Dimensional Modeling

Experience in Solving a Problem

Summary overview of my experience in creative problem solving

Creative problem solving is an important tool in any organization for keeping good working relations in the workplace. It involves all the parties concerned with the problem hence encouraging different forms of creating thinking like group solutions, and brainstorming among others[footnoteRef:1]. In the past, I have been involved in numerous situations that required creative problem-solving. I realized that creative problem solving plays a crucial role in the process of making sure employees are able to address the issues they face as they discharge their work obligations. In such situations, I could engage all the employees and ensure they all participate in the process of coming up with the best solution. This could entail employees having representatives because all employees could not be engaged. The representatives would give their opinions concerning the best way to address the problem. I remember one day we had issues with increased costs of operating and the organization had to come up with strategies that could help in enhancing efficiency. All the staff members in my department were engaged to suggest their solutions to the problem. This is the time I realized the power of working in groups when addressing a problem affecting all the employees. In the decision-making process, giving the parties involved the chance to give their opinions concerning the problem makes others gain some more insights concerning the issue at hand. Engagement in problem-solving provides the opportunity for the members affected by the problem to share on the best strategies that can be embraced to address the issue. The different solutions can be analyzed and evaluated with the aim of settling on the best solution that is innovative and creative. [1: Proctor, Tony. Creative problem solving for managers: developing skills for decision making and innovation. Routledge, 2014.]

I consider creative problem solving to be an important way of helping the decision makers to think outside the box. This entails thinking outside confines of what is acceptable to obtain the best solution for the problem. Being innovative in analyzing and evaluating possible solutions leads to the most creative solutions[footnoteRef:2]. For example, horizontal and vertical thinking are major modes of thinking that can help one to think outside the box. As a result, the best ideas can be provided to assist in the process of solving a problem in a creative manner. It takes courage for people to step out in new continuous innovations aimed at developing the best solutions. For example, in the workplace, we could encounter many situations that needed creative problem-solving in order to stay competitive in the market. This mostly involved the products and services offered to the customers as we were looking for the best ways that the customers could be satisfied and become loyal clients. All departments could be engaged and encouraged to give their views concerning the best practices that can attract many customers. The organizations made sure that it remained creative in the ways it addressed many of the issues affecting the quality of the products and services. This made me realize the role played by being innovative and creative in the process of making important decisions. Creative problem solving helped our organization remain very competitive in the market by coming up with very innovative products and services. [2: Proctor, Tony. Creative problem solving for managers: developing skills for decision making and innovation. Routledge, 2014.]

Communication skills, the ability to be innovative, leadership skills, creative thinking skills, and decision-making skills are among best skills that are considered necessary in creative problem-solving[footnoteRef:3]. For example, in the organization, I work the management has the responsibility of making sure that the problem is communicated to the employees. The employees need to understand the problem experienced in the organization and suggestions about the possible solutions be provided. The employees can also seek clarity concerning the problem and benefits of the different solutions suggested. As a result, the management can easily get views of the employees concerning the best way to address the problem after they have understood the entire issue. The failure to ensure proper communication, the management can face resistance from the employees as they try to implement the necessary solutions. Most of the employee resistance can be attributed to poor communication as they fail to have the necessary information concerning what needs to be addressed. Leadership skills play an important role in creative problem-solving. This is because it is through good leadership that employees can be engaged in the problem-solving process. For example, a transformational leader is known for ensuring that views of all the employees are considered in the process of addressing a specific problem.[footnoteRef:4] Creative problem solving require innovative ideas that can be obtained by collecting views of the different parties involved. The stakeholders involved in a problem cannot be engaged unless there is good leadership in the organization. Decision-making skills are necessary for creative problem solving because there is usually the need to evaluate different decisions with the aim of coming up with the most appropriate solution. [3: Chang, Ching Ming. Engineering management: Meeting the global challenges. CRC Press, 2016.] [4: Carmeli, Abraham, Roy Gelbard, and Roni Reiter‐Palmon. "Leadership, creative problem‐solving capacity, and creative performance: The importance of knowledge sharing." Human Resource Management 52, no. 1 (2013): 95-121. ]

There are critical tactics that need to be embraced in creative problem-solving. These tactics can include developing a positive attitude, suspending judgment of other people, self-confident, using checklists and self-assessment. A positive attitude helps in ensuring that there is respect for other people’s ideas. Being constructive and positive whenever thinking creatively helps in ensuring that the ideas shared are viable and can produce results[footnoteRef:5]. This makes sure that the members of the group involved in problem-solving are given the chance to give their opinions. Suspending judgment gives other people the opportunity to express themselves without being criticized. Creative problem solving requires the people involved to have open ideas. As a result, suspending judgment helps in giving the group members the assurance that their ideas cannot be ridiculed or ignored. Self-confidence is important in creative problem solving as it develops the self-assurance in personal abilities and judgment[footnoteRef:6]. Based on my past experiences with creative problem solving, I realized that self-confidence enables a person to give his or her ideas without fear. The creative solving problem has proved to be an important technique in addressing organizational issues. However, planning is considered crucial in the implementation process of problem-solving solutions in organizations. Adequate planning ensures proper understanding of problems that need to be solved and the best ways of developing creative solutions. Generally, my creative problem-solving experience has made me realize the need for organizations to embrace engagement in the process of developing creative solutions to their problems. However, a clear definition of the problem is necessary to ensure the people involved are in a position to understand the kind of solution needed. [5: Carmeli, Abraham, Roy Gelbard, and Roni Reiter‐Palmon. "Leadership, creative problem‐solving capacity, and creative performance: The importance of knowledge sharing." Human Resource Management 52, no. 1 (2013): 95-121. ] [6: Chang, Ching Ming. Engineering management: Meeting the global challenges. CRC Press, 2016.]

Bibliography

Carmeli, Abraham, Roy Gelbard, and Roni Reiter‐Palmon. "Leadership, creative problem‐solving capacity, and creative performance: The importance of knowledge sharing." Human Resource Management 52, no. 1 (2013): 95-121.

Chang, Ching Ming. Engineering management: Meeting the global challenges. CRC Press, 2016.

Proctor, Tony. Creative problem solving for managers: developing skills for decision making and innovation. Routledge, 2014.

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