1. TRAINING PROGRAM ON CREATIVITY Conducted by Ma Foi Management Consultants Ltd.

2. COURSE COVERAGE:  Creativity  Thinking  Convergent Thinking  Divergent thinking  The creative Process  Roles of the creative process  How to be an explorer  How to be an Artist  How to be a judge  How to be a warrior  Blocks of creativity  Traits of a creative person  Six thinking hats  Problem solving  Problem definition  Problem Analysis  Generating possible solutions  Analyzing possible solutions  Voting for the best solution  Next steps Creativity is a muscle use it or lose it

3. Creativity Why are some people bubbling with creative ideas, while others just plod along? We are all creative every day because we are constantly changing the ideas that we hold about the world and about everything around us. And yet, we fail to apply creative thinking to our work.

4. Thinking There are two types of thinking:  Convergent thinking  Divergent thinking Creativity deals more with divergent thinking.

5. Mechanisms of Convergent Thinking  Clarificatory Mechanisms  Analytical Mechanisms  Synthesis  Optimising

6. Mechanisms of Divergent Thinking  Development of a working definition of the problem  Listing of objects, procedures etc.  Use of associative thinking to bring to concsiousness more and more far out alternatives  Restructuring of original problem by reinterpreting the constraints  Evaluating solutions to search further rather than for negative self-evaluation  Allowing the mind to synthesize imaginary solutions  Brainstorming, that is, aiming at generating many solutions by suspending critical evaluation and by encouraging the mind  Search for solutions that are opposite to the ones that are conventionally advanced  Questioning the basic assumptions on which the current approach rests  Distortion of or even temporary ignoring of problem constraints to facilitate the conceiving of far out possibilities  Getting involved with the problem by magnifying the negative consequences of not finding the solution, or by empathising, or experiencing fully the magnitude of the problem

7. The Creative Process The hallmark of creative people is their mental flexibility. They can quickly shift gears depending on the course. Creative people are able to shift in and out of different types of thinking based on the situation at hand.

8. Roles of the creative process The creative process consists of adopting four main roles which signify four different types of thinking. These roles are:  Explorer  Artist  Judge  Warrior Explorer : when you are searching for new information, be an explorer Artist : when you are turning your resources into new ideas, be an artist Judge : when you are evaluating the merits of an idea, be a Judge Warrior : when you are carrying your idea into action, be a warrior

9. How to be an explorer -Explore, look for new ideas -Know what your objective is -Look in other field -Look for a lot of ideas -One thing can lead to something completely different -Shift your focus -Pay attention to small things -Look for fun things -Write it down

10. How to be an artist -Adapt: change contexts -Imagine: ask what if? -Reverse: look at it backwards -Connect: join together -Compare: make a metaphor -Eliminate: break the rules -Parody: fool around -Incubate: do nothing

11. How to be a Judge -What is wrong with this idea? -What if it fails? -What assumptions am I making? -Are my assumptions correct? -What is my cultural bias? -What is clouding my thinking? -Making the decision

12. How to be a Warrior -Moving from “What if” to “What is” -Put your plan together -Put a fire in your belly -Put a lion in your heart -Get going -Get rid of excuses -Strengthen your shield -Sell, sell, sell -Be persistent

13. Blocks of Creativity  Fear of failure  Allergy to ambiguity  Touchiness (fear of humiliation)  Conformity (fear of social criticism or punishment)  Resource myopia  Starved sensibilities  Rigidity

14. Traits judged by experts as closest to ideal creative personality Courage and Independence  Courageous in convictions  Independent in thinking  Independent in judgement  Unwilling to accept say-so Risk Taking  Willing to take risks  Adventurous  A self-starter Persistence  Persistent  Determined

15. Self sufficiency  Becomes pre-occupied with tasks  Self confident  Self assertive Inquisitiveness  Curious  Always asking questions Complexity  Intuitive  Visionary  Emotionally sensitive  Strives for distant goals  Attempts difficult tasks

16. SIX THINKING HATS Edward De Bono, the leading authority in the field of creative thinking, and the originator of the term ‘Lateral thinking’, has developed this technique ‘Six Thinking Hats’ as a simple, yet very powerful tool for problem solving and group decision making. Six fundamental modes of thinking behaviour are given six hats of different colours. In this way, thinking can be switched at will from one mode to another. A particular type of thinking can be requested at any moment. Critical thinking can be made more productive by restricting it’s use to the right moment. The six thinking hats provide a concrete framework for moving away from traditional argument and adversarial thinking to the cooperative exploration of a subject.

17. White Hat  Think of white paper, which is neutral and carries information. The White Hat has to do with data and information. “What information do we have here?” “What information is missing?” “What information would we like to have?” “How are we going to get the information?” In short, White Hat thinking is, “INFORMATION THINKING”

18. Red Hat  Think of red and fire and warm. The red hat has to do with feelings, intuition, hunches and emotions.  In a serious meeting, you are not supposed to put forward your emotions, but people do this by disguising their emotions as logic. “Putting my red hat, this is what I feel about the project.” “My gut feeling is that it will not work.” “I don’t like the way this is being done.” “My intuition tells me that the prices will fall soon.” In short, Red Hat represents, “INTUITION AND FEELING”

19. Black Hat  Think of a stern judge wearing black robes who comes down heavily on wrong doers. The Black Hat is the caution “caution” hat.  The Black hat prevents us from making mistakes, doing silly things and doing things which may be illegal.  The Black Hat is for critical judgement. “The regulations do not permit us to do that.” “We do not have the production capacity to meet the order.” “He has no experience in export management.” Black hat indicates “ CAUTION AND THE LOGICAL NEGATIVE”

20. Green Hat  Think of the vegetation and rich growth.  The Green hat is for creative thinking. The Green Hat is for new ideas. The Green Hat is for additional alternatives. The green hat requires creative effort. “We need some new ideas here.” “Are there any additional alternatives?” “Could we do this in a different way?” The Green Hat makes time and space for “CREATIVE EFFORT AND CREATIVE THINKING”

21. Blue Hat  Think of the sky and an overview.  The Blue Hat is for process control. The Blue Hat thinks about the thinking being used. The blue hat sets the agenda for thinking. The Blue hat can ask for other hats. The blue hat asks for summaries, conclusions and decisions. “Could we have a summary of your views?” “I think we should take a look at the priorities.” I suggest some green hat thinking to get some new ideas.” Blue Hat is the ultimate control or “THE THINKING PROCESS ITSELF”

22. Yellow Hat  Think of sunshine. The Yellow Hat is for optimism and the logical positive view of things.  The yellow hat looks for benefits-but they must be logically based. “This might be worth if we moved the production plant nearer to the customer.” “The benefit would come from repeat purchase.” “The high cost of energy would make everyone more energy efficient.” Yellow Hat represents the “LOGICAL POSITIVE”

23. PROBLEM SOLVING The Problem Solving process consists of a sequence of sections, which fit together depending on the type of problem to be solved. These are: Problem Definition Problem Analysis Generating possible Solutions Analyzing the Solutions Selecting the best Solution(s) Planning the next course of action (Next Steps)

24. . Problem Definition -Decide what you want to achieve and write it down Often people keep the problem in their head as a vague idea and can so often get lost in what they are trying to solve that no solution seems to fit. Merely writing down the problem forces you to think about what you are actually trying to solve and how much you want to achieve. -Check that you are answering the right problem. It is a check-step to ensure that you do not answer a side issue or only solve the part of the problem, which is most easy to solve. People often use the most immediate solution to the first problem definition that they find without spending time checking the problem is the right one to answer.

25. Problem Analysis -Check where you are, -Check what is the current situation -Check what is involved in making it a problem. For example, what are the benefits of the current product/service/process? And why did you decide to make it like that? Understanding where the problem is coming from, how it fits in with current developments and what the current environment is, is crucial when working out whether a solution will actually work or not. -Have a set of criteria by which to evaluate any new solutions Otherwise you will not know whether the idea is workable or not. This section of the problem solving process ensures that time is spent in stepping back and assessing the current situation and what actually needs to be changed. -Go back one step to reconfirm that your problem definition is still valid. Frequently after the investigation people discover that the problem they really want to answer is very different from their original interpretation of it.

26. 1.Tools for Problem Analysis  Pareto Analysis  Fishbone / Ishikawa  5 Why

27. 2.Generating possible Solutions -Generate a number of possible solutions. -Do not evaluate the solutions. -Do not pre-judge any potential solutions but treat each idea as a new idea in its own right and worthy of consideration.

28. 3. Analysing Solutions -Investigate the various factors about each of the potential solutions. -Note down the good and bad points and other things which are relevant to each solution. -Do not evaluating the solution because if you do so then you could decide not to write down the valid good points about it because overall you think it will not work. -Write down its advantages and you may discover that it has a totally unique advantage. Only by discovering this might you choose to put the effort in to develop the idea so that it will work.

29. 4.Voting for the best Solution(s) -Look through the various influencing factors for each possible solution and decide which solutions to keep and which to disregard. -Look at the solution as a whole and use your judgement as to whether to use the solution or not. Sometimes there will be times when pure facts and figures dictate which ideas will work and which will not. Other times it will be purely feelings and intuition which decides. -Remember that intuition is really a lifetimes experience and judgement compressed into a single decision. -By voting for the solutions you will end up with a shortlist of potential solutions. You may want to increase the depth in the analysis of each idea and vote again on that shortlist to further refine your shortlist. -You will then end up with one, many or no viable solutions. In the case where you have no solutions that work, you will need to repeat the generation of solutions section to discover more potential solutions. Alternatively you might consider re-evaluating the problem again, as sometimes you may not find a solution because the problem definition is not well defined or self-contradictory.

30. 4. Planning the next course of action (Next Steps) -Write down what you are going to do next. -Decide how you will make the solution happen. This will involve people doing various things at various times in the future and then confirming that they have been carried out as planned. This stage ensures that the valuable thinking that has gone into solving the problem becomes reality.

31. Creativity is a muscle, use it or lose it Creativity is an amorphous subject. While discussing creativity is interesting, what's important is taking action: using your creative ideas, putting them into action. Many people make it to that stage. How many times have you heard: "We're gonna make some changes around here--- I've had some great ideas"? Somehow, those changes never seem to eventuate; those great ideas are never put into action. We tell ourselves (pick one, they're all great excuses): that's too large a project to start right now, I'll wait until I have more time; I don't have all the information I need; nobody is interested anyway; I'm too tired; I've got a headache; I don't have the right equipment; etc etc. We're brilliantly creative in rationalizing our inertia. Why do we do procrastinate? Major reasons for procrastination are: a desire to avoid pain/ discomfort, and a fear of failure. However, it's not enough to merely label these traits. We need a plan to overcome the resistance they represent.

32. -Overcoming resistance Here are the steps to overcoming your resistance to taking action: 1.Discover what's causing your resistance; 2.Take some small action on the resistance; 3.Work on the task you're on which procrastinating: if necessary, limit the time to five minutes. -Work through the steps -Discover what's causing your resistance; You don't need to do any deep thinking here. It's not necessary to psychoanalyze yourself. Basically, it doesn't matter what's causing the resistance. You may be balking at the amount of effort you'll need to put into a large project. Or, you may think that you'll fail at the project anyway, so why bother starting.

33. -Take some small action on the resistance Whatever the reason for your resistance, there is always some small action that you can take. This action is purely symbolic: you're signaling to your subconscious mind that you want it to dissolve the resistance. For example: you may be procrastinating on starting a project because it will take a lot of work. Illogical? Yes, but the reasons we procrastinate are rarely logical. Take a slip of paper, and write on it: "I now begin working on Project X. I enjoy working on the project." Paste the slip onto your computer monitor, or put it into your wallet.

34. -Work on the task you're on which procrastinating Begin working on the task immediately. Set a time limit, if you like. Make it five minutes. You'll work on the task for five minutes, and then you'll stop. If you set a time limit, don't extend the time. Breaking your inertia is the hardest part, and you'll find that when you've worked on the task for five minutes, you want to extend the time. Don't. Keep the deals you make with yourself. However, schedule a specific time to work on the task tomorrow. Although the three steps to breaking your resistance seem simple, you'll find that they're highly effective. Work your way through the three steps, and use your creative ideas. Start right now.