24 - Creative Thinking Habits
A common step in the creativity cycle is exploring the connections between ideas. It is commonly referred to as a "practice" but the author wishes to discuss it in terms of a habit, as creative thinking isn't something that should be done only in unusual circumstances, but should be a regular practice.
Inspiration seems to happen in a split-second, but takes years of work and discipline to cultivate.
Creative Thinking Habits
The author looks at a few different methods for creative thinking.
Add, Subtract, and Replace
Much of creative thinking is based of combining old ideas in a new way, the simples approach to which is by adding, subtracting, or replacing ideas. The author suggests that a hamburger restaurant might discover new menu items by adding toppings (cheeseburger), subtracting items (serving the patty without the bun) or substituting them (using a chicken breast instead of a beef patty).
SCAMPER
Another list of techniques to generate new ideas uses the acronym "scamper," for:
- Substitute something - Consider whether we could substitute recycled materials for some of the components
- Combine with another thing - Consider how a pen might be combined with a ruler
- Adapt something to it - Consider how a cell phone might be used to control a thermostat
- Modify it - What would be the result of increasing or reducing the length of the handle
- Purpose-change - How could a dining table be adjusted to make it into a bench
- Eliminate something - Would it be possible to create a chair with no legs
- Reverse or rearrange it - What benefit would there be to moving the joint to the tip of a pair of scissors
Analogy
The author speaks of the way that scientific inventions or engineering techniques are often adapted from nature - a specific example being the invention of Velcro fasteners by a scientist who observed how burrs clung to his clothing, or the way that submarines mimic the natural air-bladders in fish to increase or decrease their buoyancy.
The author suggests that looking for analogies, whether in nature or in the way that someone in a different industry addressed a similar problem, can provide models for adaptation or at least "useful hints."
Brute Search
The "brute search" method attempts to try as many different combinations as possible to arrive at a proper solution. Consider the way that a chess player considers each possible move, and extrapolates several moves in advance to determine which move Is optimal. Another example is Edison's search for the perfect material for electric light bulb filaments, in which he tested 6,000 alloys before identifying one that would glow brightly enough without melting too quickly.
Brute search isn't haphazard, but systematic. That is, a brute search to crack four-number code would not attempt random numbers, but begin a 0000 and proceed to 9999 hitting every single number in-between (though, strictly speaking, the order in which the numbers are tried is not important, merely the fact that it tries them all).
Perspective Shift
In some instances, insight can be gained by taking multiple perspectives. Consider some ways to explore:
- Consider the positive and negative: what bad things might happen in pursuit of pursing a good outcome, what losses might be taken in attempting to profit
- Fact versus possibility: consider what is currently happening as opposed to what could or should be happening
- Stakeholder: What did the witness intend to say, how did the plaintiff interpret his remark, how did the defense, how did the judge, how did the jury?
- Discipline: consider the perspective of different academic disciplines: what might an economist think? A psychologist? A politician?
- Scope: particularly for social or political proposals, think of the impact a policy would have at different levels - the person, the family, the neighborhood, the community, the city, the nation, the world
- Reverse-order: in arguments of causation, trace the sequence of cause an effects from the end to the beginning, rather than the other way around
- Timescale: Consider how the effect of a decision might snowball over time, or whether there are differences in the outcomes in the short-term versus the long-term.
- Dissect questions: consider the simple question of why Adam assaulted Brad with a stick in the library on Tuesday. Why was it Adam? Why was it Brad? Why did he use a stick? Why was it at the library? Why was it on Tuesday? What would be the effect of any of those factors being changed to something else?
- Optimist/Pessimist: What would a person inclined to expect the best think, as different to someone who expects the worse?
Change in perspective can often be valuable to remove or mitigate bias in interpreting issues in which we are personally involved. The maxim of "do unto others" asks us to consider a second viewpoint rather than out own.
Group Creativity
We generally think of creative people as lone geniuses who sequester themselves in search on inspiration - but in truth, many of the most creative people are energized by discussing ideas and working collaboratively with others.
Especially in the present environment, people are placed into teams, which include people with different areas of specialized knowledge, and who are expected to work together to identify and develop ideas.
"Brainstorming" is a method for generating ideas that began in the advertising industry in the 1950s, and has become a common practice in organizations. In a typical brainstorming session, participants are supposed to come up with as many ideas as possible, including farfetched ones, in a relaxed and uninhibited atmosphere. The goal is to come up with as many ideas, so they may late be considered.
However, the effectiveness o the technique is not undisputable. Some researchers argue that people working in isolation achieve better performance than working together. Even those who extol the process admit certain limitations, but suggest amending rather than abandoning the process:
- Production Blocking - Only one person can speak at a time, so others who have ideas forget them before they have a turn to speak
- Personality Conflict - Extraverted people will dominate a social conversation
- Retribution - Even assured of being assure that there will be no negative consequences for what is said in a brainstorming session, people are aware that there will.
- Politics - People will express ideas that they think will "fit" with the perspectives of others they wish to impress of ingratiate themselves
- First Mover - When people hear an idea that makes sense, they tend to fix on it and fail to think about other alternatives
- Groupthink - People will often seek to establish consensus, which is important in the execution phase, but squelches the flow of differentiating ideas
- Cliquishness - A group often contains a central core of people who form a clique and encourage conformity
- Constriction - Brainstorming in a group requires all members to follow the same creative process rather than doing what is most productive for themselves
The author suggests there is "empirical research" that unstructured brainstorming is unlikely to enhance creativity, and is likely most suitable when dealing with problems that require different people to pool their knowledge.
Even then, a better approach is to arrange brainstorming activities to make the thinking process more effective - conducting individual brainstorming and then sharing ideas afterward is a method of separating the process of generating and evaluating ideas.
A few random tips on brainstorming:
- An impartial group leader should be engaged to promote discussion and avoid biases
- There should be at least one contrarian to challenge established assumptions
- Outside expertise should be involved
- Limit the size of groups, or consider breaking a larger group into smaller teams whose ideas can be consolidated.
Creativity and Self-Management
The author refers to Ellis Torrance, a psychologist famous for his work on creativity and the developer of a test that is widely used to evaluate creativity in children. Torrance coined the term "Beyonder" to describe people who tend to be unusually creative. The possess intelligence - but also persistence, tolerance, comfort with being contrary, and having a sense of purpose.
In terms of professions, being creative is one of the most significant differentiators among those who have had successful careers. Conformists thrive in low-level positions where they are able to follow procedures, but have difficulty proceeding where there is no path to follow. Those in leadership positions must defy conventional wisdom and blaze their own trail - though to rise to a rank where creativity is valued, they must suffer through many years in positions where conformity is valued and creativity is discouraged.
In closing, the author presents Torrance's manifesto for creativity:
- Don't be afraid to fall in love with something and pursue it with intensity.
- Know, understand, take pride in, practice, develop, exploit, and enjoy your greatest strengths.
- Learn to free yourself from the expectations of others and to walk away from the games they impose on you. Free yourself to play your own game.
- Find a great teacher or mentor who will help you.
- Don't waste energy trying to be well rounded.
- Do what you love and can do well.
- Learn the skills of interdependence.