Creative problem-solving

The creative problem-solving process follows the following broad outline:

 Preparation: Preparation involves a hard and concentrated look at the
problem at hand and its various parameters in order to develop a
breakthrough solution. Scientists work in their labs, sometimes for many
years, before they get a creative idea. The general tendency of the scientists
is to look at the various tentative solutions available for a problem. These
tentative solutions are generally routine and known solutions and hence do
not lead to new and unique outcomes. The more tentative solutions there
are, the more difficult it would be to generate another different solution. It is
the generation of this new solution that differentiates a creative thinker from
a non-creative thinker. The non-creative thinker would be satisfied with a
satisfactory and known solution. It is the creative thinker who will continue
to look for a different and unique solution. Accordingly, preparation in the
form of education, training and research is an essential foundation to build
creativity.
 Incubation: Incubation is a time of thought and reflection and is generally a
period when the conscious attention is turned away from the problem at
hand. The main idea is the observation that some creative and innovative
ideas come to mind when you are not really thinking about them—a kind of
result of thinking by the ‘unconscious mind’. It is some thing like ‘sleeping
over’ the issue and not thinking about it. Creative people use many different
methods to provide this incubation period. They may go fishing or read a
book or take a nap. This incubation period is unpredictable in timing and
duration. It may take a day or many years. The main idea is that the conscious
mind usually looks for familiar channels that are known and thus not new or
creative. But the unconscious mind, free from the constraints of the conscious
mind, is able to look at the issue from new angles or put information together
into new combinations.
 Persistence: Merely providing an incubation period does not necessarily
result in creative breakthroughs. Sometimes persistent effort is necessary.
Persistent effort would make it more likely that more and new information
would be added to the decision maker’s frame of reference or the problem
could be re-defined that could generate new and different conclusions. This
is specially true about highly creative persons. According to Daniel Goleman,
‘the picture of the exceptionally creative person shows that at its high levels,
creativity involves important sacrifices. For people at the most exceptional
level, creativity is a pervasive, almost compulsive pre-occupation; innovative
activities dominate their lives often to the detriment of other aspects of living.’
Planning
NOTES
Self-Instructional
68 Material
Persistence means not only total involvement in the area of issues under
consideration but also requires courage and perseverance in the face of
repeated failures or criticism. Most new ideas in the beginning meet with
resistance; for example, when instant coffee was first introduced in the
consumer market, it was resisted by housewives who felt that their selfreliance
and self-esteem were threatened and that they would be known as
lazy and non-caring about the family. Accordingly, highly creative persons
remain committed to their ideas no matter what the cost or the consequences.
 Insight: Insight is the actual point of breakthrough achieved as a result of
preparation and incubation. It is the tentative outcome of persistent efforts
and thinking when the individual believes that he has found a unique solution
to the problem under study. This is the result of extensive analysis of various
factors and various combination of factors, even though the creative idea
generally comes up suddenly and unexpectedly. It is a kind of ‘eureka’ state
that brings excitement where the person finds what he was looking for and
which was deluding him previously.
 Verification: Now the ‘insight’ or the new idea has to be tested to make
sure that the idea is valid and feasible. It is a kind of a critical stage because
if an idea is put into practice without measuring its potential utility in a
significant manner, then it could turn out to be the wrong decision. The idea
may fail in the critical stage, so other ideas may have to be created. A
scientist must verify his hypothesis through critical analysis or through
laboratory procedures, whichever is necessary and if the hypothesis cannot
be proven, the scientist must formulate an alternate hypothesis. Similarly, if
a manufacturer has a unique idea for a new product, he should not put the
product into the market until he has criticized, verified and tested the idea