Gregg Fraley tells us that we don’t need to be artistic to be creative. I’ve always thought that you had to have something to be creative—maybe I’ve identified some of those things in Jack’s Notebook.
In school I always excelled at creative writing while a great many of my classmates suffered through every assignment. I could sit down and write 3-4 pages in a flash and never knew what to tell my friends was my “secret.” According to Fraley my secret was probably that I was comfortable with generating ideas, one idea generated another and another, and I felt comfortable in expressing these ideas and tossing out the ones that didn’t work. I can relate to the “lightness” Fraley refers to in the creative process, which might be the closest thing to feeling like you possess some secret or hidden knowledge. Starting out with a positive attitude instead of fear and dread can make all the difference in the world.
And now, after reading Jack’s Notebook, I see that Creative Problem Solving (CPS) actually is a method, and that this process can be used in many situations in life, not just in creative writing. It’s fabulous to know that I can use the creative process and CPS for things other than creative writing, press releases, advertising copy, and the like.
Fraley probably had a good time writing this “business novel.” He must have foreseen that his readers would be pleasantly surprised by the action, romance, and drama in Jack’s life that would give us a better understanding of CPS rather than just writing a business novel with a How-To format.
Surely every reader is eager to apply the CPS process to their own problems. Which ones? Which one first? is what I asked myself. I decided I would use the framework of CPS for challenges in my life.
I’m happy to say that one of my challenges is in doing something about gaining weight. I am already at the “action” phase of CPS. It may not sound like much, but I am energized by this process and have taken some steps towards exercising that I have only thought about for the past 3 years. Fraley has a blog on Tim Russert that also helped me get motivated in thinking, not just about my weight, but my health as well. Read it at: http://www.greggfraley.com/blog/?p=60
There are some challenges in my career as well, and I am anxious to start the CPS process to do something about them.
Fraley did us all a great service in Jack’s notebook by demonstrating that we can apply this method to career and professional issues, and in our private lives as well.
The Osborne/ Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process
-Thanks, Gregg Fraley, for posting the steps:
[http://www.greggfraley.com/CPSsteps.htm]
Identify your Goal, Wish or Challenge
Start here when you want to create, invent, solve, or improve something.
Generate statements of your goals, wishes or challenges. Diverge by thinking about quantity then Converge by thinking about quality.
Your outcome is a statement starting "I wish..." or "It would be great if..."
#2 Fact Finding
Gather Data about your goal
Start here when you want to explore the facts, feelings and data around the issue.
Give a brief history, Who is involved?, What has been happening?, When do I want...?, Where can this go?, Why is this a concern? and How do you own this? Diverge by thinking of everything you can then Converge by picking the critical elements.
Your outcome is a list of key data about your goal, wish or challenge.
Clarify the Problem
Start here when you want to pinpoint the right problem to solve.
Diverge - "How to...?" or "In what ways might...?" or "How might...?" , probe with "Why else?", "What else?"
Then Converge by picking a specific statement that identifies the problem you want to solve.
Your outcome is a well defined statement of the problem.
#4 Idea Finding
Generate Ideas
Start here when you need novel, useful ideas to solve your problem.
Diverge - Generate as many ideas that might solve the problem as time allows. What can you combine, substitute, modify, eliminate, rearrange, or what other ideas can you get from other objects worlds or situations.
Converge by picking the idea or ideas that will help the most.
Your outcome is an idea or group of ideas that are promising in solving the problem.
Select & Strengthen Solutions
Start here when you want to turn promising ideas into workable solutions.
What do you like about it? Diverge - Generate Criteria, "Will it...?" or "Does it...?" What are the pluses, potentials, concerns, and opportunities in these ideas?
Converge - Pick the solution that best fits the criteria.
Your outcome is a well-developed, detailed, and improved solution - "What I now see myself(us) doing is..."
Plan for Action
Start here when you want to implement a solution.
Diverge - Who might assist? Who needs to be convinced? What resources are available? How can we get acceptance and enthusiasm for your idea? then Converge - Select actions and form a specific plan.
Your outcome is a detailed plan for implementation of your solution which includes WHO will do it. WHAT they will do. WHEN they will do it. HOW will they do it, and reporting completion to WHOM.
