Creative problem solving (CPS) is a skill that can help you and your team overcome challenges, generate innovative ideas, and implement effective solutions. But how do you foster a CPS culture in your workplace, where everyone is encouraged and supported to use this skill? Here are some tips to help you create a CPS-friendly environment.
The first step of CPS is to define the problem clearly and accurately. This means you need to gather relevant information, ask the right questions, and avoid jumping to conclusions. You can use tools like the problem statement, the five whys, or the fishbone diagram to help you clarify the problem and its root causes. By defining the problem, you can avoid wasting time and resources on solving the wrong issue or addressing the symptoms instead of the causes.
The second step of CPS is to generate as many ideas as possible to solve the problem. This means you need to suspend judgment, encourage divergent thinking, and embrace creativity. You can use techniques like brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER, or random word association to help you generate a variety of ideas, both conventional and unconventional. By generating ideas, you can increase your chances of finding the best solution or discovering new opportunities.
One thing I find to be really important is for the person that is facilitating the exercise to provide positive encouragement in response to every contribution without any sort of additional response. Phrases such as "great insight" or "interesting point" can provide those who just shared with positive reinforcement that provides no evaluation of the idea itself. While as a facilitator this may begin to feel repetitive, I have found this substantially increases the participation in brainstorming, by providing one concrete, immediate, positive response towards each new idea.
The third step of CPS is to evaluate and select the most promising ideas to solve the problem. This means you need to apply criteria, analyze pros and cons, and prioritize options. You can use tools like the decision matrix, the SWOT analysis, or the feasibility test to help you evaluate and select ideas based on their relevance, feasibility, and impact. By evaluating and selecting ideas, you can narrow down your choices and focus on the most viable solution.
The fourth and final step of CPS is to implement and follow up on the chosen solution. This means you need to plan, execute, and monitor the solution. You can use tools like the action plan, the Gantt chart, or the PDCA cycle to help you implement and follow up on the solution in a systematic and effective way. By implementing and following up, you can ensure that the solution works as intended, measure its results, and make adjustments if needed.
CPS is not a solo activity. It requires communication and collaboration among team members, stakeholders, and customers. This means you need to share information, listen actively, give and receive feedback, and resolve conflicts. You can use skills like active listening, assertive communication, constructive feedback, and conflict resolution to help you communicate and collaborate effectively during the CPS process. By communicating and collaborating, you can build trust, respect, and synergy among your team and others involved in the problem-solving process.
CPS is not a one-time event. It is a continuous learning and improvement process. This means you need to reflect, evaluate, and apply what you learned from each problem-solving experience. You can use tools like the after-action review, the lessons learned report, or the reflection journal to help you learn and improve from your successes and failures. By learning and improving, you can enhance your CPS skills, avoid repeating mistakes, and celebrate achievements.
CREATE A CULTURE FOR INNOVATION The only thing that is permanent is CHANGE. Any strong corporate culture for innovation embraces risk and uncertainty. As innovation facilitator, facilitating more than 200 projects I have captured my learnings i the following definition of a culture for innovation: In my experience a culture for innovation is an environment that encourages people to think creatively leading to ideas for new products, - processes, -business models and - approaches which are transformed into reality swiftly, creating value for the organisation.