Creative editorial problem solving

To overcome challenges and achieve goals explore alternative approaches to problem-solving when traditional methods fall short. Creative problem-solving is a valuable tool that enables us to identify opportunities and find innovative solutions. We can develop effective strategies to overcome obstacles and reach our objectives by encouraging fresh perspectives and fostering creativity.

Alex Osborn’s CPS Strategy, developed in 1963, provides a comprehensive approach to problem-solving. Sidney Parnes, a leading expert in the field, spent four decades exploring the creative process and teaching creativity workshops. The six steps of the creative problem-solving process – mess-finding, fact-finding, problem-finding, idea-finding, solution-finding, and acceptance-finding – guide producing innovative and practical solutions. Each step involves divergent and convergent thinking to generate many ideas and select the most promising ones.

Objective finding, the first step in the process, requires identifying a specific goal or challenge. To spark your thinking, ask yourself questions such as:

• Which of your goals still need to be fulfilled?
• What would you like to accomplish?
• What would you like to do/have/ do better?
• Where do you feel you need to be more efficient?
• Is there something you would like to organise in a better way?
• What ideas would you like to get going?
• What would you like to get others to do?
• What makes you angry, tense or anxious?
• What do you complain about?

Fact-finding involves gathering data. It uses questions such as who, what, when, where, why and how. For example;

• Who should and who shouldn’t be involved?
• What is and what is not happening?
• When does this happen, or when should it be happening?
• Where does it occur?
• How long does it occur?

Clarifying the problem comes under the third step, which is problem finding. It involves asking what part of the problem you must focus on and what concern you address. Once issues are listed and their alternative definitions are in place, it will help determine the nature of their solutions. You can begin this step with statements such as “in what ways might we/I”. Further, proceed with the following;

• What is the real problem?
• What is the primary objective?
• What do I want to accomplish?
• What do I want to do?

Idea finding unveils the possible solutions how to solve the problem. The divergent thinking stage is involved here, entailing a series of brainstorming where idea-generation techniques, also known as creativity, can be used. This process uses no criticism or evaluation because the ideas are proposed freely in each problem definition accepted in stage two.

The fourth step, which is solution finding, involves the person thinking about how to strengthen the solution and how to select the answers to know which one works best for you.

The steps related here are; criteria for the listed evaluation, evaluating the ideas using an evaluation matrix and selecting one or more best ideas. Questions involved here are;

• Will it work?
• Is it legal?
• Are the materials and technology available?
• Are the costs acceptable?
• Will the public accept it?
• Will higher-level administrators accept it?

The next plan of action is acceptance finding. What are all the action steps that need to take place to implement your solution? Acceptance finding looks further into ways to get the ideas into action. It may involve creating an action plan, which is a plan with specific steps you can take and a timetable for handling them.

Editorial note: 
First published under the title “Creative problem solving”.
Updated on Wednesday 15th March 2023