Creative Problem Solving HOSA 2021

What is unified model/bridge model for decision making and problem solving?

"defining the aim/problem" - mainly analyzing"generating feasible options" - mainly synthesizing"choosing the optimum course/solution" - mainly valuing

Recognizing the Problem

-Checklists2-Inverse Brainstorming (takes a solution and looks for possible problems)3-Limericks4-Listing Complaints5-Responding to someone else6-Role Playing7-Suggestion Programs8-Workouts and other group approaches9-camelot (a perfect world)

What is action-centered leadership?

A method where the leader (of no more than five) completes the role of achieving the task, building and maintaining the team, and developing the individual by completing the function of: 1) Defining the task 2) Planning 3) Briefing 4) Controlling 5) Evaluating 6) Motivating 7) Organizing 8) Providing an example

Every time you are involved in making decisions or solving problems, what three levels of competence should you develop?

Awareness (of problem or need for decision), Understanding (where you and the team are in relation to the problem), Skill (asking the right questions of right people at right time)

n action-centered leadership, what is the difference between an effective team member and an effective team leader?

Both are responsible for all three roles, but the leader has more of a role than a commitment to meeting the common needs

Discuss Step 2 of 5 Steps of Effective Decision Making.

Collect the information that will help you make your decision, being careful not to confuse "available and relevant" information

Creative Thinkers

Consider rejecting standardized formats for problem solving. Have an interest in a wide range of related and divergent fields. Take multiple perspectives on a problem. Use trial-and-error methods in their experimentation. Have a future orientation. Have self-confidence and trust in their own judgment.

What is the innovation equation?

Creativity occurring in an Innovative Organizational Context within a Supportive Societal Environment results in Innovation. C (X) IOC (X) SSE = 1

Input-Output

Defining a dynamic system by it's input, output, and limiting requirements.

FCB Grid

Developed by Richard Vaughn. 4 cell matrix used to describe management and marketing concepts. Examples of terms used along axis: high and low involvement (describes pricing) on other axis think and feel (describes consumer involvment). Example found on-line placed items like perfume, automobiles, life insurance, clothes pins on the grid in 4 quadrants.

why-why diagram

Diagram moves from L to R. Traditional decision tree. For example, problem is "new product sales are poor". 5 causes: poor product design, ineffective distribution, too high a price, and failure to identify target market. Causes of each subproblem can be identified by asking why again.

Scenario writing:

Emphasis on potential future

Creative problem solving process:

Environmental analysis Problem recognition Problem identification Making assumptions Generating alternatives Evaluation and Choice Implementation

Biggest barrier to creativity:

Expertitis

establish idea sources

Finding magazines or other resources to generate ideas. Example: sci fi books, movies, catalogs, encyclopedia, seminars, museums, art galleries, amusement parks

Force-field analysis:

Focus on driving forces and restraining forces to change

Discuss Step 3 of 5 Steps of Effective Decision Making

Generate three or four possibilities instead of mere alternatives.

Onion model:

Ideas cluster around focus of topic

Discuss Step 5 of 5 in Effective Decision Making method

Implementation includes monitoring consequences and sensing effects to aid in the next problem solving process you encounter

deadlines

Increase pressure to generate alternatives and inspire creative work. Stimulates more R brain activity.

Creative problem solving plan:

Information phase Ideation phase Evaluation phase Decision making phase Implementation phase

What is one major reason why brainstorming is useful?

It frees us from "functional fixedness", the mind is released to consider other possibilities.

Discuss Step 1 of 5 Steps of Effective Decision Making.

Know what you're trying to achieves

List the five reasons for mental roadblocks

Lack of facts, lack of conviction, lack of a starting point, lack of perspective, lack of motivation

Personal and group creativity

Managing group dynamics and socialization within groups. Increasing use of right brain for intuition and elimination restrictions to creativity.

What is convergent thikning mean?

Observation (information gathering)BrainstormingRapid Prototyping (mockups of solutions are created)Refining (Brainstorming is narrowed down)Implementation (actual product or service is created)

Benchmarking:

One hospital compares their practices to a hospital considered to be the best

Multi-disciplinary effort:

Organization identifies a complex problem, problem is divided into parts. Four possible solutions.

What are the primary areas involved in achieving innovative organizational context?

Organization'sstrategies and purposesstructuresystem and processesleadership stylestaff situationsresources available and their allocationshared valuesstrategic performanceresources avail

Camelot:

Process in problem identification with idealized situation, comparing real situation to ideal situation

computer programs

Randomly selecting problem attributes and combining them to create a topic for a brainstorming session. Time consuming, but good for generating ideas. A circle is numbered like a clock, attributes are listed around the circle. Throw a dice to determine the 1st attribute to address. Make combinations of attributes by rolling the dice or choosing combinations

Assumption reversal:

Recognize the limitation of solution

Critical Thinking Involves

Recognizing underlying assumptions. Scrutinizing arguments. Judging ideas. Judging the rationality of these justifications by comparing them to a range of varying interpretations and prospective. Providing positive as well as negative appraisal.

Fishbone diagram

Referred to as Ishikawa diagram by professor of university of Tokyo. Develop all possible causes of problem at hand. Primarily used with groups. Information visually arranged in a diagram that resembles skeleton of a fish. Problem written on R side of paper. Straight line extending across paper to the left. Draw stems at 45 dgree angle to backbone line. Each stem is list of causes, branches off each stem are breakdowns of each cause. List causes from least complicated nearest head of fish and most complicated at the tail. Usually reviewed over more than 1 session.

Perceptual:

Road block to creativity, prevents seeing the obvious

Discuss Step 4 of 5 Steps of Effective Decision Making

Separate into "must", "should" and "might."

Processes

Specific techniques for increasing creativity of problem solving.

The 8 S's of Innovation:

Strategy and purposes required to have objectives Structure uses alliances to obtain innovation System and processes is reward system for creativity and innovation Style encourages risk taking Staff has innovation champions Resources invests heavily but appropriately Shared values possesses a shared value Strategic performances

Squeeze and stretch method:

Stretch: An attempt to discover the scope of problemSqueeze: Find its basic components

Edison technique:

Technique that solves by inventing new alternatives

Attribute listing:

Technique which attacks problem by listing various characteristics then thinking of ways to improve each characteristic

Creative thinking

involves calling into question the assumptions underlying our customary, habitual ways of thinking and acting and then being ready to think and act differently on the basis of the critical questioning.

What are four things you should consider to help you make a decision in a complex case?

listing advantages/disadvantages, examining the consequences of each course, testing the proposed course against the yardstick of your aim or objective, weighing the risks against the expected gains.

back to the customer

listing five marketing mix factors related to problem:1. product2. price3. promotion4. distribution5. target market

back to the sun

means to systematically reduce something to it's fundamental properties to come up with ideas or attributes that might be changed:Strings: plactic tips, woven fabric, coloring, fiber, woven fiber, spun fiber, drawn fiber, plastic, petroleum, chemicals, fossil deposits

What is the lobster pot model? Which step of the effective decision making model does it pertain to?

pg 29, narrowing down choice options, using the principle that it is easier to falsify something than to verify it; step 3

Napoleon technique

pretend to be someone famous and analyze problem from their perspective

Four "Ps"

product, possibilities, processes, personal and group creativity

What is Hall's Competitiveness Model?

relates "Relative Low Cost" and "Relative Differentiation"

What does divergent thinking mean?

expanding the picture of the problem, looking at it from various points of view, gathering information, generating options for solving it.

direct analogies

applies a known example to a new system or process. For example: pringles were developed by analyzing how leaves are pressed & dried to require less space for storing and shipping.

stretch

asking chain of questions for what

squeeze

asking chain of questions for why

What are the two distinct kinds of thought processes?

divergent, convergent

What are some techniques for making assumptions?

1) Assumption Reversal - listing all assumptions about the problem, then reversing them and trying to solve the problem. You're trying to recognize limitations of the solutions you come up with.

What are some techniques for identifying problems?

1) Bounce it off someone else

Analyzing the Environment

1) Comparison against others: Listening to employees and customers, racing against phantom competitors.

According to Adair, what are the five steps of effective decision making?

1) Define the objective 2) Collect relevant information 3)Generate feasible options 4) Make the decision 5) Implement and evaluation

What are three key factors in choosing your field of work?

1) What are your interests?2)What are your aptitudes?3) What are the relevant factors in your temperament?

How do you run a brainstorming session?

1)Define the problem 2) Help people understand the problem by highlighting the background information and history 3) clarify the aim in a succinct sentence 4) have a brief warm-up session, using a common problem or object 5) Brainstorm, write ideas on a flipchart. Allow time for silent reflection, discourage criticism and encourage cross-fertilization 6) Establish criteria for selecting feasible ideas, choose the best 7) Reverse brainstorm - "in how many ways can this idea fail?"

Generating Alternatives

1-Analogies and Metaphors - helps one identify problems and understand them better. 2-Analysis of Past Solutions, and learning from failures. 3-Association - making a mental connection between two objects or ideas. They must be related in some manner. 4-Free Association - just getting as many ideas as possible on the white board. You're looking for thoughts 5-Attribute Association Chains - technique begins with a list of the attributes of a problem. You free associate on each attribute to generate ideas about the problem. 6-Attribute Listing - consists of listing all the attributes or qualities of a problem, object. Then, they systematically analyzes each attribute or group. 7-Back to the Customers - turns our attention from production problems to marketing problems. 8-Back to the Sun - for each elements you can trace a process back to natural resources and ultimately the sun. 9-Circle of Opportunity - randomly selecting problem attributes and combining them to create a topic for a brainstorming session. 10=Computer Program - no other meaning here. It just means using software programs. 11-Deadlines - some people claim they work better under pressure. 12-Direct Analogies - knowledge/facts/technology from one field is applied to another. 13-Establish Idea sources - such as magazines 14-Examine it with the senses (using hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste) The FCB Grid - Four cell matrix

Generating Alternatives

1-Analogies and Metaphors - helps one identify problems and understand them better.2-Analysis of Past Solutions, and learning from failures.3-Association - making a mental connection between two objects or ideas. They must be related in some manner.4-Free Association - just getting as many ideas as possible on the white board. You're looking for thoughts5-Attribute Association Chains - technique begins with a list of the attributes of a problem. You free associate on each attribute to generate ideas about the problem.6-Attribute Listing - consists of listing all the attributes or qualities of a problem, object. Then, they systematically analyzes each attribute or group.7-Back to the Customers - turns our attention from production problems to marketing problems.8-Back to the Sun - for each elements you can trace a process back to natural resources and ultimately the sun.9-Circle of Opportunity - randomly selecting problem attributes and combining them to create a topic for a brainstorming session.10=Computer Program - no other meaning here. It just means using software programs.11-Deadlines - some people claim they work better under pressure.12-Direct Analogies - knowledge/facts/technology from one field is applied to another.13-Establish Idea sources - such as magazines14-Examine it with the senses (using hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste)The FCB Grid - Four cell matrix

Identifying the Problem

1-Consensus Building (voting in a democratic manner) 2-Draw a picture of the problem 3-Experience Kit (putting problem solvers through an experience that causes them to understand the problem better) 4-Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagram - exercise that lists all possible causes of the problem at hand 5-King of the Mountain - one or two individuals take a position on what the problem is, and other members try to come up with a better on. 6-Redefining a problem or opportunity 7-Rewrite Objectives in Different Ways 8-Squeeze and Stretch 9-What do you know? 10-What patterns exist? 11-The why-why diagram (identifies the causes of a problem in a systematic way)

Analyzing the Environment

1-Hire futurists and other consultants2-Monitor weak signals3-Opportunity Searches

List the steps of the creative thinking process

1-Preparation - collecting all relevant information 2-Incubation - Depth Mind phase. Mental work (analyzing, synthesizing, valuing) continues on the problem in your subconscious mind. 3-Insight - "Eureka" moment, usually occurs when you are in a relaxed frame of mind 4-Validation - valuing faculty comes into play, the new idea must be thoroughly tested

Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS)

1. Analyze environment 2. Problem recognition 3. Problem identification 4. Making assumptions 5. Generating alternatives 6. Evaluation and Choice 7. Implementation 8. Control

4 stages of CPS

1. Problem identificaton 2. Making assumptions about future 3. generation of alternatives 4. choice of alternatives

Benefits of why-why

1. helps problem solvers explore many more possible causes rather than focusing on a narrow possible cause2. leads to a more thorough analysis than fishbone3. more rational layout of problems along traditional lines

Benefits of fishbone diagram

1. study all parts of problem2. shows relationships between causes and their relative importances3. starts creative process by focusing participants on the problem4. starts a logical sequence for solving problem5. reduces scope of problem and way to solve less complex isssues6. keep focus on problem rather than tangents.

Name of possible uses.

To find alternatives for a know object, i.e. hammer

Mind Mapping

Tony Buzan. Working out fram a core idea suits the brain' thinking patterns better. Individual brainstorming process. Write the name or description of object and draw a circle around it. Draw a line out from the circle for each major facet of the problem. Drawing lines outward are like roads leaving a city. You can draw branches from the roads. Look for interrelationships and terms appearing more than once. You can add visual techniques like different colors for different lines, circle words appearing more than once, connecting lines between similar thoughts.

Excursion technique

Use for analogies, problem solvers spend time creating fantasies based on the word or words chosen. Words that are colorful and have a lot of visual appeal should be used.

When should you ask questions? (give 1 or 2 examples of each)

When understanding the problem,Towards solving the problem evaluating the decision and implementing it