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What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

Business team using creative problem-solving

  • 01 Feb 2022

One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown. Business leaders can overcome this barrier by mobilizing creative team members and providing space to innovate.

There are several tools you can use to encourage creativity in the workplace. Creative problem-solving is one of them, which facilitates the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems.

Here’s an overview of creative problem-solving and why it’s important in business.

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What Is Creative Problem-Solving?

Research is necessary when solving a problem. But there are situations where a problem’s specific cause is difficult to pinpoint. This can occur when there’s not enough time to narrow down the problem’s source or there are differing opinions about its root cause.

In such cases, you can use creative problem-solving , which allows you to explore potential solutions regardless of whether a problem has been defined.

Creative problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes and encourages exploring open-ended solutions. It also focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity in the workplace . Its benefits include:

  • Finding creative solutions to complex problems : User research can insufficiently illustrate a situation’s complexity. While other innovation processes rely on this information, creative problem-solving can yield solutions without it.
  • Adapting to change : Business is constantly changing, and business leaders need to adapt. Creative problem-solving helps overcome unforeseen challenges and find solutions to unconventional problems.
  • Fueling innovation and growth : In addition to solutions, creative problem-solving can spark innovative ideas that drive company growth. These ideas can lead to new product lines, services, or a modified operations structure that improves efficiency.

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Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles :

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving uses two primary tools to find solutions: divergence and convergence. Divergence generates ideas in response to a problem, while convergence narrows them down to a shortlist. It balances these two practices and turns ideas into concrete solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

By framing problems as questions, you shift from focusing on obstacles to solutions. This provides the freedom to brainstorm potential ideas.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When brainstorming, it can be natural to reject or accept ideas right away. Yet, immediate judgments interfere with the idea generation process. Even ideas that seem implausible can turn into outstanding innovations upon further exploration and development.

4. Focus on "Yes, And" Instead of "No, But"

Using negative words like "no" discourages creative thinking. Instead, use positive language to build and maintain an environment that fosters the development of creative and innovative ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Whereas creative problem-solving facilitates developing innovative ideas through a less structured workflow, design thinking takes a far more organized approach.

Design thinking is a human-centered, solutions-based process that fosters the ideation and development of solutions. In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase framework to explain design thinking.

The four stages are:

The four stages of design thinking: clarify, ideate, develop, and implement

  • Clarify: The clarification stage allows you to empathize with the user and identify problems. Observations and insights are informed by thorough research. Findings are then reframed as problem statements or questions.
  • Ideate: Ideation is the process of coming up with innovative ideas. The divergence of ideas involved with creative problem-solving is a major focus.
  • Develop: In the development stage, ideas evolve into experiments and tests. Ideas converge and are explored through prototyping and open critique.
  • Implement: Implementation involves continuing to test and experiment to refine the solution and encourage its adoption.

Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving Tools

While there are many useful tools in the creative problem-solving process, here are three you should know:

Creating a Problem Story

One way to innovate is by creating a story about a problem to understand how it affects users and what solutions best fit their needs. Here are the steps you need to take to use this tool properly.

1. Identify a UDP

Create a problem story to identify the undesired phenomena (UDP). For example, consider a company that produces printers that overheat. In this case, the UDP is "our printers overheat."

2. Move Forward in Time

To move forward in time, ask: “Why is this a problem?” For example, minor damage could be one result of the machines overheating. In more extreme cases, printers may catch fire. Don't be afraid to create multiple problem stories if you think of more than one UDP.

3. Move Backward in Time

To move backward in time, ask: “What caused this UDP?” If you can't identify the root problem, think about what typically causes the UDP to occur. For the overheating printers, overuse could be a cause.

Following the three-step framework above helps illustrate a clear problem story:

  • The printer is overused.
  • The printer overheats.
  • The printer breaks down.

You can extend the problem story in either direction if you think of additional cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Break the Chains

By this point, you’ll have multiple UDP storylines. Take two that are similar and focus on breaking the chains connecting them. This can be accomplished through inversion or neutralization.

  • Inversion: Inversion changes the relationship between two UDPs so the cause is the same but the effect is the opposite. For example, if the UDP is "the more X happens, the more likely Y is to happen," inversion changes the equation to "the more X happens, the less likely Y is to happen." Using the printer example, inversion would consider: "What if the more a printer is used, the less likely it’s going to overheat?" Innovation requires an open mind. Just because a solution initially seems unlikely doesn't mean it can't be pursued further or spark additional ideas.
  • Neutralization: Neutralization completely eliminates the cause-and-effect relationship between X and Y. This changes the above equation to "the more or less X happens has no effect on Y." In the case of the printers, neutralization would rephrase the relationship to "the more or less a printer is used has no effect on whether it overheats."

Even if creating a problem story doesn't provide a solution, it can offer useful context to users’ problems and additional ideas to be explored. Given that divergence is one of the fundamental practices of creative problem-solving, it’s a good idea to incorporate it into each tool you use.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a tool that can be highly effective when guided by the iterative qualities of the design thinking process. It involves openly discussing and debating ideas and topics in a group setting. This facilitates idea generation and exploration as different team members consider the same concept from multiple perspectives.

Hosting brainstorming sessions can result in problems, such as groupthink or social loafing. To combat this, leverage a three-step brainstorming method involving divergence and convergence :

  • Have each group member come up with as many ideas as possible and write them down to ensure the brainstorming session is productive.
  • Continue the divergence of ideas by collectively sharing and exploring each idea as a group. The goal is to create a setting where new ideas are inspired by open discussion.
  • Begin the convergence of ideas by narrowing them down to a few explorable options. There’s no "right number of ideas." Don't be afraid to consider exploring all of them, as long as you have the resources to do so.

Alternate Worlds

The alternate worlds tool is an empathetic approach to creative problem-solving. It encourages you to consider how someone in another world would approach your situation.

For example, if you’re concerned that the printers you produce overheat and catch fire, consider how a different industry would approach the problem. How would an automotive expert solve it? How would a firefighter?

Be creative as you consider and research alternate worlds. The purpose is not to nail down a solution right away but to continue the ideation process through diverging and exploring ideas.

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Continue Developing Your Skills

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader, learning the ropes of design thinking can be an effective way to build your skills and foster creativity and innovation in any setting.

If you're ready to develop your design thinking and creative problem-solving skills, explore Design Thinking and Innovation , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

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Article • 10 min read

Creative Problem Solving

Finding innovative solutions to challenges.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

creativity or problem solving

Imagine that you're vacuuming your house in a hurry because you've got friends coming over. Frustratingly, you're working hard but you're not getting very far. You kneel down, open up the vacuum cleaner, and pull out the bag. In a cloud of dust, you realize that it's full... again. Coughing, you empty it and wonder why vacuum cleaners with bags still exist!

James Dyson, inventor and founder of Dyson® vacuum cleaners, had exactly the same problem, and he used creative problem solving to find the answer. While many companies focused on developing a better vacuum cleaner filter, he realized that he had to think differently and find a more creative solution. So, he devised a revolutionary way to separate the dirt from the air, and invented the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner. [1]

Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of solving problems or identifying opportunities when conventional thinking has failed. It encourages you to find fresh perspectives and come up with innovative solutions, so that you can formulate a plan to overcome obstacles and reach your goals.

In this article, we'll explore what CPS is, and we'll look at its key principles. We'll also provide a model that you can use to generate creative solutions.

About Creative Problem Solving

Alex Osborn, founder of the Creative Education Foundation, first developed creative problem solving in the 1940s, along with the term "brainstorming." And, together with Sid Parnes, he developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process. Despite its age, this model remains a valuable approach to problem solving. [2]

The early Osborn-Parnes model inspired a number of other tools. One of these is the 2011 CPS Learner's Model, also from the Creative Education Foundation, developed by Dr Gerard J. Puccio, Marie Mance, and co-workers. In this article, we'll use this modern four-step model to explore how you can use CPS to generate innovative, effective solutions.

Why Use Creative Problem Solving?

Dealing with obstacles and challenges is a regular part of working life, and overcoming them isn't always easy. To improve your products, services, communications, and interpersonal skills, and for you and your organization to excel, you need to encourage creative thinking and find innovative solutions that work.

CPS asks you to separate your "divergent" and "convergent" thinking as a way to do this. Divergent thinking is the process of generating lots of potential solutions and possibilities, otherwise known as brainstorming. And convergent thinking involves evaluating those options and choosing the most promising one. Often, we use a combination of the two to develop new ideas or solutions. However, using them simultaneously can result in unbalanced or biased decisions, and can stifle idea generation.

For more on divergent and convergent thinking, and for a useful diagram, see the book "Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making." [3]

Core Principles of Creative Problem Solving

CPS has four core principles. Let's explore each one in more detail:

  • Divergent and convergent thinking must be balanced. The key to creativity is learning how to identify and balance divergent and convergent thinking (done separately), and knowing when to practice each one.
  • Ask problems as questions. When you rephrase problems and challenges as open-ended questions with multiple possibilities, it's easier to come up with solutions. Asking these types of questions generates lots of rich information, while asking closed questions tends to elicit short answers, such as confirmations or disagreements. Problem statements tend to generate limited responses, or none at all.
  • Defer or suspend judgment. As Alex Osborn learned from his work on brainstorming, judging solutions early on tends to shut down idea generation. Instead, there's an appropriate and necessary time to judge ideas during the convergence stage.
  • Focus on "Yes, and," rather than "No, but." Language matters when you're generating information and ideas. "Yes, and" encourages people to expand their thoughts, which is necessary during certain stages of CPS. Using the word "but" – preceded by "yes" or "no" – ends conversation, and often negates what's come before it.

How to Use the Tool

Let's explore how you can use each of the four steps of the CPS Learner's Model (shown in figure 1, below) to generate innovative ideas and solutions.

Figure 1 – CPS Learner's Model

creativity or problem solving

Explore the Vision

Identify your goal, desire or challenge. This is a crucial first step because it's easy to assume, incorrectly, that you know what the problem is. However, you may have missed something or have failed to understand the issue fully, and defining your objective can provide clarity. Read our article, 5 Whys , for more on getting to the root of a problem quickly.

Gather Data

Once you've identified and understood the problem, you can collect information about it and develop a clear understanding of it. Make a note of details such as who and what is involved, all the relevant facts, and everyone's feelings and opinions.

Formulate Questions

When you've increased your awareness of the challenge or problem you've identified, ask questions that will generate solutions. Think about the obstacles you might face and the opportunities they could present.

Explore Ideas

Generate ideas that answer the challenge questions you identified in step 1. It can be tempting to consider solutions that you've tried before, as our minds tend to return to habitual thinking patterns that stop us from producing new ideas. However, this is a chance to use your creativity .

Brainstorming and Mind Maps are great ways to explore ideas during this divergent stage of CPS. And our articles, Encouraging Team Creativity , Problem Solving , Rolestorming , Hurson's Productive Thinking Model , and The Four-Step Innovation Process , can also help boost your creativity.

See our Brainstorming resources within our Creativity section for more on this.

Formulate Solutions

This is the convergent stage of CPS, where you begin to focus on evaluating all of your possible options and come up with solutions. Analyze whether potential solutions meet your needs and criteria, and decide whether you can implement them successfully. Next, consider how you can strengthen them and determine which ones are the best "fit." Our articles, Critical Thinking and ORAPAPA , are useful here.

4. Implement

Formulate a plan.

Once you've chosen the best solution, it's time to develop a plan of action. Start by identifying resources and actions that will allow you to implement your chosen solution. Next, communicate your plan and make sure that everyone involved understands and accepts it.

There have been many adaptations of CPS since its inception, because nobody owns the idea.

For example, Scott Isaksen and Donald Treffinger formed The Creative Problem Solving Group Inc . and the Center for Creative Learning , and their model has evolved over many versions. Blair Miller, Jonathan Vehar and Roger L. Firestien also created their own version, and Dr Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance developed CPS: The Thinking Skills Model. [4] Tim Hurson created The Productive Thinking Model , and Paul Reali developed CPS: Competencies Model. [5]

Sid Parnes continued to adapt the CPS model by adding concepts such as imagery and visualization , and he founded the Creative Studies Project to teach CPS. For more information on the evolution and development of the CPS process, see Creative Problem Solving Version 6.1 by Donald J. Treffinger, Scott G. Isaksen, and K. Brian Dorval. [6]

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Infographic

See our infographic on Creative Problem Solving .

creativity or problem solving

Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of using your creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. The process is based on separating divergent and convergent thinking styles, so that you can focus your mind on creating at the first stage, and then evaluating at the second stage.

There have been many adaptations of the original Osborn-Parnes model, but they all involve a clear structure of identifying the problem, generating new ideas, evaluating the options, and then formulating a plan for successful implementation.

[1] Entrepreneur (2012). James Dyson on Using Failure to Drive Success [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 27, 2022.]

[2] Creative Education Foundation (2015). The CPS Process [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 26, 2022.]

[3] Kaner, S. et al. (2014). 'Facilitator′s Guide to Participatory Decision–Making,' San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

[4] Puccio, G., Mance, M., and Murdock, M. (2011). 'Creative Leadership: Skils That Drive Change' (2nd Ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

[5] OmniSkills (2013). Creative Problem Solving [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 26, 2022].

[6] Treffinger, G., Isaksen, S., and Dorval, B. (2010). Creative Problem Solving (CPS Version 6.1). Center for Creative Learning, Inc. & Creative Problem Solving Group, Inc. Available here .

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What is creative problem-solving?

Creative problem-solving in action

Table of Contents

An introduction to creative problem-solving.

Creative problem-solving is an essential skill that goes beyond basic brainstorming . It entails a holistic approach to challenges, melding logical processes with imaginative techniques to conceive innovative solutions. As our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, the ability to think creatively and solve problems with fresh perspectives becomes invaluable for individuals, businesses, and communities alike.

Importance of divergent and convergent thinking

At the heart of creative problem-solving lies the balance between divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking encourages free-flowing, unrestricted ideation, leading to a plethora of potential solutions. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is about narrowing down those options to find the most viable solution. This dual approach ensures both breadth and depth in the problem-solving process.

Emphasis on collaboration and diverse perspectives

No single perspective has a monopoly on insight. Collaborating with individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise offers a richer tapestry of ideas. Embracing diverse perspectives not only broadens the pool of solutions but also ensures more holistic and well-rounded outcomes.

Nurturing a risk-taking and experimental mindset

The fear of failure can be the most significant barrier to any undertaking. It's essential to foster an environment where risk-taking and experimentation are celebrated. This involves viewing failures not as setbacks but as invaluable learning experiences that pave the way for eventual success.

The role of intuition and lateral thinking

Sometimes, the path to a solution is not linear. Lateral thinking and intuition allow for making connections between seemingly unrelated elements. These 'eureka' moments often lead to breakthrough solutions that conventional methods might overlook.

Stages of the creative problem-solving process

The creative problem-solving process is typically broken down into several stages. Each stage plays a crucial role in understanding, addressing, and resolving challenges in innovative ways.

Clarifying: Understanding the real problem or challenge

Before diving into solutions, one must first understand the problem at its core. This involves asking probing questions, gathering data, and viewing the challenge from various angles. A clear comprehension of the problem ensures that effort and resources are channeled correctly.

Ideating: Generating diverse and multiple solutions

Once the problem is clarified, the focus shifts to generating as many solutions as possible. This stage champions quantity over quality, as the aim is to explore the breadth of possibilities without immediately passing judgment.

Developing: Refining and honing promising solutions

With a list of potential solutions in hand, it's time to refine and develop the most promising ones. This involves evaluating each idea's feasibility, potential impact, and any associated risks, then enhancing or combining solutions to maximize effectiveness.

Implementing: Acting on the best solutions

Once a solution has been honed, it's time to put it into action. This involves planning, allocating resources, and monitoring the results to ensure the solution is effectively addressing the problem.

Techniques for creative problem-solving

Solving complex problems in a fresh way can be a daunting task to start on. Here are a few techniques that can help kickstart the process:

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a widely-used technique that involves generating as many ideas as possible within a set timeframe. Variants like brainwriting (where ideas are written down rather than spoken) and reverse brainstorming (thinking of ways to cause the problem) can offer fresh perspectives and ensure broader participation.

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a visual tool that helps structure information, making connections between disparate pieces of data. It is particularly useful in organizing thoughts, visualizing relationships, and ensuring a comprehensive approach to a problem.

SCAMPER technique

SCAMPER stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. This technique prompts individuals to look at existing products, services, or processes in new ways, leading to innovative solutions.

Benefits of creative problem-solving

Creative problem-solving offers numerous benefits, both at the individual and organizational levels. Some of the most prominent advantages include:

Finding novel solutions to old problems

Traditional problems that have resisted conventional solutions often succumb to creative approaches. By looking at challenges from fresh angles and blending different techniques, we can unlock novel solutions previously deemed impossible.

Enhanced adaptability in changing environments

In our rapidly evolving world, the ability to adapt is critical. Creative problem-solving equips individuals and organizations with the agility to pivot and adapt to changing circumstances, ensuring resilience and longevity.

Building collaborative and innovative teams

Teams that embrace creative problem-solving tend to be more collaborative and innovative. They value diversity of thought, are open to experimentation, and are more likely to challenge the status quo, leading to groundbreaking results.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement

Creative problem-solving is not just about finding solutions; it's also about continuous learning and improvement. By encouraging an environment of curiosity and exploration, organizations can ensure that they are always at the cutting edge, ready to tackle future challenges head-on.

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What is creative thinking?

Types of creative thinking, why is creative thinking important, how creative thinking works, what are some examples of creative thinking, the benefits of creative thinking, how to make your thinking process more creative, start fostering your creative thinking skills.

Few things feel better than a stroke of creative genius. A new creative idea can make you feel brilliant and unstoppable.

But, when the great ideas stop flowing, it’s easy to get discouraged and declare that you’re just not a creative thinker.

Many people believe that creative thinking is something that strikes at random. In reality, there are many ways to use creative problem-solving every day, even if you don’t think you have innate creativity. While thinking creatively isn’t difficult, it does take practice. 

Building your creative skills is the key to innovation. But where do you start?

In this article, we’ll cover what creative thinking is, how it works, and how to strengthen your creative skill.

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Creative thinking may feel like a superpower reserved only for a “creative person.” Thankfully, creative geniuses aren’t the only ones who can have innovative ideas. 

At its core, creative thinking is intentionally gaining new insights and different ideas through existing information.

Often, creative thought involves tapping into different styles of thinking and examining information from different viewpoints to see new patterns. Anyone can foster a creative mind with some practice!

how much time employees have to think creatively and discuss new ideas

Using a wide variety of brainstorming strategies can help you discover new solutions for issues in every area of your life, including at work.

In fact, 61% of employees say they’re expected to come up with creative ideas or new ways to do things at work. But, with only 30% of employees saying they’re given time to think or discuss new ideas daily, it’s becoming increasingly important to develop our creative thinking muscles.

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Fostering creative thinking starts with changing your perspective. Learning new and different styles of thinking can help give birth to powerful idea generation. 

Aesthetic thinking, divergent thinking, lateral thinking, convergent thinking, and inspirational thinking are five types of innovative thinking to get the ball rolling.

types of creative thinking

( Image source )

Divergent and convergent thinking are the most common ways to foster more creative thought. 

Divergent thinking is like a traditional brainstorming session, where you come up with as many possible solutions as your imagination will allow. 

Meanwhile, convergent thinking takes a more logical approach, encouraging you to gather facts and discover the most common solution to a problem. These strategies are frequently used together to conjure new creative solutions.

Inspirational thinking focuses on imagining the best-case scenarios to find a new way to solve a problem, while lateral thinking involves letting ideas flow in a step-by-step format. 

Aesthetic thinking focuses on reframing the problem to see its inherent beauty and value, like looking at a painting.

It’s easy to get stuck in the same thought patterns, especially at work. However, those thought patterns may be hampering your innovation and keeping you stuck in routines that don’t serve you. 

Creative thinking shows us that there are many solutions to any problem, and developing your creative thinking skills helps you recognize innovative solutions more quickly. 

Plus, creativity was the most sought-after soft skill in 2020, so strengthening your creativity skills can set you apart at work, too.

Alongside critical thinking and focus , creative thinking is crucial to help recognize patterns that may not be obvious at first glance. Thinking creatively makes you a better problem-solver, which has far-reaching benefits in both your work and personal life.

Expressive, creative thinking helps us challenge our own assumptions, discover new things about ourselves and our perspective, stay mentally sharp, and even be more optimistic .

Many business leaders see creativity and innovation as something unpredictable, with 53% of businesses reporting that innovation occurs by chance. However, with the right tools, you can tap into creative thinking whenever you want.

how creative thinking works

There are many ways to get your creative juices flowing, and practicing creative thinking strategies can help you think outside the box more readily and more often. 

Creative thinking works by igniting our curiosity. Getting curious about a problem looks different for various industries.

A go-to example for creative thinking may be the advertising executive coming up with creative campaigns by brainstorming with divergent thinking. However, that’s far from the only way to use creative thinking. 

In STEM industries like biomedicine, stimulating creativity by asking open-ended questions and creating fictional scenarios helps professionals find innovative solutions to health problems. 

These questions encourage medical professionals to experiment and discover new ways of solving a persistent problem. 

Through creative thinking, professionals in any field can discover unique answers to pressing problems.

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Creative thinking is valuable in many situations, not just traditionally creative industries. Whether you’re solving a problem, organizing your calendar, or at an impasse with your team, creative thinking can come in handy.

One way creative thinking is valuable is for identifying the right problem . 

Using divergent thinking strategies can help you examine a problem from every angle and identify the true root of the issue. 

Once you’ve found the root problem, you can use lateral thinking or convergent thinking to discover new solutions that may not have been available to you before.

Adding constraints , like a timeline or budget for your project, can also help you guide a creative thinking session. 

For example, you could brainstorm how you'd handle a particular problem if your existing budget was cut in half. Constraints can help spur unique ideas you may have missed.

Creative thinking doesn’t just make you a better employee; it also makes you a better parent, student, and leader, too. By developing your creative thinking skills, the benefits of thinking creatively can show up throughout your daily life.

benefits of creative thinking

Here are a few major benefits of creative thinking.

Improved problem-solving capabilities

We don’t just solve problems at work, and we shouldn’t only use our creative thinking skills at work, either! Developing your creative thinking abilities can help you solve a wide variety of problems faster. 

As your mind becomes more accustomed to using different thought techniques, you’ll quickly recognize patterns that you might not have before.

Stronger interpersonal connections

Creative thinking can help you communicate your ideas more clearly, which leads to better conversations and relationships with your friends, family, and coworkers. 

Plus, many creative thinking methods work best when they’re done in a group. Developing new ideas together can strengthen bonds and help you combine ideas to create something truly innovative.

Heightened productivity

It may seem like creative thinking is a time-consuming distraction from your work, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

When we get stuck in thought patterns, it’s easy to get frustrated when something isn’t working correctly. That frustration can cause our productivity to plummet. 

Taking a moment and engaging in a creative thinking strategy can renew your motivation, reinvigorate your passion, and help you find new solutions when you’re stuck. 

Higher self-awareness

Creative thinking allows you to try on perspectives that you may not have considered before. 

As you’re exploring new perspectives, you may discover something about your own assumptions, viewpoints, or biases that you never noticed. 

Challenging your traditional way of thinking can offer higher self-awareness and build your emotional intelligence. With creative thinking, you strengthen your ability to reframe your perspective and harness a growth mindset.

Ready to unlock the potential in your organization?

Find out how

Now that we see how important creative thinking skills are, building our creative capabilities is the next step to reap the benefits. 

There are many ways to encourage more creative thinking in your daily life. While practicing different thinking strategies and brainstorming with your team at work help to develop these skills, they’re far from the only way to foster a more creative thought process. 

One powerful way to get your creativity flowing is to meet new people, especially if they’re in the arts or in a different industry from you. Sharing your interests and listening to others can inspire you to view the world differently. 

Practicing boredom can help you develop your creativity, too. Allowing yourself to become bored and seeing what pulls your interest can help you practice letting your curiosity lead the way. 

Another tactic is to ask questions about everything that piques your interest, and come up with possible answers before you look up the actual answer.

developing creativity within company walls

Coaching can also help you hone your creative thinking. 

In fact, 71% of employers see managerial coaching as helpful for creative development. When you’re feeling distracted or uninspired, coaching can refocus your attention and help you get curious about your experience.

Breaking away from your normal routine and trying something new is the key to fostering creative thinking in your daily life.

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Thinking more creatively can take effort, but a little practice can offer a ton of benefits. Honing your skills to recognize patterns and find solutions shifts your perspective and offers a new vantage point for you to explore. 

Not only can creative thinking improve your performance at work, but it can also improve every other area of your life too. 

Coaching is a powerful tool to help foster your creativity skills. Are you ready to become more innovative? 

Start working with a dedicated coach today to develop your own creative thinking skills.

Maggie Wooll

Thought Leader

What is lateral thinking? 7 techniques to encourage creative ideas

8 creative solutions to your most challenging problems, how to develop critical thinking skills, why creativity isn't just for creatives and how to find it anywhere, what is a bullet journal, and how can it boost your productivity, how to improve your creative skills for effective problem-solving, entrepreneurial mindset: what is it & how to think like an entrepreneur, thinking outside the box: 8 ways to become a creative problem solver, 43% of us don’t feel connected at work. here's what to do about it., similar articles, what is cognitive flexibility, and why does it matter, how divergent thinking can drive your creativity, what’s convergent thinking how to be a better problem-solver, new data shows poor mental health impedes creativity, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Book cover

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible pp 298–313 Cite as

  • Creative Problem-Solving
  • Gerard J. Puccio 2 ,
  • Barry Klarman 2 &
  • Pamela A. Szalay 2  
  • Reference work entry
  • First Online: 01 January 2023

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Life and work in the beginning of the twenty-first century has been described as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. In this fast changing, innovation-driven environment, Creative Problem-Solving has been identified as a fundamental skill for success. In contrast to routine problem-solving, with straightforward and repeatable solution paths, today’s problems are described as being complex and wicked. To generate the possibilities that can effectively address complex problems, individuals need to draw on the highest level of human thought – creativity. Creative Problem-Solving explicitly draws on, and promotes, effective creative thinking. The purpose of this entry is to describe and distinguish Creative Problem-Solving from other forms of problems-solving. Moreover, as Creative Problem-Solving is a deliberate creativity methodology, this chapter also provides a description of the more specific thinking skills that are embodied by the higher-order skill of creative thinking and are explicitly called on in Creative Problem-Solving. Complex problems require complex thinking, and Creative Problem-Solving provides a structured process that allows individuals to more easily and efficiently deploy their creative thinking skills.

  • Complex problem-solving
  • Creative thinking
  • Solution path

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Gerard J. Puccio, Barry Klarman & Pamela A. Szalay

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Puccio, G.J., Klarman, B., Szalay, P.A. (2022). Creative Problem-Solving. In: Glăveanu, V.P. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_41

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IBM

Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking

This course is part of People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization

Taught in English

Some content may not be translated

IBM Skills Network Team

Instructor: IBM Skills Network Team

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17,969 already enrolled

(208 reviews)

Recommended experience

Beginner level

No Previous Experience Required! This course can be taken by anyone regardless of professional experience.

What you'll learn

Utilize critical and creative thinking to solve issues.

Describe the 5-step process of effectively solving problems.

Analyze a problem and identify the root cause.

Explore possible solutions and employ the problem solving process.

Skills you'll gain

  • Critical Thinking
  • Creative Thinking
  • Professional Development
  • Problem Solving
  • Soft skills

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There is 1 module in this course

In order to find a solution, one needs to be able to analyze a problem. This short course is designed to teach you how to solve and analyze problems effectively with critical and creative thinking.

Through the use of creative and critical thinking you will learn how to look at a problem and find the best solution by analyzing the different ways you can solve a problem. By taking this quick course you will gain the skills you need to find the root cause of a problem through the use of a five-step method. You will learn the process you must go through in order to find the problem, which leads to finding a solution. You will gain the necessary skills needed for critical and creative thinking which will be the foundation for successfully solving problems. This course provides fundamental skills that you will need to use in your day to day work. The course is suitable for anyone – students, career starters, experienced professionals and managers - wanting to develop problem solving skills regardless of your background. By taking this course you will be gaining some of the essential skills you need in order to be successful in your professional life. This course is part of the People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization from IBM.

This module will help you to develop skills and behaviors required to solve problems and implement solutions more efficiently in an agile manner by using a systematic five-step process that involves both creative and critical thinking.

What's included

31 videos 11 readings 12 quizzes

31 videos • Total 30 minutes

  • Why do you need to focus on solving problems? • 1 minute • Preview module
  • The problem-solving process • 1 minute
  • How can you solve problems in an agile way? • 0 minutes
  • Let’s begin with the first topic • 0 minutes
  • The problem-solving process-Identify • 0 minutes
  • Write a problem statement • 0 minutes
  • How do you find out if a problem is worth solving? • 0 minutes
  • Recap • 0 minutes
  • Let’s move to the second topic • 1 minute
  • The problem-solving process: Analyze • 1 minute
  • How do you use “The 5 Whys”? • 1 minute
  • The root cause! • 0 minutes
  • Many tools can help with root cause analysis • 0 minutes
  • Let’s move to the third topic • 0 minutes
  • The problem-solving process: Explore • 0 minutes
  • Brainstorming rules • 1 minute
  • Brainstorm to solve Georgia’s problem • 0 minutes
  • Let’s move to the fourth topic • 0 minutes
  • The problem-solving process: Select • 2 minutes
  • Let’s find five solutions for one problem • 1 minute
  • Use these factors to identify who should choose a solution • 0 minutes
  • Use the Ease and effectiveness matrix to select the best solution • 0 minutes
  • Recap • 1 minute
  • Let’s move to the fifth topic • 0 minutes
  • What will success look like? • 0 minutes
  • How will you measure a solution’s effectiveness? • 0 minutes
  • If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it • 0 minutes
  • Build an implementation plan • 0 minutes
  • Review the five-step problem-solving process • 2 minutes

11 readings • Total 36 minutes

  • Critical and creative thinking are required to solve problems • 5 minutes
  • What will you learn from the course? • 2 minutes
  • Let’s help Georgia! • 5 minutes
  • Is Georgia’s problem worth solving? • 4 minutes
  • Recap • 2 minutes
  • Brainstorm to get plenty of ideas • 5 minutes
  • Let’s find five solutions for one problem • 2 minutes
  • Who should chose a solution in Georgia's problem? • 2 minutes
  • How will you work out the best possible solution? • 4 minutes
  • Plan to implement the solution for Georgia • 3 minutes
  • Congratulations and Next Steps. • 2 minutes

12 quizzes • Total 116 minutes

  • Practice Quiz: What do you think? • 5 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: What do you think? • 3 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: The “5 Whys” for Georgia • 20 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Which type of solution will work for Georgia? • 3 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Who should choose the solution in each case? • 10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Who should choose a solution to Georgia’s problem? • 10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Using the Ease and Effectiveness Matrix • 10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Let’s use the Ease and effectiveness matrix for Georgia’s problem • 10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: What do you think success will look like? • 5 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: What do you think? • 10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking • 10 minutes
  • Graded Quiz: Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking • 20 minutes

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creativity or problem solving

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As Critical and creative thinking forms the foundation for successful problem-solving, this course equips you with the basic essential skills that are invaluable in your day-to-day work.

Reviewed on Sep 29, 2022

It is not only a highly insightful course but the way it is put together makes it extremely easy to understand.

Reviewed on Oct 11, 2022

An effective and methodical course that challenges you to test and hone your problem solving skills. Case studies and assessments keep you engaged.

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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

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  • CPS Training
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Site author.

Paul Reali, MS, MBA OmniSkills Founder & Principal 336.926.8833 * E-mail Paul

PLEASE READ: Permissions to Use Site Content

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Click the image above for a description of these terms. For additional permissions (e.g., to license the work for commercial use), e-mail us .

Read the Books

The author of this site, Paul Reali, has written two books on Creative Problem Solving. Click a cover to learn more, read an excerpt, or purchase a copy.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

This site is for practitioners, new and experienced, of the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process and tools.

WHAT IS CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING?

CPS is a form of deliberate creativity: a structured process for solving problems or finding opportunities, used when you want to go beyond conventional thinking and arrive at creative (novel and useful) solutions.

WHO ARE OSBORN AND PARNES?

In the 1950s, advertising executive Alex Osborn studied creative people to see how they came up with ideas and creative solutions. He called the process he observed “creative problem solving,” and documented it in his seminal book, Applied Imagination .

Osborn’s work soon caught the attention of a college professor who wanted to study and extend the work. Sidney Parnes , Ruth Noller, and their colleagues provided the academic scrutiny that confirmed that CPS works, that it can be taught, and that people can learn to improve the way they think and solve problems.

There are many processes that use the term "creative problem solving" that are not based on the work of Osborn and Parnes. Generally, when the name is written with capital letters ("Creative Problem Solving") or abbreviated "CPS," the work is based on the Osborn-Parnes model.

WHO OWNS CPS?

Unlike proprietary methodologies, no one owns CPS. Osborn put CPS into the public domain so that people could use it. He did not feel as if he owned it; everyone owned it, and anyone should be able to use it.

More than 60 years later, CPS is known and used worldwide, by hundreds of companies and professional practitioners, and thousands of individuals. Expansion and research continues. CPS is the cornerstone of the Osborn-founded Creative Education Foundation (CEF), and CEF’s annual conference, the Creative Problem Solving Institute; and CPS is at the core of the M.S. in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College.

Because no one owns CPS – it is a kind of open-source project – it has been researched and refined, extended and enhanced, for more than 60 years. The beneficiaries? Any of us who choose to use CPS today.

A WORD ABOUT TERMINOLOGY

A side effect of the continuing study and development of CPS is that the terminology - what the stages are called, primarily - can change from one model to another. These changes tend to be author/practitioner preference, and are not material changes. This site uses the terminology developed by Paul Reali of OmniSkills, with stages that are consistent with the latest thinking on CPS. (For more information, see the column to the right.)

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS IT A PROCESS OR NOT?

The word "process" implies, perhaps, that CPS is performed step by step. In actual practice, it's more organic. Yes, there are times when one might step through a fuzzy situation all the way (using the OmniSkills terminology) from "Imagine the Future" to "Plan for Action." More likely, though, you will "enter the process" wherever you need to be based on where you are in your problem-solving situation.

For example, if you have a clearly-articulated vision, you might begin with Finding the Question. Or, if you already have the question (that is, a clearly defined problem), you might begin with Generating Ideas. Generally, there are conditions that should be satisfied before you attempt any stage (for example, it's not all that sensible to generate ideas for a problem you can't clarify), but you are never required to do anything except whatever you need.

READER PLEASE NOTE: this is a work in progress...

We're continuously adding to this site, so please come on back, and let us know if there's anything you need or would like to see here.

CPS Process Stages: Multiple Approcahes, One Process

The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, once it reached maturity, looked like this:

Objective Finding Fact Finding Data Finding Problem Finding Solution Finding Acceptance Finding

Simplex (Basadur, 1994) identifies eight steps, numbered here because one is required to do all the steps, in order, every time (a point of disagreement with many other CPS practitioners and models):

1. Problem finding 2. Fact finding 3. Problem definition 4. Idea finding 5. Evaluating and selecting 6. Action planning 7. Gaining acceptance 8. Taking action

A plain-language version (Miller, Vehar, & Firestein, 2001) expressed the stages like this:

Identify the Goal, Wish     or Challenge Gather Data Clarify the Problem Generate Ideas Select & Strengthen Solutions Plan for Action

CPS: the Thinking Skills Model (Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2005) is a multi-faceted rework of the model. It adds a meta-step (the first on the list) which includes management of the process, and incorporates data gathering. It identifies these process steps:

Assessing the Situation Exploring the Vision Formulating Challenges Exploring Ideas Formulating Solutions Exploring Acceptance Formulating a Plan

The Productive Thinking Model (Hurson, 2008), notably, adds setting criteria as an explicit step:

What’s going on? What’s success? What’s the question? Generate answers Forge the solution Align resources

CPS: Competencies Model (Reali, 2009; the model described on this site) is based most closely on CPS: Thinking Skills Model. It looks like this:

Facilitate Imagine the Future Find the Questions Generate Ideas Craft Solutions Explore Acceptance Plan for Action

Ruth Gotian Ed.D., M.S.

15 Provocative Questions for Creative Problem-Solving

Increased curiosity triggers innovation..

Posted December 18, 2023 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano

  • The ability to be curious generally declines in adulthood.
  • Curiosity is a portal to increased innovation.
  • Curiosity can be relearned with the right questions
  • Today's curiosity shapes tomorrow's breakthroughs.

Jeremiah Lawrence/Unsplash

As toddlers, the constant repetition of the question "Why?" marks the exuberance of curiosity, a trait that, over time, tends to wane in the face of weary parents providing half-hearted answers or steering conversations elsewhere, just to give themselves a brief reprieve. Unfortunately, as adults, many of us lose touch with the pervasive urge to ask 'why?' Our innate curiosity becomes buried, forgotten. This is a missed opportunity, for today's curiosity is tomorrow's innovation.

Consider the technological marvels of our time— the iPhone, Amazon, and Google—all born from the fertile ground of curiosity. Curiosity is the driving force behind innovation. But how does one rekindle curiosity? For those already predisposed to curiosity, can it be harnessed for innovation?

Embracing curiosity is a personal journey and a pathway to expanding our comprehension of the world and nurturing mental well-being. It fosters a mindset that thrives on continuous learning, resilience , and a profound sense of fulfillment. Opening your mind to new knowledge allows you to forge connections others have yet to envision.

15 questions to trigger curiosity

Here are 15 questions designed to trigger curiosity and encourage innovative thinking or problem-solving:

  • What if we approached this problem from a completely different perspective? What might we discover?
  • How have other industries or fields tackled similar challenges, and what lessons can we draw from their approaches?
  • If we were to remove all constraints, what bold and unconventional solutions could we explore?
  • What assumptions are we making about this situation, and how might challenging those assumptions open up new possibilities?
  • How can we leverage emerging technologies or trends to address this issue more effectively?
  • What insights might we gain if we were to involve customers or end-users in the problem-solving process? What might they reveal?
  • How can we turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth or improvement?
  • What are the underlying causes of this problem, and how can we address them to create lasting solutions?
  • If time and resources were not limited, what audacious goals could we set to solve this problem, and how might we achieve them?
  • What were our failures? What did we learn from them?
  • What failures occurred in other industries, and how can we apply those lessons to our challenges for a more innovative approach?
  • What if we built in constraints—fewer or no resources? How creative could we be? What would we do differently? What would we omit?
  • If we consistently ask "why" at each stage of our problem-solving process, how might it help us get to the root causes and generate more innovative solutions?
  • What if we asked people from different generations or cultures about what they see as the real problem or potential solution?
  • How can we challenge the status quo?

These questions are designed to provoke thought, challenge assumptions, and inspire creative thinking , fostering a mindset that can lead to innovative solutions and effective problem-solving.

In the journey from incessant childhood questioning to adulthood's diminishing curiosity, the true potential of innovation often remains untapped. These questions serve as catalysts, sparking curiosity and guiding individuals and teams toward innovative thinking and problem-solving, illustrating that the path to innovation begins with the simple act of asking why.

Ruth Gotian Ed.D., M.S.

Ruth Gotian, Ed.D., an assistant professor of education at Weill Cornell Medical College, is the author of The Success Factor.

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Neural-network brain scans are revealing how to boost your creativity

With fresh insights into the communication between different brain networks in creative people, neuroscientists have shown how we can all produce more original ideas

By David Robson

21 February 2024

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Practising mindfulness can increase creative thinking

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FROM Jane Austen to Albert Einstein, Zaha Hadid to Ai Weiwei, it is easy to name people who have advanced the thinking of humankind – but it is much harder to explain why people like this think so much more creatively than the rest of us. Are their brains just made that way, or can anyone learn to do it? The mystery of creativity has long baffled scientists. Now, researchers are finally making some progress in drawing back the curtain. Better yet, their insights could help us all to exercise a little more original thinking.

Some of the most exciting insights come from the “dual process theory” of creativity , which distinguishes between idea generation and idea evaluation. Idea generation involves delving deep into our existing knowledge for the seeds of inspiration – perhaps by drawing an analogy from a completely different domain. Free association is key at this stage, as one thought leads to another, more original insight. In the second phase, idea evaluation, we must apply a more critical eye to choose ideas that will best suit our goals. A novelist must decide whether a bizarre, supernatural plot twist will titillate or alienate readers; an engineer must consider whether their fish-inspired plane will be practical and efficient. Any large project requires numerous iterations of these two stages in the long and winding journey from conception to completion.

How to alter your personality: why your character isn't fixed in stone

Brain scans of people engaging in creative problem-solving suggest that idea generation and evaluation rely on…

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Don’t Let Gen AI Limit Your Team’s Creativity

creativity or problem solving

Treat it as a partner in a structured conversation.

No one doubts ChatGPT’s ability to generate lots of ideas. But are those ideas any good? A recent real-world experiment showed that teams engaged in a creative problem-solving task saw only modest gains from AI assistance for the most part—and some underperformed. Surveys conducted before and after the exercise showed that the teams using AI gained far more confidence in their problem-solving abilities than the others did, but that much of their confidence was misplaced.

But don’t blame the technology, says Kian Gohar, CEO of the leadership-development firm GeoLab and one of the study’s authors. “Brainstorming with generative AI requires rethinking your ideation workflow and learning new skills,” Gohar says. This article offers guidance for approaching the exercise as a structured, ongoing conversation, opening up a staggering capacity to develop better and more-creative ideas faster.

No one doubts ChatGPT’s ability to generate lots of ideas. But are those ideas any good? In a recent real-world experiment, teams engaged in a creative problem-solving task saw modest gains from AI assistance for the most part—and some underperformed. Don’t blame the technology, says Kian Gohar, CEO of the leadership-development firm GeoLab and one of the study’s authors. Common misconceptions about generative AI, problem-solving, and the creative process are causing workers and their managers to use the tools improperly, sometimes leaving them worse off than if they’d proceeded without AI input.

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Imagining Futures

Harmony in Creativity: The Interplay of Art and Design in Shaping Perspectives, Problem-Solving, and Resilience self.__wrap_b(":R16cirlm:",1)

Sanja Bojanić

Is the differentiation between art and design a harbinger of discord or a gateway to groundbreaking survival patterns in the future? Are we interpreters of the world or its narrators? What role do art and design play in enhancing our crisis resilience? One thing is clear: navigating what lies ahead will require a combination of focused and creatively open problem-solving strategies.

The precondition of any creative process is always in our experience. Moreover, the first manifestation of the living dynamics and the collector of our past and future knowledge is experience. Every narrative about our neuroplasticity and creation ability begins with analysing experience. This experience can last just a few seconds and already shape our perceptions. Think of any auditive perception that combines concepts stored in our memory to form new associations and create new forms , not only sounds but songs or poems. Throughout life, we constantly perceive, create, and recreate the world.

Nevertheless, creativity as such and as a process often is grasped within activities that differ in their scope and aim. Their classifications and disciplinary categorizations profile and organize this same world we are creating and in which we are immersed. In line with the American philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey : "Experience in its vital form is experimental, an effort to change the given. It is characterized by projection, by reaching forward into the unknown." Dewey proclaimed these sentences over a hundred years ago, concluding them with a salient connection of a learning by doing philosophy and a future perspective of education.

There are always two possible paths: • open-ended creation and • the need to solve challenges creatively

Embracing this two-way highway of creativity, imperatively taking care of our current context, the aim is not to oppose art and design vulgarly but to understand these different yet matching creative endeavours. Do they differ in purposes, processes, or intents? How much of their difference has been made in fashionable routine?

.css-11vpmk2{max-width:248px;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.875rem;font-family:Milo W04 Black;color:#404649;position:relative;margin-left:auto;margin-right:0;}@media (min-width:768px){.css-11vpmk2{max-width:580px;font-size:2.125rem;line-height:2.5rem;margin:0 auto;}}.css-11vpmk2:before{content:"";width:77px;height:7px;background:#404649;position:absolute;top:-20px;} "Art makes us uncomfortable." .css-1epfo5z{display:block;max-width:248px;margin-left:auto;font-size:0.6875rem;margin-top:20px;}@media (min-width:768px){.css-1epfo5z{max-width:580px;margin:20px auto 0 auto;}} Sanja Bojanić

If art (a Western concept from the late eighteenth century) is a form of creative expression primarily focused on conveying emotions, ideas, and aesthetics, what happens with design epitomizing and objectifying these same emotions, ideas, and aesthetics?

Engaged arts' critical thinking or ethical stance reaches into the unknown and scrutinizes the commodification of things. Through thought-provoking and innovative expressions, such artworks can inspire viewers to examine their assumptions and perspectives. Questioning authority or grasping the ends of meaning, like Joseph Beuys in his performance How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare reveals our fragility. As a matter of interpretation, artworks encourage us to think critically about power structures and how they influence our lives. By addressing moral dilemmas, social injustices, and ethical concerns, they shed light on inequality, discrimination, and human rights abuses , urging viewers to confront these problems and advocate for positive change. The artist's freedom of expression is a central aspect of art , and there are minimal restrictions on the creative process. On the viewer's side, there is an invitation to decode, situate, and shift the lenses of our biases; challenge our assumptions; embrace different perspectives, and step outside our comfort zones. Art makes us uncomfortable.

Conversely, design follows a more structured and iterative process representing " the conscious and intuitive effort to impose meaningful order ." On the side of convergent thinking, design's awareness of the world is in its materiality and ubiquity. Following our behaviours and desires closely: "Design is really an act of communication," Don Norman famously announced . The design communicates and creates conventions by channeling them through standardizing systems of signs, symbols, or icons. It also defines the form and function of devices that shape and articulate our daily routines. Indeed, design intervenes in the world of meaning, visual representations, and attitudes we create, trapping our intuitions. Design knows how to do it, as its research includes disciplines essential for studying our behaviour. In a 1977 experiment by Richard E. Nisbett and Timothy D. Wilson , famous for investigating the halo effect, the study participants had to memorize pairs of words such as "ocean" and "moon." Later, they were asked to choose between different detergent brands, and "Tide" among them. The results showed that the brand "Tide," which had a semantic link to the memorized word pair, was chosen more often than others. When asked why they chose "Tide," the study participants cited other reasons, such as brand reputation or familiarity with the product, demonstrating the power of the design mechanisms.

A few points in structuring interpretative and communicational means of creativity can help compare art and design briefly as they both address our subjective experiences and translate them into various disciplinary expressions.

• Our capacity for error and learning is a dynamic and essential aspect of personal growth, collective progress, and the continuous evolution of society.

Interpretative : Art encourages exploration and experimentation, and mistakes are bound to happen in this process. Perceived as valuable learning experiences rather than failures, they provide insights into what works and what does not. Creating art is often an iterative process in which iteration allows for refinement and improvement, with lessons learned from previous attempts contributing to the evolution of the artwork. Some artists deliberately incorporate elements of "mistakes" into their work, turning them into defining features of their style. This acceptance of imperfection can free artists from the fear of making errors and allow them to embrace their creative instincts fully.

Communicational : Similarly, design is not static. It evolves with changes in technology, user behaviour, and societal needs. Designers must stay adaptable and open to learning to stay relevant and create solutions that meet the evolving requirements of users and clients. Their iterations are bound to prototyping to test and identify potential flaws, errors, or areas of improvement. User feedback is crucial in many design disciplines, such as user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design . As a problem-solving methodology emphasizing empathy, creativity, and iterative thinking, the design thinking approach embraces failure as a natural part of the process.

• We often progress by facing and overcoming constraints , which make us resist or build resilience in an unfamiliar setting.

Interpretative : Art can offer solace and a sense of connection despite its ability to provoke discomfort. When we encounter art that reflects our struggles, fears, or imperfections, we may find comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our human experience. For many, artistic interpretation is a way to express their emotions, thoughts, and experiences. It allows us to break free from societal norms and expectations, providing a sense of liberation and empowerment.

Communicational : Designers assess real-world performance. By analysing user data and feedback, they gain valuable insights into how their design is being used and where it can be improved. Ethics and responsibility are deeply involved in their work as they need to communicate ethical mistakes made in the past, such as creating products that unintentionally harm users or perpetuate harmful stereotypes. An awareness of these issues informs ethical design practices and fosters a more responsible and mindful approach to design.

• Understanding and tolerating ambiguity indeed advance our brain's neuroplasticity projecting us into the unknown.

Interpretative : Art often elicits complex emotions and feelings that may not have a straightforward explanation. By exploring and understanding these emotions, individuals can enhance their emotional intelligence, crucial for interpersonal relationships and empathy. As viewers engage with art, they are encouraged to consider various perspectives and possibilities; thus, grappling with ambiguity enhances cognitive flexibility and openness to new ideas. Arts boost divergent thinking, a cognitive process that generates multiple ideas or solutions to a problem. Embracing ambiguity nurtures this thinking, fostering creativity and innovation in various domains of life.

Communicational : Designers may receive ambiguous briefs from their clients or face constraints requiring creative problem-solving solutions. Tunning the language that develops ideas that cater to a broader audience and enhance their understanding of human behaviour represents the user-centered process. Even if designers often engage in divergent thinking in the early stages of design, which involves generating numerous ideas, possibilities, and solutions, they need to converge an approach that narrows down multiple ideas or options to find the best solution or answer to a specific problem.

"The most effective among us are those who can toggle between modes of thought, harnessing the expansive potential of divergence and the focused efficiency of convergence. " Sanja Bojanić

Both art and design often require striking a balance between divergent and convergent thinking. While divergent thinking sparks openness and uneasiness and fuels the creativity of self-expression, convergent thinking brings focus and refinement to the creative process, leading to effective but also ethical solutions. This balance offers profound insights into the nature of problem-solving and creativity. Making decisions, deriving solutions, and applying knowledge effectively are critical in areas that demand precision and accuracy. Nevertheless, rationality would suffer without fostering innovation and nurturing new ideas essential to discovery.

The most effective among us are those who can toggle between these modes of thought, harnessing the expansive potential of divergence and the focused efficiency of convergence. Educators can foster environments that cultivate both types of thinking, students can become more versatile thinkers, and professionals can apply this dual approach to drive innovation and adapt to changing environments. Ultimately, a society that values and develops convergent and divergent thinking is better equipped to evolve and survive.

The UNESCO Chair Fellowship

Every year, the UNESCO Chair in Anticipation and Transformation awards a digital UNESCO Chair Fellowship . The Fellows are offered the opportunity to collaborate with the team at the UNESCO Chair at Eurac Research's Center for Advanced Studies delving into shared interests and emphasizing UNESCO's global priorities outlined in its 2022-2029 strategy.

Sanja Bojanić

Prof. Sanja Bojanić , Ph.D. is a researcher immersed in philosophy of culture with an overarching commitment to comprehend contemporary forms of gender, racial and class practices, which underpin social and affective inequalities specifically increased in the current societal and political contexts. She expanded and tailored her interests as a graduate student at the University of Paris 8 in Hypermedia Studies and obtained her Ph.D. at Centre d'Etudes féminines et d'etude de genre. This process ultimately led to interdisciplinary research based on experimental artistic practices, queer studies, and particularities of Affect Theory. Her research and scientific work are fostered through various projects. Author and Editor of several books and manuals, she published over forty peer-reviewed papers on topics related to her field of expertise. Sanja Bojanić is a UNESCO Chair Fellow 2023 at the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research.

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AI helps boost creativity in the workplace but still can't compete with people's problem-solving skills, study finds

  • Artificial intelligence is disrupting professional workplaces with systems like ChatGPT and Gemini.
  • A study found that people mistrust AI for the wrong reasons while trusting it for tasks where it might mess up.
  • AI boosts performance in creative tasks but performs poorly in problem-solving, the study found.

Insider Today

Artificial intelligence is coming to change your workplace .

The rapidly evolving technology has already started to disrupt day-to-day activities in professional settings, and leaders at the forefront of the AI revolution have been clear about how they hope to implement systems like ChatGPT and Gemini into the mainstream workflow.

But while many employees may be cautiously skeptical about the impending AI overhaul, a recent study found that people are actually mistrustful of artificial intelligence for the wrong reasons while frequently trusting in the technology for tasks it's more likely to mess up.

The September 2023 study, which is titled " How People Can Create—and Destroy—Value with Generative AI ," was spearheaded by François Candelon, the managing director and senior partner at consulting company Boston Consulting Group.

The study's findings are back in the news this week after Candelon sat down with the Wall Street Journal's Executive Insights podcast to discuss generative AI in the workplace.

Candelon partnered with talent from top universities like MIT, Wharton, Harvard Business School, and the University of Warwick, and used his consulting company's own employees to execute the experiment, which he told The Journal was inspired by his desire to figure out how humans and AI can work together to help businesses.

The more than 750 study participants were given real tasks, including "creative product innovation" assignments. The participants were instructed to use OpenAI tool GPT-4 to help them with tasks like pitching the shoe concepts to their boss, coming up with focus group questions, and executing a successful social media rollout, Candelon said.

The study found that people using AI faired much better than those working without it when it came to creative product innovation tasks. About 90% of the participants improved their performance when using AI for any task involving ideation and content creation.

Participants also converged on a performance level that was 40% higher than those working on the same task without GPT-4, according to the study.

The most benefits were seen when people didn't try to change or improve the technology's output suggestions, accepting GPT-4's suggestions as is, the study found.

But there are still some tasks where humans have the edge. People's problem-solving skills far outweigh the help offered by AI, Candelon said.

The study found that generative AI actually persuaded several participants to accept GPT's misleading output, even when they had been briefed on the possibility of wrong answers.

Participants who used AI for problem-solving tasks performed 23% worse than those who didn't use the tool at all, according to the study.

The "double-edged sword" that is generative AI, with its "relatively uniform output," can also reduce a group's diversity of thought by 41%, the study found.

But Candelon stressed to The Journal that AI is exceedingly powerful and, ultimately, unavoidable.

"There is this famous quote saying that humans won't get replaced by AI. They will get replaced by humans using AI," he told the outlet.

Candelon said the study shows that data will become even more important with generative AI in the workplace, forcing people to revisit their workflows and figure out places for human and AI collaboration.

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Watch: AI will drive personalization, not creativity, says Roku's VP of growth marketing, Sweta Patel

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For this NASA aerospace engineer, problem-solving requires creativity

Sabrina thompson, who sees the value of interdisciplinary approaches in stem education, will host a youth workshop combining those fields with art and fashion on feb. 25..

Alanah Nichole Davis headshot

In 2023, Sabrina Thompson’s Girl in Space Club earned recognition from the likes of Essence and National Geographic for its special flight suits for women.

The company outfitted a primarily female crew for a Mars simulation called Hypatia in Utah, as documented in an upcoming film. Later that year, it provided flight suits for a coed crew in a cave simulation mission in Portugal.

“[We’re] providing a way for women to be able to work in better conditions in a sense just by changing the fact that the [flight suits can be opened] in the back so you don’t have to pull the whole thing off to go to the bathroom,” said Thompson, a Baltimore resident who works remotely, designing orbits and trajectories for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Thompson, who considers herself an out-of-the-box thinker, hopes to make an impact closer to home by integrating art, fashion and STEM education into a new set of pop-up workshops.

“So I started a program called STEMulating Art, specifically to use art and craft as a way to engage youth in STEM,” said Thompson.

Three girls, two with masks, holding shoes in front of a counter.

The STEMulating Art Pop-Up Workshop will support young people making create customized lunar footwear. (Courtesy Girl In Space Club)

She said that the workshops, which include exercises like designing lunar footwear for astronauts to use on the moon, are a catalyst to introduce students to advanced physics concepts at a high level.

The event coming up on Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Future Makers HQ is the company’s first pop-up workshop, as it typically works directly with organizations like the YMCA and Girl Scouts. Thompson welcomes anyone interested in coming to create special shoes, called Astronaut Kicks, to reach out via email to register or if they’re interested in a scholarship. Girl In Space Club also takes donations to help Baltimore youth attend free of cost.

register here

Thompson explained that her motivation to bridge the gap between STEM education and students’ interests started when she was a teenager.

“It wasn’t until, you know, my art teacher, ironically, in the 12th grade, she’s like, ‘Oh, you’re good at math. You’re good at science, and you’re trying to figure out what you want to do for college. You know, you’re creative. How about engineering?’” said Thompson, who believes that through real-world applicability of STEM concepts, students (and particularly minorities) can better understand and appreciate the subject matter.

Looking ahead, Thompson hopes to be a version of that 12th-grade teacher by continuing to make space exploration accessible and appealing. She looks forward to further developing more luxury and fashionable versions of the flight suit, and positioning herself and her company in Baltimore’s youth innovation pipeline.

“I think about problems and solutions. [Solutions] require a level of creativity,” she said, “require interdisciplinary skills that are beyond using calculations to solve problems.”

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Hartland middle schoolers put creative problem-solving to the test

HARTLAND — A group of Hartland middle schoolers has proven exceptionally adept at solving problems and critical thinking.

Six students from Farms Intermediate School have advanced to the state finals for "Odyssey of the Mind" on March 16 at Middleville High School. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program, where team members present a solution to a predefined long-term problem.

Each team prepares for several months before competition season begins. The solution involves writing, design, construction and theatrical performance.  

The students placed second at state regionals in Corunna earlier this month. If they place among the top teams in the state competition, they'll advance to the international finals at the University of Iowa later this spring.  

All six students — Grace Hnidy, Mikayla Slesinski, Mia Zerafa, Mikah Wood, Maddie Berry and Isaac Kotrba — were part of an OM team last year at Lakes Elementary, which also advanced to state finals, according to parent coordinators Kristy Slesinski and Ellen Zerafa.

Kristy participated in OM, formed in 1978, while growing up in Howell.

“It really helps teach critical thinking skills,” she said, also emphasizing teamwork and the importance of "thinking on the spot" with a spontaneous question at each competition.

The middle schoolers were first notified of their prompt in August, and members have met at least once weekly since then to prepare. The team is only allowed to spend a combined $135 on costumes and props for their presentation, encouraging even more creativity.

“We’re passionate about the program, which is why we volunteered to help,” Ellen said. “OM really capitalizes on the individual strengths of the kids.”  

As the team prepares for the state finals, the students are working to improve their approach.

“Either way, we’re proud of all they’ve accomplished," Kristy said.

Learn more about the program at odysseyofthemind.com .

— M. Alan Scott is a freelance writer for The Livingston Daily. Contact the newsroom at  [email protected] .

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

    Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

  2. Creative Problem Solving

    Key Points. Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of using your creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. The process is based on separating divergent and convergent thinking styles, so that you can focus your mind on creating at the first stage, and then evaluating at the second stage.

  3. The science behind creativity

    Specifically, creativity often involves coordination between the cognitive control network, which is involved in executive functions such as planning and problem-solving, and the default mode network, which is most active during mind-wandering or daydreaming (Beaty, R. E., et al., Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 31, No. 10, 2021).

  4. PDF Creative Problem Solving

    During the divergent phase of creative problem solving, do the following: 1. Defer Judgment 2. Go for Quantity 3. Seek Wild and Unusual Ideas 4. Build on other Ideas 5. Write Everything Down, Every Idea is Equal CONVERGE When it's time to converge during the creative problem solving process, do the following: 1. Apply affirmative Judgment 2.

  5. How to Use Creativity in Problem-Solving

    Creative problem-solving will be less about finding the correct answer and more about continuous learning and adapting to evolving situations. The future of creativity in problem-solving looks bright, promising, and exciting. By recognizing the importance of creativity and harnessing it effectively, we can equip ourselves to navigate future ...

  6. Creative Problem Solving: Out-of-the-box Solutions to Everyday Problems

    Creative problem solving is a technique to approach a problem or address a challenge in an imaginative way; it helps us flex our minds, find path-breaking ideas and take suitable actions thereafter. Often we come across a dead-end while trying to solve a problem at workplace or home; either our understanding of the issue is wrong or we fail to ...

  7. 10 Creative Skills for Problem-Solving and How to Improve Them

    When you look at creative thinking as a set of particular abilities, it becomes easier to develop and perfect. These creative skill examples can help you thrive inside and outside of the workplace: 1. Open-mindedness. When you're open-minded, you can readily adapt to new information and look for fresh problem-solving approaches.

  8. Thinking outside the box: 8 ways to become a creative problem solver

    8. Brainstorm with colleagues. Brainstorming with colleagues can be a great way to spark creativity. Gather colleagues in your office, an empty conference room, or on a Zoom call and brainstorm together. Summarize the problem, give people 10 to 15 minutes to think, then allow everyone to share their ideas in turns.

  9. What is Creative Problem-Solving?

    Creative problem-solving is an essential skill that goes beyond basic brainstorming. It entails a holistic approach to challenges, melding logical processes with imaginative techniques to conceive innovative solutions. As our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, the ability to think creatively and solve problems with fresh ...

  10. What Is Creative Thinking and Why Does It Matter?

    Many people believe that creative thinking is something that strikes at random. In reality, there are many ways to use creative problem-solving every day, even if you don't think you have innate creativity. While thinking creatively isn't difficult, it does take practice. Building your creative skills is the key to innovation.

  11. Creative Problem-Solving

    Humans are innate creative problem-solvers. Since early humans developed the first stone tools to crack open fruit and nuts more than 2 million years ago, the application of creative thinking to solve problems has been a distinct competitive advantage for our species (Puccio 2017).Originally used to solve problems related to survival, the tendency toward the use of creative problem-solving to ...

  12. What Is Creative Problem-Solving and How to Master It with These 8

    Here are 8 creative problem-solving strategies you could try to bring creativity and fresh ideas to bear on any problem you might have. 1. Counterfactual Thinking. Counterfactual thinking involves considering what would have happened if the events in the past had happened slightly differently. In essence, it is asking 'what if' questions ...

  13. 10 Ways To Improve Your Creative Problem-Solving Skills

    9. Practice creative problem-solving. The best way to learn a skill is to practice it. The more issues presented that need creative solutions, the easier it will become to hone a problem-solving process. Try regularly exposing yourself to new scenarios that require different thinking.

  14. Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking

    Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking. Module 1 • 3 hours to complete. This module will help you to develop skills and behaviors required to solve problems and implement solutions more efficiently in an agile manner by using a systematic five-step process that involves both creative and critical thinking.

  15. Creative Problem Solving: Resources for CPS Practitioners by OmniSkills

    In the 1950s, advertising executive Alex Osborn studied creative people to see how they came up with ideas and creative solutions. He called the process he observed "creative problem solving," and documented it in his seminal book, Applied Imagination. Osborn's work soon caught the attention of a college professor who wanted to study and ...

  16. 15 Provocative Questions for Creative Problem-Solving

    These questions are designed to provoke thought, challenge assumptions, and inspire creative thinking, fostering a mindset that can lead to innovative solutions and effective problem-solving. In ...

  17. Creativity and Problem Solving

    Creativity and Problem Solving. Published: Jan 24, 2019 Modified: Apr 04, 2022. Problem solving can take up a lot of managerial time. So it makes sense for you to resolve problems before they develop, let alone grow to impact the bottom line. As a manager, you practice preventive management for just this reason.

  18. Think Outside the Box: The Role of Creativity in Problem-Solving

    Curie's creative problem-solving skills helped her make groundbreaking discoveries in the field of radiation. Photo by Ignat Dolomanov on Unsplash Elon Musk. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and ...

  19. How to improve your creativity and problem-solving skills

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  20. 18 Creativity Exercises To Improve Creative Thinking at Work

    A creativity exercise is an inventive endeavor focused on building creative skills, like problem-solving, communication and innovation, rather than improving a specific creative ability, like painting or dancing. Creativity exercises can be multi-modal, using paper and pen, building materials, found objects or any other items to devise new ...

  21. Creative problem-solving

    Creative problem-solving (CPS) is the mental process of searching for an original and previously unknown solution to a problem. To qualify, the solution must be novel and reached independently. The creative problem-solving process was originally developed by Alex Osborn and Sid Parnes. Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of using creativity ...

  22. Neural-network brain scans are revealing how to boost your creativity

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  23. The Role of Creativity in Problem-solving and Innovation

    Creative problem-solving requires us to break free from traditional thought patterns and embrace the unknown. This process often involves experimentation, risk-taking, and a willingness to learn from failure. In essence, creativity in problem-solving empowers us to continually evolve, refine, and optimize our approaches to the challenges we ...

  24. Don't Let Gen AI Limit Your Team's Creativity

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  25. Harmony in Creativity: The Interplay of Art and Design in Shaping

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  26. AI Boosts Creativity, Can't Match People's Problem-Solving Skills: Study

    AI helps boost creativity in the workplace but still can't compete with people's problem-solving skills, study finds. Generative AI is coming to change your workplace. Artificial intelligence is ...

  27. Lanny Smoot, Disney lightsaber inventor, shares triumphs, struggles

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  28. This NASA engineer seeks creativity in problem-solving

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  29. Hartland middle schoolers put creative problem-solving to the test

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