1. Creative Problem Solving: The One-Hour Approach (or You’ve Got to be Kidding!)
Cynthia E. Rolfe
May 18, 2007

2. Creativity

3. Exercise
Creativity: My Definition

4. Definitions “Novelty that is useful.” - Stein
“The mental capacity to visualize, to foresee, and to generate ideas.” - Alex Osborn
C=fa(K,I,E) - Creativity equals the Function of open attitude, Knowledge, Imagination and Evaluation Skills - ~Dr. Ruth Noller

5. Outside the Box Thinking
To be creative you need to be able to view things from different perspectives.
Creativity is linked to fundamental qualities of thinking, such as flexibility and tolerance of ambiguity
~Robert E. Franken

6. Exercise
Visual Connections

7. Four P’s Framework Press – Climate / environment
Person – Characteristics
Product – Produces a creative outcome
Process – Through which people are creative
Mel Rhodes (1961) went searching for a universal definition and researched over 40 definitions of creativity. He found definitions fit across four different categories, the four P’s framework: the creative Press (or climate/environment), creative Person, creative Product, and creative Process

8. PRESS Physical Psychological Office, conference room, etc. Shape
Clutter
Light
Decor
Schtuff
Psychological
Idea support
Challenge
Dynamism / Liveliness
Playfulness / Humor
Debates
Risk-taking
Trust/Openness
Freedom
Idea Time
Conflicts

9. PERSON Personality Cognitive Biographical
There are three types of characteristics that combine to produce creativeness:
Personality
Cognitive
Biographical )
~Davis – 1998

10. PERSON: Personality Emotional Aware of Creativeness Original
Needs time alone
Artistic
Curious
Independent
Thorough
Attracted to Complexity
Ethical
Capacity for Fantasy
Circle all the traits you believe you have.
Look over the list again and put a star by the trait that you would like to develop further
Sense of Humor
Energetic
Emotional
Risk-Taking
Perceptive

11. PERSON: Cognitive Fluency Flexibility Originality Elaboration
Sensitivity

12. PRODUCT Artifacts of thought
The tangible result of the creative process
Physical objective – article or patent
Theoretical system
Equation
New technique

13. PROCESS: CPS Identify Goal / Wish Challenge Gather Data
Clarify the Problem
Generate Ideas
Select and Strengthen Solutions
Plan for Action
The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process is a proven method for approaching a problem or a challenge in an imaginative and innovative way. It’s a tool that helps people redefine the problems they face come up with break-through ideas, and then take action on these new ideas.

14. Dynamic Balance Divergent Thinking Convergent Thinking
Generating lots of ideas
Convergent Thinking
Judging options / making decisions
~Alex Osborn, Applied Imagination
Two distinct kinds of thinking essential to being creative

15. Divergent Thinking Guidelines
Defer judgment
Combine and build on ideas
Seek Wild ideas
Go for quantity
Magazine exercise

16. Divergent Tools Brainstorming Stick-’Em Up* Brainwriting
Forced connections
Visual Connections*
Ladder of Abstraction
SCAMPER

17. Convergent Thinking Be deliberate Check your objectives
Improve your ideas
Be affirmative
Consider novelty

18. Convergent Tools Card Sort Evaluation Matrix Highlighting
I3 (Influence, Importance, Imagination)
PPCo (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns)

19. (Creative Problem Solving)
The CPS Model
(Creative Problem Solving)
~Osborn-Parnes
Explore the Challenge
Generate Ideas
Prepare for Action
Three stages – six steps
This is both a structured process and a flexible one that becomes cyclical when you catch on to the process.

20. Tips for Tomorrow Carry a notepad . . . And use it!
Observe, observe, observe
Take time out to people watch
Ask questions
Of others But more importantly
Of YOURSELF!!!
Take time to breathe and enjoy!!!