of "thesis, antithesis, and synthesis," ideas with opposing content are added and the island name is revised (here we call it the brain model KJ method). We compare the results of the traditional KJ method with those of the brain model KJ method using a single example and discuss the findings.