Creative Problem Solving Techniques

- What is Creative Problem Solving?

Creative Problem Solving is a proven method for approaching a problem or a challenge in an imaginative and innovative way. It’s a tool that helps people re-define the problems they face, come up with breakthrough ideas and then take action on these new ideas.

Creative problem solving always involves creativity. To qualify as creative problem solving the solution must either have value, clearly solve the stated problem, or be appreciated by someone for whom the situation improves.

If a created solution becomes widely used, the solution becomes an innovation and the word innovation also refers to the process of creating that innovation. A widespread and long-lived innovation typically becomes a new tradition. "All innovations begin as creative solutions, but not all creative solutions become innovations." Some innovations also qualify as inventions.

Inventing is a special kind of creative problem solving in which the created solution qualifies as an invention because it is a useful new object, substance, process, software, or other kind of marketable entity.

- Key Factors needed for creative thinking

Before implementing any problem solving strategy identify the real problem. To use creative problem solving techniques, we must understand creative thinking.

Creative thinking is allowing our imaginations to feed off our memory and knowledge to cause one idea to lead to another, otherwise known as the "association of ideas."

The key factors needed for creative thinking are:

a) No Judgements:  Have an open mind - don't criticize any idea that may come to mind. Instead write each idea down.

For example:-    PROBLEM : Not enough money

                        IDEAS:  Sell any miscellaneous home items I can do without on eBay

                                   No eating out

                                   No more going to the movies

b) Self Assessment: To figure out the best solution to our problem, it is helpful to identify any opinions we may have about our problem and about any of our ideas on how to fix the problem. Literally, ask yourself, “Do I have an opinion about this?”

For example:   IDEA: No eating out 

                     OPINION: I think eating out is unhealthy

c) Positive Attitude: Develop an attitude that all ideas are good ideas, as cynicism only inhibits creative thinking.

d) Use Checklists:  There are a couple reasons why you should write down EVERY idea, no matter how far-fetched it may seem at the moment. Writing down all ideas will ensure that nothing important is forgotten, and will give us an opportunity to go back, and combine parts of one idea with another, letting our ideas feed off each other.

e) Be Self Confident: Remember that many of the world's greatest ideas were ridiculed at first. Have faith in your creativity!!! Some of our most basic scientific principles like that the Earth is round and revolves around the sun never would have been advanced without the confidence and courage to go against the grain.

A TEAM BUILDING Exercise depicting the flavors of CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING. Have a look at it:

CIRCLE PASS

 

- Stages in Creative Problem Solving

 

Stage 1: Explore the Challenge

Step 1: Objective Finding - Identify Goal, Objective or Challenge

This could be a wish or a goal. It might be the initial dissatisfaction or a desire that opens the door to using the CPS (Creative Problem Solving) process.

Step 2: Fact Finding - Gather Data

Assess and review all the data that pertains to the situation at hand. Who’s involved, what’s involved, when, where, and why it’s important. Make a list of the facts and information, as well as the more visceral hunches, feelings, perceptions, assumptions and gossip around the situation. In this step, all the data is taken into consideration to review the objective and begin to innovate. 

Step 3: Problem Finding - Clarify the Problem

In this step, explore the facts and data to find all the problems and challenges inherent in the situation, and all the opportunities they represent. This is about making sure you’re focusing on the right problem. It is possible to come up with the right answer to the wrong problem. Re-define what you want or what’s stopping you.

Stage 2: Generate Ideas

Step 4: Idea Finding - Generate Ideas

Generating ideas is much more than brainstorming. During this step, be vigilant about deferring judgment and coming up with wild, outrageous, out-of-the-box ideas. This is where you explore ideas that are possible solutions and have the most fun. It’s also where you need to stretch to make connections, take risks, and try new combinations to find potentially innovative solutions.

Stage 3: Prepare for Action

Step 5: Solution Finding - Select and Strengthen Solutions

First, try to strengthen and improve the best ideas generated. Next, generate the criteria that needs to be considered to evaluate the ideas for success. Apply that criteria to the top ideas and decide which are most likely to solve the redefined problem. The best idea needs to meet criteria that makes it actionable before it becomes the solution. A creative idea is not really useful if it won’t be implemented.

Step 6: Acceptance Finding - Plan for Action

In this step, look at who’s responsible, what has to be done by when, and what resources are available in order to realize this idea as a full-fledged, activated solution.

 

Following the above stages(steps) of creating problem solving process some creative strategies may be designed of solving a particular problem.

!!! SO NEVER STOP INNOVATING !!!

### HAPPY LEARNING FOLKS ###

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