CREATIVITY & INNOVATION MANAGEMENT

Unit 4

1. Techniques of creative problem solving

There are several techniques used for creative problem solving. A few are listed below.

2. Brainstorming – Generating many radical, creative ideas

How often have you used brainstorming to solve a problem? Chances are, you have used
it at least once, even if you did not realize it. For decades, people have used
brainstorming to generate ideas, and to come up with creative solutions to problems.
However, you need to use brainstorming correctly for it to be fully effective.

What Is Brainstorming?
Madison Avenue advertising executive Alex Osborn developed the original approach and
published it in his 1953 book, "Applied Imagination." Brainstorming combines a
relaxed, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking. It encourages
people to come up with thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some
of these ideas can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem, while
others can spark even more ideas. This helps to get people unstuck by "jolting"
them out of their normal ways of thinking. Therefore, during brainstorming
sessions, people should avoid criticizing or rewarding ideas. You are trying to open
up possibilities and break down incorrect assumptions about the problem's limits.
Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limit creativity. Evaluate
ideas at the end of the session – this is the time to explore solutions further, using
conventional approaches.

Group Brainstorming
Here, you can take advantage of the full experience and creativity of all team members.
When one member gets stuck with an idea, another member's creativity and experience
can take the idea to the next stage. You can develop ideas in greater depth with group
brainstorming than you can with individual brainstorming. Another advantage of group
brainstorming is that it helps everyone feel that they have contributed to the solution, and
it reminds people that others have creative ideas to offer. It's also fun, so it can be great
for team building. Group brainstorming can be risky for individuals. Unusual suggestions
may appear to lack value at first sight – this is where you need to chair sessions tightly, so
that the group does not crush these ideas and stifle creativity. Where possible,
participants should come from a wide range of disciplines. This cross-section of
experience can make the session more creative. However, do not make the group too big:
as with other types of teamwork, groups of five to seven people are usually most effective.

To run a group brainstorming session effectively, follow these steps.

Step 1: Prepare the Group

First, set up a comfortable meeting environment for the session. Make sure that the
room is well-lit and that you have the tools, resources, and refreshments that you need.
How much information or preparation does your team need in order to brainstorm
solutions to your problem? Remember that preparation is important, but too much can limit
– or even destroy – the freewheeling nature of a brainstorming session. When everyone is
gathered, appoint one person to record the ideas that come from the session. This person
1
 should not necessarily be the team manager – it is hard to record and contribute at the
same time. Post notes where everyone can see them, such as on flip charts or
whiteboards; or use a computer with a data projector.

Step 2: Present the Problem

Clearly define the problem that you want to solve, and lay out any criteria that you must
meet. Make it clear that that the meeting's objective is to generate as many ideas as
possible. Give people plenty of quiet time at the start of the session to write down as many
of their own ideas as they can. Then, ask them to share their ideas, while giving everyone
a fair opportunity to contribute.

Step 3: Guide the Discussion

Once everyone has shared their ideas, start a group discussion to develop other people's
ideas, and use them to create new ideas. Building on others' ideas is one of the most
valuable aspects of group brainstorming. Encourage everyone to contribute and to
develop ideas, including the quietest people, and discourage anyone from criticizing ideas.
As the group facilitator, you should share ideas if you have them, but spend your time and
energy supporting your team and guiding the discussion. Stick to one conversation at a
time, and refocus the group if people become sidetracked.

The Next Step – Taking Action

After your individual or group brainstorming session, you will have a lot of ideas. Although
it might seem hard to sort through these ideas to find the best ones, analyzing these ideas
is an important next step. , and you can use several tools to do this.

When managed well, brainstorming can help you generate radical solutions to problems. It
can also encourage people to commit to solutions, because they have provided input and
played a role in developing them.

3. Attribute Listing
We often have preconceived ideas about situations and people and our thinking is often
limited to standard expectations and characteristics. Image you have been asked to meet
the General Manager of a big company for a business meeting at the Hilton Hotel. You are
waiting at the entrance for a big Mercedes. Suddenly, a cyclist riding a mountain bike with
a rucksack on his shoulder appears. He gets off and says: "Good morning, I'm Thomas
Edison, General Manager of ..." In this case our expectations of a general Manager is
attributed to expensive suits and luxury cars, leather briefcase from a shop selling top
brand items etc.

For innovation, we have to question "normal" characteristics. Very often, we consider

prerequisites for solving a problem as "given" without reflecting on whether they are
appropriate in the situation. If we try to skip one or more of these prerequisites, or try to
give them other characteristics, we can find surprising and creative solutions.

Attribute Listing is a creative technique used to find new ideas, solve problems and find
innovative products and services. Attribute Listing involves breaking the problem down
into smaller and smaller parts and looking at alternative solutions to these parts. With
Attribute listing you describe all of the components/attributes of the product, process, or
problem and then list all the possible alternatives to these components.

Let's look at a pencil as an example, the components or attributes of a pencil are:

2
  shaft material
 lead type
 hardness and width of lead
 quality
 colour
 weight
 price, etc.

With attribute listing you list all of the alternatives to these components and mix the
alternatives generated to find a new innovative product or service.

4. Synectics
The term Synectics from the Greek word synectikos which means "bringing forth
together" or "bringing different things into unified connection." Since creativity
involves the coordination of things into new structures, every creative thought or action
draws on synectic thinking. Creative behaviour occurs in the process of becoming aware
of problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge, missing elements, disharmonies, bringing
together in new relationships available information; identifying the missing elements;
searching for solutions, making guesses, or formulating hypotheses.

Synectic thinking is the process of discovering the links that unite seemingly
disconnected elements. It is a way of mentally taking things apart and putting them
together to furnish new insight for all types of problems.

William Gordon set forth three fundamental precepts of synectic theory:

 Creative output increases when people become aware of the psychological processes
that control their behavior

 Emotional component of creative behaviour is more important than the intellectual

component; the irrational is more important than the intellectual component

 Emotional and irrational components must be understood and used as "precision: tools
in order to increase creative output.