CREATIVE THINKING

Prof. V. Jha

IIM Calcutta

Divergent Thinking

• Variety of responses

• Trial and Error Thinking

• Product not completely determined by given information

Creative Thinking

• Divergent as well as convergent

• Grasping the problem

• After divergent

• categorization, logical thinking, evaluation, comparison, analysis

• Cycles of imaginative and rational

A model of creative Intelligence

• Problem sensitivity, curiosity

• Sensing of problems, issues, opportunities

• Convergent thinking ability, cause guessing ability

• Structuring of problems

• Problem restructuring ability

A model of creative Intelligence

• A new understanding of problem that facilitates interesting new approaches.

• Divergent thinking, search for alternative approaches, solutions

• Fluency

• Flexibility

• Originality

A model of creative Intelligence

• Evaluation through convergent thinking

• consequence guessing ability

• elaboration ( idea, approach, solution)

• Refinement through convergent thinking ability

Creative Thinking Techniques

• Brainstorming

• Attribute Listing

• Synectics

• Checklist of questions

• Structure problem- well understood, identify key dimensions

• Separate idea production from evaluation

Creative Thinking Techniques

• Ideate copiously

• Create constructive psychological strain- familiar to unfamiliar and back.

• Force wide shifts

• Identify most potent idea

Creative Environment

• Stimulation

• Nurturance

• Low- tension

• Constructive Feedback

• Opportunity to learn

• Diversity of viewpoints

• Freedom with accountability

Creative Environment

• Creators as role models

• Facilities

• creative norms and expectations of boss figure

Creative Problem Solving

• Problem– goal not achieved– unwanted symptoms

• Mechanisms– habit– logical analysis– using analogies

Creative Problem Solving

• Problem– Why– constraints

• hidden• permanent

– ignorance• nature• procedure• solution

Creative Process

• Elaboration, setting aside

• several projects at a time

• envisioning

• read/hear creative masters

• reverie/stimulating experience

Creative Problem Solving

• Mechanisms– generating alternatives– evaluating alternatives– looking for information

• Creative– Use of fantasy and imagination– Playful connections– Viewing problem from unusual perspective– Brainstorming

Creative Problem Solving

• Process– preparation– incubation– illumination– verification

Process

• Regression

• Cycles of divergent and convergent

• diffused and scanning

• incubation- break, working on other problems, silent recess, setting aside, alternative work, many projects, envisioning, stimulating experience

• inspiration- sense of possession and compulsion

Brainstorming

• Defer Evaluation

• Quantity begets quality

• more fantastic ideas

• Hitch hike on previous ideas

Brainstorming

• Both groups as well as individuals

• Better ideas in second half

• for problems with multiple solutions

• concrete suggestions

• Specific topic

• Choosing ideas and developing them

Attribute Listing

• For designing/redesign specific product/service

• Building up, grafting , modifying

• List basic but modifiable attributes/properties/specifications

• Generate alternatives

• Grafting attributes of some other object

Attribute Listing

• Abstract/generic attributes– container, handling convenience, current

function

• More specific the better

• separate modifiable from unmodifiable

• List all attributes

Attribute Listing

• What may be altered without changing the main function

• State as more general/abstract attributes

• What functions the attributes perform

• How critical are they to main function

• prioritizing attributes

Checklist of questions

• Questions- Divergent thinking

• ASARAMOMONA

• add

• subtract

• alter

• rearrange

• adapt

Checklist of questions

• magnify

• opposite

• minify

• other

• new

• alternative

• Dissatisfaction with status quo

Fluency

• Generating more ideas• Resourcefulness• More ideas- some good ideas• associative thinking• Censorship- silly/impractical• Generate, then evaluate• Fluency- flexibility, originality• Practice situations in daily life

Flexibility

• A change– meaning, interpretation, use, understanding,

strategy

• Looking from many angles

• implications of multi-dimensional situations

Problem restructuring

• Hawthorne Experiment

• Contingency

• naturopathy

• Discarding old ways of looking

• Creative use of deviance

• internal debate

Problem restructuring

• data

• going to roots- slums

• A habit of looking for opportunities in problem situations– Shoes, garbage

Convergent thinking• classificatory mechanisms

– verbalizing– listing the components– analogy and comparisons– display

• Analytical– factoring– seeking relationships among components– identifying steps to possible solutions– abstraction

Convergent thinking

• Analytical– formally defining– imposing constraints– establishing criteria– selecting by comparison of alternatives– working backwards– model building– symbols and classification– stereotyping– aphorisms

Convergent thinking

• Synthesis– seeking patterns– aggregation– incubation– juxtaposing inconsistent/extreme– broad model

• Optimization– refining till acceptable solution reached

Convergent Thinking

• substitution of parts

• addition/deletion/modification/alteration

• formalizing criteria

Creative thinking

• sensitivity

• guessing ability

• originality

• convergent thinking ability

Creative Organization

• Growth Strategy• Competitive Strategy• innovative scanning• structure to facilitate innovation• control to facilitate innovation• culture building for innovation• motivation• conflict resolution

Creative Organization

• External Factors– Turbulent environment– unexpected change– sophisticated and demanding customers– vulnerable– ambitious and conflicting goals– organization doing very well

Creative Organization

• internal factors– ambitious and high operating targets– conflicting goals– desire to make organization unique and distinctive– diverse output– customized products– preference for new products, sophisticated and off

beat, calculated risks, operating flexibility, innovative and expert orientation

Synectics• Unconscious

– instincts• self preservation, reproduction, enormous energy, little self

regulation

• Pre- conscious– Creativity– fantasizing

• wish fulfillment

– imagining • associative thinking and playful elaboration of images

Synectics

• Conscious– orderly, logical, evaluative, analytical

• combinatorial play

• free association

• ability to create scenarios

• dropping of real life constraints

• Analogy– direct, personal, fantasy, symbolic

Creative Organization

• Expertise– technical– procedural– intellectual

• Creative Thinking Skills– flexible, imaginative, challenging status quo,

persevering through dry spells

• Intrinsic Motivation– passion and interest

Managerial practices

• Challenge– matching right people with right assignment– stretch– good information

• Freedom– concerning process not necessarily ends– stable and clearly defined goals– false autonomy

Managerial Practices

• Resources– time and money

• fake or impossibly tight deadlines

• sufficient resources

– physical space

Managerial Practices

• Work Group Features– mutually supportive– diversity of perspectives and backgrounds– shared excitement to team’s goal– willingness to help others in difficult times– appreciation of other’s knowledge and

perspectives

Managerial Practices

• Supervisory encouragement– recognition– lack of negativity– no premature evaluation– acting as role models

Managerial Practices

• organizational support– leader’s role– systems and procedures– recognition and reward– mandating information sharing and

collaboration– tackling politics