“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
While most people associate creativity with art, design or building complex structures, algorithm and software codes, however being creative really means improvisation. It also means ability to trouble shoot, solve problems and think of innovative ways of doing things.
Problem-solving and decision-making are closely linked, and each requires creativity in identifying and developing options. Generally a problem is a situation, or issue that remains unresolved and makes it difficult to accomplish a desired result. A problem is typically perceived when an individual, group, or organization becomes aware of a significant difference between what is desired and what actually is.
Creative problem solving process is often characterized by the divergent nature of human thought and action. Divergent thinking is thinking outwards. It is the ability to be imaginative, develop original, unique ideas and then come up with a solution or results. Divergent thinking generates numerous creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is based on collection of facts and data from various sources to arrive at particular logical solution. Both divergent and convergent thinking is required to solve problems.
Problem solving is the process by which a situation is analyzed, a workable solution is determined, and corrective action is taken. The common milestones of problem solving
are:
• Define (or clarify) the problem
• Analyze causes
• Generate ideas (identify alternatives)
• Evaluate or Weigh up ideas (assess alternatives)
• Choose or Make a decision (select an alternative)
• Determine next steps to implement the solution
• Evaluate whether the problem was solved or not
To gain Competitive advantage, every organization is striving for innovation, yet very few organizations like Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Tata, 3M etc are able to come up with breakthrough or disruptive innovations.
There is no dearth of creativity and problem solving training. Interestingly organizations spend considerable resource to gauge convergent thinking - Standard IQ tests, Pattern recognition, testing knowledge, logic thought flow and ability to solve problems etc. However there aren’t any tests to measure divergent thinking process. Since creativity requires both convergent and divergent thinking skills, progressive organizations are now encouraging their employees to undergo various trainings to improve both these types of thinking skills.
Apparently creativity can be learnt. Often it requires a specific or different approach to make us think outside of our traditional thinking patterns. There are various techniques of problem solving, lateral thinking and even developing creativity.
Let me share a simple and yet powerful technique to spark creativity and problem solving abilities. The technique is called SCAMPER.
SCAMPER was conceived by Bob Earle and is an acronym that is made up of the fundamental concepts of gathering additional information:
S - Substitute
C- Combine
A – Adapt
M – Modify/ Magnify
P- Purpose
E – Eliminate
R – Rearrange/ Reverse
SCAMPER is based on the notion that creative work, original ideas and everything you define as "new" is nothing else but a remix of something that is already out there. The SCAMPER method allows anyone to strengthen their ability to question, imagine, and adapt even in situations where it would seem that there are no more creative options available. At its very essence, SCAMPER is a powerful checklist of suggestions that prompts to think and look at things in different ways.
The first step in using the SCAMPER technique is by clearly stating the problem or the idea that is being developed. This technique can be applied to any problems whether its product, service or process improvement or even in personal life.
Consider, for instance, the problem "How can I increase sales in the business?"
Following the SCAMPER recipe, here are a few questions one could ask:
S (Substitute): "What can I substitute in my selling process?"
C (Combine): "How can I combine selling with other activities?"
A (Adapt): "What can I adapt or copy from someone else’s selling process?"
M (Magnify): "What can I magnify or put more emphasis on when selling?"
P (Put to Other Uses): "How can I put my selling to other uses?"
E (Eliminate): "What can I eliminate or simplify in my selling process?"
R (Rearrange): "How can I change, reorder or reverse the way I sell?"
There are many ways to use SCAMPER. For example, one can sequentially go through all the questions or focus on each question until all possibilities are exhausted.
One can generate multiple questions using SCAMPER acronym. For instance Substitution can mean materials, resources, persons, even timelines or facilities. Combination is key when working with objects and creating new items or even an alliance or partnership. Adaptation is working around problems or changing the process or function of the issue to work within the necessary structures. Modifications are changes to the situation that forces you to think of it in a completely different light. You can put the item to other purposes or redirect energies by applying the next step. Eliminating waste and extraneous detail will help you get to the heart of the work at hand. Reversal and rearrangement allows you to more easily wrap your mind around the item and look at it from different angles.
So what are you waiting for, just use this technique and SCAMPER your way to developing creativity!
"The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.” - Danny De Vito (Renaissance Man)
Creative problem solving process is often characterized by the divergent nature of human thought and action. Divergent thinking is thinking outwards. It is the ability to be imaginative, develop original, unique ideas and then come up with a solution or results. Divergent thinking generates numerous creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is based on collection of facts and data from various sources to arrive at particular logical solution. Both divergent and convergent thinking is required to solve problems.
Problem solving is the process by which a situation is analyzed, a workable solution is determined, and corrective action is taken. The common milestones of problem solving
are:
• Define (or clarify) the problem
• Analyze causes
• Generate ideas (identify alternatives)
• Evaluate or Weigh up ideas (assess alternatives)
• Choose or Make a decision (select an alternative)
• Determine next steps to implement the solution
• Evaluate whether the problem was solved or not
To gain Competitive advantage, every organization is striving for innovation, yet very few organizations like Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Tata, 3M etc are able to come up with breakthrough or disruptive innovations.
There is no dearth of creativity and problem solving training. Interestingly organizations spend considerable resource to gauge convergent thinking - Standard IQ tests, Pattern recognition, testing knowledge, logic thought flow and ability to solve problems etc. However there aren’t any tests to measure divergent thinking process. Since creativity requires both convergent and divergent thinking skills, progressive organizations are now encouraging their employees to undergo various trainings to improve both these types of thinking skills.
Apparently creativity can be learnt. Often it requires a specific or different approach to make us think outside of our traditional thinking patterns. There are various techniques of problem solving, lateral thinking and even developing creativity.
Let me share a simple and yet powerful technique to spark creativity and problem solving abilities. The technique is called SCAMPER.
SCAMPER was conceived by Bob Earle and is an acronym that is made up of the fundamental concepts of gathering additional information:
S - Substitute
C- Combine
A – Adapt
M – Modify/ Magnify
P- Purpose
E – Eliminate
R – Rearrange/ Reverse
SCAMPER is based on the notion that creative work, original ideas and everything you define as "new" is nothing else but a remix of something that is already out there. The SCAMPER method allows anyone to strengthen their ability to question, imagine, and adapt even in situations where it would seem that there are no more creative options available. At its very essence, SCAMPER is a powerful checklist of suggestions that prompts to think and look at things in different ways.
The first step in using the SCAMPER technique is by clearly stating the problem or the idea that is being developed. This technique can be applied to any problems whether its product, service or process improvement or even in personal life.
Consider, for instance, the problem "How can I increase sales in the business?"
Following the SCAMPER recipe, here are a few questions one could ask:
S (Substitute): "What can I substitute in my selling process?"
C (Combine): "How can I combine selling with other activities?"
A (Adapt): "What can I adapt or copy from someone else’s selling process?"
M (Magnify): "What can I magnify or put more emphasis on when selling?"
P (Put to Other Uses): "How can I put my selling to other uses?"
E (Eliminate): "What can I eliminate or simplify in my selling process?"
R (Rearrange): "How can I change, reorder or reverse the way I sell?"
There are many ways to use SCAMPER. For example, one can sequentially go through all the questions or focus on each question until all possibilities are exhausted.
One can generate multiple questions using SCAMPER acronym. For instance Substitution can mean materials, resources, persons, even timelines or facilities. Combination is key when working with objects and creating new items or even an alliance or partnership. Adaptation is working around problems or changing the process or function of the issue to work within the necessary structures. Modifications are changes to the situation that forces you to think of it in a completely different light. You can put the item to other purposes or redirect energies by applying the next step. Eliminating waste and extraneous detail will help you get to the heart of the work at hand. Reversal and rearrangement allows you to more easily wrap your mind around the item and look at it from different angles.
So what are you waiting for, just use this technique and SCAMPER your way to developing creativity!
"The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.” - Danny De Vito (Renaissance Man)
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