Friday

Enhancement of creativity

Two approaches
Person-oriented
Creativity training mental gymnastics

Problem-oriented
Problem solving techniques Procedures

Creativity training (Ncka, 1989-2004)

Assumptions
Creativity is a trait (but not absolutely stable) Everybody is creative (to some extent)
Fluid creativity Crystallized creativity

What is being trained?

Interpersonal skills Cognitive skills Motivations Coping with obstacles

Interpersonal skills
Cooperation Listening Criticizing

Cooperation & listening

50% Paraphrasing

Creative criticism
I like this idea, because
1............. 2............. 3.............

But what could be done so that ...

.............................

Cognitive skills
Associations Conceptual manipulations Analogies Deductive reasoning Metaphors Transformations

Motivations
Curiosity Intrinsic motivation Need for improvement Personal identification

Coping with obstacles

Knowing ones own obstacles Learning how other people deal with them Exercises in safe, artificial settings

Controlled adventure (Szmidt, 1995-)

Training for teachers
Developing their own skills Making them sensitive to childrens creativity

Textbooks of creativity
Creativity classes Implementation on biology, physics etc.

Edward de Bono
Lateral thinking
Unconventional Free of mental obstacles

Thinking styles
People differ in styles Particular situations, problems, or phases need particular styles

Six thinking hats

White
facts

Black
criticism

Yellow
optimism

Six thinking hats (2)

Red
emotion

Green
productivity

Blue
control

Brainstorming
Basic assumptions:
productivity and critical thinking both are indispensable but they are in conflict particularly if performed simultaneously

The deferred judgment principle

Brainstorming session
Green light phase
productivity freewheeling

Red light phase

improvement and elaboration criticism

Brainstorming green phase rules

The more ideas the better Quantity breeds quality Continuations are welcome

Brainstorming - variations
Individual form
First ideation, then evaluation

Two groups
One for ideation, second for evaluation Changing the roles

Written brainstorming
Slips of paper, three ideas Slips are passed to neighbors Everybody reads and adds three new ideas, then passes the slip of paper Everybody reads and introduces new elements, then passes the slip of paper Everybody reads and chooses the best idea

Group as a medium of creativity

Advantages
Brute force Diversity Inspiration

Disadvantages
Groupthink Tensions Waste of time

The group mind model

Conditions
Psychological safety Leadership Homogeneity/Heterogeneity

Symptoms
Productivity Condensation Diffusion of responsibility

Group composition
Leader
Animator, facilitator

Expert
Resident expert, external expert

Informal roles
Producer Supporter Advocatus diaboli Advocatus angeli

Does brainstorming work?

Comparison of
Real groups with individuals Real groups with nominal groups

The criterion
Real tasks

The answer
Yes, but not with any problem

What kind of problem is good?

Open-ended
Advertisement Product improvement Exploration of new possibilities

Domain
Not specific

Classification of problems
Explain Discover Invent Specify consequences

Synectics
Making the strange familiar
Understanding of the problem

Making the familiar strange

Manipulation with the problem

How can we do that?

Direct analogy
Parliament is an asylum

Symbolic analogy
Metaphorical grasp

Fantasy analogy
I wish this problem solve itself

Personal analogy
How do I feel as ... (a wheelchair, a cellular phone)

These analogies are:

Constructive
Neither forced, nor spontaneous

Elaborate
Complex, time-consuming

Often creative as such

imaginative, paradoxical

Mental excursion
Forget the original problem Think about an analogical one

Solve the analogical problem

Transfer the ideas Evaluate

Transfer
Spontaneous, sudden insight Force fit Get fired technique

Morphological analysis
Combinatorical approach Systematic investigation
Every possible combination

Systematic evaluation
One by one

Toy factory
Material Target Function

Morphological results
Already existing
Wooden toy, for preschool children, developing their motor functions

Nonsense
Made of glass, for infants, developing their reasoning ability

Interesting for further investigation

Made of glass, for schoolchildren, developing their interests in optics

Does it work at all?

It is widely used (and paid for...) So, maybe it does Brainstorming is popular because the industry thinks it works