TY  - BOOK
AU  - Proctor, Tony
TI  - Creative problem solving for managers : developing skills for decision making and innovation
SN  - 0415551102
U1  - 658.403 
PY  - 2010///
CY  - London & New York
PB  - Routledge
N1  - CONTENTS List of figures  xi Preface to the third edition xv 1 CREATIVITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN BUSINESS  1 Introduction  1 Some definitions of creativity  2 Invention and creativity  3 Ideas and how they arise  5 The importance given to creativity in business  7 Conditions in which creative thinking is required most  12 Paradigm shift  14 Characteristics of creative thinking and creative thinkers  16 Questions  20 Cases  21 2 BLOCKS TO CREATIVITY  25 Introduction  25 The need to be ready for change  26 Problem solving  26 Mindset  29 Other barriers to an individual's creativity  31 Dealing with an individual's blocks to creativity  31 Diagnosing whether someone is blocked in their thinking  33 How techniques help to overcome blocks  33 Blocks to organizational creative thinking and ways of dealing with them 36 Elements and conditions of creative organizations  37 Impact of organizational culture and a climate for creativity38 Questions  38 Cases  39 3 THEORIES OF CREATIVITY AND THE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS 49 Introduction 49 Creative thinking 51 The investment theory of creativity 52 The brain as an information processor 53 Convergent and divergent thinking 57 The conditions of creative thinking 57 Problem solving 60 Theories of creative problem solving 61 The cognitive theory of creativity 64 How we get ideas: the index metaphor 66 Problem solving mechanisms 68 Analogical reasoning 69 The problem solving process 72 The problem solving process and the creative process 74 The creative problem solving process 75 Compositional and improvisations! creativity 76 Questions 77 Cases 78 4 OBJECTIVE FINDING, FACT FINDING AND PROBLEM FINDING/DEFINITION 81 Introduction 82 Objective finding 82 Fact finding and problem definition/redefinition 85 Dimensional analysis 86 Problem finding/definition 88 Redefinition approaches 90 Redefinition approaches: laddering 93 Redefinition approaches: goal orientation 94 Redefinition approaches: boundary examination 95 Redefinition approaches: progressive abstractions 96 Redefinition approaches: 'why' method 97 Analytical techniques: decomposable matrices 98 Analytical techniques: cause-and-effect diagrams 101 Questions  101 Cases 102 5 MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND RELATED TECHNIQUES 107 Introduction 107 Checklists 108 Attribute listing 111 Morphological analysis 113 Force-fitting triggers 117 Heuristic ideation technique 120 Component detailing 121 Sequence-attribute modification matrix  121 Questions 124 Cases 124 6 BRAINSTORMING AND ITS VARIANTS 128 Introduction 128 Classical brainstorming 128 The process of brainstorming 131 Wildest-idea variant 135 Stop-and-go brainstorming 135 Round-robin brainstorming 135 Gordon-Little variation 135 Trigger method 137 Problems with brainstorming 137 Brainwriting 137 Brainlining138 Questions 140 Cases 140 7 LATERAL THINKING AND ASSOCIATED METHODS 145 Introduction 145 Ot/em'ew 146 Awareness 147 Alternatives 152 Provocative methods 154 Metaphorical thinking 160 Analogy 161 The discontinuity principle 163 Six thinking hats 163 Questions  164 Cases 164 Notes 169 8 SYNECTICS 170 Introduction 170 Synectics 170 Conducting synectics sessions 175 Synectics in action 180 Questions 183 Cases 184 9 PARADIGM-BREAKING TECHNIQUES AND SOME MISCELLANEOUS IDEATION METHODS 189 Introduction 190 Vision building 190 Symbolic representation 191 Miscellaneous ideation techniques 196 Cliches, proverbs and maxims 196 Starboarding 198 Scenario writing 199 Scenario day-dreaming 201 Bionics 205 Two words 205 Free association 207 Story writing 208 Mind map 211 Lotus blossom technique 215 Fishbone diagram 216 TRIZ 217 Questions 218 Cases 220 10 EVALUATION 224 Introduction 225 Sorting 225 Evaluation methods 228 The process of choosing 234 Qualitative evaluation: reverse brainstorming 236 Financial/mathematical evaluations 238 Pay-off tables 238 Decision trees 239 Exercising choice 240 Questions 242 Cases 244 11 IMPLEMENTING IDEAS 253 Introduction 254 Ideas are nof readily implemented  254 Sources of resistance to change 256 Role of communication in overcoming resistance to change 257 Putting ideas into practice 258 Reducing resistance to change 261 Climate for change 267 Questions 268 Cases 269 12 COMPUTER-ASSISTED CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING 271 Introduction 271 History of development 272 Structured approach to creative problem solving in computer programs  273 Types of program 274 Group creative problem solving aids 280 Conventional software 281 Questions 283 Cases 283 Appendix 1: Case example of the creative problem solving process 285 Appendix 2: Notes on problems 294 Bibliography 311 Author index 323 Subject index 326
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