Human Relations– MGMT611 VU

Lesson 9
CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING

Creativity

Creativity: The ability to use ‘imagination’ or power of mind to develop new and original ideas or
things.

Creativity can provide all the solutions to the complex problems of the workplace. Creative thinking is a
positive, generative force that uses imagination to power business.

Creativity in problem solving

Creativity is the ability to develop good ideas that can be put into action.
Adaptive creativity involves improving an existing system, whereas innovative creativity involves
creating something new.

Characteristics of Creative Workers

Creative people are more mentally flexible than others, allowing them to overcome the traditional way
of looking at problems.

The characteristics of creative workers can be grouped into three broad areas, as described below.

1. Knowledge
2. Intellectual Abilities
3. Personality

Barriers to creativity

1. Perceptual
2. Emotional
3. Intellectual
4. Environmental

Identify obstacles - do something about it!

For solving problems, divergent and convergent thinking can help
Unlock creativity - keep logic at bay

Conditions for Creativity

• The characteristics of creative workers can be grouped into three broad areas, as described
below.

1. Knowledge. Creative thinking requires a broad background of information, including facts and
observations. Knowledge supplies the building blocks for generating and combining ideas.

2. Intellectual Abilities. Creative workers tend to be bright rather than brilliant and remain young in
thinking and retain curiosity.

The key to creative intelligence is insight, an ability to know what information is relevant, find
connections between the old and the new, combine facts that are unrelated. See the “big picture.”
Creativity can stem from both fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. (Intelligence, Knowledge,
experience, wisdom).

© Copyright Virtual University of Pakistan 26

Human Relations– MGMT611 VU
3. Personality. Non-cognitive factors contribute heavily to creativity. Creative people are self-
confident, can tolerate isolation, and are often nonconformists.

How Creativity Comes?

• Creativity takes place when three components come together: expertise, creative-thinking skills,
and the right type of motivation. Expertise refers to the necessary knowledge to put facts
together.
• Creative thinking refers to how flexibly and imaginative individuals approach problems.
• Persistence and seeking ideas intentionally are also important.
• The right type of motivation centers around fascination with, or passion for, the task rather than
searching for external rewards.
• Passion and intrinsic motivation result in the flow experience.
• Factors outside the person are also important for creativity.
• Necessity is the mother of invention. Another condition that fosters creativity is enough conflict
and tension to put people on edge.
• Encouragement, including a permissive atmosphere that welcomes new ideas, contributes to
creativity.
• Finally, humor is a key environmental condition for enhancing creativity.

Tips

• The problem as first stated is rarely the true problem. Ask at least five times. Always restate the
problem as many ways as you can; change the wording, take different viewpoints, and try it in
graphical form.
• Describe the problem to laymen and also to experts in different fields.
• Don’t try to learn all the details before deciding on a first approach.
• Make the second assault on a problem from a different direction.
• Transforming one problem into another or studying the inverse problem often offers new insights.
If you don’t understand a problem try explaining it to others and listening to yourself.
• Test the extremes: If you can’t make it better try making it worse and analyzing what happens.

Tips to solve problems creatively

• If the problem you are trying to solve has already been solved by others, learn that solution first,
even if you intend to modify it.
• Begin by solving the simplest version of the problem.
• Build your solution incrementally
• Avoid focusing on a single solution
• Avoid hidden assumptions
• Be patient and retain perseverance
• Don’t expect to find permanent solutions

Improving creativity

Many strategies and techniques can improve creativity, and all of them help people move beyond
intellectual constraints. The goal of these experiences is to think like a creative problem solver.

© Copyright Virtual University of Pakistan 27

Human Relations– MGMT611 VU
1. Concentrate on the problem or task

At limes, we think we are thinking intently about our problem, yet in reality we may be thinking
about something that interferes with creativity. Distractions: They can hamper the development of
new ideas

2. Overcome traditional mindset

Mental flexibility helps a person overcome a traditional mental set, a fixed way of thinking about
objects and activities. An effective way of overcoming a traditional mind set into challenge, the
status quo.

3. Discipline yourself to think laterally

Vertical thinking is an analytical, logical process that results in few answers.

In contrast, lateral thinking spreads out to find many different alternative solutions to a problem.
Critical thinking is vertical, and creative thinking is lateral.
To learn to think laterally, develop the mental set that every problem has multiple
solutions.

4. Conduct brainstorming sessions

The best-known method of improving creativity is brainstorming, a technique by which group

members think of multiple solutions to a problem.

An important strategy for enhancing the outcome of brainstorming is to have intellectually

and culturally diverse group members.
1.Electronic Brainstorming. In electronic brainstorming, group members simultaneously enter
their suggestions into a computer, and members can still build on each other’s ideas.

2. Brain writing. In many situations, brainstorming by yourself produces as many or more useful
ideas as does brainstorming in groups.

Brain writing, or solo brainstorming, is arriving at creative ideas by jotting them down yourself.

5. Borrow creative ideas

6. Negate your own ruts or mental set

7. Establish idea quotas for yourself

8. Play the roles of explorer, artist, judge, and lawyer.

9. Forced Associations. A widely used method of releasing creativity is the forced-association

technique. Using this technique, individuals or groups solve a problem by making associations
between the properties of two objects. A link is found between the properties of the random object
and the problem object. The forced association is supposed to help solve the problem.

E. Borrow Creative Ideas

• Copying the successful ideas of others is a legitimate form of creativity. Business firms often
borrow ideas from each other as part of benchmarking.

© Copyright Virtual University of Pakistan 28

Human Relations– MGMT611 VU
F. Challenge Your Ruts

• A primary barrier to creativity can be doing the same things, the same way, every day. Challenging
your ruts, or habitual way of doing things, can assist you in developing mental flexibility.

G. Establish Idea Quotas for Yourself

• Establishing idea quotas is similar to brain writing with a goal in mind. An easy way of getting
started is to establish a monthly minimum quota of one creative idea to improve personal life, and
one to improve school or job performance.

H. Play the Roles of explore, Artist, Judge and Lawyer

• Be an explorer by searching for ideas. Be an artist by stretching your imagination and asking “what-
if questions. Know when to be a judge by evaluating them at the right time. Be a lawyer by
negotiating to get your idea implemented.

© Copyright Virtual University of Pakistan 29