Sharpen Your Creative Problem Solving Tools!

1. Sharpen Your Creative Problem Solving Tools! February 27, 2010

2. Workshop Goals • Connect Leadership to Creativity • Teach and Apply Thinking Skills Leaders Need • Introducing Tools • Value Creative Thinking

3. AgendaFebruary 27, 2010 • Start up • Leaders as Creative Problem Solvers • Understanding and Practicing Divergent and Convergent Thinking • Tips and Tools for: • Gaining Clarity • Generating Ideas • Implementing Actions • Discussion – Leadership Applications • Close down

4. What are all the ways to get a hippo out of your bathtub?

5. Leadership a Catalyst for Organizational Creativity & Innovation LEADERSHIP Person Process Product (e.g., theories, solutions to problems, ideas, services, inventions,etc.) Creative Change (e.g., social change, personal change, innovation etc.) Interaction leads to Adoption leads to Environment Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2006

6. CPS Components and Thinking Skills Gaining Clarity Navigation Generating Ideas Implementing Action Puccio, G. J., Murdock, M. C., & Mance, M. (2006)

7. Thinking Skill Tool Examples

8. Dynamic Balance: The Core to the CPS Process Diverge Diverge Area of Discovery Area of Discovery Area of Familiarity Converge Converge Puccio, G. J., Murdock, M. C., & Mance, M. (2006)

9. Divergent Thinking

10. Dynamic Balance: The Core to the CPS Process • Divergent Thinking • Guidelines: • Suspend Judgment • Strive for Quantity • Allow for Combinations • Seek Novel Associations Diverge Diverge Area of Familiarity Area of Discovery Area of Discovery Converge Converge

11. Gaining Clarity Identifying the critical gaps and the pathways that need to be followed to attain the desired outcomes

12. Fritz Structural Tension Model Vision What you want to have The Goal: Where you want to be The Problems to be Addressed: What stands between you and your goal Tension Current Reality What you have Where You are Now

13. Can we improve our performance? How to develop a new product that we can get to the market quickly and costs less to produce than our last venture? In what ways might we enhance our team’s performance? What might be some new product ideas for our company? Sample Problem Statements Before After

14. Statement Starters forClarifying the Problem • How to...? (H2) • How might...? (HM) • In what ways might...? (IWWM) • What might...? (WM)

15. Webbing A problem analysis tool designed to go beyond the initial definition of the problem and to assist you in defining the problem at an appropriate level of abstraction.

16. Webbing Basics Why Else? Why? Why Else? Original Problem Statement What’s stopping you? What else Is stopping you? What else Is stopping you?

17. How to… How to… How to… How to… How to… How to… Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? How to… How to… Why? Webbing Worksheet Why? Initial Problem Statement: How might I prepare for job searching? What is stopping you? What is stopping you? How to… How to… What is Stopping you? What is stopping you? What is stopping you? What is stopping you? What is stopping you? What is stopping you? How to… How to… How to… How to… How to… How to…

18. Webbing: An Example How to practice skills? How to look professional? How to build experiences? How to write resume? How to interview? How might I prepare for job searching? How to contact employers? IWWM I build references? How might I find transportation? How might I know where to look? How to network more?

19. Problem Reframing • Problem as Presented • Reframe the problem by generating alternative views of the situation through divergent thinking • Problem as Understood

20. Problem Reframing: Job Searching Example • Problem as Presented: How might I prepare for job searching? • Reframe the problem by generating alternative views of the situation through divergent thinking • Problem as Understood: IWWM I build references?

21. Generating Ideas Producing original mental images and thoughts that respond to challenges or opportunities

22. The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Lewis Pauling

23. Select a problem statement to work with for Brainwriting H2 search for graduate schools?

24. Brainwriting Each team member receives a blank worksheet with one extra sheet placed in center of group. Individuals silently complete the first row by writing in suggested options. When a row of options has been completed the team member swaps his/her worksheet with the one in the center. Previously written options are read to stimulate new options.

25. Divergent Thinking Guidelines • Defer Judgment • Go for Quantity • Make Connections • Seek Novelty

26. Convergent Thinking

27. Dynamic Balance: The Core to the CPS Process Diverge Diverge Area of Familiarity Area of Discovery Area of Discovery • Convergent Thinking • Guidelines: • Use Affirmative Judgment • Consider Novelty • Check Your Objectives • Be Deliberate Converge Converge

28. Implementing Actions Assessing the reasonableness and quality of ideas in order to develop workable solutions and understanding the interrelated conditions and circumstances that will support or hinder success

29. Few ideas are in themselves practical… The creative process does not end with an idea--it only starts with an idea. John Arnold

30. Give me your comments?

31. PPC o 1. Plusses • Strengths, Good Points, Positives, Plusses 2. Potentials • Future Spin-offs, Possibilities, Novel Aspects • What if thinking 3. Concerns • Weaknesses, Trouble Spots, Minuses • Phrased in "How to..." Statements 4. Overcome Concerns Through Brainstorming • Generate Ideas to Overcome Main Concerns (Miller, Vehar & Firestien, 2001)

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33. Taking it Forward • Interesting • Intriguing • Useful • Application Any Surprises?