The TRIZ Community: The Logic and Ethic of a Soviet Inventor

Abstract

The TRIZ community formed around a shared interest in the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving developed by G.S. Altshuller during the 1960s and70s. TRIZ reached its popularity peak in the USSR in the 1970s and 80s. During the Perestroika period, the emigration wave spread it beyond the confi nes of the Soviet Union. For many TRIZ adherents, this theory not only became a professional tool but also developed into a life philosophy. The author places special focus both on the philosophical logic underlying TRIZ and on the work ethic characteristic of the community members. The article is based on fi eldwork materials (interviews and observations), which the author collected in 2010.