Creative Problem-Solving
By Frankie
Problem Solving and Creativity
The link between these two skills seems quite weak but in my opinion; to solve problems you have to be creative, but also, to be creative, you have to solve problems. The second part of that seems odd, but when you look at creativity as the invention of something new or doing something differently, to get to this “New Version”, you’d have to have identified an old version, worked out what’s wrong with it, and then looked for improvements on it, which sounds a lot like problem-solving. Here's a guide to 3 ways you can become a more creative problem solver!
Critical Thinking
Being able to think critically encompasses a lot of smaller skills, and it requires you to evaluate information objectively, consider several perspectives, and make reasoned decisions. It doesn’t have to be an independent skill. In my opinion, some of the best critical thinkers are people who stimulate deep thought in others—by asking probing questions such as “Why?” and “What if?”—and it’s these questions that help you identify areas where mistakes have been made and solutions can be identified.
Problem-solving also normally works best where your mind is focused 80% on one in-depth problem and 20% on the wider issues at hand. For example, let's say you're building a more efficient car engine, 80% of your mind should be focused on a certain, ultra-specific component of the engine and how to improve it. Whereas the other 20% should be passively aware of how this affects the efficiency of the entire engine or car, thinking about a wide range of impacts that changing that component might have.
To develop your critical thinking, I’d recommend you create mind maps that look at something you’re passionate about like a football team, split it up into its players, and then think of ways you can improve those players, like, “let’s say they were better at passing" and try to find the impact that could have on the rest of the team in terms of their tactics. It’s the process of identifying causal relationships which is really key.
Thinking Outside The Box
To think outside the box, you have to know what’s in the box—as in what have we already done that didn’t work. My favourite way to try to think creatively in order to solve a problem is to question everything you’ve done in the past, and similarly to Critical Thinking, you’re going to try and think of what was the inspiration behind a decision, and what was the goal of making that decision. You can then work with the same starting point and end goal but you need to try to identify where you went wrong last time and adjust just this and the effects that it caused.
This is why I say that thinking outside the box is usually best done when you are just outside of it, using the “Box” as a guideline for your creative process. In terms of actually how to think of the solutions to the places where you went wrong last time, try to think of what the exact opposite decision would’ve been and its outcomes, before trying to find a solution which sits somewhere between the two.
To develop your ability to innovate and think creatively, I’d recommend reading books or watching webinars on the development of some of the greatest technologies of recent times. Try to analyse what they did that caused the success of the technology and think of how you can implement this into your workplace to overcome issues that arise day-to-day.
Adaptability (The Combination!)
Adaptability is more of a mindset than anything, and it’s to embrace setbacks as actually being better than reaching your end goal smoothly. You see, employers love people who are always looking to learn and try to improve at their jobs, and the mindset of anticipating and embracing setbacks will be massive to help you develop in your career. This is because you learn the most when adjusting to an obstacle and it can lead to what is known as the “Power of Tiny Gains”, whereby by making small gradual improvements over time, you’ll develop as a person exponentially.
To help yourself become more adaptable, I’d recommend identifying potential areas where something could go wrong in work and then proactively thinking of creative solutions to such that can lead to better outcomes than the initial decision. In order to create these solutions, think outside of the box and critically think, so that when an issue does arise, you’re more ready to deal with it. Employers are always looking for someone who can deal with issues proactively, and by being adaptable you’re sure to end up progressing in work.
Problem-solving isn’t easy, and neither’s being creative, but I can guarantee you that by trying to find innovative solutions, you’ll enjoy your time at work and you’ll also become a better employee as the quality of your work will improve!
