The document discusses various techniques for creative and critical thinking as well as problem solving. It defines creative thinking as looking at problems from a fresh perspective to suggest unorthodox solutions. Critical thinking is described as the process of conceptualizing, analyzing, and evaluating information to guide beliefs and actions. Other techniques discussed include divergent and convergent thinking, brainstorming, the six thinking hats approach, parallel thinking, and perceptual thinking. Examples are provided for each technique and rules or guidelines for effective application. Overall, the document presents a comprehensive overview of different cognitive strategies for innovative and analytical problem solving.

1. Creative
Thinking &
Problem
Solving
Harpreet Kaur
04921201719, BBA
GEN

2. Cr e at i ve Th i nk i ng
Is a way of looking at problems or situations
from a fresh perspective that suggests
unorthodox solutions

3. Cr i t i cal Th i nk i ng
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of
actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying,
analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information
gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,
reflection, reasoning, or communication,
as a guide to belief and action.

4. Cr e at i ve vs . Cr i t i cal
• Generative
• Nonjudgmental
• Expansive.
When you are thinking
creatively, you are
generating lists of new
ideas.
• Analytical
• Judgmental
• Selective.
When you are thinking
critically, you are
making choices.

8. The goal of the puzzle is to link all 9 dots
using four straight lines or fewer, without
lifting the pen and without tracing the same
line more than once.

10. Ask Q ue s t i o n s
• The answer isn’t in the solution—it’s in the
questions. Smart questions define
problems well and lead to a clear vision of
the issues involved.

11. Stay i n g i n t h e Q ue s t i o n
• Productive thinking requires us not to
rush to answers but to hang back, to
keep asking new questions even when
the answers to the old ones seem so
clear, so obvious, so right.

12. Ask " Why " Fi v e Ti m e s
• Ask "Why" a problem is occurring and then ask "Why" four more times. For example...
– Why has the machine stopped? A fuse blew because of an overload
– Why was there an overload? There wasn't enough lubrication for the bearings
– Why wasn't there enough lubrication? The pump wasn't pumping enough
– Why wasn't lubricant being pumped? The pump shaft was vibrating as a result of abrasion
– Why was there abrasion? There was no filter, allowing chips of material into the pump
• Installation of a filter solves the problem.

13. Your Turn!
Sara is a vegetarian. She changed her
work. In new place She eat her meal
every day at work as same.
She lost 5kg in month!! But why?

14. Powe r ful que st io ns
• What seems to be the trouble?”
• What concerns you the most about ?”
• What is holding you back from ?”
• What seems to be your main obstacle to ?”

15. Di ver gent Th i nk i ng
• Divergent thinking is a thought process
or method used to generate creative ideas
by exploring many possible solutions

16. T H E B E S T WAY TO HAV E G O O D
I D EAS I S TO HAV E LO T S O F
I D EAS —AN D T H E N T H R O W
AWAY T H E BAD O N E S .
Linus Pauling

17. Example of Divergent Thinking
Giving a child a stack of blocks and asking them
to see how many shapes they can create with
those blocks.

18. DIVERGENT
THINKING RULES

19. • As many as possible (Quantity is more important than Quality)
• Flexibility: As many different kinds as possible
• Originality: As unique as possible
• Be spontaneous, playful, & childlike
• Defer judgment: Open-minded
• No criticism or praise
• Need constructive conflict
• Encourage piggybacking
• Encourage wild ideas
• No pressure
• Set Quota

20. Co nve r g ent t h i n k i n g
• Convergent thinking is the type of
thinking that focuses on coming up with
the single, well-established answer to a
problem.It is oriented toward deriving the
single best, or most often correct answer
to a question.

21. Example of Convergent thinking
Variety of tests such as mutiple choice
questions, quizzes, standardized tests, spelling
tests and similar other tests requires
convergent thinking because only one answer
can be 100% correct.

22. Wh at sh oul d we do?
• After the process of divergent thinking has
been completed, ideas and information are
organized and structured using convergent
thinking.

23. B r ai n Stor m in g
• brainstorming is not about reaching
results, It’s about generating many
ideas and it is an integral part of the
problem- solving process

24. RU LES FO R
BR AI NSTO R M I N G

25. Ther e ar e no dum b ide as .
• It is a brainstorming session, not a serious
matter that requires only serious solutions.
Remember, this is one of the more fun
tools of quality, so keep the entire team
involved!

26. Do not cr i t ic iz e ot her
people ’s ide a s.
• This is not a debate, discussion or forum
for one person to display superiority over
another.

27. Bui ld on ot h er pe o pl e ’s
ide a s.
• Often an idea suggested by one person can
trigger a bigger and/or better idea by another
person. Or a variation of an idea on the board
could be the next “Velcro” idea. It is this
building of ideas that leads to out of the box
thinking and fantastic ideas.

28. Re ver se th e th ough t of
q ua li t y ov er qu a nti t y.
• Here we want quantity; the more creative
ideas the better. As a facilitator, you can even
make it a challenge to come up with as many
ideas as possible and compare this team’s
performance to the last brainstorming session
you conducted.

30. Your Turn!
• a new restaurant wants to open – where you
can buy delicious fast food for vegetarians.
• Making a list for Menu (for Sara)
in 2 min

31. BRA IN STO R M I N G I S A
GO OD M ETH OD BUT
SOM E TI M E S YOU HAVE
SOM E PROBLEM S

32. Wh y, oh, wh y .. .
• How come no one realize what a genial idea I propose?
• How come my team does not except my great idea, even though I
am explaining it in most logical way and using every argument I can
think of?
• Is there any better way then argument?
• How could we avoid conflicts in a team?
• How to lead colleagues to use their capacity as much as possible?

33. Per c ept u al Th i n k i n g
• Perception is neglected
• We admire facts, logic and arguments
• Church – from dogma, fix position
• Analyze, evaluate, judge, critic, from own position
• We don’t creative value, we are not turn forward
• 90 % of thinking errors are errors of perception
• Self-confidence, self-esteem, new ideas

34. Par al l el Th i n k i n g
• Getting everyone focused on using the same thinking tool at
the same time
• Encourages the sharing of information
• Prompts a group to pool all of their ideas rather than
defending one point of view

36. Benef i ts of t h e
Six Th i nk ing Ha ts
• Separate out thinking so we can do one thing at a time
• Ask people to switch thinking from one mode to another
• Separate ego from performance
• Signal what thinking process to use next
• Expand from one-dimensional to full-colored thinking
• Explore subjects in parallel
• Allow specific time for creativity & emotion

37. Wh it e Ha t
I nf or m ation Available & Needed
• Neutral, objective information
• Facts & figures
• Questions: what do we know, what don’t we know, what do we
need to know
• Excludes opinions, hunches, judgments
• Removes feelings & impressions

38. f e e l t h i s i s a r i g h t d e c i s i o n
f o r e v e r y b o d y’s good.

39. Re d Ha t
Intuition and Feelings
• Emotions & feelings
• Hunches, intuitions, impressions
• Doesn’t have to be logical or consistent
• No justifications, reasons or basis
• All decisions are emotional in the end

40. You hav e t o be ca r fu l,
th er e ar e r i sk at tac hed

41. Bla ck Ha t
Caution, Dif f ic ult ies , and Problems
• Cautious and careful
• Logical negative – why it won’t work
• Critical judgment, pessimistic view
• Separates logical negative from emotional
• Focus on errors, evidence, conclusions
• Logical & truthful, but not necessarily fair

42. Le t s b e p o s i t i v e . . . W h a t e v e r
h a p p e n s , h a p p e n s f o r t h e
b e s t

43. Yel l ow Ha t
Benefits and F eas ibilit y
• Positive & speculative
• Positive thinking, optimism, opportunity
• Benefits
• Best-case scenarios
• Exploration

44. Le t s c r e a t e a s o l u t i o n f o r
m a k i n g c u r r e n t s i t u a t i o n
b e t t e r

45. Gr e en Ha t
A lt er nat iv es and Creative Ideas
• New ideas, concepts, perceptions
• Deliberate creation of new ideas
• Alternatives and more alternatives
• New approaches to problems
• Creative & lateral thinking

46. L e t s o r g a n i z e o u r t h o u g h t s
a n d f o c u s o n t h e b e s t o p t i o n

47. Op e n wi t h th e bl ue hat
• Why we are here
• what we are thinking about
• definition of the situation or problem
• what we want to achieve
• where we want to end up
• the background to the thinking
• a plan for the sequence of hats

48. Id ea E val ua ti on
Cost? Legal? Hasn't been tried?
New? Original? Possible? Ethical?
Can be modified? Acceptable? Appropriate?
Last longest? Time? Effective?
Solve fastest? Easy? Most beneficial?
Extra benefits? Necessary resources?
Can be sold? Creates more problems?

49. Id ea E val ua ti on
• Criteria
– Must be important for picking the best
– solution to the problem
– Must be worded in a positive way
– Most efficient, least expensive

50. C h o o s e t h e 5 C r i t e r i a t h a t w i l l
h e l p s e l e c t t h e b e s t s o l u t i o n

51. Your Turn!
Question: Give an example of a
situation in which you saw an
opportunity in a potential problem.
What did you do? What was the
outcome?
What is your best solution?

52. 15 Tips for being more c
reative

53. Go somewhere different. Different environments
give you a different state of mind.

54. G i v e y o u r s e l f a s o u n d t r a c k
– Research proves it works.
– Cows that listen to soothing music produce more
milk.
– The tempo of Baroque music is similar to the speed
of the brain
– waves that are associated with creative thinking.

55. If you’re putting pressure on yourself, a pint or
two might help you relax. Or maybe some coffee.
It’s worth a try.

56. Write down the problem
If you ask the right question, you’re half way to
solving the problem. Or maybe more

57. Keep r ew r i ti ng t h e p r o bl em
• Maybe you’re still asking
the wrong question.
• Rewriting it in a different
way may help you think
about it differently too.

58. Solve a sudoku instead
Do something that requires a lot of concentration.
It clears your mind and pushes the problem to
your more powerful back brain

59. What would Stephen Fry
do?
If you can’t solve the
problem as you, do it as
someone else. Imagine
you’re someone extra
smart and try to solve it as
them.

60. Deliberately come up with bad ideas
You may be setting your standards too high.
Deliberately lower them to get the ideas flowing.
You can raise them again later.

61. Go read some stuff
Maybe you don’t have enough information. Do
more. The answer may come from a small insight
hidden away

62. Have a nap
They say that dreams are your brain’s way of
sorting out data. Have a nap and let it go to work.

63. Map your thoughts
It’s a great way of seeing that you’re exploring
lots of areas.

64. Buy someone a drink
and talk to them. Get
their opinion.
Business advice for
under a fiver (with
Pork Scratching
thrown in)

65. Give up
Just for the moment. If it’s not working
right now, don’t push it. You’ll only push
yourself further into the rut.

66. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR
VALUABLE TIME AND ATTENTION.