USING THE CREATIVE PROCESS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

(This was a pocket reference card that was given away free to seminar participants)

The Seven Steps of the Creative Process

  1. Identify your objective
  2. Gather information
  3. Define the problem
  4. Brainstorm solutions
  5. Select the best ideas and develop an action plan
  6. Sell the solution to your staff and to higher management
  7. Monitor performance

How to Promote and Encourage Creative Ideas

  1. Provide your staff with clear objectives. Nothing creates more anxiety than being unclear about what you're trying to accomplish.
  2. Don't focus only on what has has worked before. What worked last year may not be appropriate for today.
  3. Encourage and welcome unique ideas. Employees may be uneasy about proposing something new. As the manager, only you can allay their fears.
  4. Schedule regular problem-solving sessions. Frequent get-togethers keeps everyone stimilated and boosts energy.
  5. Make idea sessions fun. Playfulness helps to open the mind whereas being too serious and practical can shut off the flow of ideas.
  6. Don't be reluctant to recognize people for originality and initiative. Recognition works wonders in encouraging people to attain higher goals.
  7. Don't automatically criticize ideas you don't agree with. They may later prove to have merit.
  8. Never attack a person's self-esteem. If you must criticize an idea, don't make it personal. Keep supporting the individual.
  9. Don't set overly narrow problem parameters. You may inadvertantly rule out the best possible solutions.
  10. Don't automatically assume that something won't work. Stay open; allow yourself to be surprised.
  11. Stay receptive to change. It's inevitable anyway, so make it work for you.
  12. Keep communication channels open. You may be surprised what comes down the pipeline.

The Three Rules of Brainstorming

  1. Do not make any judgements or criticisms during a brainstorming session.
  2. All ideas are welcome, the wilder the better.
  3. Generate as many ideas as you can.

Double Reversal

Use this 4-step technique either individually or as part of a problem solving team when you are stuck in an old and unproductive approach to a problem.

  1. Write down the goal you're trying to achieve.
  2. Write down the reverse of this goal.
  3. List al the ideas you can think of to successfully achieve each reversed goal.
  4. Reverse each (reversed) idea.

Force Field Analysis

Use this technique when you are describing the problem, looking for causes of a problem, and when you need an overall sense of the larger picture.

  1. Decide what your goal is. Draw a solid line across the top of the chart and label it with your goal.
  2. Describe your current situation. Draw a solid line across the middle of the chart and label it with a description of how things are now.
  3. List the forces that are moving (or could move) you toward your goal. Position each of these under the Present Situation Line (PSL) and connect each with an arrow that points up to the PSL.
  4. List the forces that are keeping you from achieving your goal. Position these above the Present Situation Line and connect each with an arrow pointing down to the PSL.
  5. Decide which forces, if any, are substantially more powerful. Give those forces bigger arrows.
  6. Explore ways to minimize the opposing forces and maximize he forces moving you toward your goal.