Creative Thinking & Problem Solving

Session 2

Setting the stage for success

Prof. Runa Maitra

June-July 2018
 Quiz
• Why should the modern-day manager need to
know about creative problem solving?
• Why is creative problem-solving expertise an
important asset for any business executive?
How might executives improve their creative
problem-solving skills?
• What is paradigm shift? How does it relate to
creative problem solving?
Today’s Index:
Setting the stage for success
• Basic philosophy
• Having a vision
• Setting the right attitude
• Recognizing and avoiding mental blocks
• Avoiding mindsets
• Risk taking
• Paradigm shift and paradigm paralysis
• Individual and team work
 Case Study: Ford Model ‘T’ car: the
mindset of Henry Ford
• Henry Ford’s model ‘T’ remained unchanged for years while General Motors (Chevrolet) was
making changes – often using new technology.

Henry Ford said: ‘We’ll give the customer any colour he wants as long as it is black.’

• It was a statement by a man who had been on top so long he thought nothing could dislodge
him from that position. He did not perceive the effects that the changing environment would
have on customers’ wants and needs, and in particular on their requirements in terms of the
motor car.
• Increasing consumer affluence, which developed as the American economy grew in the early
part of the twentieth century, meant that people had more disposable income and hence more
capacity to exercise choice.
• General Motors recognized this, but Ford did not. In the late 1920s Ford nearly went out of
business as a result of this myopic approach.
• General Motors (Chevrolet) took over as number one in the USA, and Ford did not catch up until
the late 1980s.

Ford’s ability to exercise creative thinking was impeded by at least two blocks to creativity:
inappropriate perceptions and negative mindset.
 Avoiding mindsets
MINDSET
• We have always done it this way. Why change?
• There can only be one way to do it properly.
• It’s experience that counts – it’s the only way to learn.
• I learned to do it this way and it has never let me
down.
• Toy soldiers are for boys and dolls are for girls.
• Televisions are for receiving information – not for
two-way communication.
WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven
Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
 Basic philosophy:
Constructive criticism is required.
• Some barriers limit individuals’ creative output
and are related to the people themselves
• Arnold (1962) suggested:
– Perceptual blocks, which prevent a person receiving a
true, relevant picture of the outside world.
– Cultural blocks, which result from influences of society.
– Emotional blocks, such as fear, anxiety and jealousy.
• Adams added a fourth category: intellectual and
expressive blocks.
DIAGNOSING WHETHER SOMEONE IS
BLOCKED IN THEIR THINKING

Look at the statement

. How many times does the letter ‘f’ occur?
Is the aircraft flying towards you or away
from you?
 Having a vision
Where participants engage in
group creative problem
solving sessions, such as
when using brainstorming or
synectics, sharing experiences
in the group can help build
confidence, lessen the risk of
making mistakes as
individuals & overcome value
prejudices we may hold as
individuals.
 Critical Thinking

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg
 Setting the right attitude
We can divide the characteristics of
organizational creativity into four distinct
elements (the four Ps of creativity):
• People – teams or individuals.
• Processes – how ideas are developed and
innovation accomplished.
• Place – creative environment.
• Product – the output of creativity.
 Setting the stage for success
An organization concerned with creating a climate
that influences effective creative activity should
provide at least the following:
• Resources: these should be appropriate and
sufficient.
• Security: adequate salary and security of job tenure.
• Trust: allow for mistakes.
• Reward/recognition: feedback, recognition and
reward.
 Recognizing & avoiding mental blocks

• Creative activities such as the generation of new

ideas and the turning of these ideas into useful
application in practice occur as a result of an
interaction between the person and the
situation (Amabile, 1997; Scott and Bruce,
1994).
• Relevant studies have sought to uncover such
things as the effect of collaborations (Abra,
1994; Bullinger et al., 2004), group interactions
(Rickards et al., 2001; West, 2002)
Why Risk Management?
Note: You can use the Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the impact of risks on forecasting
models such as cost, schedule estimate, etc.
Paradigm shift and paradigm paralysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsqoaTbP-w
 Differentiate between individual and
organizational blocks to creative thinking
 Questions?
1. Why are people sometimes blocked in their
thinking? How can they be helped to overcome the
various blockages that occur?
2. Differentiate between individual and organizational
blocks to creative thinking. What can be done to
cope with the difficulties created by these blocks or
even to help prevent these blocks occurring?
3. ‘The first good idea is never the best.’ To what
extent would you agree or disagree with this
statement. Explain.