We will look at six major creative thinking principles in this chapter: 1. Separate idea generation from evaluation.
2. Test assumptions. 3. Avoid patterned thinking.
4. Create new perspectives. 5. Minimize negative thinking.
6. Take prudent risks.
1. Separate Idea Generation from Evaluation
If you don’t remember anything else, remember this: when you generate ideas, separate gen- eration from evaluation. This is the most important creative thinking principle. You’ll never
achieve your full creative potential until you apply this principle every time you generate ideas. The reason is simple: creative problem solving requires both divergent and conver-
gent thinking. Idea generation is divergent; you want to get as many ideas as possible. Idea evaluation is convergent—you want to narrow down the pool of ideas and select the
best ones. If you try to do both activities at once, you won’t do either one well.
Effective problem solvers have learned to separate these two activities; that is, first they generate ideas and then they evaluate them. Most “average” problem solvers use a
sequential approach instead: generate-evaluate–generate-evaluate-generate, and so forth. These problem solvers commingle generation and evaluation. They rarely move on to
think about another idea until they have analyzed the previous idea in all possible ways. The result is a limited number of overanalyzed ideas.
For many people, such mixing may seem natural. They may use this method fre- quently because it is what they have always done. There is one thing wrong with this sys-
tem, however: it is the worst way to generate ideas Commingling generation and evaluation usually yields few ideas. It also creates a negative climate not conducive to
creative thinking.
Before beginning any idea generation session—whether alone or in a group—remem- ber that the best way to get ideas is to defer judgment. Save the analysis and critical thinking
for later, after all possible ideas have been generated. Then and only then will it be time to evaluate the ideas.
2. Test Assumptions
Testing assumptions is probably the second most important creative thinking principle, because it is the basis for all creative perceptions. We see only
what we think we see. Whenever we look at something, we make assumptions about reality. Optical illusions, one form of creative per-
ception, depend on this phenomenon.
Most psychology students, for instance, are familiar with the pic- ture that combines an old woman and a young woman see Figure 2.1.
Which of the two women we see depends on how we look at the pic- ture. How we look at the picture depends on the assumptions we make
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about the stimulus elements in the picture that is, the lines and their relationship to one anoth-
er. If we assume one configuration of lines, we see the old woman; if we assume another config-
uration, we see the young woman.
This picture was brought to the attention of psychologists by Edwin G. Boring in 1930. Cre-
ated by cartoonist W.E. Hill, it originally was published in Puck, November 6, 1915, as “My
Wife and My Mother-in-Law.” It is a classic.
In one sense, optical illusions cause us to see one thing when something else may also be pre-
sent. In a similar manner, people often have dif- ferent responses when confronted with the
same stimulus. One person may look at a flower and feel happy because it reminds them of a
loving relationship; someone else, however, may look at the same flower and feel sad
because it reminds them of the recent death of a loved one. Both people in this example perceive
the flower, but they also “see” the qualities of either happiness or sadness. To know why we see these qualities, we must test assumptions.
The same principle holds true when using idea generation activities. They present stimuli that elicit certain responses. Our particular response will depend on the assump-
tions we make about a particular stimulus. The more stimuli we use, the greater the potential idea pool. When these stimuli and different individual reactions are used in a group, the
potential quantity and quality of ideas is increased. More stimuli and more people yield more assumptions, which in turn yield more ideas. More ideas give us more options and
more chances to resolve our problems.
Everyday Assumptions
We can’t be effective problem solvers unless we know how to test assumptions. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t very good at this. Every day we act before thinking through what we are
doing or the possible consequences. In fact, we make so many daily decisions that it is impossible to test all the potential assumptions.
For instance, the simple act of talking with someone else involves many assumptions. We must assume that the other person actually heard what we said and understood us,
that the person’s nonverbal reactions indicate what we think they indicate, and that we can figure out any hidden meanings or purposes.
Breakthrough Solutions
Another reason testing assumptions is important is that it can yield perceptual breakthroughs. Test- ing assumptions can help us shift perspectives and view problems in a new light. As the
philosopher Marcel Proust once said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeking with new eyes.” The result often is a breakthrough solution or, at
the least, a new problem definition. There is an old joke that illustrates this point nicely: Figure 2.1 Wife and Mother-in-Law.
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Two men were camping in the wilderness when they were awakened one morn- ing by a large bear rummaging through their food supply. The bear noticed the
men and started lumbering toward them.
The men still were in their sleeping bags and didn’t have time to put on their boots, so they picked up their boots and began running away from the bear. The
terrain was very rough, however, and they couldn’t make much progress. The bear was gaining on them.
Suddenly, one of the men sat down and began pulling on his boots. His friend couldn’t believe what he was seeing and said, “Are you nuts? Can’t you see that
the bear is almost here? Let’s go” The man on the ground continued putting on his boots. As he did this, he
looked up at the other man and said, “Well, Charlie, the way I look at it, I don’t have to outrun the bear—I only have to outrun you”
And so, another problem is resolved by testing assumptions. In this case, both men originally assumed the problem was how to outrun the bear. When one of the men tested
this assumption, a creative solution popped out. This single act provided that man with one critical extra option. His spontaneous creative thinking enabled him to gain an edge
over his “competitor.”
How to Test Assumptions
In most organizations, this may all sound familiar. Sometimes all it takes is one extra option to give us an edge over our competitors or to resolve a difficult-to-solve problem.
In addition to using the activities in this book, you can get that competitive edge or solve that problem by testing problem assumptions. Of course, you can’t test assumptions
about every problem. You can test assumptions, however, about problems of strategic importance or problems with potentially serious consequences. The lesson, then, is: be
selective.
So how do you test assumptions? Albert Einstein provides one answer: “The impor- tant thing is to never stop questioning.” Ask a lot of questions about whatever problem you’re
trying to resolve. The more questions you ask, the better you will understand your problems. One way to enhance the questioning process is to use the basic journalism “five w” questions
of who, what, where, when, and why. These questions can help us seek data more efficiently. For instance, you might ask the following questions: Who is the competition? Who are the
customers? What does our organization do? What is our mission? Where can we make improvements? Where can we get data about our competition? When should we enter a
new market? When are our customers most likely to buy our products? Why do people buy our products? Why do we want to enter a new market?
Ask lots of questions and you’ll understand your organization and its environment better. If you have a better understanding, you’ll get more creative insights on how to
improve it. It’s as simple as that.
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3. Avoid Patterned Thinking
