What is creative problem solving?

It was interesting this week to discover that creative problem solving was a named process created by Alex Osborn and Sid Parnes in the 1940s. Despite its age, this process is still around. It has also inspired several modern updates.

This creative problem-solving process is usually used to generate innovative and effective solutions to problems, obstacles, and challenges. It is a process that helps to encourage creative thinking and helps to discover new solutions that aren’t obvious at first glance.

There are a few terms that need to be defined when you start dipping into this topic.

Divergent thinking:

Divergent thinking is starting with a specific question and coming up with multiple ideas (no matter if they are plausible or realistic). This is one of the definitions of what brainstorming actually is (and was first described by Alex Osborn). Think of a funnel that you are holding at the narrow end: you start narrow and end up with a large mass of ideas.

Convergent thinking:

Convergent thinking is taking a mass of ideas, concepts and then combining and discarding them until you end up with one or at the most a shortlist of a few ideas that can be acted on. Again, this is the funnel but starting with the wide end and getting something small at the end…

The pyramid could be a good analogy at first glance, because you also have the narrow top and wide base, but because creative problem solving is a process and there are steps that go before and after the two types of thinking I believe the funnel is a better analogy. Why is it good to use creative problem-solving? And what do you do if you don’t consider yourself very creative? Is this process not for you? Actually, there is good news there, from everything I’ve read on the topic it seems it’s a process that you can learn and get better at with practice.

So why use creative problem-solving?

Creative problem-solving by its definition uses divergent and convergent thinking into coming up with solutions to whatever problems or issues arise. It is often used in business settings, also in design thinking and coming up with new products, but it can be applied to almost every aspect of your life if you have the time to dedicate to this process. It seems worth it even if it just gives a different perspective on a problem. Innovation is often linked to creative problem-solving because the results are often a new perspective on how to solve the problem if the process is done right.

However, there can be fear and uncertainty involved in the result so acting on the plan that you come up with to solve the issue, design the product, or overcome the obstacles can be more difficult. Having steps to follow can make it easier to do. The people that are already considered creative and innovative, may actually do these steps subconsciously. Naming and understanding them can help others to be more creative in their problem solving.

There are four-step models but the one I found that was better explained and seemed easier to follow actually had seven steps.

What is the creative problem-solving process:

Now as mentioned before, this is just one of the processes that has been developed, some have more or less steps. I am giving one here as a basis. Using creative problem-solving on itself can be used to streamline it and make it more useful for yourself. It’s a tool. And like any tool, it can benefit from personal optimization. Try different versions if you want and see what works best for you.

Here are the steps:

Step1: Clarify and identify the problem/goal

This can be in any aspect of your life and applicable for anyone. It is also one of the most important steps to identify clearly what the problem is. For example, you may think you want a new job, but if it is because you are living above your means, yes a new job can be your answer, but so could re-ordering your finances or asking for a pay raise. Having a clear and actionable goal can also help at this step. Don’t forget to put together a list of criteria that your solution(s) must have. For example, budget, time or the people involved.

Step 2: Research the problem

I’m a big fan of this step. Research the problem or challenge until you get a deeper understanding of the problem. The amount of research needed depends largely on the type of problem, issue, or goal that is faced. Try to get well-rounded information from multiple sources to get the best start that you can.

Step 3: Formulate one or more challenges

After steps one and two, there should be a good understanding of the problem or challenge that can then be re-phrased in the form of a question. This question should be framed in a way that encourages ideas and suggestions. Yes or no questions should be avoided here. A good idea is to start the question with “How…” or “In what way…” Keep these questions simple and focus only on one identified challenge at a time.

Step 4: Generate ideas

Here is where divergent thinking comes in. No idea is too small. No idea is dumb. EVERYTHING goes in the list. Challenge yourself to come up with 50 ideas at this step. No judging, no critiquing. This is the brainstorming phase. It can be done alone or in a group. If in a group, start having individuals write ideas then come together, add your ideas together, then do a second round of individual ideas because someone else’s idea can spark a new idea.

Step 5: Combine and evaluate ideas

This is where convergent thinking takes place. By combining similar ideas together and going through each idea according to the specific criteria you’ve identified a good solution to meet, you can narrow down your list. Try to not only hang on to your favourite idea and give a fair score to each on how much it meets each of your selection criteria. Then you choose all of the ideas that broadly meet your criteria for the first list. If solutions are complex, they may require testing or other processes in order for a final decision to be reached. Don’t forget, there might not be only one right answer and multiple strategies can be put in place to handle your problem or reach your goal.

Step 6: Draw up an action plan

This is where it can get uncomfortable and even scary. How do you implement your new idea? What are the steps needed to get there? This is where you can draw up an action plan on how to get there. If the idea still seems too difficult to implement, break it down into smaller steps. Often, when we’re fighting resistance, the step we are attempting to take may seem to be too difficult for us. Baby steps are always the best advice I have found in this case. You may go slower, but at least you are moving forward. Focusing on the next step or only on the few steps ahead can make a challenge less intimidating. My mother has a saying that applies here: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Step 7: Act!

Just do it! It can be incredibly difficult or incredibly easy. Even for those who fly by the seat of their pants, having a plan that you may or may not follow can really help give a direction and focus. Take your plan and implement your idea. If there are deviations from your plan as time goes on, no big deal. Just re-write your action plan taking the new information into account and if necessary, go back through the process. Maybe another solution will present itself that can help you achieve your results in fewer steps.

Conclusion

Enjoy the process and don’t focus so much on the results. Every step achieved is a step forward and even if it feels one step forward, two steps back, new information is coming in and can inform better solutions for what lies ahead. You got this.

Next week I will go deeper into what you can do for each step, how to improve your creative problem-solving skills, and better adapt this process to your own situation.

Thank you for reading. What do you think of this process? Is it something you are looking forward to try? Or is it something that you dread? And if so, why? Please leave a comment below.

“There are no problems, only solutions”

– John Lennon

Resources

https://online.hbs.edu/BLOG/POST/WHAT-IS-CREATIVE-PROBLEM-SOLVING

The Basics of Creative Problem Solving – CPS