Fools & Experts on Creative Problem Solving Team

Why do you need both fools and experts on your creative problem solving team?
What are their strengths and roles that help you solve problems?

In this video George Torok explains the answers to those questions.





George Torok - Creativity Catalyst

Creative Facilitation

Creative Problem Solving training seminars

Recruit Both Fools and Experts to Your Creative Problem Solving Team

You need both fools and experts on your creative problem solving team. They bring different and essential strengths to your team.

But they are needed for different purposes. You will get the most from them if you understand their strengths and use them accordingly.


Fools on your creative problem solving team

Fools are good at asking questions

Fools help you discover options

Fools are best at stepping into new paradigms

Fools are fond of breaking rules

Fools are helpful in defining strategy

Fools are effective

Fools are best at divergent thinking

Fools help you zoom out to see the big picture



Experts on your creative problem solving team

Experts are best at answering questions

Experts help you focus

Experts are best at maintaining the status quo

Experts are fond of following procedures

Experts are dependable with tactics

Experts are efficient

Experts are best at convergent thinking
Experts help you zoom in on the details


When you form your creative problem solving teams, be sure to include both fools and experts. Both groups play critical parts in the creative problem solving process. It’s not about being right or wrong. It’s about finding and implementing the best solutions to the challenges you face.


George Torok

Creative Facilitator

Creative Problem Solving seminars

Creativity Consultant Threatens to Tell the Boss

This was a letter that I wrote to Lynne Everatt, columnist for the Globe & Mail. Her column described the antics of a Creativity Consultant who seemed to force people into following his orders.
------------------------------

I read your column, “How Far will we follow the consultant?” (Mar 24) with both amusement and concern.

I was amused at the antics that your groups were “encouraged” to perform in the pursuit of creativity.

I was amused and impressed by Norm – the one who defied the instructions of the consultant – because I have done the same. If consultants expect to challenge the group they must expect to be challenged. This creativity consultant should have found a more creative tool to encourage participation other than threatening to tell the boss.

But what concerns me the most is the perception of Creativity than might have been left with your letter-writer and the other participants in this program. As both a student and leader of creativity it is clear to me that several prime directives of creativity were ignored by Bart the creatively consultant.

Even though creativity is the science of breaking rules – there are rules – or at least guidelines for creativity. It is a science – more than an art. It is only art to the uninformed.

One of the first rules of creativity is to provide a risk-free environment. If you want people to be more creative you must make them feel safe. Employees in a corporate environment will not be creative if they are punished for their creative excess or not participating.

If you are told that your idea was too crazy (or stupid) – you will be inclined not to play again. All it takes is a glance or rolling of the eyes to kill a creative thinker.

One of the greatest threats to creative thinking in a group is the non-acceptance of the group. The group leader determines and guides how the group might react. If you want people to be more creative – don’t punish them. If you want people to be more creative – value every idea and opinion.

To encourage creativity in a group you must allow individuals to choose not to play at any point. They need the option of calling a time out. This is a simple technique that reduces stress by giving a sense of control to the participants.

Robert Alan Black, creativity guru, called this, “Gone fishing.” At any time in his creative session a participant could announce, “Gone fishing”. The rest of the group would understand and that individual felt safe and still part of the group. That individual would also be more inclined to jump in later with creative ideas as they hatched.

Let’s be real. If you are told to jump around the room and you don’t want to – you don’t have to. If you are told to hug everyone and you don’t want to – you don’t have to. Although there might be creative aspects or interpretations to these actions they are not the goal of creativity. And creativity is not the goal either. Creativity is a tool that can be sharpened to reach a goal. And when it comes to business creativity should be focused on the bottom line.


Bottom Lines of creativity

Creativity is not about jumping around the room.
Creativity is not about being goofy.
Creativity is a skill set that can be learned.
Creatively is about thinking differently.
Creativity must be nourished.
Creativity is most productive when focused on a desired outcome.
There is a time to be creative and a time to follow procedure.
Management must clarify which is which.
Most creative ideas fail. That is normal. That is okay.
All great change comes from creative ideas.


George Torok is a student, instructor and explorer of creative problem solving.


“The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.”
Albert Einstein

------------------------------
George Torok

Creativity Catalyst

Creative Problem Solving

Boundary Makers by Seth Godin

There is more than one way to be creative. Enjoy this perspective from Seth Godin. Where do you fit?

Boundary makers
by Seth Godin

Some artists continually seek to tear down boundaries, to find new powder, new territory, new worlds to explore. They're the ones that hop the fence to get to places no one has ever been.

Other artists understand that they need to see the edges of the box if they're going to create work that lasts. No fence, no art.

Can't do both at the same time.

My guess is that you're already one kind of person or the other. When people present you with an opportunity/problem, what's your first reaction? Some people immediately start looking for loopholes or weak boundaries. "You didn't say we couldn't do xxx". For these people, the best and most obvious solution is to completely demolish the problem and play by different rules.

Other people, some just as successful, take a hard look at the boundaries and create something that plays within, that follows the rules, but that is likely to win because of this.

In my experience, either can work, but only by someone willing to push harder than most in their push to be remarkable. Going with the flow is a euphemism for failing.
---------------

George Torok
Creativity Catalyst
Creative Facilitation

Mastermind Group Mistakes

Mastermind Group Mistakes

I was recently invited to become part of a mastermind group. It’s not the first time but this one was the quickest disaster. One meeting and it burst into pieces. There are several lessons in that disaster that you can learn from when forming your own mastermind group. We should learn from our own pain and especially from the pain of others.

Think and Grow Rich
I believe that a mastermind group can be very productive. I know that from others who have been members of long time productive mastermind groups. And I have taken part in groups that are variations of mastermind groups. The concept of mastermind groups was discussed by Napoleon Hill in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich.

My definition of a mastermind group is “a group of like minded people being brutally honest and supportive of each other to help each other grow”.

There is a lot in that statement. The most important part is the purpose – to help each other grow.

And that’s the first mistake. If you are not focused on how you will help the others you are a parasite. And the others will notice you sucking instead of offering. A vampire will quickly kill a mastermind group. And vampires are masters of disguise. They are good at seducing you and hiding their fangs until the blood bite.

That’s the first test. Is the group dedicated to helping each other or preying on each other? Watch out for the preying mantis that gently pressures you to do a deal with him.

Be Brutally Honest
Can you be both “Brutally honest and supportive”? Yes. Brutal means being direct in your questioning and answers to the group. Brutal means making the most effective use of time. Brutal does not mean being unkind. It would be unkind to lie. It would be unkind to waste time. It would be unkind to say what the group wants to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear. You are not part of a mastermind group to be a sycophant. That’s the role of your staff.

Brutally honest means pointing out the moose on the table that others are side stepping. Brutally honest means questioning suspicious sounding claims. Brutally honest means the openness to express questions, doubts and concerns to the group with the full participation of the group.

Brutally honest means separating issues from individuals. If I question what you said – that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you. Oh – I can respect you without liking you. Liking might take longer. If I was upset by what you said – that means that your words upset me. That doesn’t mean that I think less of you as an individual. I can be impressed by what you have done and disappointed by what you have just said. Can you deal with that?

What does “like minded people” mean? This is another important question in forming your Master Mind Group. You don’t need to be identical but you need to have enough in common to function as an effective group. And you need to have enough significant differences to add value to each other.


Important Questions
Perhaps this is a good way to start. Ask these questions of each other and note the commonalities and differences. Use a flip chart if it makes it easier.

What are your values?
What are your strengths?
What is your style?
What are your fears?
What are your goals?
What obstacles are you facing?
What are you proud of?
What can you offer the group?
What do you want from the group?

Then list the things you have in common and the unique things that each adds to the master mind group.

Deal or no deal
Then decide as a group if you have the synergy to continue or remove redundancies. Be brutal. Be honest and be productive.


George Torok
Radio Show Host of Buisiness in Motion
Canadian Business Speaker
Business Author & Writer

SCAMPER - creativity toolbox

SCAMPER - seven tools to being creative


SCAMPER is a creativity toolbox that you can use to generate more creative ideas on demand. Alex Osborne’s book, “Applied Imagination” emphasized the use of questions to spur ideas. Bob Eberle rearranged the questions to spell the word SCAMPER.

SCAMPER is an acronym for a series of questions to help you generate many ideas more quickly. Ask each question and force yourself to generate at least one answer for each of the elements in SCAMPER. When you are generating ideas remember that no idea is a bad idea. In the later stages of creative problem solving you will test, filter and strengthen the creative ideas. At this stage just generate ideas.

To instantly be more creative use the SCAMPER toolbox. Use SCAMPER to generate creative ideas for a new product or service. Use SCAMPER to generate ideas to change a process. Use SCAMPER to find solutions to a problem.
Here is how it works. For each element in SCAMPER ask the question, “What might I xxx?”

For example; the S in SCAMPER is for Substitute. So the question you ask is, “What might I substitute?”

The C in SCAMPER is for Combine. So the question you ask is, “What might I combine?”

Substitute:
Substitute one of the components for some other material. Substitute one of the steps in the process. Substitute a person on the team.

Combine:
Combine two or more concepts that do not normally go together. What can you combine that hasn’t normally been combined? Red and blue to make purple.

Adapt:
Adapt a product for a different use. Adapt a concept in a different way. Adapt your position in a changing market.

Modify - Minimize/Maximize:
How can you modify the product physically? Stretch, bend, fold or shrink it. Make it bigger. Make it smaller.

Put to another use:
If this dog won’t hunt, how can you use this dog in another way. Everything has more that one use.

Erase - eliminate:
Take out the parts that don't add value. Erase a step in the process. Eliminate some part of the product. What can you remove?

Reverse - rearrange:
Turn things around, upside down and backwards. Or maybe change your perspective.


That is the SCAMPER toolbox. Use it to generate creative ideas.

For more ideas on creative problem solving.


George Torok
Creative Problem Solving
Creative Facilitator


SCAMPER
What can you….?

Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Modify
Put to another use
Erase
Reverse

Creative Facilitation

Creative Facilitation

• Do you want to generate tons of creative ideas?
• Do you want to examine and develop your strategic plan?
• Do you want a creative facilitator to guide your group toward creative solutions

The Process of Creative Facilitation
A creative facilitator should move your team through the creative process. Are you designing a new program, promotion, product, or process? George Torok can work with your group as the impartial process expert to help steer your team over the obstacles and through the process to achieve your new creation. George Torok will lead your team through the creative process with probing questions and occasionally calling time-out when emotions flare. He’ll nudge when you need to be nudged and steer when you get off track. Depending on your situation this facilitation session usually takes at least a full day. It often takes a few days.


Some things you should know about creative facilitation.

• Nothing is sacred.
• Assume nothing.
• Your facilitator will state the rules.
• The rules might change.
• Your facilitator will ask you questions – tough questions.
• Your facilitator will listen to the group.
• Your facilitator might challenge the perspective of the group.
• Your facilitator will help cement where you are and where you are going.
• Your facilitator is there to help move the group in a best direction.
• Your facilitator might be like good medicine. Sometimes it will be good for you but it will taste awful.
• When the day is over – your facilitator leaves and you must act on what you agreed.
• You creative facilitator will point out possibilities, incongruities, lessons from other organizations, and the overlooked obvious.

George Torok

Creative Facilitator

Creative Problem Solving

Graduate of the the Creative Problem Solving Institute