Creative Problem-Solving
Angela Sinickas, ABC
[email protected]
22365 El Toro Road, Ste. 139, Lake Forest, CA 92630
TEL: 714/277-4130
FAX: 714/242-7049
Left-brain decision-making stages
1. Define and explicitly state the problem
2. Generate alternative solutions
3. Evaluate ALL and select the optimal
alternative
4. Implement and follow up
Source: Whetten & Cameron
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Traditional brainstorming used
for generating alternative solutions
• One person acts as the facilitator; the others are the content resources
• Have people draw their perception of the problem on flip charts and
then discuss them
• Involve diverse viewpoints
• No judgment or criticism during the
idea-generating stage
• Build on other people’s ideas (can turn a
“bad” idea into a good one)
• Can use Post-It® notes if some participants are shy
Problem with traditional brainstorming: new, break-through
ideas are rare. Typically ideas that have worked before
somewhere else end up being transferred from the minds of others
in the group to the problem owner.
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Right-brain problem-solving using lateral
thinking and solution analogies
•
Many techniques have been developed for more creative
ways to generate alternative solutions; see
https://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
for a variety of techniques that might fit your needs and
personality
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Right-brain problem-solving using lateral
thinking and solution analogies
•
•
Many techniques have been developed for more creative
ways to generate alternative solutions; see
https://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
for a variety of techniques that might fit your needs and
personality
Edward de Bono coined the concept of “lateral thinking,”
approaching a problem/solution from a different
perspective or a “different point of entry” that cuts across
existing patterns of our linear thought processes
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Right-brain problem-solving using lateral
thinking and solution analogies
•
•
•
Many techniques have been developed for more creative
ways to generate alternative solutions; see
https://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
for a variety of techniques that might fit your needs and
personality
Edward de Bono coined the concept of “lateral thinking,”
approaching a problem/solution from a different
perspective or a “different point of entry” that cuts across
existing patterns of our linear thought processes
Synectics (Boston, MA) developed a facilitated process
using lateral thinking and other techniques. A full
description can be found on pages 71-75 in the following
document:
http://home.snu.edu/~jsmith/library/body/v26.pdf
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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What makes the Synectics ® process different?
• Synectics’ process uses imaginary thinking and
conceptual excursions to create different entry
points into developing truly new, break-through
ideas that no one in the brainstorming group has
actually tried before.
– A facilitator manages the process, most other
participants are content resources—and a problem
owner is the “client” who makes choices along the way
– Imagination is tapped into by having participants start
suggestions with “I wish”
– Instead of focusing on the problems involved with
suggested alternatives, participants start statements with
“How to” overcome an obstacle or concern
– Participants are asked to use one-sentence headlines
for their contributions
– Mental “excursions” have participants identify alternative
lenses through which to look at possible solutions
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Commonality of chosen springboards: “seeing”
Springboards:
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I wish we could have a rotation program in which corporate and entity communicators switch places.
* I wish Mary could do what I do for a day so she could see and understand our challenges.
I wish we could have a council of communicators at entities and we (and corporate representatives)
could meet at the entity locations.
* I wish a representative from corporate could be involved in my department’s strategic planning
process so corporate could see priority issues from our perspective/location. (We could also
benefit from their broad understanding.)
I wish corporate communicators would talk with our general managers and others about the
importance of communications.
I wish corporate communicators would talk to or conduct focus groups with employees.
I wish corporate would hold regional forums to discuss regional issues with entity communicators
before the annual workshop.
I wish we could review materials before corporate sends them to regions. (For example, the Q&As
should be more realistic.)
* I wish entity communicators would invite corporate communicators to specific meetings/functions
so we can see their issues better.
I wish there were an orderly process to listen to and connect with communicators in a variety of
offices and get information from sites.
* Ideas selected by Mary (client) for further discussion.
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Creative problem-solving for XYZ Company
Excursion: aids for “seeing” or understanding something more clearly
glasses
pictures
binoculars
microscope
reflecting mirrors
telescope
matrices
list
movies
ultrasound
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
cartoon
diagrams
maps
metaphors
similes
analogies
books
visions
dreams
hallucinations
nightmares
language
color
poetry
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Creative problem-solving for XYZ Company
Excursion: aids for “seeing” or understanding something more clearly
glasses
pictures
binoculars
microscope
reflecting mirrors
telescope
matrices
list
movies
ultrasound
cartoon
diagrams
maps
metaphors
similes
analogies
books
visions
dreams
hallucinations
nightmares
language
color
poetry
Springboards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
* How to list all the different things that each entity communicator does because what we all do is so
different. Tasks are very diverse.
* How to make a movie: “A Week in the Life of an Entity Communicator.”
I wish that corporate communications could hear all of my voicemail messages for a week.
I wish we all could write humor books about all the bizarre things that happen to us and the strange
requests we get. I wish corporate could wear our shoes for a week.
I wish all corporate communicators and entity communicators could switch jobs for 24 hours.
I wish corporate could see what wakes me up in the middle of the night.
I wish corporate would have my nightmares.
I wish we could have a chat group/teleconference for entity/corporate interests.
* Ideas selected by Mary (client) for further discussion.
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Creative problem-solving for XYZ Company
Restated Idea: How to let entity communicators determine what corporate staff
would observe, do and participate in during visits to their sites
Plusses (from client Mary)
+ I wouldn’t be in the way.
+ Entity communicators wouldn’t feel they had to “put on a show.”
+ I would like to feel useful when I visit.
+ Listening, seeing, experiencing, feeling mechanism for “ivory tower.”
+ Partnership/cooperative effort to work on common goals.
Concerns
 How to to have specific goals and a schedule for the entity visit beforehand.
 How to visually record site visits.
 How Corporate could do some learning in advance.
 How to develop agendas and objectives for what kind of information to gather before visiting.
 How to repurpose agenda/plan for future visits to entities as a best practice.
Next Steps: Plan, shoot, and edit a video about life as an entity communicator
and share with all communicators—current and future
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Additional problems XYZ addressed using the
same facilitated process
Problems addressed
Excursion analogies used
Career opportunities and recognition for
entity communicators
Transportation—space
shuttle, chauffeur, car pool,
running shoes, map, jet ski,
surfboard, (surf online with a
jet ski)
Coordinating information from multiple
sources going to the same audiences
Patterns—quilt, waves,
football field stripes,
honeycomb, sewing
instructions, (precise,
repeatable, flexible enough
for variable needs)
Identifying and sharing best practices
throughout the company
None needed
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Relational algorithm creative approach
Change the connecting words defining the relationship
between two elements in a problem:
•
Communication with leadership
Source of concept: Crovitz
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Relational algorithm creative approach
Change the connecting words defining the relationship
between two elements in a problem:
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Communication with leadership
Communication through leadership
Communication among leadership
Communication if leadership
Communication while leadership
Communication as leadership
Communication before leadership
Communication outside leadership
Communication over leadership
Communication for leadership
Communication from leadership
Communication about leadership
Source of concept: Crovitz
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Morphological synthesis creative approach
Problem statement: copy approvals by executives take too long
Source of concept: Koberg & Bagnall
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Morphological synthesis approach
Problem statement: copy approvals by executives take too long
Executives
Approve
Copy
Too long
Whole MLB
Rewrite
Manual
Hours
VP in charge
Flag problem
Technical update
Days
Subject matter
expert
Comment
Product specs
By deadline
Source of concept: Koberg & Bagnall
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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Morphological synthesis approach
Problem statement: copy approvals by executives take too long
Executives
Approve
Copy
Too long
Whole MLB
Rewrite
Town Hall agenda
Hours
VP in charge
Flag problem
News release
Days
Subject matter
expert
Comment
Intranet article
By deadline
Combine attributes to identify possible solutions:
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Entire management leadership board flags any problems in TH agenda within 2 days
Only a VP in charge of a product can rewrite a news release about that product, but
only within 4 hours of receiving copy
If subject matter experts don’t respond with comments by the weekly deadline, intranet
articles are published “as is”
Source of concept: Koberg & Bagnall
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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