Creative Problem Solving: The One-Hour Approach (or You’ve Got to be Kidding!) Cynthia E. Rolfe May 18, 2007

Creativity

Exercise Creativity: My Definition

Definitions “Novelty that is useful.” - Stein “The mental capacity to visualize, to foresee, and to generate ideas.” - Alex Osborn C=fa(K,I,E) - Creativity equals the Function of open attitude, Knowledge, Imagination and Evaluation Skills - ~Dr. Ruth Noller

Outside the Box Thinking To be creative you need to be able to view things from different perspectives. Creativity is linked to fundamental qualities of thinking, such as flexibility and tolerance of ambiguity ~Robert E. Franken

Exercise Visual Connections

Four P’s Framework Press – Climate / environment Person – Characteristics Product – Produces a creative outcome Process – Through which people are creative . . . . Mel Rhodes (1961) went searching for a universal definition and researched over 40 definitions of creativity. He found definitions fit across four different categories, the four P’s framework: the creative Press (or climate/environment), creative Person, creative Product, and creative Process

PRESS Physical Psychological Office, conference room, etc. Shape Clutter Light Decor Schtuff Psychological Idea support Challenge Dynamism / Liveliness Playfulness / Humor Debates Risk-taking Trust/Openness Freedom Idea Time Conflicts

PERSON Personality Cognitive Biographical There are three types of characteristics that combine to produce creativeness: Personality Cognitive Biographical ) ~Davis – 1998

PERSON: Personality Emotional Aware of Creativeness Original Needs time alone Artistic Curious Independent Thorough Attracted to Complexity Ethical Capacity for Fantasy Circle all the traits you believe you have. Look over the list again and put a star by the trait that you would like to develop further Sense of Humor Energetic Emotional Risk-Taking Perceptive

PERSON: Cognitive Fluency Flexibility Originality Elaboration Sensitivity

PRODUCT Artifacts of thought The tangible result of the creative process Physical objective – article or patent Theoretical system Equation New technique

PROCESS: CPS Identify Goal / Wish Challenge Gather Data Clarify the Problem Generate Ideas Select and Strengthen Solutions Plan for Action The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process is a proven method for approaching a problem or a challenge in an imaginative and innovative way. It’s a tool that helps people redefine the problems they face come up with break-through ideas, and then take action on these new ideas.

Dynamic Balance Divergent Thinking Convergent Thinking Generating lots of ideas Convergent Thinking Judging options / making decisions ~Alex Osborn, Applied Imagination Two distinct kinds of thinking essential to being creative

Divergent Thinking Guidelines Defer judgment Combine and build on ideas Seek Wild ideas Go for quantity Magazine exercise

Divergent Tools Brainstorming Stick-’Em Up* Brainwriting Forced connections Visual Connections* Ladder of Abstraction SCAMPER

Convergent Thinking Be deliberate Check your objectives Improve your ideas Be affirmative Consider novelty

Convergent Tools Card Sort Evaluation Matrix Highlighting I3 (Influence, Importance, Imagination) PPCo (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns)

(Creative Problem Solving) The CPS Model (Creative Problem Solving) ~Osborn-Parnes Explore the Challenge Generate Ideas Prepare for Action Three stages – six steps This is both a structured process and a flexible one that becomes cyclical when you catch on to the process.

Tips for Tomorrow Carry a notepad . . . And use it! Observe, observe, observe Take time out to people watch Ask questions Of others . . . . But more importantly Of YOURSELF!!! Take time to breathe and enjoy!!!