Are you better at problem solving than the dodo?

19th August, 2011 - Posted by stellacollins - No Comments

We all need to solve problems daily and it seems some of us may be better at it than others, either through natural abilities or as a learned skill.   Problem solving is a combination of experience at having solved similar problems before and the ability to be able to think creatively and behave in new ways.   And it’s a vital skill in evolutionary terms – as the Dodo sadly found out.

Some organisations are renowned for their creative environments and the time they give their people to indulge in creative thinking – companies like Google and Microsoft spring to mind.  But what if you’re not in that sort of environment?  How can you become better at problem solving?  How can you develop a mindset or an environment that helps you think more laterally or creatively?

In talking to people who’ve learned the art of creativity we’ve uncovered 10 elements of creative thinking that can help you become better at solving problems, wherever you are.  Here are the first five to get you started.   We wanted to be more creative than just giving you a list so we’ve made you a set of posters you can download to share with others or print out as reminders.

Element Number 1 – Necessity – when you absolutely need to be doing something different then creative thought and action happens, or you become extinct.
British cryptanalysts, with Alan Turing at the forefront, changed the course of the Second World War and created the foundation for the modern computer.

Element Number 2 – Encouragement – creative thoughts need to be nurtured, which is crucial as people develop their own sense of creativity.  Once a person has the freedom to think creatively they can withstand a certain amount of criticism or questioning.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google encourage creative thinking and operate with “a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

Element Number 3 – Fundamentals – knowing the fundamentals and the rules of the game is important to know how to take an idea from scratch.  To be creative you need to know the basics so that you can explore and break the rules.
“If you didn’t know a soufflé required eggs then you’d be a long time creating a fantastic soufflé.”

Element Number 4 – Practising – creative people keep practising; both their basic skills and creative expression.  If you take a break from creating it is harder to get back to where you were.
‘To become a nation of Nobel Prize winners you have to practise thinking differently!’  Tore Persson, Folkbildning Net

Element Number 5 – Getting on a roll – once you’ve got an idea started give it the space to keep going, leap from one idea to another; having the first idea is important to having multiple ideas.
Thomas Alva Edison was a famous American Inventor who, singly or jointly, held a world record 1,093 patents.

Here’s where you can download the pdf of all ten Elements  – it’s called ‘Ten ways to be more creative’. http://www.skills2grow.co.uk/home/our-courses/creative-problem-solving/