Unlock your Creativity

You think that because

you understand ONE you
understand TWO,
because one and one
makes two. But you must
understand AND.
- Arabic Proverb
Aim

To equip you with powerful

creative and problem
solving techniques that will
help you in your work and
life.
Benefits

If you master the skills you will:

- understand how creativity can help make

solving problems more effective and more fun
- boost your creative confidence
- be able to generate more great ideas
- have greater job satisfaction
Workshop Content

How creative are you?

Are you working in a
creative climate?
A selection of creative
idea generating
techniques
The Osborne-Parnes
Creative Problem Solving
Model
Administration

Admin
!@#$$%%^&&

A fool-proof method for sculpting an

elephant: first, get a huge block of
marble; then you chip away
everything that doesn't look like an
elephant.
Anonymous
Creativity is…

Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill

that can be learnt. It empowers people by
adding strength to their natural abilities
which improves teamwork, productivity and
where appropriate profits.
- Edward de Bono
Creativity is…

Creativity, as has been said,

consists largely of rearranging what
we know in order to find out what
we do not know. Hence, to think
creatively, we must be able to look
afresh at what we normally take for
granted.
- George Kneller
Creativity is…

Creativity is the type of learning

process where the teacher and pupil
are located in the same individual.
- Arthur Koestler
Creativity is…

Creativity often consists of merely

turning up what is already there. Did
you know that right and left shoes
were thought up only a little more
than a century ago?
- Bernice Fitz-Gibbon (1994)
Great ideas, more than anything
else, fuel corporate growth.
- Alan G. Robinson
If at first, the idea is not absurd,
there is no hope for it.

- Albert Einstein
Creativity and Innovation

“…creativity by individuals and

teams is a starting point for
innovation; the first is a necessary
but not sufficient condition for the
second.”
TM Amabile 1996
Measuring Creativity

Psychometric Approach: The

Guilford Tests
Plot titles

Figure Concepts

Unusual Uses

Remote Associations

Remote Consequences
Measuring Creativity

Psychometric Approach: The

Torrance Tests
Fluency – number of ideas

Flexibility – number of different categories of ideas

Originality – statistical rarity

Elaboration – amount of detail

The Creative Environment

Attitudes - Feelings

Communication – Problem
Solving – Decision Making -
Learning
Ekvall’s Climate Factors

Challenge and Playfulness and Humour

Involvement
Conflicts
Freedom
Debates
Trust and Openness
Idea Support
Dynamism
Risk Taking
Idea Time
Ekvall’s Climate Factors
Creativity & Risk

There is no need to be frightened of

creativity. In the end, it is judgement
that decides whether or not to use
an idea. Creativity provides
opportunity, judgement provides
choice.
Creativity & Risk

Creativity is either a risk or a

requirement in an organisation. If
creativity is not a clear expectation,
then it is a risk.

Edward de Bono
Creativity & Risk

If you want to increase your success

rate, double your failure rate

Thomas J Watson, Founder of IBM

Creativity & Risk

There is no need to be frightened of

creativity. In the end, it is judgement
that decides whether or not to use
an idea. Creativity provides
opportunity, judgement provides
choice.
If at first, the idea is not absurd,
there is no hope for it.

- Albert Einstein
Creativity Techniques

Brainstorming
SUSPEND JUDGEMENT

THINK FREELY

TAG ON

QUANTITY QUANTITY QUANTITY!

Imaginary Brainstorming

Original Problem Suggested

Replacements We need to write
How do How do / does a bid by the end
we children of the week. That
Donald Duck gives us 2 days.
Hilary Clinton The whole
process normally
write a bid build a house
takes 4 days.
earn a million
put on 20 kilos of
weight
in half the normal in half the normal
time? time?
this element is kept at
the essential element
Imaginary Brainstorming

Original Problem Suggested

Replacements We want more
How do How do tourists to come
we Foreigners
to come to
Pakistan

Get more GET MORE

Tourists diseases

To come to Pakistan From flying with PIA

Imaginary Brainstorming

Original Problem Suggested

Replacements How to reduce
How do How does airport
we George Bush
congestion and
delays

REDUCE REDUCE
CONGESTION AND
DELAYS
populations

At Karachi airport In Afghanistan and in

Iraq
Blocking and Block-Busting

FUNCTIONAL
FIXATION

Uses for…

Improvements to…

What if…
SMASHING TECHNIQUES
1. Attribute Analysis
To solve the problem of poverty:
What are the attributes of poverty?
People

Crime

Lack of food

Lack of goods

Poor economic judgement

Lack of jobs

Poor quality housing

Attribute Analysis

What are the attributes of ‘poor economic

judgment’?

Buying low quality items

Buying smaller amounts at higher prices

Wasteful spending habits

Lack of ability to budget

Attribute Checklists

Physical: colour, weight, material, speed, smell, size,

structure, taste

Psychological: appearance, symbolism, emotive (e.g.

the sensual smell of Lux soap)

Functional: intended uses, applications, how it does

what it does

People: who is involved?

Miscellaneous: cost, reputation, origin, class it belongs

to, definition
SMASHING TECHNIQUES
2. Morphological Analysis
Develop a better
BAND-AID

stick on flesh plastic rectangular gauzed

coloured
magnetic red or green cloth round medicated
tie on flower pattern paper triangular cellulose
glue on transparent nylon octagon sawdust
paint on black metal square latex
Velcro words (ouch) wood trapezoid plastic
clamp on stripes rubber animals cotton
QUIZ

1. List Goran Ekvall’s 10 ‘creative climate’ factors?

2. What are the 4 attributes of effective

Brainstorming?

3. What is FUNCTIONAL FIXATION?

4. Name 3 ‘blockbusting techniques’

5. Define ‘attribute analysis’

Unlock your Creativity

You think that because

you understand ONE you
understand TWO,
because one and one
makes two. But you must
understand AND.
- Arabic Proverb
Reversals: Department Store Example

How can the management team improve the

store?

How can the store improve the management team?

How can the store improve itself?

How can the management team make the store worse?

How can the store make itself worse?

How can the store hinder the management team?

Reversals: Department Store Example

How can the management team damage the

store?

Be rude to the customers

Hire careless employees

Encourage shoplifting

Don’t put prices on anything – charge what you feel like

Reversals: Department Store Example

Be rude to the customers

PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING

Hire careless employees

IMPROVE RECRUITMENT PROCESSES

Encourage shoplifting
INSTALL CCTV CAMERAS

Don’t put prices on anything – charge what you feel like

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CLEARLY PRICED

Trigger Concepts: Questions of Association

1. How is the problem / idea like the trigger concept?

2. Does the problem have the trigger concept in it?

3. What does the concept do?

4. What is the concept like?

5. What is the concept NOT like?

6. What does the concept suggest?

Trigger Concepts: How to improve a restaurant

Concept: a run over dead cat

Cat gut – tennis racquet – sports theme – video games –
giant TV screen for sports events

Flat cat – tyre tread marks – art works – art gallery – sell
art

Who killed the cat – mystery – surprise menu items

Was the cat run over repeatedly – build repeat business

– free meals / drinks – gift after nine visits (nine lives)
James Adams – The Care and Feeding of Ideas
Creativity is…

Creativity is the type of learning

process where the teacher and
pupil are located in the same
individual.
- Arthur Koestler
Creativity Techniques

BRAINSTORMING

IMAGINARY BRAINSTORMING Which techniques did

you like / dislike? Why?
USES FOR…
Which techniques
IMPROVEMENTS TO… could you use at work?
On your own? With
WHAT IF… your team?

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS How could you use

them? (e.g. to develop
REVERSALS or improve a product or
service).
ANALOGIES

TRIGGER CONCEPTS
Creative Problem Solving

Creative - uniqueness / newness

Problem – any situation that

presents a challenge

Solving – devising ways to solve

the problem
Creative Problem Solving

DIVERGENT
THINKING

CONVERGENT
THINKING
Creative Problem Solving

Mess Finding
Data Finding
Problem Finding
Idea Finding
Solution Finding
Acceptance Finding
ACTION
Creative Problem Solving

OBJECTIVE FINDING
DIVERGENT
Wouldn’t it be nice if…
What do we want to accomplish?
What can we do better / differently?

CONVERGENT
What’s the most urgent?
What’s the most important?
Which can we best influence?
Creative Problem Solving

DATA FINDING
Who is involved?
What is involved?
Some examples?
Causes?
When will it happen?
Where?
How?
Why?
Any more problems?
Creative Problem Solving

DATA FINDING
What are the most important
facts?
Which issues must be
addressed first?
Which issues can be grouped
together?
What is the essence of the data
we have collected? What is the
data telling us?
Creative Problem Solving

PROBLEM FINDING If I solved my

problem,
BACKWARDS FORWARDS PLANNING what higher
level
How to get the goods from the supplier? problems
could I also
I could get all of the stationery for the next two solve?
months
People would stop hassling me about stationery
If I solved my I could finish updating the company website
problem, what
other Pay the outstanding invoices
opportunities
would this I could investigate other suppliers
create?
I could take lunch at my favorite restaurant
Creative Problem Solving

PROBLEM FINDING
MULTIPLE REDEFINITIONS

EMPATHIC
ANALYTIC
MOTIVATIONAL
MAGICAL
METAPHORICAL
OFF BEAT
Creative Problem Solving

IDEA FINDING
REVERSE BRAINSTORMING

How to increase traffic

congestion in Karachi
Is there anything we are actually
doing?
If we reverse these ideas, what
fresh ideas do they give us?
Creative Problem Solving

IDEA FINDING
SCAMPER

S ubstitute
C ombine
A dapt
M agnify, minify, multiply
P ut to other uses
E lse – what, who, where?
R earrange or reverse
Creative Problem Solving

SOLUTION FINDING
POSSIBLE CRITERIA

COST COMPANY / POLICY

RELIABILITY FACTORS (e.g. getting
approval)
QUALITY
FEASIBILITY
MORALE
TIME FACTORS
CUSTOMERS
EASE OF
LEGALITY IMPLMENTATION
SAFETY
Creative Problem Solving

SOLUTION FINDING
Happy Kids Low Cost Happy Adults Easy Travel
Options Totals
(weight=5) (weight=3) (weight=2) (weight=1)

Sum of Sum of
Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted
Raw x5
Raw Score: x3
Raw score: x2
Raw score: x1
raw weighted
scores scores

Walking
1 5 3 9 4 8 4 4 12 26
Holiday
Cruise
2 10 1 3 2 4 3 3 8 20
Holiday
Beach
4 20 1 3 3 6 2 2 10 31
Holiday
Stay at
1 5 5 15 2 4 5 5 13 29
home
Holiday
5 25 1 3 1 2 2 2 9 32
Camp
Why is creativity so important?

There is no doubt that

creativity is the most
important human
resource of all. Without
creativity, there would
be no progress, and we
would be forever
repeating the same
patterns.
- Edward de Bono
 Congratulations!

NOW ...
• Certificate
• New skills & knowledge
• New friends & contacts

FUTURE ...
• Change one aspect of your behaviour
• Talk to others about what you have learnt