62nd Annual International Creative Problem Solving Institute

Dr. Roger Firestien, Senior Faculty at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY-Buffalo State, will present two programs at the 62^nd Annual International Creative Problem Solving Institute being held at The University at Buffalo Amherst, New York Campus June 15 to 19. 

Dr. Firestien’s program will focus on assisting facilitators of the Creative Problem Solving Process to smoothly and confidently transition from one stage to the next in the Creative Problem Solving process as well as learn how to talk less and accomplish more while facilitating Creative Problem Solving. Attendees will receive training in applying several tried and true Creative Problem Solving techniques that consistently work to create breakthroughs.

His second program, “Dissolve the Wall:  Using your Creativity to Design a New Future”, focuses on helping individuals apply their creative power in order to move through transitions that they encounter in their professional or personal lives.  Topics will include: asking the right questions so that one can get ideas that really work, living out a new future using specific imagery techniques and continuing to use these techniques daily as well as taking creative action on a goal, challenge or opportunity that participants bring to the program. 

The Creative Problem Solving Institute is an annual international conference hosted by the Creative Education Foundation.  The Institute focuses on three main areas: creativity, innovation and leading change. The Institute experience is designed to help participants move ideas into action and meet with top business leaders, educators, creativity practitioners and learners from all over the world. 

For more information, continue here.

SQUEEZE THE CHALLENGE FURTHER

You can almost always squeeze more out of a challenge. Once you have asked the key questions, go one step further—ask “How else?” and “What else?” That’s how one company not only distinguished itself from its competitors, but forged to the head of the pack.

You’ve probably heard of O .M. Scott & Co . It’s a leader in lawn-care products, specializing in seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, and related items . Only  a few years ago the company didn’t amount to much more than a fly buzzing about the heads of corporate giants such as Sears Roebuck and Co . and Dow Chemical . While people liked Scott’s products, they didn’t consider them any better than those of their competitors.

The challenge for Scott was to improve its market share. But how to  do this? After generating several problem statements, eventually the company settled on one: “In what ways might we differentiate our products from the others?”

This was tougher than it may appear. Why? Because in general, all lawncare products are similar . At that time every company insisted its products were “scientific” and gave long, detailed instructions to users on how  the product should be applied, given certain soil conditions and temperatures .

The result? Customers came away convinced that proper lawn care is difficult and depends on precise, inflexible practices dictated by science.

When Scott’s sales force asked the public how the company might grab a competitive advantage in the marketplace, what kept coming up was customer frustration with lawncare methods .

So Scott brainstormed ways  to alleviate the frustration . As a result, the company’s problem statement changed to, “In what ways might we alleviate customer frustrations with planting?”

By asking “How else?” and “What else?” Scott developed ideas ranging from more friendly directions to gardening classes for customers . Then came the idea that made millions: a simple, mechanical contraption called the Scott Spreader . This small, lightweight wheel-barrow features holes at the bottom that can be set to allow the proper quantities of Scott’s products to  pass through in an even flow . Before the Scott Spreader, no lawncare supplier had given its customers a tool to control the process . Scott designed its product line around the Spreader, and overnight this small seed retailer became the market leader in lawncare.

That’s what can happen when you squeeze a challenge just a bit further .

Fly the Fruitful Skies

Introducing the next chapter in the publication, the author writes about the transformation of leaders and the affect it has on themselves.

Changing things is central to leadership, and changing them before anybody else is creativeness. - Anthony Jay

One big reason why organizations are having such a difficult time transforming themselves is that leaders are having a difficult time transforming themselves. Unfortunately, after many years of work, they begin to believe in their own infallibility.  After all, they have won the election, climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, written the best-selling books.  They are the experts. As a result, many leaders become excessively defensive and arrogant.  They won’t tolerate an idea that doesn’t fit their world view.  Hey, if it was such a good idea, they would have thought of it themselves.
But by slipping into such a mindset, they forget that the expert of today is the dinosaur of tomorrow.  To become successful leaders today who will continue to be successful tomorrow, we must become beginners once again.  We must always be growing and learning.  We can learn something from everybody.  According to Dave Meier, “Everyone is our teacher and we are everyone’s learning coach.”

So how do you begin again? How do you, with all of your vast and valuable knowledge, invoke the child within to see the world with a fresh pair of eyes? In this chapter, we will explore twelve ways to nurture your creativity as a leader so that you can nurture it in the people who work with you.

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Roger Firestien is a renowned author, speaker, and mentor of creativity in the several environments. His popular blog site, serves countless readers with resources on his findings. He also shares his thoughts and ideas through Facebook and Twitter. For more details regarding investments and funding, view Crunchbase.

What is the Next Step After Dissolving the Wall?

In a previous blog post, Dr. Firestien addresses the most influential obstacle in the way of sparking creativity where he explains his new idea of Dissolving the Wall. The issue at hand that is hindering the productivity of individuals is this barrier that obstructs creativity in the human mind.

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Roger's Tumblr feed is a great way for fans to keep updated about news that he posts in his feed.

Creativity Styles

Michael Kirton, a researcher in the United Kingdom, has developed a theory that identifies two types of creativity: adaptive creativity and innovative creativity.  A major part of this theory focuses on how much structure a person prefers to have around the problems on which they work.

Adaptive creativity is working within the system to help it run more smoothly, make it more cost effective and more efficient. Adaptive creativity focuses on incrementally improving the quality of an already existing product or process.  People with an adaptive preference are comfortable working with problems that have some structure to them.

Innovative creativity breaks the pattern of traditionally accepted behavior or beliefs.  It is innovative creativity that challenges the accepted way things are done. Innovative creativity breaks with the traditional view of the world and introduces new, often radical approaches.  People with an innovative style prefer more unstructured problems.

Any guess as to what type of creativity the Wright Flyer represented? 

You got it—innovative.  Yes, man can fly. The airplane broke the tradition- al view of the world that was held at that time.  However, it was adaptive creativity that improved the airplane to make it more comfortable, safer, and commercially viable.  Innovative creativity came up with the facsimile and video technology but it was adaptive creativity that brought this technology to market and made it profitable .
Kirton’s theory originated by identifying individuals in organizations who naturally expressed innovative creativity or adaptive creativity.  He found that some people were excellent at coming up with ideas to improve the current system, while others were good at creating ideas that challenged or changed the system.  Adaptors also accepted the problem that was given to them, while innovators often challenged the established view of the situation.

When these two types of people work together effectively to solve problems, the results can be astounding. However, as you might have guessed, these people see the world very differently. Without an understanding of the natural strengths they use to solve problems, the result can often be war instead of effective problem solving.  Kirton’s personality assessment, the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory, is a helpful tool for members of work teams to complete to gain an understanding of the strengths they bring to a group . Actually, there are very few pure innovators or pure adaptors.  Most of us have a mix of innovative and adaptive behaviors. However, we also have a preference for the kinds of ideas we will generate and the kinds of problems we will attempt to solve.

Both types of creativity are important.  It is crucial for organizations to support innovative breakthroughs, but it is also important to nurture the patient, long-view, adaptive creativity that is necessary to make breakthroughs commercially viable.  People naturally express their creativity in different ways. Businesses need both innovative and adaptive creativity to be successful in the long run.

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From a clip showcased on his YouTube channel

Dr. Firestien, the featured author, is a expert in innovative techniques to spark creativity. His popular blog, serves over hundreds of followers which his twitter and Facebook interact with his growing fan base daily. For more about capital funding and corporate investments, visit Crunchbase.

Excerpt: As Natural as a Heartbeat

There is nothing mysterious about the creative process . It is a natural process, as natural as breathing or your heartbeat . Nature seems to operate under two basic principles: divergence and convergence . When nature diverges, it generates thousands of unique combinations of plant and animal life . Then, through the process of natural selection, it converges and chooses for survival the most adaptable species.

To be more creative, we can take a lesson from nature . When working to solve a problem or capitalize on an opportunity, first, diverge . Stretch your thinking and generate many options . Only after that should you converge and select the best of those options to refine and put into action .
It’s not hard to remember: diverge, then converge . You might say that diverging and converging is, in fact, the heartbeat of the creative process.

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An excerpt from his recently featured Video Resources posted on YouTube

Part 2: What is Creativity?

WHAT IS CREATIVITY? (PART 2)

Some people like to distinguish between creativity and innovation . Some say that creativity is getting the idea, while innovation is doing something about it .
But one definition I like is very simple: Creativity is novelty that is useful. I like this definition because it expresses the tension that occurs when we talk about creativity . Most of us agree that a “creative” thing must be  new or unique or novel . But the solution also has to work . The solution has to solve a problem, even if it is solving a problem only for the creator of the idea . So one working definition for creativity is this: Novelty that is useful .5

'What is Creative Problem Solving?' recently featured on Dr. Firestien's YouTube channel