CREATIVE THINKING &

PROBLEM SOLVING

Muhammad Nazim Bin Abd. Rahman

Senior Programme Coordinator
Strategic Management Programme
National Institute of Public Administration
(INTAN)
Bukit Kiara
r Agenda For This Session (1)
1. Definitions Of Creative
Thinking
2. Creative Thinking vs.
Critical Thinking
3. Tips To Enhance Creative
Thinking
4. Creative Thinking Tools
5. Definitions of Problem
6. Different Types of
Problems
7. Definition of Problem
Solving
Our Agenda For This
Session (2)
8. Two Basic Problem Solving Steps
[Eureka Steps & Seven Steps]
9. Connection Between Problem
Solving & Decision Making
10. Rational vs Intuitive Reasoning
11. Decision Making Tools (SWOT
Analysis, McKinsey 7-S, PESTELI,
Fishbone / Ishikawa Diagram &
Pareto Analysis)
12. Individual vs Group Problem
Solving
r Agenda For This Session (2)
13. Obstacles in
Group Problem
Solving
14. Some Problem
Solving & Decision
Making Realities
15. Problem Solving
& Decision Making
from Islamic
Perspective
16. Conclusion
17. Q&A
Definition of Creative Thinking
CREATIVE THINKING
= Exploring ideas, generating
possibilities, looking for many right
answers rather than just one

= To maximize the ability of the brain

to think of new ideas

= Looking at problems or situation

from fresh perspective that
suggested an unfamiliar solution
Creative Thinking vs Critical
Thinking
Creative Thinking Critical Thinking
 Generative  Analytical
 Divergent  Convergent
 Possibility  Probability
 Diffuse  Focused
 Subjective  Objective
 Associative  Linear
 Richness or  Reasoning
Novelty
 The answer is “Yes,  The answer is
and…” “Yes, but…”
Tips to Enhance Creative
Thinking (1)
1. Find your own “Creative
Period” – a time period where
your creativity is at its peak
2. Find a friend who could be
your “sounding board”
3. Leave whatever problem you
are thinking for a while –
Refresh yourselves
Tips to Enhance Creative
Thinking (2)
5. Use the Web to help you generate and diverged your ideas –
Yahoo it, Google it, Altavista it, Youtube it …
6. Attend talks, seminar, courses regarding ways to enhance your
thinking skills
7. Use Creative Thinking Tools
Creative Thinking Tools
Here are examples of the
Creative Thinking Tools:

1. Five (5) Classic

Creativity Methods
[Robert Harris,1998]

2. Reverse
Brainstorming
Five Classic Creativity Methods
No. 1 - Evolution
Evolution. This is the method of incremental improvement.
New ideas stem from other ideas, new solutions from previous
ones, the new ones slightly improved over the old ones.

Example, look at the history of the automobile. With each

new model, improvements are made. Each new model
builds upon the collective creativity of previous models, so
that over time, improvements in economy, comfort, and
durability take place.
Five Classic Creativity Methods
No. 2 - Synthesis
Synthesis. With this method, two
or more existing ideas are
combined into a third, new idea.

Example, someone noticed that a

lot of people like to have some
coffee and muffins while surfing
the Web. Why not combine these
two activities into one? Thus, the
“Internet Cafe,” was born.
Five Classic Creativity Methods
No. 3 - Revolution
Revolution. Sometimes the best
new idea is a totally different idea
from its previous one. Example,
While an evolutionary
improvement philosophy might
cause a professor to ask, "How
can I make my lectures better and
better?" a revolutionary idea might
be, "Why not stop lecturing and
have the students teach each
other, working as teams and
publishing articles in the academic
journals?"
Five Classic Creativity Methods
No. 4 - Reapplication
Reapplication. Look at
something old in a new
way. Discover how
something can be
reapplied. The key is to
see beyond the previous
applications to see what
other application is
possible.

Example, an old unwanted

perfume can be used as
‘pepper spray’ in case of
emergency.
Five Classic Creativity Methods
No. 5 – Changing Direction
Changing Direction. Many creative
breakthroughs occur when attention is shifted
from one angle of a problem to another. This is
sometimes called creative insight.
Example: “The Case of Senator A Presidential
Campaign”
Reverse Brainstorming
In Reverse Brainstorming, Instead of
asking “How do I achieve these results?"
you ask, How could I possibly achieve the
opposite effect?"
Example, If you want to find out ways to save the
Planet, you ask the question “How could we shorten the
life of our planet?” And the possible answers are:
Use aerosol spray as often as you can
Cut down trees like there is no tomorrow
Throw everything inside the river
Do not do any sort of treatment to the chemical waste
that comes out of our factory
Stop all research to produce safer, cleaner,
sustainable energy sources
Stop all recycle initiatives
What is a Problem?
“Problem could be define as:
i. A question to be considered, solve
or answered
ii. A situation, matter or person that
presents a perplexity or difficulty
iii. A misgiving, objection or complaint.”
“Problem are what people have when they
www.thefreedictionary.com
want something and don’t know how to
get it.”
Tudor Rickards in “Creativity and Problem Solving at Work”
Different Types of Problems (1)
Different Types of Problems (2)
Explanation of Different Types of
Problems (1)
In a routine problem, the problem solver knows a solution
Routine method and only needs to carry it out. Example: Training
Coordinator searching for a lecturer for his course.

In a non-routine problem, the problem solver does not initially

Non know a method for solving the problem. Example: "Water lilies
Routine double in area every twenty-four hours. At the beginning of
the summer, there is one water lily on the lake. It takes sixty
days for the lake to be completely covered with water lilies.
On what day is the lake half covered?"
Situation which important problem solving decisions commit those
Wicked involved to one solutions and excluding other possibilities. Example:
Decision to build a multi-storey car park on a piece of land.
Anything that involve a ‘no turning back’ decision.
Problems in which obvious solutions create bigger problems.
Vicious Example: Any problems involved sensitive issues have the
tendency to become vicious problem.
Explanation of Different Types of
Problems (2)
Problem which involved many variables, many constraints and
Complex many parties involved. Example: The problem of ‘Today there are
too many illegal and also legal immigrants in Malaysia.’

A situation in which one ought to do A, and one ought to do

Moral B, but one cannot do both A and B. Example: One ought to
Dilemma help save his family, but in order to save his family, one must
tell a lie but telling a lie is morally unacceptable.

Problem which you have not had the chance to face. Example:
Unfamiliar Trying to lead a team in a negotiation with supplier for the first time.

A problem that needs a decision or a solution right now.

Urgent Example: How to stop a man from bleeding fro a gunshot
wound.
Explanation of Different Types of
Problems (3)
Life and Death Situation. Example if a patient are not being
Critical given a blood transfusion in the next 5 minutes his heart will
stop beating.

Problems which keeps on coming. Example: The loud banging

Persistent noise cause by the piling machines in the construction site next
to your office from 9am to 6 pm everyday.

Problem between 2 or more human beings which effected their

Inter lives. Example: The store officer does not process your material
personal request form as soon as possible due to you have not paid back
$100 that you have borrowed from him 6 months ago.

Problems that arise in the field of management. Example:

Manage How should a HR officer distribute 3 new workers in a
ment factory where 7 Department is short of 24 workers.
Definition of Problem Solving

Problem Solving is a process

whereby the problem solver
seeks to devise a method for
transforming a problem from
its current state into a desired
state when a solution is not
immediately obvious to the
problem solver.
Two Basic Problem Solving
Steps
Two Basic
Problem Solving Steps

Eureka Steps Seven Steps

To Problem Solving To Problem Solving
Eureka Steps to Problem Solving
1. Preparation: gathering of information and
preliminary attempts at a solution.

2. Incubation: putting the problem aside to work

on other activities or to sleep.

3. Illumination: appearance of the key to the

solution (often referred to as the “Aha!” or
“Eureka!” experience).

4. Verification: checking the solution to make sure

that it is valid.
Seven Steps Approach to
Problem Solving
1. Define and Identify the
Problem
2. Analyze the Problem
3. Identifying Possible
Solutions
4. Evaluating Possible
Solutions
5. Selecting the Best
Solutions
6. Implement the Solution
7. Evaluate
the Solution
Explanation of the Seven Steps (1)
Define and identify Once
You must
you define
are aware
exactly
that what
a problem
is theexist,
actualyou
problem
must
the problem define
all about.
exactly
Whatwhat
are the
is the
situation
actual you
problem
face all
now about
and
(1) (Whatare
what arethe
thesituation
situationyou
youhope
face to
now
beand
in? what are
the situation you hope to be in?) Write the problem
down to make it clearer.
Analyze the Find out the 5W + 1H of the problem. List all
problem the symptoms and root causes. Clarify the
(2) problem. Example: In order
"Cure to cure condition
condition X" might beX,
we need to discover
problematic until we whether
discovercondition
for certainX is an
infectious kind of disease,
whether condition a hereditary
X is an infectious kind of
condition,
disease, a a chemicalcondition,
hereditary poison, orasomething
chemical
else.
poison, or what.
Identify Possible Read, research, think, ask questions, discuss.
Solutions Look for ideas and solutions. Begin with a
(3) period of information gathering and mental
stimulation.
 Explanation of the Seven Steps (2)
Evaluating What possible solutions, either individually or in
Possible conjunction with each other, will solve this problem? You
Solutions may want to adopt 2 or 3 separate solution paths at the
(4) same time--kind of like the triple antibiotic treatment. You
might also want to set up "Plan B," a possible solution
approach that can be implemented if your main plan does
not work
Selecting the Select one or more solutions to try. Choose from among
best solution those near the top of the list of ranking. However the very
(5) top ranked solution is not always the one to get chosen
for implementation. Emotional factors, sudden changes,
peculiar circumstances, the desire for beneficial side
effects not directly related to the solution, and so forth,
often shift the logical ranking
 Explanation of the Seven Steps (3)
Implement Try out the solution(s). The key concept here is action. Get going
the solution and begin the solution. Once you choose a solution path, get to
(6) work on it.

Evaluate Investigate to determine whether the solution(s) worked, and

the to what extent. Do modifications need to be made? Do other
solution solutions need to be selected and tried? Is a different
(7) approach needed? One of the most frequent failures of
problem solving is the lack of evaluation of the implemented
solution. Too often in the past, once a solution has been
chosen and implemented, people have wandered off,
assuming that the problem was solved and everything was
fine. But the solution may not have worked or not worked
completely, or it may have caused other problems in the
process.
The Connection between Problem
Solving and Decision Making Process
Although the terms "problem-solving" and
"decision-making" are sometimes used
interchangeably, management literature makes a
clear distinction between the two.

Problem-solving is a larger process that starts with

the identification of a problem and ends with an
evaluation of the effectiveness of the chosen
solution.

Decision-making is a subset of the problem-solving

process and refers only to the process of identifying
alternative solutions and choosing from among
them.
Rational Reasoning vs Intuitive
Reasoning (According to Chris Blake)
Rational Reasoning Intuitive Reasoning
 Slow – it takes time for  Fast – it allows immediate action
analysis  Emotional – it based on our
 Logical – It uses emotional preference
symbols and logical  Based on experience – it
deductions captures the sum of past
 A conscious process – experiences
we are aware of the  Self evident – you are not aware
process of the process of deciding
 Not context specific –  Context specific – Intuitions from
can be applied in any one sphere may not translate to
situation another
Problem Solving & Decision
Making Tools
Some of the tools used
are:
i. SWOT Analysis
ii. McKinsey 7-S
iii.PESTELI
iv.Ishikawa / Fishbone /
Cause & Effects
Diagram
v. Pareto Analysis
P. Solving & D. Making Tools:
SWOT
A decision (for example, investment in a new
production plant) could be considered not only in
financial terms but also to apply other techniques of
decision making to look at wider issues:
 A SWOT analysis might be part of this:
 Strengths
 Weaknesses
 Opportunities
 Threats
P. Solving & D. Making :
McKinsey Seven-S
 Might also need to consider the internal elements
that might influence the decision making process
which can be summarised as:
 Shared values
 Systems
 Staff
 Structure
 Style
 Strategy
 Skills
P. Solving & D. Making : PESTELI
 Might also need to consider factor in other external issues
that might influence the decision making process which
can be summarised as:
 Political factors
 Economic factors
 Social factors
 Technological factors
 Ecological factors
 Legal factors
 International factors
 Political could be in its widest sense,
e.g. the internal politics of a firm as well as
the national and international political effect
P. Solving & D. Making: PESTELI
 The decision to site a series of wind
turbines in a coastal area or incinerator
plant in Broga might be justified on
financial grounds but:
 What is the reaction of the local
community?
 Does government policy support such
planning developments?
 Are there social impacts – e.g. noise
pollution, damage to eco-systems, etc?
 Such factors may make the difference
between success and failure
P. Solving & D. Making : Fishbone /
Ishikawa / Cause and Effect Diagram
 To Have A Clearer Picture of the Cause and Effect of A Particular Issue
 The 7 M’s [Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement,
Maintenance, Environment]
 The 8 P's [Price, Promotion, People, Processes, Place / Plant, Policies,
Procedures & Product (or Service)] (recommended for administration
and service industry)
 The 4 S's [Surroundings, Suppliers, Systems, Skills] (recommended
for service industry).
P. Solving & D. Making: Pareto
Analysis
A way to separate the major causes of a problem (the
vital few) from the minor ones (the trivial many). It is
based on the 80/20 rule: The idea that 80% of problems
are due to 20% of causes.
Individual vs. Group Problem
Solving
If it is up to the
individual to solve the
problem then it is less
difficult…what if we
have to solve the
problem as a group?

What are some of the

obstacles we might
encounter?
 Obstacles in group problem solving /
decision making process
1. Unclear objective – group are
not totally sure what they are
suppose to achieve.

2. Blurred responsibility – group

is unclear about authority of
the group. Who are they
reporting to? What is the
authority and responsibility of
the group leader? Who will
make the decision?

3. Status – Working in a group

will not necessarily iron out
perceived differences in
authority. People with higher
status may be dangerously
influential in manipulating
ideas and information.
Obstacles in group problem solving /
decision making process
4. Expertise – Appointing
people on the basis of their
expertise can also prove
dangerous. Experts may
concentrate on their
specialist areas, ignoring
areas they know little about
5. Time constraint (both too
much and too little)
6. Conflicting Goals – Among
members of the group
Obstacles in group problem solving /
decision making process
7. Self censorship – Group
members avoid speaking up
against the majority for fear
of being ridiculed or
because they do not want to
waste the group’s time.

8. Pressure on dissenters –
Those who insists on
dissenting are branded as a
nuisance or nay-sayers.
Their loyalty questioned.
Some Problem Solving &
Decision Making Realities
Leaders face multiple and
sometimes complex choice
processes.
Problem Solving & Decision
making information may not be
available.
The way people think affect
the way people define
problems, identify alternatives,
and choose preferred solutions.
Some Problem Solving &
Decision Making Realities
Most decision making in organisations goes beyond
step-by-step rational choice.
Decisions must be made under risk and uncertainty.
Decisions must be made under time pressures and
information limitations.
Decisions that is ethical is usually hardest to make.
Islamic Perspectives

Problem Solving
and Decision
Making In Islam
The important step in
decision making in Islam
is quite clear. What ever Whatever problem that
decision we want to make, we want to solve, we are
must not defer from what taught to work hard to
is stated in Al-Quran and find the solution ask for
also in Hadith. help from Allah through
doa.
Conclusion

Lastly, let us remind ourselves

what Albert Einstein once wrote:
"The significant problems we face
cannot be solved at the same level
of thinking we were at when we
created them."
Questions and
Answer
Session …
Suggested Readings
 Rickards, Tudor (1990), Creativity and Problem Solving at Work , Gower
Publishing Company, Vermont
 Explain Types of Problems & Problem Solving Steps

 Linstone, Horald A (1999), Decision Making for Technology Executive , Artech

House, London
 Expose 8 Usual Perspectives in Decision Making and Its Limitation

 Blake, Chris (2008), The Art of Decisions, Prentice Hall, London  The Easy to
Understand, Basics in Decision Making Process

 Barker, Alan (1996), How to be a Better Decision Maker, Kogan Page Limited,
London  Explain Styles of Decision Making

 www.mindtools.com

 Russo, Edward J. & Schoemaker, Paul J. (2002) Winning Decision, Doubleday,

New York
 Basic Decision Making Tips
 Thank you and
may all of us be able to solve any
problem that comes our way
creatively and smoothly

Muhammad Nazim Bin Abd.

Rahman
Strategic Management Programme
National Institute of Public
Administration (INTAN)
[email protected]
Tel: 03-2084 7378