True! I've provided creativity clinics to numerous large corporations, particularly to help their engineers think more innovatively. Contrary to what most people think, engineers are mediocre at best when it comes to true innovation.

A couple of my basic tenets are that someone can not "think out of the box" unless they actually KNOW something out of the box. Generally speaking, it doesn't matter what IQ a child has; if all he has known are toys, tableware, and video games, anything he 'invents' will be composed of those elements.

Another tenet of mine is that there are 3 ways to deal with a problem: 1.) live with it, 2.) solve it, or 3.) eliminate it. The third option is always the best and it's sometimes surprising that people don't understand the difference between 2 and 3.