Creative Problem Solving

Finding a Solution to a Problem

Creative Problem Solving

In the early 2000’s, I was fortunate enough to get to know various creative problem solving experts by traveling to Britain, France and Germany. I have been practicing these steps since then.

In a recent article Jeffrey Baumgartner writes that “Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and other creative geniuses have always worked in the same way. They do not wait for creative ideas to strike them. Rather they focus on trying to solve a clearly stated, at least in their minds, problem. This approach has been formalized as Creative Problem Solving (CPS). CPS is a simple process that involves breaking down a problem to understand it, generating ideas to solve the problem and evaluating those ideas to find the most effective solutions. Highly creative people tend to follow this process in their heads, without thinking about it. Less naturally creative people simply have to learn to use this very simple process” (available at http://www.innovationmanagement.se/imtool-articles/the-basics-of-creative-problem-solving-cps/).

At Milites Dei, we teach our students the process:

1. Clarify and identify the problem
2. Research the problem
3. Formulate creative challenges
4. Generate ideas
5. Combine and evaluate the ideas
6. Draw up an action plan
7. Do it! (implement the ideas)