SCAMPER For Creativity !...

“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)

The Clash of Generations !....

Generation gap exists and it is getting wider at workplaces !

For the first time in modern history, we are challenged by having to recruit, retain, motivate and manage up to four generations in the workplace all at once. In India and emerging economies, this gap is increasing everyday. The diverse perspectives, attitudes and needs of these four generations have changed the dynamics of the entire workforce.

Perhaps a little insight into the differences and preferences among the generations can help us understand our colleagues in an age-diverse workforce. This will also help to leverage the talents and capitalize on the diversity within our teams.

Although there is no consensus of the exact birth dates that define each generation, they are generally broken into four distinct groups:

Traditionalists – Born between 1927 and 1945 – Patriotic, loyal, hard-workers and self reliant. They grew up in the shadows of the World War, Great Depression, India’s freedom struggle, feudalism, Partition and all these must have shaped their mindset. They respect leadership and aren’t concerned about career development. This generation is less tech-savvy and prefers personal interaction.

Boomers – Born between 1946 and 1964 - In the West, they are optimistic but in India, they are idealist, cynical and conservative. Partition, Wars (Pakistan/ China) coupled with JP movement, nationalization of industries and green revolution played a significant role in shaping their mindsets. Boomers worked in Government and manufacturing organizations. They feel their youth and almost better part of their career was wasted following egalitarian pursuits and Nehruvian socialism. Their career opportunities were stifled due to license raj, emergency, violent industrial relations and abysmally poor Hindu rate of growth. The Boomers therefore link “sacrifice” with “success.” Interestingly the youth in 60’s managed to twist, jive, shake and rebel.

Boomers demand job security, title, plush corner office, seniority, follow protocol and respect for hierarchy. It is starting to shift however to the value of time. They value face time in the office, respect for organisational hierarchies, and often detest work flexibility and / or even work/life balance trends.

Gen X-ers (Nexters) – Born between 1965 and the early 1980s - Optimistic and competitive. Gen Xers are academically brilliant, highly qualified, have filed several patents and the main culprits of brain drain in India. They saw the world changing rapidly with Indira’s populism, Gaddafi’s terrorism, Regan’s policies, the rise and fall of Thatcherism, Gorbachev’s Perestroika and Glasnost. Either you like these politicians or hate them but you could never ignore them.
Gen X in India developed a mental model patterned on a rich, rambunctious, violent and yet a vibrant democracy - comfortable with many views, perspectives, and voices. They have seen tremendous media inventions from cable TV, micro-waves, video games, pagers, cell phones and the most significant being the personal computer.

X-ers tend to look for career security rather than job security, focus on employability than just employment and prefer frequent global and varied work assignments . They dislike rigid work requirements and thrive on freedom, autonomy, diversity, challenge, responsibility and creativity. They want flexible leave policies, paid time off, accelerated career paths, relaxed dress codes, and continuous training. The end of license Raj in India followed with liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation immensely benefitted this generation to leap frog in their career and also become entrepreneurs.

Gen Y (Millennial’s) – Born in 1980 or later - Smart, practical, tech-savvy, outspoken and brand conscious. They believe, “It’s better to have a live-in relationship rather then having a divorced life!” They are just arriving and it is a little too early to really know what they will bring to the workplace.

Gen Y has been pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of activities since they were toddlers, which means, they are both high-performance and high maintenance. They communicate through emails, Facebook, YouTube, texting, and Instant Messaging giving them a reputation for being peer oriented and seeking instant gratification. However clear thinking, crisp communication, some what free spirited and restlessness are what defines Generation Y. They know what they want, desire instant gratification and have no qualms about it. They constantly need to know that what they are doing is making a difference and prefer the shortest and often quickest route to success. They expect to be recognized and rewarded more frequently even for mere participation!

Generation Y demands recognition, work/life balance and flexibility. When working with or supervising Generation Y, it’s wise to frequently communicate, reassure, reward and at the same time impose structure, stability and cultivate a team-oriented environment.

A generation's personality is determined by events and conditions that influenced its members during their formative years. These varied influences results in generational differences also known as “Clashpoint” and that is why generations collide. (Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman have coined the word Clashpoint in their book, ‘When Generations Collide’.)

ClashPoints frequently erupt around feedback, rewards, role change, and training. Organisations who are unprepared to deal with Clashpoints -- or worse, ignore them -- risk everything from reduced profitability to wasted human potential and attrition.

The keys to managing generational conflicts are awareness, empathy and flexibility. Apparently a one-size-fits-all career path, structure, reward programmes and HR practices will not work within a three or four generation workforce. Is it any wonder many companies are dealing with hiring challenges, job mismatch, managing expectations, increasing employee attrition, increasing usage of social network, communication challenges and low morale?

By 2020 the workplace in India will be known as ‘Youngistan’ and its time all four generations learn to adapt. To conclude, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin