WHAT IS CREATIVITY ?

Shukla, M, What is Creativity, Excellence in Supervision, 1989, Sept-Oct

 

How to keep up the production, even when one of the machines is under breakdown? What to do when some of the workers regularly come late? How to reduce wastage? How to speed up the operations? What to do when the required material is not available and so on.

These and such other problems are a part of the daily experience of any supervisor. In fact, solving problems is one of the primary functions of the supervisor's job. He is required to solve not only the routine day-to-day problems, but also such problems for which no readymade solutions exist. More often than not, he has to deal with problems which are new and unforeseen. That is why, the ability to think creatively is a crucial requirement of the supervisory skills.

Two Methods of Problem Solving

There are two ways in which a problem can be solved.

a. The Conventional Method

b. The Creative Method

The Conventional Method relies on standard techniques, procedures or simply one's habitual response for solving a problem. Given the problem, one applies a standard method or technique to arrive at a solution (See Fig. 1)

+-------------------------+

+--------+ ¦APPLICATION OF A STANDARD¦ +--------+

¦ PROBLEM¦---> ¦TECHNIQUE, PROCEDURE OR ¦---> ¦SOLUTION¦

+--------+ ¦HABITUAL RESPONSE ¦ +--------+

+-------------------------+

Fig. 1: The Conventional Method of Problem-solving

 

For example, if the problem is of late-coming among workers, the supervisor may use appropriate organizational rule or regulation to stop it. Or if, the problem relates to maintenance of machines, the supervisor may apply some standard industrial engineering technique. Often, routine problems do not even require much thinking and analysis, and the supervisor is able to solve them as a matter of habit.

The drawback of the Conventional Method is that it often proves to be inadequate for solving certain types of problems. This is so because the standard technique or procedure may have become obsolete for solving the particular problem. For example, one supervisor used sophisticated industrial engineering techniques to design a system for planning and controlling the production process. He found that he could never implement the system because while the system was based on a regular supply of electricity, there were erratic power break-downs effecting his production.

It is in such situations, where the problem is unforeseen, or sometimes even unclear, that one requires the Creative Method of problem-solving. Creativity relies on first exploring the problem, creating new understanding and generating new alternatives for solving the problem. And then, evaluating each of the alternative for its practicality and feasibility. Fig.2 represents this method diagrammatically:

 

/ \

/ A \

/ L \

/ T \

/ Exploring E Judging \

/ Redefining R Analysing \

PROBLEM Imagining etc. N Using Logic etc SOLUTION

\ Generating A Resting ideas /

\ Ideas T Evaluating /

\ I Ideas /

\ V /

\ E /

\ S /

 

Fig. 2: The Creative Method of Problem - Solving

 

To understand the creative problem-solving, one may consider an example. If the problem being tackled by the supervisor is that of latecoming, the conventional solutions would :

- sold the late-comers; or

- take action on late-comers; or

- counsel the late-comers; or

- put pressure on the latecomers to come on time, etc.

The creative approach, however, would involve exploring the nature of problem. One may find that latecoming is not because of indiscipline, but because of lack of adequate transport facility. None of the conventional solutions would help in solving the real problem.

 

Imaginative and Logical Thinking

One can see from Figure 2, that creative problem-solving method incorporates two distinct phases, which require two different kinds of thinking. The first phase requires the person to generate ideas and alternatives. This phase is characterised by following different kinds of mental activities.

* Imagining

* Visualizing

* Fantasizing

* Associating/Combining unconnected ideas

* Divergent Thinking

* Observations, perceptions

* Exploring, etc.

Such mental activities are essential for any creative effort. Their value is that they help the supervisor in viewing the problem in a fresh perspective, provide a new understanding, and create new ideas for solving the problem.

The second phase of the creative method is, by contrast, aimed at converging to one final solution. Correspondingly, it is characterised by mental activities which facilitate this convergence such as :

* Judging

* Being realistic

* Logic

* Convergent thinking

* Evaluating ideas

* Concentration

* Testing alternatives

* Concluding, etc

These mental activities are essential for arriving at a solution which is not only original but is also practical and feasible.

Creative Brain

One of the most significant findings in the field of Neuropsychology within the past few decades, has been the discovery that the two hemispheres of our brain - the thinking apparatus - do not think alike. Studies have show that while the left brain predominantly functions in a logical and rational manner, the right brain thinks in mostly imaginative and pictorial ways (see Table 1). These findings are significant for understanding creativity, because they imply that thinking creatively would require participation of the whole brain, both its left as well as right side.

One can understand the nature of thinking done by the two sides of the brain by considering the following two problems:

Problem 1 :

If a group of 50 workers, assemble 225 transistor- radios in one shift, what is the output per manshift?

Problem 2:

In how many different ways can empty soda-water bottle be used?

 

The first problem requires systematic calculations, following a logical course, and aims at obtaining one correct answer.

 

LEFT BRAIN	RIGHT BRAIN
Logical Thinks in step-by-step systematic manner Categorizes, classifies, defines, separates     Thinks through languages and mathematical symbols Rational Contributes to serious and concentrated thinking Is cautious, concerned with evaluating and arriving at the "correct" solution   Solution-minded Judgmental Thinks convergently	Imaginative Thinks in holistic, generalized manner   Combines information in unusual ways; Thinks through vague associations among concepts/ events Thinks by visualization, pictures and imageries Intuitive Contributes to humorous and playful thinking Is experimenting, and develops multi-faceted and vivid understanding of the problem Problem-minded Perceptive Thinks divergently

The solution of second problem, on the other hand, requires the person to think imaginatively, thinking by vague associations (e.g. "using bottle for drawing circles" because of its circular base), and often in an absurd humorous manner (e.g. "sending love-letters in it to your beloved who lives down the river"). The concern here is not with the correctness of the solution, but its novelty.

Unfortunately, most people tend to use their left brain more often than their right brain. That is, they tend to be over logical, much too objective, and quick to evaluate an idea. Very often a new idea is immediately discarded by such objections as "this wouldn't work", "it would be too costly","we tried it earlier", etc. What is also often true is that these objections frequently to float with the idea. In the process, naturally, people also fail to appreciate an idea and develop a deeper understanding about it. And this hampers their ability to think creatively.

Creativity is not merely a matter of skills and techniques, It is also an attitude of mind in responding to problems and ideas. In fact, even if one is well-versed in Creativity Techniques (e.g. Brainstorming Morphological Analysis, Forced Relationship, etc. which will be discussed in subsequent articles), without the right kind of mental attitude, the techniques will not produce results. The following are some of the important mental attitudes which are essential for thinking creatively: