creative problem solving.pptx

7/28/2019 Creative Problem Solving.pptx

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Creative ProblemSolving


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Introduction

Creativity can be defined in a simple manner in terms of the output(s) of

creative effort.

In this sense, creativity may be defined as the discovery or production of

something that is novel & also useful or relevant or economical or superior

or valuable.

Creativity is often linked with problem solving.

Problem solving is a mental process & is part of the larger problem

process that includes problem finding and problem facing.

Problem are what people have when they want something and dont know

how to get it.

Problems are of two types, Close ended and Open ended

- Close-ended problems have answers that are the logical consequencesof the nature of the problem given.

- Open-ended problems do not have correct answers, because e.g., they

are not precisely enough defined or because there is disagreement about

the nature of the problem ,with different people seeing it in different ways.


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Thus ,creative problem solving is the mental process of creating

a solution to a problem. It is a special form of problem solving in

which the solution is independently created than rather than

learned with assistance.

CPS is a method of approaching change within the organisation.

Usually involves a team approach because people within the

workplace are empowered to participate in the change process

when looking for creative solution. An effective organisation

recognises that its own personnel often hold the keys to

innovation within themselves and only need the right outlet toshare their experience based ideas.


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Elements of Creativity Creativity is manifested along the following four dimensions or forms of

mental capability:-

a) Conceptual Fluency

Ability to generate a large number of ideas relatively rapidly with reference

to a given problem / Situation / Issue under consideration.

b) Conceptual Flexibility

Ability to shift perspectives /view points , to move from one frame of

reference to another and to change or vary the approaches to solutions to

problems.

c) Originality

Ability to produce unusual novel, answer to questions, responses to

problems and interpretation of issues, situations and events.


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d) Complexity Orientation

Ability to challenge and find meaning in complex and ambiguous

Problems / situations and to enjoy the efforts to

analyse,integrate,clarify and resolve them.

N h l i l Th /


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Neuropsychological Theory /

Janusian Theory about creativity

in individualsAnother perspective towards creativity in individuals is provided by the

Neuropsychological theory of specialization in the 2 cerebral hemispheres ofthe brain. This theory holds that the lef t side of the brainis primarily associatedwith logical, rational & analytical modes of thinking. The r ight sid e of the brainon the other hand is primarily associated with emotional & intuitive experience,

inspiration & imagination. According to this perspective, creative individuals maybe viewed as those in whom the right side of the brain is relatively dominant.

Janusian mode of creative thinking refers to the

Capacity for conceiving & utilizing 2 or more opposite

Or contradictory ideas, concepts or images simultane-

Ously. The term Janusian is derived from Janus, the

2-headed god in Greek mythology. Janus looks

Simultaneously in 2 directions into the future & the

Past. The Janusian thinking hence reflects the creative

ability of integrating apparent opposites or paradoxes

Towards producing something that is novel & valuable.


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Attributes of Creative

Individuals

A strong sense of curiosity

Openness & independence of thinking & judgment

The ability to see things in unusual ways

Accepting & reconciling apparent opposites or paradoxes

Tolerance of ambiguity

Keen sensitivity, fostering intuition

A strong sense of autonomy

Not bound by group standards & control

Persistence & motivation Flexibility

Originality


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8

Phases of the Creative

Process

Preparation (Step One) The individual learns about the

problem.

This includes understanding theelements of the problem and howthey relate to each other.

It may include looking at the problemfrom different perspectives or askingother people what they know or thinkabout the problem.


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Incubation (phase two)

In this stage, the prepared decision maker

explores a multitude of different pathstoward new alternatives. Production orgeneration of new alternatives

Illumination (phase three)

This is the instance of becoming

aware of a new candidate solution toa problem, that flash of insight whenall the pieces come together, either

spontaneously or as the result ofcareful stud and work.


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Verification (phase four)

In the final step the decisionmaker must verify that thecandidate solution does in fact

have merit.


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Creativity as a Competitive

Resource

Cultivation & use of creativity in & by organizations enables their members to:

Discovernew opportunities for growth, development, & performanceimprovement

Analyze & solve difficult problems with innovative insights & approaches in acost effective manner.

Generate resources through greater productivity, cost reduction, & wasteavoidance.

Amplify the effectivenessof organizations strategic positioning &responses.

Amplify the effectiveness oforganizations work operations & theircoordination in all functional areas.

Facilitate & strengthen the realization of cross functional integration in themgt of the organization.

Facilitating the planning & implementation of creative methods ofmanagement like Total quality control & JIT, & enhance their efficacy.

Strengthen the effectiveness of organizations R&D efforts & facilitate themgt of technological innovation or product development.

Shorten the product development cycle from the stages of concept &inception to market introduction & commercial production.


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Strategic issues & company culture

(By Miller in 1987)

C = Collaboration &communication

(How do people work together &communicate across departmentlines & within project teams)

R= Roles, Risks & Rewards

(Who are the best initiators &implementers of new ideas, & how dothey work best?)

E= Environmental monitoring(What trends & events signal threats& opportunities, & how is theinformation spread throughout theorganization)

A= Administration

(How is the innovation supported bythe follwg systems: Budget &accounting, information management,PA, reporting structure & innovationprocess)

T= Transition Management

(How are changes in organizationallife planned, paced, communicated &implemented)

I= Intuition & logic

(How are both intuition & logichonored, utilized in definingproblems, generating solutions &making decisions)


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V= Vision & Purpose

(How do people agree with & unite around a central sense of purpose

& vision and the subsequent priorities for innovation)

E= Evaluation methods

(How are ideas evaluated by what criteria & processes at various

stages?)

The above 8 issues C.R.E.A.TI.V.E bring out the pervasive (universal,

consistent) role of organization culture, in each of the preceding

contexts. They also exemplify the myriad ways in which a strong

culture of creativity & shared vision, influences an organizations

steering of its innovation processes.


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Skills required for building a creative

environment

In order to develop a creative approach to problems & ways of coping withthem innovatively, organization personnel need to cultivate certain basicthinking skills. These essential skills are:

CONVERGENT THINKING : It is rational & involves mechanisms likecategorization/classification, logical analysis, comparison, evaluation,synthesis & optimization. It consists of those abilities which enable one to

reach a right solution to problems which mostly have one right solution.Problems that may potentially have plural solutions, require the exerciseof divergent thinking mechanisms. The mechanisms of convergentthinking may be outlined as follows:

A. Classif ication/Categorization: It involves listing thecomponents/elements of a problem, using analogies, making comparisons

& displaying the situation through tables, charts & diagrams. B. Analysis:It involves breaking down or factoring a problem into sub-

problems, seeking relationships & cross-relationships among componentsto design steps to a possible solution, & transforming the problem into anabstract or symbolic form of a model on which symbolic manipulations

may be performed.


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C. Synthesis: it is concerned with seeing patterns among components

or elements & involves aggregation & juxtaposition of elements in terms

of their similarity, proximity, consistency, relationships, & so on.

D. Optimizat ion: It is essentially concerned with refining a solution. It

may hence involve substitution of parts, addition ofcomponents/elements, deletion of superfluous items, modification of

elements & alternation of connecting points or relations in terms of the

evaluative criteria for a solution.

DIVERGENT THINKING : It involves approaches or perspectives thatmay be uncommon or unusual, resulting in novel solutions

MAKING FORCED RELATIONSHIPS: A distinctive characteristic of the

creative process is the ability to connect 2 or more apparently different

or disparate ideas, concepts, elements, or entities. Eg: Locomotiveengine & a competent manager.

RECOGNIZING POSITIVE POTENTIAL IN A PROBLEM: The ability to

find the positive potential in a problem is a mark of creative openness,

receptivity & flexibility.


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DISSECTING IDEAS: Dissecting an idea implies developing a list

of what is useful or relevant & then identifying what is missing.

VISUALIZING FUTURE SOLUTION STATE(S): In terms of such

a vision, they take existing components or elements & manipulate

them into something new in order to solve a problem. For them

what could be or what should be are more important &

meaningful than what is. They possess a futuristic orientationtowards towards problem solving.


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Techniques for Creative Problem Solving Reverse Brainstorming: It is a

variation of the brainstorming

technique. The group here is

asked to focus on as many things

wrong with a product, process,

system or service as they can.

The focus may then shift towards

recycling the deficiencies. Induced Disassociation: This

technique consists of looking at,

or staring at a product or object,

while trying to keep the mind in a

blank state. The purpose here isto obtain a new & unusual view of

the product / object.

Attribute Listing: This techniqueinvolves a listing of all the

meaningful attributes of a procedure,process or product & then focusingon ways of improving or upgradingany or all of them.

Synectics : It is an approach & aprocedure developed by Gordonwho defines it as the joiningtogether of different & apparentlyirrelevant elements to resolve aparadox or a problem. The team

uses analogy & metaphor for 2 asks:(i) Making the strange familiar

(ii) Making the familiar strange

Types of analogy used are: Personal ,Direct, Symbolic, Fantasy


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Morphological Method:

Developed by Zwicky, which

suggests looking at different

combinations of problems andsolutions putting them into a

matrix for exploring further

opportunities.

Inter-relationship Digraph:The technique starts with a

central idea, issue or problem &

leads to the generation of a large

number of ideas. Arrows are used

to mark relationships. Key factor isrecognised which is closely

related to the central element.

Majorly adopted to resolve

operational issues.

Tree or Systems flow

diagram: This technique

attempts to systematically map

out the full range of paths &tasks that need to be

accomplished for achieving

an overall goal.


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Aircraft late togate

Late foodservice

Late fuel

Late cabin

cleaners Poor announcement of

departures

Weight and balance

sheet late

DelayedDepartures

Delayed check-in

procedure

Acceptance of late

passengers

Facilities,Equipment

Gate agents

cannot process

fast enough

Late/unavailable

airline crew

Arrive lateOversized bags

WeatherAir traffic

FrontstagePersonnel

Procedures

Materials,Supplies Backstage

PersonnelInformation

Customers

Other Causes

MechanicalFailures

Late pushback

Late baggage

Cause effect / Ishikawa/ Fish-bone

diagram


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T-shaped Matrix: Combination of 2 L-shaped matrix diagrams. It is based

on the premise that 2 separate sets of items are both related to a 3rd set.

c4C

A

B

A1 A2 A3 A4 ---------

C4

C3

C2

C1

B4

B3

B2

B1

Eg: To show the relationship between a set of courses in a curriculum (A items), & 2

important set of considerations:

Who should provide the training for each course (C items)

And the most appropriate functional area personnel to attend each of the courses (B

items)


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Idea box: 2 dimensional idea box is used to explore new ideas or

alternatives.4 steps to be followed:

- Specifying your purpose or what you are trying to accomplish

- Identifying the parameters of the problem

- Listing variations &

- Trying different combinations

Input Timing Subject Target group

1) Meeting Once Programming Seniors

2) Forum Quarterly Facilities Teenagers

3)Questionnaire Semi-annually Access & hours Pre-scholars

4) E-mail Ongoing Volunteering Business

Eg: City development

A forum helds semi annually on volunteering for seniors

A questionnaire mailed quarterly on facility construction to business people


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Value Analysis: Value is a personal perspective of, a persons willingnessto pay for the performance delivered by a product, process or project.

Good value is achieved when the required performance can be accurately

defined & delivered at the lowest lifecycle cost.

Value (P) = Desired performance

Overall costs

Serendipity : Serendipity is the discovery of things by happy accident or

chance such as Fleming is purported to have done with pencillin

SWOT Analysis : How to turn weakness into strengths & threats intoopportunities.

Force Field Analysis : A technique to find out what impact a proposedsolution is likely to have during implementation. Solutions are subject tomyriad of forces, some supportive called dr iv ing forces& some unhelpful& constraining called rest rain ing fo rces. The key lies in increasing thestrength of the driving forces or by removing or decreasing the resistingforces. Eg: Introduction of Information technology in the Banking arena.


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Barriers to Creative

Problem Solving

Overcoming Barriers to

Creative problemsolving

Fear of Rejection

Fear of Risk

No expectation that Ideas are

everyones responsibility

Too much time between

creation & implementation Neglect

Only left brains

Valuing only big ideas

Short term

Over allegiance (commitment)

Encourage challenge from

all

Involve people

Know the problem

Get people together

Remember 90/10 rule


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Japanese Enterprises as Exemplars

Japan is a mountainous, overcrowded, & resource poor country. It iscompulsively dependent on exports for survival, but for which it must

import materials of all types including fuel & food. Japanese enterprises, however not only they have been able to cope with

these challenges effectively but also in the process have been able toelevate their country to the status of the worlds foremost economicsuperpower. The Phoenix Bird

Japanese firms ability to turn challenges into opportunities has been

based on the creative skills, talents & commitment of their humanresources. Japanese firms have overturned a number of principles &practices of western management wisdom. Some examples in this contextmay be briefly as follows:

1. By inventing the JIT System of stockless production, Japanese firmsmade the entire western system of inventory management obsolete, &

gained cost savings of the order of more than 10%.2. Zero-defect production

3. Partners-in-profit : Coopting their suppliers as partners in profit &developing strong & stable collaborative relationships with them,Japanese enterprises reduced drastically the time, costs such involved.The collaborative relationship also helps reduce their time-to-market fornew products.


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By introducing the small group mechanism ofquality circles,

Japanese companies created a low cost & a high gain system

of extensive bottom line experimentation for improving

production technology in a continuing & cumulative manner.

By developing a flexible & fluid organization structure &

cross-functional teams for projects & problem solving, Japanese

companies have been able to shorten substantially the time for

developing new products.

Technology Fusion


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THANK YOU

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