Part OneCreative thinkingThe creati

Part One
Creative thinking
The creative process
Obstacles which inhibit creativity
Developing creativity
Decision-making and the creative thinker
Key elements of creative thinking and
decision-making
Other useful approaches to creative
thinking and decision-making
Using creative thinking to evaluate
the options

The creative process
Creativity can be improved by remembering that the creative
process has four main stages and each needs to be properly
‘worked’:
1 Preparation: information gathering, analysis and
solution exploration.
2 Incubation: letting the mind work to continue the
process sub-consciously.
3 Illumination: inspiration – which can come when the
individual is not necessarily thinking about the
problem but is in a relaxed frame of mind.
4 Verification: testing ideas, solution, hunches, insights
for applicability.

Obstacles which inhibit creativity
1 Negativity in individuals and in teams: focusing on
the negative aspects of a problem as opposed to using
your energy to seek opportunities for a solution.
2 Fear of failure: a fear of appearing foolish in front of
colleagues.
3 Lack of quality thinking time and experiences to
draw from: being over-stressed can make it difficult
to think objectively and inhibits the natural thinking
process.
4 Over-conformance with rules and regulations, a
lack of freedom to develop: too many rules can
encourage mental laziness.
5 Making assumptions that are not necessarily true:
failing to identify the assumptions you are making will
inhibit the process of developing new ideas.
6 Applying too much logic and not listening to the
depth mind: too much logic excludes imagination,
intuition and synthesis from your thought process.
7 Thinking you are not creative: the biggest barrier of
all!

The non-creative person
These obstacles can be seen in the profile of the non-creative
person; someone who is:
• not able to think positively about problems (and does
not see them as opportunities)
• too busy or stressed to think objectively or at all
• very self-critical
• timid in putting forward a new idea (fearing ridicule)
• viewed as a conformist by friends/colleagues
• prone to apply logic as a first and last resort
• sceptical that many people are capable of being
creative
• unable to think laterally
• uninspired even when confronted with a new idea. On the other hand, creativity can be encouraged in people
(including oneself) by exploring some of the qualities and
characteristics of creative thinkers and the activities and steps
that can be undertaken to improve the processes involved.

Developing creativity
To be creative an individual should:
1 Think beyond the invisible frameworks that
surround problems and situations.
Think ‘outside of the box’. Be open to new observations
and thoughts, however ridiculous they may seem at first.
We tend to see what we expect to be there but if we
opened our minds beyond the ‘normal’ we would be more
observant, objective and creative in our thoughts.
Considering a new starting point and perspective when
looking for a solution can be very inspiring. Approaching
the problem from a different angle can encourage new
ideas. Creative thinking should be an adventure into the
unknown.
2 Recognise when assumptions are being made and
challenge them.
Never assume anything as you are making the supposition
that it is correct or true. Preconceptions are the ideas
you have before you gain actual knowledge. Assumptions
and preconceptions are often unwarranted and
misleading, and are great blockers to creative thinking.
Challenging assumptions can open up a whole new
creative process.
3 Spot blinkered thinking and widen the field of
vision (to draw on the experiences of other
individuals and businesses).
It is very easy to only ‘think within the box’ when you
are faced with a problem but if you widen your parameters
the answers may be closer than you think.
Technologies and practices in industries other than
your own may spark an idea, leading to a solution. Travel
can widen your horizons and your span of relevance and
open up all sorts of new avenues for thought.
4 Develop and adapt ideas from more than
one source.
As humans we cannot make something out of nothing,
our minds need something to work on, so we combine
ideas and elements which are already in existence, to
create new ideas and products. The creative mind can
see possibilities, bonds and connections between various
elements which others cannot see.