What is Creative Problem Solving?

Creative problem solving is a process for identifying original solutions to problems, by solution planning. As opposed to finding a solution to a workflow problem, or coming up with a novel product, or a creative way to rebrand a service, the creative process takes you further to truly developing innovative solutions. One of the main skills in developing creative problem- of ongoing improvement.

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) involves breaking down a problem to understand it, generating ideas ​to find a solution to the problem and then to evaluate these ideas qualitatively so as to distinguish the most effective approaches to resolving the problem, using various techniques to make the process pleasurable and collaborative. The technique was originally developed by Alex Osb and developed further by Osborn and Sidney Parnes.

What Is Involved in Creative Problem-Solving?

Usually, research is needed to solve a problem, but if the specific cause of a problem eludes us – perhaps there is a point when it occurred or the root of the problem – a heuristic

For those cases, creative problem-solving is useful because it lets first.

Creative problem-solving encourages exploring open-ended solutions to problems processes. It focuses on fostering creativity of individuals by creating new ways of understanding problems and developing new perspectives, that can in turn lead to innovation. It has the following benefits:

Thinking creatively about problem-solving: User research is at its best when it reveals the nuances of a particular situation, but a situation can be so nuanced that it is impossible to accurately illustrate it in a manageable amount of time. Research is often used to demonstrate how difficult a problem is, and as a justification for why there’s a need to innovate, but innovation by other means (such as the old-school product development pipeline) requires an implicit or explicit understanding of the presumably awful situation as prerequisite to finding a good solution. Creative problem-solving, however, doesn’t require that kind of illustration to produce good solutions.

Flexibility in coping with change: happen in the world of solutions to unusual challenges.

Sparking innovation and growth: Creative problem-solving can also be a driver of innovation, giving rise to entirely new ideas for improving a result in new product lines or services, or a restructured organisation that is faster and more effective at meeting customer demands.

Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles:

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving is based on only two practices. Divergence is responsible for generating ideas in relation to a problem and convergence helps us winnow them down to a shortlist. Divergence creates and convergence crystallises. Those are the only two practices involved in bringing ideas to solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

Frame things in terms than thinking about what can’t be done, you are free to consider what could be done.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When a brainstorm, you might be tempted to quickly accept or reject ideas. But judging these ideas immediately hinders the innovation process because, even a bad idea can become the chance to evolve and elaborate.

4. Focus on “Yes, And” Instead of “No, But”

Using Negative Language Hamper the Creative Thinking Process Don’t use negative words such as ‘no’; build and maintain an environment that supports creative and innovative ideas.

How to improve creative problem-solving skills

Practice empathy

The first is empathy – the ability to imagine what another person is seeing, feeling and thinking. It’s the very core of emotional intelligence. At work, it’ human connections upon which you depend. High EQ is an essential asset to anyone who aspires to be a good leader. Use empathy to leverage solutions to achieve the best results possible. Make people’s lives better, and when you do that for those to whom you’re serving, you’re really creating value for your enterprise as well.

Develop a hobby

Hobbies are tough – they probably activate some other neurological region And if creativity is a portable aptitude, that hobbies just might give you a better chance of honing that aptitude – and a good stress-venting outlet for it, too. Sticking your hand into novelty is a possibility for testing your mettle. Hobbies are a salubrious, creative gamble.

Relax your assumptions

–The more something appears like how you’ve solved problems before, the more it’s going to activate your circuits of attention. Should you need true novelty, true innovation, then anything that looks like being ‘on’ will bias you to solve it the way you always have. Watch out for that kind of signal when you do need novelty.

Practice persistence

To succeed in finding a solution to the target, you must put a strategic attitude on all the more difficult cases until a solution is found: some are more difficult than others.

Question standard practices

Sometimes creativity takes the form of team work: in addition to finding new ways to achieve your goals, your discussion will prompt you to surface the most obvious ways of getting there that colleagues (or possibly the orthodoxy of your whole sector) are currently avoiding. If the ‘wisdom of crowds’ in your organisation or your whole sector is pushing you in a particular direction, take a moment to ask yourself if it’s the optimal direction and if there aren’t other ways of getting there too.