Creative problem solving: Techniques and strategies for effective solutions

Creative problem solving is a structured approach to tackling complex challenges. It’s built on two beliefs: Everyone is creative, and creative abilities can be developed with practice.

Rather than relying on conventional thinking, creative problem solving uses deliberate steps and strategies to generate actionable solutions. It can also redefine the problem itself, revealing new perspectives that lead to better outcomes.

This approach has powerful applications for workflow challenges. Creative problem solving helps you identify inefficiencies, explore options, and select the best path to improve workflows — including technologies like automation.

What is creative problem solving?

Creative problem solving is a systematic approach to tackling complex challenges through innovative thinking. Unlike traditional problem-solving methods, which often rely on conventional solutions, the creative problem-solving process encourages individuals to think outside the box and explore alternative solutions. This structured process typically involves several stages: clarifying the problem, ideating potential solutions, developing and refining those solutions, and finally, implementing and evaluating the chosen solution.

By following this process, individuals can break free from practical norms and conventional thinking, enabling them to generate novel and effective solutions. The creative problem-solving process not only helps in identifying potential solutions; it also ensures that these solutions are actionable and impactful. This approach is particularly valuable in situations where traditional methods have failed to produce satisfactory results, as it opens up new avenues for innovation and problem solving.

Fundamentals of creative problem solving

Many people hear “creative problem solving” and think it’s about brainstorming answers. However, creative problem solving is about much more. Creative answers to problems don’t just appear magically, but are the result of deliberate processes.

To work well, creative problem solving is rooted in two assumptions:

1. Everyone is creative in some manner.
2. You can learn and enhance your creative abilities.

Those are powerful assumptions, and they help to dispel the idea that there are “creative types” and “noncreative types.” All participants can be empowered to engage in a process by supporting and reinforcing the innate presence of creativity.

Alex Osborn helped define and formalize the idea of creative problem solving. He believed that two types of thinking are critical to creative problem solving.

Convergent thinking follows the norms of problem solving and focuses on finding a singular, well-defined solution. Divergent thinking is the opposite, with multiple options being considered after fostering creativity as part of the problem solving process.

Both play a role and have value in problem solving. Typically, both are used as part of the process.

For example, divergent thinking can create multiple ideas for possible solutions. Convergent thinking can whittle those down to a few or one idea to implement.

Principles of creative problem solving

Here’s a closer look at some key tenets of creative problem solving.

Reframe the problem as a question

Begin by restating the problem as a question or series of open-ended questions. The problem becomes more approachable with multiple possibilities available, and participants can be invited into the process.

By contrast, problems presented as declarative statements are often met by silence. These statements often lead to a limited response or no response at all.

There’s a shift when something is asked as a question rather than given as a statement. The challenge is not an obstacle, but rather an opportunity to solve. It opens the door to brainstorming and ideation.

Suspend judgment

All too often, ideas that are generated in problem-solving spaces are quickly dismissed. This instantaneous judgment has short- and long-term impacts.

First, it immediately dismisses the presented idea and the presenter. What’s more, the dismissal can have a chilling effect on others, stymieing the idea generation process.

There’s a time for judging presented ideas — when convergent thinking is at play. But in the beginning, immediate judgment should be suspended.

Even the most implausible ideas presented at the beginning of the process may play a role later as long as they’re still considered viable. If dismissed early, they are unlikely to be valued later.

“Yes, and” instead of “no, but”

The word “no” can have a similarly stifling effect on the creative problem solving work. “But” — whether preceded by a yes or a no — can close the conversation. It acts to negate everything that has come before.

You can create and maintain a more positive, encouraging tone using “yes, and” language instead of “no, but” language.

More positive language helps build on previously generated ideas. It creates an additive approach to the process instead of a dismissive one.

One approach to creative problem solving

Having a clearly defined approach to solving problems helps participants understand the scope and scale of the work. While multiple approaches can be used, here’s one way to frame the engagement.

1. Clarify the problem

The most critical step in creative problem solving is identifying and articulating the problem or goal. While this may seem easy, what people perceive as the problem is often not the true problem.

The critical step is to break down the problem, analyze it, and understand the core issue.

One approach is to use the five whys. Start by asking yourself, “Why is this a problem?” Once you have the answer, ask, “Why else?” four more times.

This iterative process can help refine and revise your understanding to unearth the true issue that needs to be addressed. You can ask other questions to further refine, such as:

• Why is this problem important to us?
• What is stopping us from solving this problem?
• Where will we be differently 6–12 months after solving the problem?

2. Define evaluation criteria

The creative problem-solving process is likely to generate many potential ideas. It’s important to establish the process by which the ideas will be evaluated and, if selected, deployed.

These processes may have important factors, such as budget, staffing, and time. The process needs to address what you seek to accomplish, avoid, and act on. The process should be articulated to the participants in the problem solving and those affected by the outcomes.

3. Research the problem

You want a clear understanding of the problem, which may require significant research or just a little. Understand how common the problem is, how others have dealt with it, and what potential solutions exist.

4. Develop creative challenges

Once the problem is articulated and researched, it’s time to frame your creative challenges. These are simple, brief, question-based concepts. For example, “How can we …?” or “What would it mean if …?” These challenges will form the basis of your problem solving. They should be broadly focused and not include any evaluation criteria.

5. Create ideas

Idea generation is what most people envision when they think of brainstorming or solving problems.

Start by taking just one of the creative challenges. Give yourself or the team some time to build at least 50 ideas. That may seem like a lot, but it can spark conversation and construction.

The ideas may or may not solve the presented challenge. By capturing them on paper or a computer (many programs support idea generation), you can have them readily available to organize, expand on, evaluate, and flesh out.

Be sure to use the following rules in this stage:

• Write down every idea.
• Ensure no one critiques presented ideas.
• Don’t stop until you’ve reached 50 ideas.
• Present the full list of ideas and then ask if anyone has anything else to add.
• If you have time, sleep on the ideas and return the next day. Try to add 25 more.

6. Sort and assess ideas

Take a break and reconvene to look at the ideas using the evaluation criteria. Combine ideas, and then use the evaluation criteria to whittle down the list.

Some ideas may be implementable immediately. Others may need further analysis to prioritize.

7. Create a plan

When you have your shortlist, create an action plan that outlines the steps necessary to implement the ideas. By breaking ideas down into actionable steps, you’ll be better able to put them into play and see the results.

Implementing and evaluating solutions

Implementing and evaluating solutions is a critical stage of the creative problem-solving process. Once a potential solution has been developed, the next step is to put it into action and test its effectiveness. This involves identifying potential obstacles and developing strategies to overcome them. For instance, you might need to allocate resources, assign responsibilities, and set timelines to ensure smooth implementation.

Evaluation is equally essential to determine whether the solution is meeting its intended goals. This involves monitoring progress, gathering feedback, and assessing the impact of the solution. By continuously evaluating and refining solutions, individuals can ensure they’re achieving the desired outcomes and making progress toward solving the problem. This iterative process helps in identifying areas for improvement and making necessary adjustments to enhance the effectiveness of the solution.

Overcoming obstacles in problem solving

Overcoming obstacles is an integral part of the problem-solving process. Challenges can arise at any stage — from clarifying the problem, to implementing and evaluating solutions. To effectively overcome these obstacles, individuals must be able to think creatively and develop innovative solutions. This may involve seeking out new information, consulting with experts, or trying new approaches.

Persistence and adaptability are key to overcoming obstacles. By staying focused on finding a solution and being willing to adjust strategies as needed, individuals can navigate challenges and continue making progress. Additionally, learning from failures and setbacks can provide valuable insights and help improve the problem-solving process. Embracing a mindset of continuous learning and improvement ensures obstacles are seen as opportunities for growth and innovation, ultimately leading to more effective and sustainable solutions.

Problem-solving your workflows

If you’re looking for creative answers to your workflow problems, check out the resources below. You can also schedule a demo to see how Nutrient Workflow can help, or reach out to our Customer Success team for hands-on guidance.

Resources

• Process redesign tips
• What is business process re-engineering?

Sources

• Harvard Business School(opens in a new tab)
• MindTools(opens in a new tab)
• Creative Education Foundation(opens in a new tab)
• Innovation Management(opens in a new tab)
• Asana(opens in a new tab)

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