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CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING:Barriers to creativity, Tips to solve problems creatively

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Human Relations­ MGMT611
VU
Lesson 09
CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING
Creativity
Creativity: The ability to use `imagination' or power of mind to develop new and original ideas or
things.
Creativity can provide all the solutions to the complex problems of the workplace. Creative thinking is a
positive, generative force that uses imagination to power business.
Creativity in problem solving
Creativity is the ability to develop good ideas that can be put into action.
Adaptive creativity involves improving an existing system, whereas innovative creativity involves
creating something new.
Characteristics of Creative Workers
Creative people are more mentally flexible than others, allowing them to overcome the traditional way
of looking at problems.
The characteristics of creative workers can be grouped into three broad areas, as described below.
1. Knowledge
2. Intellectual Abilities
3. Personality
Barriers to creativity
1. Perceptual
2. Emotional
3. Intellectual
4. Environmental
Identify obstacles - do something about it!
For solving problems, divergent and convergent thinking can help
Unlock creativity - keep logic at bay
Conditions for Creativity
The characteristics of creative workers can be grouped into three broad areas, as described below.
1. Knowledge. Creative thinking requires a broad background of information, including facts and
observations. Knowledge supplies the building blocks for generating and combining ideas.
2. Intellectual Abilities. Creative workers tend to be bright rather than brilliant and remain young in
thinking and retain curiosity. The key to creative intelligence is insight, an ability to know what
information is relevant, find connections between the old and the new, combine facts that are
unrelated. See the "big picture." Creativity can stem from both fluid intelligence and crystallized
intelligence. (Intelligence, Knowledge, experience, wisdom).
3. Personality. Non-cognitive factors contribute heavily to creativity. Creative people are self-
confident, can tolerate isolation, and are often nonconformists.
How Creativity Comes?
ˇ  Creativity takes place when three components come together: expertise, creative-thinking skills,
and the right type of motivation. Expertise refers to the necessary knowledge to put facts
together.
ˇ  Creative thinking refers to how flexibly and imaginative individuals approach problems.
ˇ  Persistence and seeking ideas intentionally are also important.
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Human Relations­ MGMT611
VU
ˇ  The right type of motivation centers around fascination with, or passion for, the task rather than
searching for external rewards.
ˇ  Passion and intrinsic motivation result in the flow experience.
ˇ  Factors outside the person are also important for creativity.
ˇ  Necessity is the mother of invention. Another condition that fosters creativity is enough conflict
and tension to put people on edge.
ˇ  Encouragement, including a permissive atmosphere that welcomes new ideas, contributes to
creativity.
ˇ  Finally, humor is a key environmental condition for enhancing creativity.
Tips
ˇ
The problem as first stated is rarely the true problem. Ask at least five times. Always restate the
problem as many ways as you can; change the wording, take different viewpoints, and try it in
graphical form.
ˇ
Describe the problem to laymen and also to experts in different fields.
ˇ
Don't try to learn all the details before deciding on a first approach.
ˇ
Make the second assault on a problem from a different direction.
ˇ
Transforming one problem into another or studying the inverse problem often offers new insights.
If you don't understand a problem try explaining it to others and listening to yourself.
ˇ
Test the extremes: If you can't make it better try making it worse and analyzing what happens.
Tips to solve problems creatively
ˇ  If the problem you are trying to solve has already been solved by others, learn that solution first,
even if you intend to modify it.
ˇ  Begin by solving the simplest version of the problem.
ˇ  Build your solution incrementally
ˇ  Avoid focusing on a single solution
ˇ  Avoid hidden assumptions
ˇ  Be patient and retain perseverance
ˇ  Don't expect to find permanent solutions
Improving creativity
Many strategies and techniques can improve creativity, and all of them help people move beyond
intellectual constraints. The goal of these experiences is to think like a creative problem solver.
1. Concentrate on the problem or task
At limes, we think we are thinking intently about our problem, yet in reality we may be thinking
about something that interferes with creativity. Distractions: They can hamper the development of
new ideas
2. Overcome traditional mindset
Mental flexibility helps a person overcome a traditional mental set, a fixed way of thinking about
objects and activities. An effective way of overcoming a traditional mind set into challenge, the
status quo.
3. Discipline yourself to think laterally
Vertical thinking is an analytical, logical process that results in few answers.
In contrast, lateral thinking spreads out to find many different alternative solutions to a problem.
Critical thinking is vertical, and creative thinking is lateral.
To learn to think laterally, develop the mental set that every problem has multiple
solutions.
4. Conduct brainstorming sessions
The best-known method of improving creativity is brainstorming, a technique by which group
members think of multiple solutions to a problem.
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Human Relations­ MGMT611
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An important strategy for enhancing the outcome of brainstorming is to have
intellectually
and culturally diverse group members.
1.Electronic Brainstorming. In electronic brainstorming, group members
simultaneously  enter
their suggestions into a computer, and members can still build on each other's ideas.
2. Brain writing. In many situations, brainstorming by yourself produces as many or  more
useful
ideas as does brainstorming in groups.Brain writing, or solo brainstorming, is arriving at creative
ideas by jotting them down yourself.
5. Borrow creative ideas
Copying the successful ideas of others is a legitimate form of creativity. Business firms often
borrow ideas from each other as part of benchmarking.
6. Negate your own ruts or mental set
7. Establish idea quotas for yourself;
ˇ  Establishing idea quotas is similar to brain writing with a goal in mind. An easy way of getting
started is to establish a monthly minimum quota of one creative idea to improve personal life, and
one to improve school or job performance.
8. Play the roles of explorer, artist, judge, and lawyer
Be an explorer by searching for ideas. Be an artist by stretching your imagination and asking "what-
if questions. Know when to be a judge by evaluating them at the right time. Be a lawyer by
negotiating to get your idea implemented.
9. Forced Associations. A widely used method of releasing creativity is the forced-association
technique. Using this technique, individuals or groups solve a problem by making associations
between the properties of two objects. A link is found between the properties of the random object
and the problem object. The forced association is supposed to help solve the problem.
10.Challenge Your Ruts
A primary barrier to creativity can be doing the same things, the same way, every day. Challenging
your ruts, or habitual way of doing things, can assist you in developing mental flexibility.
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Table of Contents:
  1. HUMAN RELATIONS:Some Guidelines for Effective Human Relations, Communication has 3meanings
  2. CULTURE AND PERSONALITY:Definition of sub culture, Definition of Personality, Types of Persons
  3. PERSONALITY AND STRESS:Personality, PERSONAL TOOLS TO CONTROL STRESS
  4. PERCEPTION AND INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR:Three concepts of personality, Bias in Perception
  5. PERCEPTION AND GROUP BEHAVIOR:Characteristics of Groups, Individual and Group Behavior
  6. ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR:Types of Attitudes, Steps to turn attitude into action
  7. PERSONAL MOTIVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT:Needs and Motivation, Self-discipline and motivation
  8. SOLVING PROBLEMS SKILLFULLY:Problem solving and cognition, Ways to solve problems
  9. CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING:Barriers to creativity, Tips to solve problems creatively
  10. HANDLING PERSONAL ISSUES:Self-Defeating Behaviour, Positive attitude to tackle personal problems
  11. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:WHY SO MUCH CONFLICT EXISTS, TECHNIQUES FOR RESOLVING CONFLICTS
  12. COMMUNICATION AND HUMAN RELATIONS:Process of communication, Improving gender barriers to communication
  13. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION:To improve listening skills, Types of organizational communication
  14. UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION STYLES:Modeling communication style, Sociability continuum
  15. SELF-ESTEEM:Building process of self-esteem, Self-esteem and public image
  16. BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE:The importance of self-confidence and self-efficacy, Balanced Self-Confidence:
  17. BECOMING A LEADER-1:Assessing leadership role, Traits and Characteristics of Effective Leaders
  18. BECOMING A LEADER-II:Theories of leadership, Developing leadership potential
  19. GLOBALIZATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:Religious Values and Bicultural Identities
  20. IMPROVING CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE:Strategies to improve cross-cultural relations, More steps to improve Cultural Relations
  21. BUILDING GOOD RELATIONS WITH MANAGERS:Impressing your manager, Coping with a problem manager
  22. BUILDING GOOD RELATIONS WITH CO-WORKERS:Make Co-workers feel important, Maintain Honest and Open Relationships
  23. BUILDING GOOD RELATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS:Salesperson Represents the Business, Approaching the Customer, Excuses vs. Objections
  24. CHOOSING A CAREER-1:Ten Myths about Choosing a Career, Attitude toward and Perceptions about Myself
  25. CHOOSING A CAREER-II:Choosing a career and developing a portfolio Career, Suggestions for career Preparation
  26. FINDING A JOB:Targeting your job search, The Internet and Résumé Database Services, Extreme Job Hunting
  27. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESUME:Major types of resumes, Electronic Submission of the Résumé
  28. IMPROVING INTERVIEW SKILLS:Successful interview, Knowing the employer or Organization
  29. IMPROVING WORK HABITS-1:Reasons of procrastination, Techniques for Reducing Procrastination
  30. IMPROVING WORK HABITS-2:Developing the proper attitudes and values, Time-management techniques
  31. NEW MODEL OF CAREER ADVANCEMENT:Career portability, HUMAN RELATIONS SELF-ASSESSMENT
  32. TAKING CONTROL OF YOURSELF:Develop Outstanding Interpersonal Skills, Business etiquettes
  33. EXERTING CONTROL ON OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT:Important communication tip, Exerting control over the outside world
  34. MANAGING PERSONAL FINANCES-1:Your personal financial plan, Steps in budget making
  35. MANAGING PERSONAL FINANCES-2:Basic investment principles, Tolerance for Investment Risks, Types of investments
  36. ACHIEVING HAPPINESS-1:Finding happiness and enhancing your personal life, The key to happiness
  37. ACHIEVING HAPPINESS-2:The Five Principles of Psychological Functioning, Your mind and Happiness
  38. ACHIEVING HAPPINESS-3:Need for intimacy, Working out issues with relationships
  39. APATHY AND ITS REMEDIES:Let us try to understand the various definitions of apathy, Coping strategies for apathy
  40. ENHANCING PERSONAL ETHICS-1:Influence of Culture, Common ethical problems
  41. ENHANCING PERSONAL ETHICS-2:Common ethical problems, Guidelines for Behaving Ethically
  42. HELPING OTHERS GROW:Being a Nurturing, Positive Person, A list of mentoring behaviour, Coaching skills and techniques
  43. REVIEW-I:What is a Human Relation?, Meanings of Communication, Two types of stress, Some personal problem, Communication style
  44. REVIEW-II:Steps to build self-confidence, Globalization, Building Good Relations with Co-workers, Good work habits
  45. REVIEW-III:New model of career advancement, Choosing your investment, Tactics for Dealing with Difficult People