Creativity And Problem Solving Skills

Dear Friends
I shall request you to kindly share your valuable perspectives on the following:
If a Training Workshop is to be arranged on "Creativity and Problem Solving Skills", what should be its contents ?
The participants would range from junior to middle management level.
It is desired that the fundamental theme should be to address the routine repetitiveness that creeps into our way of managing tasks thus leading to boredom and demotivation.
Your help in this regard would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks
Dr. Ashish Johri

Dear Ashish,
Kindly go through the document at http://www.rudyct.com/sm_cps_txt/Pro...orManagers.pdf and see if you get any useful tips.

Dear Mr. Simhan
Please accept my deepest gratitude for your response.
The link indeed was very helpful and gave structure to my thoughts.
Thanks a lot
Regards
Dr. Ashish Johri

Hi Ashish,
Creativity and innovation requires fundamental changes in belief-attitude-behaviour cycle - both at individual and team level. To be effective, it requires much more than awareness creation / skill development. For the groups I work with, I use following 5 step approach.
Step 1: Create awareness (1 day training)
Step 2: Tools and techniques ( 1 day training)
Step 3: Practice it (bi-weekly coaching sessions)
Step 4: Advanced tools and techniques (1 day training)
Step 5: Master it (bi-weekly coaching)
I got good results with the programs spread over 6 to 9 months. If you like to discuss further, you can contact me at [Login to view]
There is always a better way. Training is enabler to find, practice and master it!
Thanks
-Shri

Here is the content we facilitate for the above program.... Good luck!
Arshi
CONTENT
• Recognizing and defining problems
• Using appropriate strategies in order to develop solutions
• The problem solving cycle
• Whose problem?
• Accepting problems
• Working in a group to decide
• Blocks to decision making
• Evaluating solutions in order to select the best available option
• People problems
• Getting solutions accepted by others
• Analysing decision making style
• Creativity in problem solving
• Our approach to problems and decisions
• Management problems
• The role of communication in problem solving
• Creating an action plan to be used as a guide for decision making in the future
• Models of problem solving and decision making, including force field analysis, pro and con method, five whys, and others

Dr. Ashish Johri

There is no doubt about we all being unique personalities, hence the way we solve problems and demonstrate our maturity levels differs. Every human being is blessed with some skills. Please try to understand your auidence/trainees attitude, behaviour, habits, communication style including their superior's attitude/behaviour. One's CREATIVITY & PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS is proportional to the CULTURE in which he lived and THE PEOPLE he is involved with.

As a case study, try to present few practical experiences of your life associated with CREATIVITY & PROBLEM SOLVING. How successful you were in demonstrating CREATIVITY in everything you did and SOLVING PROBLEMS in your PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL LIFE. Ask your audience/trainees to share similar experiences and understand their success ratio.

I don't recomend your workshop to look or feel like ONE DAY COURSE. Nothing will work out at the end of day because none of us are habitual of following/implementing SUGGESTED STRATEGIES in our lives nor they work if we strictly adhere to it beause of prevailing situation and circumstances.

As a coach, you are required to intereact and listen to their experiences. Present as many case studies as you can and allow them to encounter it, individually. Once they are done, ask them to exchange their sheets. This will help your trainees to explore themselves and also they will come to know others perception level.

As such, nothing is pre-defined in this world. Everything we do is purely proportional to SITUATION and prevailing CIRCUMSTANCES, hence we need to RESPOND OR REACT based on SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCES. If you associate this with CREATIVITY & PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS, you will come to know as how HUMAN BEINGS RESPOND OR REACT TO PARTICULAR SITUATION OR PREVAILING CIRCUMSTANCES. At times, we humans are also habitual of getting carried away with others activities/actions as we beleive in them when nothing comes to our mind, hence our think style is locked with their actions/activities.

Last but not the least. Anyone with NEGATIVE ATTITUDE cannot foster CREATIVITY nor he can solve PROBLEMS. We must keep learning something new in our life to support CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS.

Kindly google and try to dowload these books. If possible, please share a copy with your trainees.

1) 30 MINUTES TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM by MICHAEL STEVENS

2) 101 ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING by ARTHUR VANGUNDY, P h .D.

With profound regards