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What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

• 01 Feb 2022

One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown. Business leaders can overcome this barrier by mobilizing creative team members and providing space to innovate.

There are several tools you can use to encourage creativity in the workplace. Creative problem-solving is one of them, which facilitates the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems.

Here’s an overview of creative problem-solving and why it’s important in business.

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What Is Creative Problem-Solving?

Research is necessary when solving a problem. But there are situations where a problem’s specific cause is difficult to pinpoint. This can occur when there’s not enough time to narrow down the problem’s source or there are differing opinions about its root cause.

In such cases, you can use creative problem-solving , which allows you to explore potential solutions regardless of whether a problem has been defined.

Creative problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes and encourages exploring open-ended solutions. It also focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity in the workplace . Its benefits include:

• Finding creative solutions to complex problems : User research can insufficiently illustrate a situation’s complexity. While other innovation processes rely on this information, creative problem-solving can yield solutions without it.
• Adapting to change : Business is constantly changing, and business leaders need to adapt. Creative problem-solving helps overcome unforeseen challenges and find solutions to unconventional problems.
• Fueling innovation and growth : In addition to solutions, creative problem-solving can spark innovative ideas that drive company growth. These ideas can lead to new product lines, services, or a modified operations structure that improves efficiency.

Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles :

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving uses two primary tools to find solutions: divergence and convergence. Divergence generates ideas in response to a problem, while convergence narrows them down to a shortlist. It balances these two practices and turns ideas into concrete solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

By framing problems as questions, you shift from focusing on obstacles to solutions. This provides the freedom to brainstorm potential ideas.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When brainstorming, it can be natural to reject or accept ideas right away. Yet, immediate judgments interfere with the idea generation process. Even ideas that seem implausible can turn into outstanding innovations upon further exploration and development.

4. Focus on "Yes, And" Instead of "No, But"

Using negative words like "no" discourages creative thinking. Instead, use positive language to build and maintain an environment that fosters the development of creative and innovative ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Whereas creative problem-solving facilitates developing innovative ideas through a less structured workflow, design thinking takes a far more organized approach.

Design thinking is a human-centered, solutions-based process that fosters the ideation and development of solutions. In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase framework to explain design thinking.

The four stages are:

• Clarify: The clarification stage allows you to empathize with the user and identify problems. Observations and insights are informed by thorough research. Findings are then reframed as problem statements or questions.
• Ideate: Ideation is the process of coming up with innovative ideas. The divergence of ideas involved with creative problem-solving is a major focus.
• Develop: In the development stage, ideas evolve into experiments and tests. Ideas converge and are explored through prototyping and open critique.
• Implement: Implementation involves continuing to test and experiment to refine the solution and encourage its adoption.

Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving Tools

While there are many useful tools in the creative problem-solving process, here are three you should know:

Creating a Problem Story

One way to innovate is by creating a story about a problem to understand how it affects users and what solutions best fit their needs. Here are the steps you need to take to use this tool properly.

1. Identify a UDP

Create a problem story to identify the undesired phenomena (UDP). For example, consider a company that produces printers that overheat. In this case, the UDP is "our printers overheat."

2. Move Forward in Time

To move forward in time, ask: “Why is this a problem?” For example, minor damage could be one result of the machines overheating. In more extreme cases, printers may catch fire. Don't be afraid to create multiple problem stories if you think of more than one UDP.

3. Move Backward in Time

To move backward in time, ask: “What caused this UDP?” If you can't identify the root problem, think about what typically causes the UDP to occur. For the overheating printers, overuse could be a cause.

Following the three-step framework above helps illustrate a clear problem story:

• The printer is overused.
• The printer overheats.
• The printer breaks down.

You can extend the problem story in either direction if you think of additional cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Break the Chains

By this point, you’ll have multiple UDP storylines. Take two that are similar and focus on breaking the chains connecting them. This can be accomplished through inversion or neutralization.

• Inversion: Inversion changes the relationship between two UDPs so the cause is the same but the effect is the opposite. For example, if the UDP is "the more X happens, the more likely Y is to happen," inversion changes the equation to "the more X happens, the less likely Y is to happen." Using the printer example, inversion would consider: "What if the more a printer is used, the less likely it’s going to overheat?" Innovation requires an open mind. Just because a solution initially seems unlikely doesn't mean it can't be pursued further or spark additional ideas.
• Neutralization: Neutralization completely eliminates the cause-and-effect relationship between X and Y. This changes the above equation to "the more or less X happens has no effect on Y." In the case of the printers, neutralization would rephrase the relationship to "the more or less a printer is used has no effect on whether it overheats."

Even if creating a problem story doesn't provide a solution, it can offer useful context to users’ problems and additional ideas to be explored. Given that divergence is one of the fundamental practices of creative problem-solving, it’s a good idea to incorporate it into each tool you use.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a tool that can be highly effective when guided by the iterative qualities of the design thinking process. It involves openly discussing and debating ideas and topics in a group setting. This facilitates idea generation and exploration as different team members consider the same concept from multiple perspectives.

Hosting brainstorming sessions can result in problems, such as groupthink or social loafing. To combat this, leverage a three-step brainstorming method involving divergence and convergence :

• Have each group member come up with as many ideas as possible and write them down to ensure the brainstorming session is productive.
• Continue the divergence of ideas by collectively sharing and exploring each idea as a group. The goal is to create a setting where new ideas are inspired by open discussion.
• Begin the convergence of ideas by narrowing them down to a few explorable options. There’s no "right number of ideas." Don't be afraid to consider exploring all of them, as long as you have the resources to do so.

Alternate Worlds

The alternate worlds tool is an empathetic approach to creative problem-solving. It encourages you to consider how someone in another world would approach your situation.

For example, if you’re concerned that the printers you produce overheat and catch fire, consider how a different industry would approach the problem. How would an automotive expert solve it? How would a firefighter?

Be creative as you consider and research alternate worlds. The purpose is not to nail down a solution right away but to continue the ideation process through diverging and exploring ideas.

Continue Developing Your Skills

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader, learning the ropes of design thinking can be an effective way to build your skills and foster creativity and innovation in any setting.

If you're ready to develop your design thinking and creative problem-solving skills, explore Design Thinking and Innovation , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

About the Author

What is creative problem-solving?

Table of Contents

An introduction to creative problem-solving.

Creative problem-solving is an essential skill that goes beyond basic brainstorming . It entails a holistic approach to challenges, melding logical processes with imaginative techniques to conceive innovative solutions. As our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, the ability to think creatively and solve problems with fresh perspectives becomes invaluable for individuals, businesses, and communities alike.

Importance of divergent and convergent thinking

At the heart of creative problem-solving lies the balance between divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking encourages free-flowing, unrestricted ideation, leading to a plethora of potential solutions. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is about narrowing down those options to find the most viable solution. This dual approach ensures both breadth and depth in the problem-solving process.

Emphasis on collaboration and diverse perspectives

No single perspective has a monopoly on insight. Collaborating with individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise offers a richer tapestry of ideas. Embracing diverse perspectives not only broadens the pool of solutions but also ensures more holistic and well-rounded outcomes.

Nurturing a risk-taking and experimental mindset

The fear of failure can be the most significant barrier to any undertaking. It's essential to foster an environment where risk-taking and experimentation are celebrated. This involves viewing failures not as setbacks but as invaluable learning experiences that pave the way for eventual success.

The role of intuition and lateral thinking

Sometimes, the path to a solution is not linear. Lateral thinking and intuition allow for making connections between seemingly unrelated elements. These 'eureka' moments often lead to breakthrough solutions that conventional methods might overlook.

Stages of the creative problem-solving process

The creative problem-solving process is typically broken down into several stages. Each stage plays a crucial role in understanding, addressing, and resolving challenges in innovative ways.

Clarifying: Understanding the real problem or challenge

Before diving into solutions, one must first understand the problem at its core. This involves asking probing questions, gathering data, and viewing the challenge from various angles. A clear comprehension of the problem ensures that effort and resources are channeled correctly.

Ideating: Generating diverse and multiple solutions

Once the problem is clarified, the focus shifts to generating as many solutions as possible. This stage champions quantity over quality, as the aim is to explore the breadth of possibilities without immediately passing judgment.

Developing: Refining and honing promising solutions

With a list of potential solutions in hand, it's time to refine and develop the most promising ones. This involves evaluating each idea's feasibility, potential impact, and any associated risks, then enhancing or combining solutions to maximize effectiveness.

Implementing: Acting on the best solutions

Once a solution has been honed, it's time to put it into action. This involves planning, allocating resources, and monitoring the results to ensure the solution is effectively addressing the problem.

Techniques for creative problem-solving

Solving complex problems in a fresh way can be a daunting task to start on. Here are a few techniques that can help kickstart the process:

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a widely-used technique that involves generating as many ideas as possible within a set timeframe. Variants like brainwriting (where ideas are written down rather than spoken) and reverse brainstorming (thinking of ways to cause the problem) can offer fresh perspectives and ensure broader participation.

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a visual tool that helps structure information, making connections between disparate pieces of data. It is particularly useful in organizing thoughts, visualizing relationships, and ensuring a comprehensive approach to a problem.

SCAMPER technique

SCAMPER stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. This technique prompts individuals to look at existing products, services, or processes in new ways, leading to innovative solutions.

Benefits of creative problem-solving

Creative problem-solving offers numerous benefits, both at the individual and organizational levels. Some of the most prominent advantages include:

Finding novel solutions to old problems

Traditional problems that have resisted conventional solutions often succumb to creative approaches. By looking at challenges from fresh angles and blending different techniques, we can unlock novel solutions previously deemed impossible.

Enhanced adaptability in changing environments

In our rapidly evolving world, the ability to adapt is critical. Creative problem-solving equips individuals and organizations with the agility to pivot and adapt to changing circumstances, ensuring resilience and longevity.

Building collaborative and innovative teams

Teams that embrace creative problem-solving tend to be more collaborative and innovative. They value diversity of thought, are open to experimentation, and are more likely to challenge the status quo, leading to groundbreaking results.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement

Creative problem-solving is not just about finding solutions; it's also about continuous learning and improvement. By encouraging an environment of curiosity and exploration, organizations can ensure that they are always at the cutting edge, ready to tackle future challenges head-on.

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4.2 Creative Problem-Solving Process

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the five steps in the creative problem-solving process
• Identify and describe common creative problem-solving tools

Creativity can be an important trait of an entrepreneur. Here, we will look in more depth at creativity’s role in problem solving. Let’s first formally define creativity as the development of original ideas to solve an issue. The intent of being an entrepreneur is to break away from practical norms and use imagination to embrace quick and effective solutions to an existing problem, usually outside the corporate environment.

The Steps of the Creative Problem-Solving Process

Training oneself to think like an entrepreneur means learning the steps to evaluating a challenge: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate.

Step 1: Clarify

To clarify is the critical step of recognizing the existence of a gap between the current state and a desired state. This can also be thought of as having need awareness, which occurs when the entrepreneur notes a gap between societal or customer needs and actual circumstances. Clarifying the problem by speaking with clients and developing a detailed description of the problem brings the specifics of a problem to light. Failure to identify the specifics of a problem leaves the entrepreneur with the impossible task of solving a ghost problem, a problem that is fully unknown or unseen. To establish and maintain credibility, an entrepreneur must clarify the problem by focusing on solving the problem itself, rather than solving a symptom of the problem.

For example, a farm could have polluted water, but it would not be enough to solve the problem only on that farm. Clarifying would involve identifying the source of the pollution to adequately tackle the problem. After gaining an understanding of a problem, the entrepreneur should begin to formulate plans for eliminating the gap. A fishbone diagram, as shown in Figure 4.10, is a tool that can be used to identify the causes of such a problem.

In the case of our water pollution example, a fishbone diagram exploring the issue might reveal the items shown in Figure 4.11.

Step 2: Ideate

To ideate is the step of the creative problem-solving process that involves generating and detailing ideas by the entrepreneur. After collecting all information relevant to the problem, the entrepreneur lists as many causes of the problem as possible. This is the step in which the largest variety of ideas are put forth. Each idea must be evaluated for feasibility and cost as a solution to the problem. If a farm does not have clean water, for example, the entrepreneur must list causes of toxic water and eliminate as many of those causes as possible. The entrepreneur must then move forward investigating solutions to bring the water back to a safe state. If, say, nearby livestock are polluting the water, the livestock should be isolated from the water source.

Step 3: Develop

To develop is the step in which the entrepreneur takes the list of ideas generated and tests each solution for feasibility. The entrepreneur must consider the cost of each idea and the obstacles to implementation. In the preceding example, adding a chemical to the water may not be a feasible solution to the farmer. Not every farmer wants additional chloride or fluoride added to the water due to the effect on both humans and livestock. These tradeoffs should be addressed in the feasibility assessment. The farmer might prefer a filtration system, but the cost of that solution might not be practicable. The entrepreneur should identify and assess alternative solutions to find one that is most cost-effective and feasible to the customer.

Step 4: Implement

To implement is the step in which the solution to the problem is tested and evaluated. The entrepreneur walks through the planned implementation with the client and tests each part of the solution, if a service, or thoroughly tests a developed good. The entrepreneur implements the solution and goes through a structured system of follow-up to ensure the solution remains effective and viable. In the water example, the solution would be reducing runoff from toxic insecticides by adding prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams.

Step 5: Evaluate

To evaluate is the step in which the final solution is assessed. This is a very important step that entrepreneurs often overlook. Any fallacy in the implementation of the product or service is reassessed, and new solutions are implemented. A continual testing process may be needed to find the final solution. The prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams chosen in the farming water example should then be analyzed and tested to ensure the chosen solution changed the content of the water.

Are You Ready?

Implementing Creative Problem Solving

Removing waste is a problem, and it can also present an entrepreneurial opportunity. Try to examine ways in which waste products that you usually pay to have hauled away can now generate revenue. Whether it’s recycling aluminum cans or cardboard, or garbage that could be used to feed animals, your task is to come up with solutions to this entrepreneurial-oriented problem.

Try following the first step of the creative problem-solving process and clearly identify the problem.

• Next, gather data and formulate the challenge.
• Then, explore ideas and come up with solutions.
• Develop a plan of action.
• Finally, note how you would evaluate the effectiveness of your solution.
• Using Creativity to Solve Problems

Entrepreneurs are faced with solving many problems as they develop their ideas for filling gaps, whether those opportunities involve establishing a new company or starting a new enterprise within an existing company. Some of these problems include staffing, hiring and managing employees, handling legal compliance, funding, marketing, and paying taxes. Beyond the mundane activities listed, the entrepreneur, or the team that the entrepreneur puts in place, is indispensable in maintaining the ongoing creativity behind the product line or service offered. Innovation and creativity in the business are necessary to expand the product line or develop a groundbreaking service.

It is not necessary for the entrepreneur to feel isolated when it comes to finding creative solutions to a problem. There are societies, tools, and new methods available to spur the creativity of the entrepreneur that will further support the success and expansion of a new enterprise. [1] Learning and using entrepreneurial methods to solve problems alleviates the stress many startup owners feel. The entrepreneur’s creativity will increase using collaborative methodologies. Some entrepreneurial collaborative methodologies include crowdsourcing, brainstorming, storyboarding, conducting quick online surveys to test ideas and concepts, and team creativity activities.

Crowdsourcing

Professor Daren Brabham at the University of Southern California has written books on crowdsourcing and touts its potential in for-profit and not-for-profit business sectors. He defines it simply as “an online, distributed problem-solving and production model.” [2] Crowdsourcing involves teams of amateurs and nonexperts working together to form a solution to a problem. [3] The idea, as cbsnews.com’s Jennifer Alsever has put it, is to “tap into the collective intelligence of the public at large to complete business-related tasks that a company would normally either perform itself or outsource to a third-party provider. Yet free labor is only a narrow part of crowdsourcing’s appeal. More importantly, it enables managers to expand the size of their talent pool while also gaining deeper insight into what customers really want. The challenge is to take a cautionary approach to the ‘wisdom of the crowd,’ which can lead to a ‘herd’ mentality.” [4]

Link to Learning

Read this article that discusses what crowdsourcing is, how to use it, and its benefits for more information.

This new business prototype, similar to outsourcing, features an enterprise posting a problem online and asking for volunteers to consider the problem and propose solutions. Volunteers earn a reward, such as prize money, promotional materials like a T-shirt, royalties on creative outlets like photos or designs, and in some cases, compensation for their labor. Before proposing the solution, volunteers learn that the solutions become the intellectual property of the startup posting the problem. The solution is then mass produced for profit by the startup that posted the problem. [5] The process evolves into the crowdsourcing process after the enterprise mass produces and profits from the labor of the volunteers and the team. Entrepreneurs should consider that untapped masses have solutions for many issues for which agendas do not yet exist. Crowdsourcing can exploit those agendas and add to the tools used to stimulate personal creativity. This type of innovation is planned and strategically implemented for profit.

For example, Bombardier held a crowdsourced innovation contest to solicit input on the future of train interiors, including seat design and coach class interior. A corporate jury judged the submissions, with the top ten receiving computers or cash prizes. Companies are often constrained, however, by internal rules limiting open source or external idea sourcing, as they could be accused of “stealing” an idea. While crowdsourcing outside of software can be problematic, some products such as MakerBot’s 3D printers, 3DR’s drones, and Jibo’s Social Robot have used developer kits and “makers” to help build a community and stimulate innovation from the outside.

Work It Out

A Crowdsourced Potato Chip

In an effort to increase sales among millennials, PepsiCo turned to crowdsourcing to get new flavor ideas for their Lay’s potato chips (called Walker’s in the UK). Their 2012 campaign, “Do Us a Flavor,” was so successful that they received over 14 million submissions. The winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread, which increased their potato chip sales by 8 percent during the first three months after the launch.

• What are some other products that would work well for a crowdsourced campaign contest?
• What items wouldn’t work well?

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is an online crowdsourcing platform that allows individuals to post tasks for workers to complete. In many instances, these tasks are compensated, but the payment can be less than one dollar per item completed. Mechanical Turk is one of the largest and most well-known crowdsourcing platforms, but there are a number of other more niche ones as well that would apply to smaller markets. In the case of innovation contests and outsourced tasks from corporations, those tasks may be hosted internally by the corporation.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is the generation of ideas in an environment free of judgment or dissension with the goal of creating solutions. See Creativity, Innovation, and Invention to refresh yourself on this technique. Brainstorming is meant to stimulate participants into thinking about problem solving in a new way. Using a multifunctional group, meaning participants come from different departments and with different skill sets, gives entrepreneurs and support teams a genuine chance to suggest and actualize ideas. The group works together to refine and prototype potential solutions to a problem.

Brainstorming is a highly researched and often practiced technique for the development of innovative solutions. One of the more successful proponents of brainstorming is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF faces unique problems of solving resource problems for mothers and children in underdeveloped nations.

See how UNICEF practices brainstorming to solve problems including child survival, gender inclusion, refugee crises, education, and others.

The setting for a brainstorming session should remain as informal and relaxed as possible. The group needs to avoid standard solutions. All ideas are welcome and listed and considered with no censorship and with no regard to administrative restrictions. All team members have an equal voice. The focus of brainstorming is on quantity of ideas rather than on the ideal solution provided in every suggestion. A classic entrepreneurial brainstorming activity, as popularized by business software developer Strategyzer, is known as the “silly cow” exercise. Teams come up with ideas for new business models pertaining to a cow, with the results often outrageous, ranging from sponsored cows to stroking cows for therapeutic release. Participants are asked to identify some aspect of a cow and develop three business models around that concept in a short time period, typically two minutes or fewer. The activity is designed to get creative juices flowing.

Watch this video from ABC’s Nightline that shows how IDEO designed a new shopping cart for an example of a design process that involves brainstorming.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is the process of presenting an idea in a step-by-step graphic format, as Figure 4.12 shows. This tool is useful when the entrepreneur is attempting to visualize a solution to a problem. The steps to the solution of a problem are sketched and hung in graphic format. Once the original graphic is placed, images of steps working toward a solution are added, subtracted, and rearranged on a continual basis, until the ultimate solution emerges in the ultimate graphic format. For many years, entrepreneurs have used this process to create a pre-visual for various media sequences.

Team Creativity

Team creativity is the process whereby an entrepreneur works with a team to create an unexpected solution for an issue or challenge. Teams progress through the same creative problem-solving process described already: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate. The main advantage of team creativity is the collaboration and support members receive from one another. Great teams trust in other team members, have diverse members with diverse points of view, are cohesive, and have chemistry.

Team members should work in a stress-free and relaxing environment. Reinforcement and expansion of ideas in the team environment motivates the team to continually expand horizons toward problem solution. A small idea in a team may spark the imagination of a team member to an original idea. Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder of Facebook, once said, “The most important thing for you as an entrepreneur trying to build something is, you need to build a really good team. And that’s what I spend all my time on.” [6]

Entrepreneur In Action

Taaluma Totes [7]

Young entrepreneurs Jack DuFour and Alley Heffern began to notice the beautiful fabrics that came from the different countries they visited. The entrepreneurs thought about what could be done with the fabrics to create employment opportunities both in the country from which the fabric originated and in their home base of Virginia. They decided to test producing totes from the fabrics they found and formed Taaluma Totes (Figure 4.13). DuFour and Heffern also wanted to promote the production of these fabrics and help underserved populations in countries where the fabric originated maintain a living or follow a dream.

The team continued to test the process and gathered original fabrics, which they sent to Virginia to create totes. They trained individuals with disabilities in Virginia to manufacture the totes, thus serving populations in the United States. The entrepreneurs then decided to take 20 percent of their profits and make microloans to farmers and small business owners in the countries where the fabric originated to create jobs there. Microloans are small loans, below $50,000, which certain lenders offer to enterprising startups. These startups, for various reasons (they are in poor nations, at poverty level), can’t afford a traditional loan from a major bank. The lenders offer business support to the borrower, which in turn helps the borrower repay the microloan. The microloans from Taaluma are repaid when the borrower is able. Repayments are used to buy more fabric, completing Taaluma’s desire to serve dual populations. If the process proved unsuccessful, the co-owners would revise the process to meet the plan’s requirements.

DuFour and Heffern now have fabrics from dozens of countries from Thailand to Ecuador. The totes are specialized with features to meet individual needs. The product line is innovated regularly and Taaluma Totes serves a dual purpose of employing persons with disabilities in Virginia and creating employment for underserved populations in other countries.

Portions of the material in this section are based on original work by Geoffrey Graybeal and produced with support from the Rebus Community. The original is freely available under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license at https://press.rebus.community/media-innovation-and-entrepreneurship/.

• “Three Tips for Entrepreneurs Creating the Perfect Team.” Virgin. n.d. https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/three-tips-entrepreneurs-creating-perfect-team ↵
• Daren C. Brabham. “Crowdsourcing as a Model for Problem Solving: An Introduction and Cases.” Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 14, no. 1 (2008): 75–90. ↵
• Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey. “How Crowdsourcing Is Shaping the Future of Everything.” Entrepreneur. January 13, 2018. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/307438 ↵
• Jennifer Alsever. “What Is Crowdsourcing?” CBS News. May 1, 2008. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-crowdsourcing ↵
• “Backpacks That Carry a Country.” Taaluma Totes. n.d. https://www.carryacountry.com/pages/about ↵

NSCC Foundations of Entrepreneurship Copyright © 2022 by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Article • 10 min read

Creative Problem Solving

Finding innovative solutions to challenges.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Imagine that you're vacuuming your house in a hurry because you've got friends coming over. Frustratingly, you're working hard but you're not getting very far. You kneel down, open up the vacuum cleaner, and pull out the bag. In a cloud of dust, you realize that it's full... again. Coughing, you empty it and wonder why vacuum cleaners with bags still exist!

James Dyson, inventor and founder of Dyson® vacuum cleaners, had exactly the same problem, and he used creative problem solving to find the answer. While many companies focused on developing a better vacuum cleaner filter, he realized that he had to think differently and find a more creative solution. So, he devised a revolutionary way to separate the dirt from the air, and invented the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner. [1]

Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of solving problems or identifying opportunities when conventional thinking has failed. It encourages you to find fresh perspectives and come up with innovative solutions, so that you can formulate a plan to overcome obstacles and reach your goals.

In this article, we'll explore what CPS is, and we'll look at its key principles. We'll also provide a model that you can use to generate creative solutions.

About Creative Problem Solving

Alex Osborn, founder of the Creative Education Foundation, first developed creative problem solving in the 1940s, along with the term "brainstorming." And, together with Sid Parnes, he developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process. Despite its age, this model remains a valuable approach to problem solving. [2]

The early Osborn-Parnes model inspired a number of other tools. One of these is the 2011 CPS Learner's Model, also from the Creative Education Foundation, developed by Dr Gerard J. Puccio, Marie Mance, and co-workers. In this article, we'll use this modern four-step model to explore how you can use CPS to generate innovative, effective solutions.

Why Use Creative Problem Solving?

Dealing with obstacles and challenges is a regular part of working life, and overcoming them isn't always easy. To improve your products, services, communications, and interpersonal skills, and for you and your organization to excel, you need to encourage creative thinking and find innovative solutions that work.

CPS asks you to separate your "divergent" and "convergent" thinking as a way to do this. Divergent thinking is the process of generating lots of potential solutions and possibilities, otherwise known as brainstorming. And convergent thinking involves evaluating those options and choosing the most promising one. Often, we use a combination of the two to develop new ideas or solutions. However, using them simultaneously can result in unbalanced or biased decisions, and can stifle idea generation.

For more on divergent and convergent thinking, and for a useful diagram, see the book "Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making." [3]

Core Principles of Creative Problem Solving

CPS has four core principles. Let's explore each one in more detail:

• Divergent and convergent thinking must be balanced. The key to creativity is learning how to identify and balance divergent and convergent thinking (done separately), and knowing when to practice each one.
• Ask problems as questions. When you rephrase problems and challenges as open-ended questions with multiple possibilities, it's easier to come up with solutions. Asking these types of questions generates lots of rich information, while asking closed questions tends to elicit short answers, such as confirmations or disagreements. Problem statements tend to generate limited responses, or none at all.
• Defer or suspend judgment. As Alex Osborn learned from his work on brainstorming, judging solutions early on tends to shut down idea generation. Instead, there's an appropriate and necessary time to judge ideas during the convergence stage.
• Focus on "Yes, and," rather than "No, but." Language matters when you're generating information and ideas. "Yes, and" encourages people to expand their thoughts, which is necessary during certain stages of CPS. Using the word "but" – preceded by "yes" or "no" – ends conversation, and often negates what's come before it.

How to Use the Tool

Let's explore how you can use each of the four steps of the CPS Learner's Model (shown in figure 1, below) to generate innovative ideas and solutions.

Figure 1 – CPS Learner's Model

Explore the Vision

Identify your goal, desire or challenge. This is a crucial first step because it's easy to assume, incorrectly, that you know what the problem is. However, you may have missed something or have failed to understand the issue fully, and defining your objective can provide clarity. Read our article, 5 Whys , for more on getting to the root of a problem quickly.

Gather Data

Once you've identified and understood the problem, you can collect information about it and develop a clear understanding of it. Make a note of details such as who and what is involved, all the relevant facts, and everyone's feelings and opinions.

Formulate Questions

When you've increased your awareness of the challenge or problem you've identified, ask questions that will generate solutions. Think about the obstacles you might face and the opportunities they could present.

Explore Ideas

Generate ideas that answer the challenge questions you identified in step 1. It can be tempting to consider solutions that you've tried before, as our minds tend to return to habitual thinking patterns that stop us from producing new ideas. However, this is a chance to use your creativity .

Brainstorming and Mind Maps are great ways to explore ideas during this divergent stage of CPS. And our articles, Encouraging Team Creativity , Problem Solving , Rolestorming , Hurson's Productive Thinking Model , and The Four-Step Innovation Process , can also help boost your creativity.

See our Brainstorming resources within our Creativity section for more on this.

Formulate Solutions

This is the convergent stage of CPS, where you begin to focus on evaluating all of your possible options and come up with solutions. Analyze whether potential solutions meet your needs and criteria, and decide whether you can implement them successfully. Next, consider how you can strengthen them and determine which ones are the best "fit." Our articles, Critical Thinking and ORAPAPA , are useful here.

4. Implement

Formulate a plan.

Once you've chosen the best solution, it's time to develop a plan of action. Start by identifying resources and actions that will allow you to implement your chosen solution. Next, communicate your plan and make sure that everyone involved understands and accepts it.

There have been many adaptations of CPS since its inception, because nobody owns the idea.

For example, Scott Isaksen and Donald Treffinger formed The Creative Problem Solving Group Inc . and the Center for Creative Learning , and their model has evolved over many versions. Blair Miller, Jonathan Vehar and Roger L. Firestien also created their own version, and Dr Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance developed CPS: The Thinking Skills Model. [4] Tim Hurson created The Productive Thinking Model , and Paul Reali developed CPS: Competencies Model. [5]

Sid Parnes continued to adapt the CPS model by adding concepts such as imagery and visualization , and he founded the Creative Studies Project to teach CPS. For more information on the evolution and development of the CPS process, see Creative Problem Solving Version 6.1 by Donald J. Treffinger, Scott G. Isaksen, and K. Brian Dorval. [6]

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Infographic

See our infographic on Creative Problem Solving .

Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of using your creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. The process is based on separating divergent and convergent thinking styles, so that you can focus your mind on creating at the first stage, and then evaluating at the second stage.

There have been many adaptations of the original Osborn-Parnes model, but they all involve a clear structure of identifying the problem, generating new ideas, evaluating the options, and then formulating a plan for successful implementation.

[1] Entrepreneur (2012). James Dyson on Using Failure to Drive Success [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 27, 2022.]

[2] Creative Education Foundation (2015). The CPS Process [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 26, 2022.]

[3] Kaner, S. et al. (2014). 'Facilitator′s Guide to Participatory Decision–Making,' San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

[4] Puccio, G., Mance, M., and Murdock, M. (2011). 'Creative Leadership: Skils That Drive Change' (2nd Ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

[5] OmniSkills (2013). Creative Problem Solving [online]. Available here . [Accessed May 26, 2022].

[6] Treffinger, G., Isaksen, S., and Dorval, B. (2010). Creative Problem Solving (CPS Version 6.1). Center for Creative Learning, Inc. & Creative Problem Solving Group, Inc. Available here .

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Creative Problem Solving Explained

Creative problem solving is based on the belief that everyone is creative and can enhance their creative abilities with discipline.

Creative problem solving is a deliberate approach to solving complex problems. While creativity is an innate part of creative problem solving, the process uses a variety of steps and strategies designed to bring to the table solutions that are actionable and effective.

It’s a proven approach to use innovative ideas and views of a problem to develop viable options that can be brought to bear on the challenge. It can also redefine the problem, coming at it from a new perspective that results in an effective solution.

It also has powerful applications for addressing your greatest workflow challenges. Using creative problem solving lets you identify, refine, iterate, and select the best options to improve workflows using new technologies like automation.

Fundamentals of Creative Problem Solving

Many people hear “creative problem solving” and think it’s about brainstorming answers. However, creative problem solving is about much more. Creative answers to problems do not just appear magically but are the result of deliberate processes.

To work well, creative problem solving is rooted in two assumptions:

• Everyone is creative in some manner
• You can learn and enhance someone’s creative abilities

Those are powerful assumptions. They help to dispel the idea that there are “creative types” and “noncreative types.” All participants can be empowered to engage in the process by supporting and reinforcing the innate presence of creativity.

Alex Osborn helped define and formalize the idea of creative problem solving. He believed that two types of thinking are critical to creative problem solving.

Convergent Thinking focuses on the norms of problem solving and focuses on finding a singular solution that's well defined. Divergent Thinking is the opposite, with multiple options being considered after fostering creativity as part of the problem solving process.

Both play a role and have value in problem solving. Typically, both are used as part of the process.

For example, divergent thinking can create multiple ideas for possible solutions. Convergent thinking can whittle those down to a few or one idea to implement.

Principles of Creative Problem Solving

Here is a closer look at some key tenets of creative problem solving.

Reframe the Problem as a Question

Begin by restating the problem as a question or series of open-ended questions. The problem becomes more approachable with multiple possibilities available, and participants can be invited into the process.

By contrast, problems presented as declarative statements are often met by silence. These statements often lead to a limited response or no response at all.

There's a shift when asked as a question rather than a statement. The challenge is not an obstacle but rather an opportunity to solve. It opens the door to brainstorming and ideation.

Suspend Judgment

All too often, ideas that are generated in problem solving spaces are quickly dismissed. This instantaneous judgment has short- and long-term impacts.

First, it immediately dismisses the presented idea and the presenter. What’s more, the dismissal can have a chilling effect on others, stymieing the idea generation process.

There’s a time when judging presented ideas – when convergent thinking is at play. In the beginning, immediate judgment should be suspended.

Even the most implausible ideas presented at the beginning of the process may play a role later as long as they are still considered viable. If poisoned early in the process, they will unlikely be given any value later.

‘Yes, And’ Instead of ‘No, But’

The word “no” can have a similarly stifling effect on the creative problem solving work. "But," whether preceded by "yes” or "no," can close the conversation. It acts to negate everything that has come before.

You can create and maintain a more positive, encouraging tone using "yes, and" language instead of "no, but" language.

More positive language helps build on previously generated ideas. It creates an additive approach to the process instead of a dismissive one.

One Approach to Creative Problem Solving

Having a clearly defined approach to solving problems helps participants understand the scope and scale of the work. While multiple approaches can be used, here is one way to frame the engagement.

1. Clarify the Problem

The most critical step to creative problem solving is identifying and articulating the problem or goal. While it may appear to be easy to do so, often, what people think the problem is is not the true problem.

The critical step is to break down the problem, analyze it and understand the core issue.

One approach is to use the "five whys." Start by asking yourself, "Why is this a problem?" Once you have the answer, ask, "Why else?" four more times.

This iterative process can often refine and revise to unearth the true issue that needs to be addressed. You can ask other questions to further refine, such as:

• Why is this problem important to us?
• What is stopping us from solving this problem?
• Where will we be differently 6-12 months after solving the problem?

2. Define Evaluation Criteria

The creative problem solving process is likely to generate many potential ideas. It’s important to establish the process by which the ideas will be evaluated and, if selected, deployed.

These processes may have important factors, such as budget, staffing and time. The process needs to address what you seek to accomplish, avoid and act on. The process should be articulated to the participants in the problem solving and those affected by the outcomes.

3. Research the Problem

You want a clear understanding of the problem, which may require lots or a little research. Understand the common problem, how others may deal with it, and potential solutions.

4. Develop Creative Challenges

Once the problem is articulated and researched, it’s time to frame them. “Creative challenges” are simple and brief, question-based concepts. For example, "How can we …" or “What would it mean if …" These challenges will form the basis of your problem solving. They should be broadly focused and not include any evaluation criteria.

5. Create Ideas

Idea generation is what most people envision when they think of brainstorming or solving problems.

Start by taking just one of the creative challenges. Give yourself or the team some time to build at least 50 ideas. That may seem like a lot, but it can spark conversation and construction.

The ideas may or may not solve the presented challenge. By capturing them on paper or a computer (many programs support idea generation), you can have them readily available to organize, expand on, evaluate, and flesh out.

Be sure to use the following rules in this stage:

• Write down every idea
• Ensure no one critiques presented ideas
• Don’t stop until you’ve reached 50
• Present the full list of ideas and then ask if anyone has anything else to add
• If you have time, sleep on the ideas and return the next day. Try to add 25 more.

6. Sort and Assess Ideas

Take a break and reconvene to look at the ideas using the evaluation criteria. Combine ideas, then use the evaluation criteria to whittle down the list.

Some ideas may be implementable immediately. Others may need further analysis to prioritize.

7. Create a Plan

When you have your shortlist, create an action plan that outlines the steps necessary to implement the ideas. By breaking down the ideas into actionable steps, you’ll be better able to put them into play and see the results.

Problem Solving Your Workflows

When it comes to coming up with creative answers to your workflow problems, we have a variety of resources for you listed below. In addition, we're always interested in providing objective, experienced ideas through our Customer Success and Services teams.

• Reframe Your Business Processes
• Process Redesign Tips
• What is Business Process Re-Engineering?
• Process Improvement Examples
• https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-creative-problem-solving
• https://www.mindtools.com/a2j08rt/creative-problem-solving
• https://www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/what-is-cps/
• https://innovationmanagement.se/2010/06/02/the-basics-of-creative-problem-solving-cps/
• https://asana.com/resources/convergent-vs-divergent

Tags creativity   problem solving   process improvement  

Categories Business Ideas   Workflow Ideas   Project Management  

Marketing the world's best workflow automation software and drinking way too much coffee. Connect with me on LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelraia/

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Importance of Creativity in Entrepreneurship and Definitions of Creativity

In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, where innovation reigns supreme, creativity isn’t just a plus – it’s a driving force. This article delves into the multifaceted concept of creativity in entrepreneurship, exploring various definitions and how they empower ventures to thrive. 

We’ll uncover how creative thinking fuels problem-solving, ignites fresh ideas, and ultimately paves the way for sustainable success.

Table of Contents

Difference Between Innovation And Creativity?

While both creativity and innovation are crucial for entrepreneurial success, they represent distinct stages in the journey from idea to impact. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

• Creativity : Centers for generating new and original ideas. The spark ignites the process, encouraging individuals to think outside the box and explore uncharted territories.
• Innovation shifts the focus from idea generation to implementation. It’s about taking creative ideas and transforming them into practical solutions that add value and solve problems.
• Creativity : Often a spontaneous and unpredictable process. It can be fueled by brainstorming sessions, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to experiment.
• Innovation : Involves a more structured approach. It requires careful planning, evaluation, and the ability to translate ideas into tangible solutions that can be brought to market.
• Creativity : Doesn’t guarantee a successful outcome. Many creative ideas may need to be more feasible and commercially viable.
• Innovation : Leads to the creation of something new and valuable. It’s the bridge between a creative concept and a real-world application.

Importance Of Creativity In Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship thrives on groundbreaking ideas, disruptive solutions, and the relentless pursuit of innovation. 

Creativity, the wellspring of fresh perspectives and unconventional approaches, is at the heart of this relentless drive. It’s not merely a desirable trait; it’s the cornerstone upon which successful ventures are built. Here’s why creativity is essential for entrepreneurs:

Fueling Problem-Solving

Entrepreneurs face constant challenges, from navigating market fluctuations to overcoming operational hurdles. Creativity empowers them to approach these problems from new angles. By fostering a culture of brainstorming and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking, entrepreneurs can identify innovative solutions that might have been missed through conventional methods. A creative approach can lead to the development of entirely new products or services or the repurposing of existing ones to address unmet needs in the market.

Sparking Opportunity Identification

A keen eye for opportunity is a hallmark of successful entrepreneurs. Creativity equips them with this essential skill by allowing them to see the world differently. They can identify potential gaps in the market, anticipate consumer trends, and even leverage existing technologies in novel ways to create entirely new business models . This ability to spot opportunities where others see only challenges is a key driver of entrepreneurial success.

Building a Differentiated Brand

In today’s saturated markets, standing out from the crowd is crucial. Creativity allows entrepreneurs to develop a unique brand identity that resonates with their target audience. This can involve crafting a compelling brand story , designing innovative packaging, or developing unconventional marketing campaigns. By infusing creativity into their brand strategy, entrepreneurs can capture attention, build customer loyalty, and carve out a distinct niche.

Enhancing Customer Experience

Customer experience is no longer a differentiator; it’s an expectation.  Creative entrepreneurs understand this and leverage their ingenuity to design products and services that go beyond simply fulfilling a need. They can create delightful experiences that surprise and engage customers, fostering brand loyalty and advocacy. This can involve implementing creative loyalty programs, developing interactive product features, or designing innovative retail spaces .

Also Read: A Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings

Fostering a Culture of Innovation

Creativity is contagious. When entrepreneurs champion creative thinking within their organizations, they cultivate a culture of innovation. This environment empowers employees to contribute new ideas, experiment with solutions, and take calculated risks. It fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and a constant drive to improve. Ultimately, a culture of innovation fuels long-term growth and allows businesses to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving market.

Tips To Enhance Creativity In Entrepreneurship 

In the exhilarating world of startups, where fresh ideas reign supreme, igniting your creative spark is essential for success. Here are some tips to cultivate your entrepreneurial creativity:

Embrace Diverse Inspiration:

• Cross-pollinate ideas: Look beyond your industry. Explore art, music, technology, or even nature for inspiration. Unexpected connections can spark novel solutions.
• Seek out new perspectives: Surround yourself with people from different backgrounds. Collaborate with artists, scientists, or even customers to gain fresh viewpoints.

Fuel Your Curiosity:

• Become a lifelong learner: Never stop asking questions and exploring new topics. Read widely, attend workshops, and engage in stimulating conversations. The more you learn, the more fodder your creativity has to work with.
• Embrace challenges: View obstacles as opportunities to think differently. Reframe problems and approach them from unconventional angles.

Flex Your Creative Muscles:

• Schedule brainstorming sessions : Dedicate time specifically for generating ideas. Use techniques like mind mapping or roleplaying to spark creative thinking.
• Experiment and prototype: Be bold and try new things, even if they seem outlandish. Build quick prototypes to test your ideas and iterate based on feedback.

Cultivate a Creative Environment:

• Encourage open communication: Foster a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas, even if they seem unconventional.
• Celebrate creativity: Recognize and reward employees who think outside the box. This reinforces the value of creativity within your organization.

Also Read: Search Google Or Type A URL: Which One Is Right For You ?

Leveraging Technology To Enhance Creativity 

Entrepreneurship thrives on fresh ideas, and technology can be a powerful ally in igniting your creative spark. Here’s how:

• Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Apps: Software like Miro or MindMeister allows for visual brainstorming, helping you organize thoughts, connect ideas non-linearly, and spark new possibilities.
• Idea Generation Platforms: Tools like Ideaflip or Bionic accelerate the ideation process by providing prompts, encouraging diverse perspectives, and helping you refine your concepts.
• Content Creation Software: Design platforms like Canva or Adobe Spark empower you to create compelling visuals, presentations, and prototypes to bring your ideas to life and communicate them effectively.
• AI-powered Inspiration: Platforms like RunwayML or Muse offer AI-assisted creative exploration. These tools can generate variations on existing ideas, helping you overcome creative roadblocks and explore new possibilities.

No, creativity is essential in any entrepreneurial venture. It helps you solve problems, identify opportunities, and develop innovative solutions.

There are many tech tools available! Mind mapping apps, idea generation platforms, and design software can help you visualize concepts, brainstorm effectively, and bring your ideas to life.

Creativity is also about taking those ideas and transforming them into something valuable. It involves innovation and the ability to implement your ideas effectively.

Many online resources offer tips and exercises to enhance creativity. Look for articles, workshops, or online communities that foster innovation and creative thinking.

Final Thoughts 

In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, creativity reigns supreme. It fuels problem-solving, ignites fresh ideas, and ultimately paves the way for success. 

By embracing diverse inspiration, fostering a culture of innovation, and leveraging technology, entrepreneurs can cultivate their creative muscles and transform their ventures into thriving businesses. 

Remember, creativity is a journey, not a destination. Embrace the process, experiment fearlessly, and watch your innovative ideas blossom into reality.

Related posts you might like:

• Creating A Culture Of Innovation: Why Corporate Entrepreneurship Is Key To Attracting And Retaining Top Talent
• Cultivating a Robust Organization: 5 Stages of the Innovation Process
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Why is it Important for Your Child?
• Job (Employment) vs. Entrepreneurship: Which One Leads You to a Better Career & Success in Life?

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The role of creativity in entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is often seen as a numbers game - a combination of strategy, market research, and financial planning. But what about the role of creativity in starting a successful business? It may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but creativity can play a huge part in the success of a new venture. From coming up with a unique product or service, to finding innovative solutions to challenges, creativity can be the spark that sets a successful entrepreneur apart from the rest. In this article, we'll explore the many ways in which creativity can play a role in entrepreneurship, and why it's an important factor to consider for anyone looking to start their own business.

The importance of having a unique idea

Having a unique idea is crucial in entrepreneurship because it sets you apart from the competition. In today's market, there are countless businesses offering similar products or services. So, if you want to stand out and capture the attention of potential customers, you need to offer something that sets you apart. A unique idea can help you differentiate yourself and create a brand that is memorable and appealing to consumers.

It can also help you build a loyal customer base, as people are more likely to choose a business that offers something they can't find anywhere else. Ultimately, having a unique idea can give you a competitive edge and increase your chances of success in the world of entrepreneurship.

The benefits of creative problem-solving in business

Creative problem-solving is a valuable skill in business because it allows entrepreneurs to find innovative solutions to challenges they face. In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, problems and obstacles are bound to arise. But with creative problem-solving, entrepreneurs can approach these challenges with a fresh perspective and come up with solutions that are outside the box. This can lead to more efficient and effective solutions, and help entrepreneurs stay ahead of the competition.

Additionally, creative problem-solving can foster a culture of innovation within a company, encouraging employees to think creatively and come up with new ideas. This can lead to continuous improvement and growth for the business. In short, the benefits of creative problem-solving in business are numerous and can greatly impact a company's success.

The role of creativity in developing a successful marketing strategy

Creativity plays a crucial role in developing a successful marketing strategy because it helps entrepreneurs create a unique and impactful message that resonates with their target audience. A creative marketing campaign can capture the attention of potential customers and differentiate a business from its competitors.

For example, a creative advertising campaign can create a strong brand image and make a business more memorable to consumers.

Additionally, creative marketing tactics, such as unique branding or social media campaigns, can help a business reach a wider audience and generate more buzz. In short, creativity is a key component of a successful marketing strategy because it allows entrepreneurs to communicate their message in a way that is both memorable and impactful.

How to cultivate a creative mindset as an entrepreneur

Cultivating a creative mindset as an entrepreneur requires a combination of openness, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Embrace new experiences: Trying new things and exposing yourself to different perspectives can help spark new ideas and inspire creativity.

Stay curious: Ask questions, seek out new information, and don't be afraid to challenge the status quo.

Surround yourself with creative people: Spending time with people who think differently than you can challenge your own perspective and inspire new ideas.

Take breaks and recharge: Taking time for yourself can help clear your mind and give you a fresh perspective.

Don't be afraid to fail: Creativity often involves taking risks and trying new things. Embrace the possibility of failure and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you can cultivate a creative mindset and tap into your full potential as an entrepreneur. Remember, creativity is a muscle that can be developed and strengthened over time with practice and effort.

The connection between creativity and innovation in entrepreneurship

Creativity and innovation are closely linked in entrepreneurship, as they both involve finding new and unique solutions to challenges. Creativity provides the spark that leads to new ideas, while innovation is the process of turning those ideas into reality . In other words, creativity is the fuel that drives innovation. Entrepreneurs who are able to think creatively are able to come up with new and innovative solutions to problems, which can give them a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Additionally, innovation often requires creativity, as it involves breaking away from traditional ways of thinking and finding new and unique approaches to problems. Overall, creativity and innovation are two sides of the same coin in entrepreneurship, and both are crucial for success.

Examples of successful businesses built on creativity

There are numerous examples of successful businesses built on creativity, here are a few:

Apple Inc.: Apple is known for its innovative products and unique approach to design, which has helped the company become one of the most valuable in the world.

Airbnb: Airbnb disrupted the traditional hotel industry by offering a creative solution for travelers looking for unique and affordable accommodations.

Tesla: Tesla is revolutionizing the automotive industry with its innovative electric cars and creative approach to sustainability.

Warby Parker: Warby Parker disrupted the eyewear industry by offering stylish and affordable glasses through a unique direct-to-consumer model.

Netflix: Netflix disrupted the traditional television and movie rental industries by offering a creative solution for on-demand streaming.

These are just a few examples of successful businesses built on creativity. In each case, the companies were able to identify a problem or challenge and find a creative solution that set them apart from their competitors. By embracing creativity, these businesses were able to find success and make a lasting impact in their respective industries.

The role of creativity in pivoting and adapting to change

Creativity plays a crucial role in pivoting and adapting to change in entrepreneurship. The fast-paced nature of business often requires entrepreneurs to be flexible and able to pivot quickly in response to changes in the market or industry. A creative mindset can help entrepreneurs approach these changes with a fresh perspective and find innovative solutions to challenges that arise.

For example, during a crisis or economic downturn, a creative entrepreneur may find new and unique ways to pivot their business model and continue to thrive.

Additionally, creativity can help entrepreneurs identify new opportunities and adapt to changing customer needs and preferences. In short, creativity is a valuable asset in entrepreneurship because it allows entrepreneurs to pivot and adapt to change in a way that is both flexible and innovative.

Balancing creativity with practicality in entrepreneurship

Balancing creativity with practicality is a key challenge in entrepreneurship. On one hand, creativity is essential for coming up with new and innovative ideas that can give a business a competitive edge. On the other hand, practicality is necessary for turning those ideas into a viable and profitable business. Striking the right balance between the two can be difficult, but it is crucial for success. Here are a few tips for balancing creativity with practicality in entrepreneurship:

Set realistic goals: Make sure your creative ideas are aligned with your overall business goals and are feasible to implement.

Test and validate ideas: Before fully committing to a creative idea, test it to see if it is practical and has market demand.

Seek out diverse perspectives: Consult with others who have different perspectives and expertise to help you balance your creative ideas with practical considerations.

Prioritize and focus: Focus on the most important and practical creative ideas, and prioritize their implementation.

By balancing creativity with practicality, entrepreneurs can ensure that their creative ideas are not only innovative, but also feasible and profitable. This can lead to a successful and sustainable business in the long run.

The impact of creativity on team dynamics and company culture

Creativity can have a significant impact on team dynamics and company culture. A creative and innovative company culture can foster a positive and dynamic work environment, where employees feel encouraged to express their ideas and contribute to the company's success. This can lead to increased collaboration and teamwork, as well as a sense of pride and ownership among employees. On the other hand, a lack of creativity can lead to a stale and uninspiring work environment, where employees are less engaged and less likely to contribute their best work.

Furthermore, creativity can also impact the way teams work together and communicate. Teams that embrace creativity and encourage diverse perspectives are often more effective and efficient, as they can find unique solutions to challenges and work well together. This can lead to better results and a more positive work environment.

In short, creativity has a profound impact on team dynamics and company culture. By fostering a creative and innovative company culture, entrepreneurs can ensure that their teams are motivated, engaged, and working together effectively to achieve their goals.

The future of creativity in entrepreneurship and its potential for growth

The future of creativity in entrepreneurship holds great potential for growth. As the business landscape continues to evolve, creativity will become even more important for entrepreneurs looking to stay ahead of the curve. With technology and automation changing the way we do business, entrepreneurs who can think creatively and find innovative solutions will be in high demand.

In addition, the increasing importance of sustainability and social responsibility will also drive the need for creative solutions in entrepreneurship. Companies that can find creative and sustainable solutions to challenges such as climate change and social inequalities will have a competitive advantage in the future.

Moreover, the rise of the gig economy and the increasing number of entrepreneurs entering the market will also drive the need for creativity. In a crowded market, entrepreneurs will need to differentiate themselves and find unique solutions to stand out.

In conclusion, the future of creativity in entrepreneurship is bright and holds great potential for growth. Entrepreneurs who can embrace creativity and find innovative solutions will be well-positioned for success in the years to come.

Final thoughts

Creativity plays a crucial role in entrepreneurship and can drive success in many different ways. From developing unique and innovative ideas, to solving problems and creating a strong company culture, creativity is a valuable asset for entrepreneurs. In addition, creativity is becoming increasingly important in the changing business landscape, as technology and automation change the way we do business and sustainability and social responsibility become more important.

The future of creativity in entrepreneurship is bright, and entrepreneurs who can embrace creativity and find innovative solutions will have a competitive advantage.

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Creative Problem Solving And Its Techniques

Entrepreneurs need to script their own journeys, figure out their own things, and solve problems. If you keep running back…

Entrepreneurs need to script their own journeys, figure out their own things, and solve problems. If you keep running back to your mentor at the drop of your hat, you’re not an entrepreneur. A true entrepreneur is a risk-taker, problem-solver, a person who’s willing to face challenges and failures.

– Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson, and MD of Biocon

While scripting your own life and career journey, it is imperative to master the skill of creative problem-solving. Successful people and organizations recognize that the solutions to their problems lie within themselves. They try to find them with a creative problem-solving process.

Most professionals face problems at work. It could be meeting a sales target or fixing a technical glitch in a product. Learning how to solve problems efficiently is a key skill for success at work and life in general. Sometimes, you have to think out of the box to solve problems creatively.

What is creative problem-solving?

Have you noticed how some people have a knack for turning a problem into an opportunity? Take the stones people throw at you and use them to build a monument, said former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. It was a fantastic way of expressing creative problem-solving at work.

Creative problem-solving involves approaching a problem or a challenge in an inventive way. It is a process that redefines problems and opportunities and helps us come up with innovative solutions.

Generally, the creative problem-solving process involves the following stages:

Identify the problem or the challenge

Generate ideas that may be possible solutions

Solve the problem with the help of generated ideas

Implement the solution plan and move to the next step

A well-planned and strategically executed creative problem-solving process brings team members together. It encourages proactive participation among colleagues.

Let’s look at an example. Seema was not happy with her career in the IT industry. She approached the problem by thinking about various options that appealed to her. Using her creative problem-solving skill, she decided to try her hand at travel blogging given her passion for travel and nose for digital marketing.

Let’s turn to some highly successful techniques of creative problem-solving.

Techniques of creative problem-solving

1. brainstorming.

Brainstorming is one of the most popular techniques of creative problem-solving. It is an individual as well as a group activity. When the city’s municipal corporation needs to come up with measures regarding safety and health, citizens are often asked to brainstorm and suggest innovative ideas. Brainstorming is a blend of creativity and problem-solving.

2. Mind-mapping

Mind-mapping is a useful creative problem-solving process. A mind map is a graphic representation of ideas and concepts. It is a visual tool for creativity and problem-solving. Mind maps help you categorize and structure information. They aid comprehension, analysis, and help generate innovative ideas. Seeing the problem and possible solutions represented in visual form helps many of us see the bigger picture and connect the dots.

3. Counterfactual Thinking

When Rosie has to take a call on a problem, she thinks about all her previous decisions. She thinks of the things that have gone wrong and the opportunities that she missed out on. Such counterfactual thinking helps her face the current problem and find a solution. Counterfactual thinking is one of the smartest examples of creative problem-solving at work. However, it is important not to channel negative emotions while going down the counterfactual thinking route. Use your past experiences to ensure you don’t repeat mistakes, seize opportunities, and measure how far you’ve come. Be present and future-focused, and don’t use counterfactual thoughts to get trapped in the “What ifs” of your past.

4. Abstraction

Abstraction is a great booster for creativity and problem-solving. When a creative director in an advertising agency has to design a campaign for a brand of fruit drinks or evening wear, he uses abstraction. He thinks about the emotions associated with the drink or the evening, such as camaraderie, romance, taste, health, joy, and so on. ( xanax )

You must have noticed many examples of creative problem-solving at work.

Deploying a thought experiment by using comparison or similarity as a tool

Breaking free from assumptions to think originally

Going beyond assigned tasks to experiment

Raising questions and seeking new viewpoints

Reapplying  rules that have worked previously

Stepping out  of your comfort zone and thinking differently

Go ahead and build a culture of creativity around you. Overcome your mental barriers and let your imagination run free. Navigate obstacles to solve problems and come up with innovative solutions.

Harappa Education’s Unleashing Creativity course teaches you how to generate, test, and refine new ideas. It empowers you with in-depth creativity and problem-solving skills by teaching you concepts such as the Disney Creative Tool framework involving three roles: including dreamers, realists, and critics. Assigning these roles to groups will help organizations brainstorm ideas, create plans, and identify roadblocks. to reach the desired goals successfully. Sign up and begin your creative problem-solving journey.

Explore topics such as Creative Thinking & How to be Creative at Work from our Harappa Diaries blog section and develop your strategic thinking skills .

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible pp 298–313 Cite as

• Creative Problem-Solving
• Gerard J. Puccio 2 ,
• Barry Klarman 2 &
• Pamela A. Szalay 2  
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Life and work in the beginning of the twenty-first century has been described as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. In this fast changing, innovation-driven environment, Creative Problem-Solving has been identified as a fundamental skill for success. In contrast to routine problem-solving, with straightforward and repeatable solution paths, today’s problems are described as being complex and wicked. To generate the possibilities that can effectively address complex problems, individuals need to draw on the highest level of human thought – creativity. Creative Problem-Solving explicitly draws on, and promotes, effective creative thinking. The purpose of this entry is to describe and distinguish Creative Problem-Solving from other forms of problems-solving. Moreover, as Creative Problem-Solving is a deliberate creativity methodology, this chapter also provides a description of the more specific thinking skills that are embodied by the higher-order skill of creative thinking and are explicitly called on in Creative Problem-Solving. Complex problems require complex thinking, and Creative Problem-Solving provides a structured process that allows individuals to more easily and efficiently deploy their creative thinking skills.

• Complex problem-solving
• Creative thinking
• Solution path

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In dialogue: kiwico founder and ceo sandra oh lin on cultivating curiosity and creativity in stem, part 1.

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Sandra Oh Lin, Founder and CEO of KiwiCo

STEM subjects are too often portrayed as difficult, boring, intimidating and only for those who easily excel in math class, are self-taught master coders or build robots from scratch in their spare time. This cliched characterization can stymie early interest in these critical subjects, and without early, positive exposure to all that STEM has to offer, is a big part of why only 29% of Gen Z expressed an interest in pursuing a career in STEM, according to a recent Gallup study . This perception and insufficient exposure—alongside ongoing gender bias and discrimination in STEM programs and workplaces—also contribute to the persistent STEM gap , with women comprising only 34% of the workforce in STEM fields. This is why early, positive exposure to all that STEM is—and who it’s for—is so critical. Indeed, Gallup found that students exposed to a wider variety of STEM topics are significantly more likely to pursue a career in STEM.

With that in mind, I had the opportunity to speak with a founder who is actively deconstructing the misconceptions around STEM and making it possible for parents to introduce their children to these subjects in a variety of fun, engaging ways. Through her company KiwiCo, founder and CEO Sandra Oh Lin creates hands-on projects for young minds that make STEM both inviting and exciting. The STEM projects KiWiCo offers aren’t just focused on inspiring kids to be creative and curious problem solvers, they reveal the full scope of what STEM encompasses, facilitating early exposure and positive experiences and making it easy for busy parents to do these activities with their children.

Liz Elting: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. To start, would you be able to tell readers a little bit about your background and career journey? From chemical engineer to entrepreneur, how did you get to where you are today?

Sandra Oh Lin: As a child, I made a lot of things with found objects and scraps. I always loved the process of creating something out of seemingly nothing. Perhaps that creative problem solving helped lead me to a degree in engineering. From there, I worked in product development for consumer products at Procter & Gamble. Before becoming general manager for eBay Fashion, I gained experience in a number of different functional areas (marketing, technology, product management and sales) at start-ups and large companies.

When I started KiwiCo, I had experience in creating new consumer products and in e-commerce. I was a mom who wanted to encourage her kids to learn and build, but I couldn't find anything on the market that provided the level of hands-on experience and enrichment I was looking for. That’s where the idea for KiwiCo was born, and I started on my journey as an entrepreneur, developing projects and building activities for children in my garage. KiwiCo has come a long way from humble beginnings in my garage to delivering over 50 million crates to kids and families.

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Elting: Like so many entrepreneurs I’ve spoken to, the idea for your company came out of a need you had yourself: fostering your children’s creativity and curiosity as a busy mom. Can you talk about what that problem solving process was like and when you realized it could become a successful business?

Lin: As I began creating hands-on projects for my kids, I quickly realized how time consuming it was to come up with ideas, pull together materials and make these projects just for my kids. That's when I started inviting families and friends over for playdates where we'd do these projects together. Parents would tell me how much fun their kids had and a friend suggested that I start a business centered around creating hands-on projects for kids. I started to look into it and discovered there were a lot of other parents who felt similar to me and wanted fun, enriching activities for their kids. Once I discovered that market, I began pulling the pieces together, and I officially started building KiwiCo as a business.

Elting: What led to your own love of STEM? How did that play a part in founding KiwiCo?

Lin: STEM is about understanding how the world works and applying those concepts to solve interesting problems or create cool new tools. As a child, I grew up constantly making and building things. I was very curious about the how and the why. That combination led to a love of STEM.

These days, I think that people are sometimes scared of STEM. It seems foreign or hard. So, at KiwiCo, we do our best to point out where you can find STEM in your everyday life, and we try to provide explanations that are friendly and genuinely accessible. We believe that giving kids the confidence to understand the world around them can help them solve bigger challenges and tackle bigger opportunities.

Elting: There’s so much that can go into choosing the right name for a business. Rightfully so—that name becomes the center of how your company will be understood and recognized by investors, business partners and consumers. How did you come up with the name KiwiCo, and what does it mean to you?

Lin: The kiwi bird itself holds a special place in my heart. Years ago, my husband and I went on a trip to New Zealand and brought back a stuffed kiwi. When my kids were growing up, they quickly adopted the kiwi bird and brought it everywhere they went. They always envisioned their kiwi friend as curious and a willing companion on all their adventures—just the sort of qualities we hope to convey as a brand.

Elting: Can you talk about the importance of creativity, curiosity and exploration in early development? Why is it so important for parents to engage in creative projects with their children?

Lin: Through ongoing research, testing and product development at KiwiCo, we’ve gained a deep understanding of kids’ play patterns and interests. We learned that introducing younger kids to activities that foster curiosity and exploration establishes a solid foundation for learning. For example, did you know that when a baby is exploring a shape sorter puzzle, they’re also building early math skills like pattern matching? Or when they’re banging on pots and pans, they’re figuring out that different materials and different pressure create different sounds. It's fascinating to observe how babies become deeply engaged when exploring and playing. These are precisely the skills we aim to instill in children to carry with them throughout their lives. We can achieve this by exposing kids to hands-on activities that inspire them to generate ideas, discover and unleash their creativity and explore as they learn about the world around them.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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6.1 Problem Solving to Find Entrepreneurial Solutions

Problem solving involves more than making decisions. Problem solving is a necessary component of entrepreneurial genesis, used to manage your business and helpful in addressing everyday personal situations. Entrepreneurs must know their personal strengths and capitalize on applicable problem-solving methods to create innovative products. Moving a startup ahead of the competition requires the entrepreneur to use all problem-solving sources and skills in the entrepreneur’s tool box. Problem-solving models can be adaptive or innovative, the latter being more common among entrepreneurs. Problem-solving skills include critical thinking, communication, decisiveness, resourcefulness, business and industry awareness, and an ability to analyze data. There are various types of problem solvers, including self-regulating, theorist, and petitioner problem solvers.

6.2 Creative Problem-Solving Process

The creative problem-solving process is a logical process. The steps to the creative problem-solving process are clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate. Each step is an aid to creating a solution. The steps are repeated cyclically until the entrepreneur develops an innovative solution. When entrepreneurs experience creativity block, tools to alleviate the block are available. These tools include crowdsourcing, brainstorming, and storyboarding. Each of these tools assist the entrepreneur in innovative thinking.

6.3 Design Thinking

Design thinking in business and entrepreneurship was made prevalent by David Kelley, founder of Stanford University’s Design School and cofounder of design company IDEO. Design thinking, which espouses an HCD approach, can be applied beyond product and graphic design to include the design of social policy, business strategy, services, and digital interactions. The five stages as espoused in Stanford’s design thinking model are empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. There are numerous design thinking tools that help develop and carry out these processes from various organizations and companies, ranging from IDEO to Google.

6.4 Lean Processes

Lean process is a systematic process for maximizing continuous improvement through minimizing surplus or unused material in the production of a current process. With origins in manufacturing, the lean process can be applied to internal organizational processes as well as external product development. Lean process uses observation, assessment and evaluation, and whiteboarding techniques to solve problems.

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4.2 Creative Problem-Solving Process

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the five steps in the creative problem-solving process
• Identify and describe common creative problem-solving tools

Creativity can be an important trait of an entrepreneur. Here, we will look in more depth at creativity’s role in problem solving. Let’s first formally define creativity as the development of original ideas to solve an issue. The intent of being an entrepreneur is to break away from practical norms and use imagination to embrace quick and effective solutions to an existing problem, usually outside the corporate environment.

The Steps of the Creative Problem-Solving Process

Training oneself to think like an entrepreneur means learning the steps to evaluating a challenge: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate.

Step 1: Clarify

To clarify is the critical step of recognizing the existence of a gap between the current state and a desired state. This can also be thought of as having need awareness, which occurs when the entrepreneur notes a gap between societal or customer needs and actual circumstances. Clarifying the problem by speaking with clients and developing a detailed description of the problem brings the specifics of a problem to light. Failure to identify the specifics of a problem leaves the entrepreneur with the impossible task of solving a ghost problem, a problem that is fully unknown or unseen. To establish and maintain credibility, an entrepreneur must clarify the problem by focusing on solving the problem itself, rather than solving a symptom of the problem.

For example, a farm could have polluted water, but it would not be enough to solve the problem only on that farm. Clarifying would involve identifying the source of the pollution to adequately tackle the problem. After gaining an understanding of a problem, the entrepreneur should begin to formulate plans for eliminating the gap. A fishbone diagram, as shown in Figure 4.10, is a tool that can be used to identify the causes of such a problem.

In the case of our water pollution example, a fishbone diagram exploring the issue might reveal the items shown in Figure 4.11.

Step 2: Ideate

To ideate is the step of the creative problem-solving process that involves generating and detailing ideas by the entrepreneur. After collecting all information relevant to the problem, the entrepreneur lists as many causes of the problem as possible. This is the step in which the largest variety of ideas are put forth. Each idea must be evaluated for feasibility and cost as a solution to the problem. If a farm does not have clean water, for example, the entrepreneur must list causes of toxic water and eliminate as many of those causes as possible. The entrepreneur must then move forward investigating solutions to bring the water back to a safe state. If, say, nearby livestock are polluting the water, the livestock should be isolated from the water source.

Step 3: Develop

To develop is the step in which the entrepreneur takes the list of ideas generated and tests each solution for feasibility. The entrepreneur must consider the cost of each idea and the obstacles to implementation. In the preceding example, adding a chemical to the water may not be a feasible solution to the farmer. Not every farmer wants additional chloride or fluoride added to the water due to the effect on both humans and livestock. These tradeoffs should be addressed in the feasibility assessment. The farmer might prefer a filtration system, but the cost of that solution might not be practicable. The entrepreneur should identify and assess alternative solutions to find one that is most cost-effective and feasible to the customer.

Step 4: Implement

To implement is the step in which the solution to the problem is tested and evaluated. The entrepreneur walks through the planned implementation with the client and tests each part of the solution, if a service, or thoroughly tests a developed good. The entrepreneur implements the solution and goes through a structured system of follow-up to ensure the solution remains effective and viable. In the water example, the solution would be reducing runoff from toxic insecticides by adding prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams.

Step 5: Evaluate

To evaluate is the step in which the final solution is assessed. This is a very important step that entrepreneurs often overlook. Any fallacy in the implementation of the product or service is reassessed, and new solutions are implemented. A continual testing process may be needed to find the final solution. The prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams chosen in the farming water example should then be analyzed and tested to ensure the chosen solution changed the content of the water.

Are You Ready?

Implementing Creative Problem Solving

Removing waste is a problem, and it can also present an entrepreneurial opportunity. Try to examine ways in which waste products that you usually pay to have hauled away can now generate revenue. Whether it’s recycling aluminum cans or cardboard, or garbage that could be used to feed animals, your task is to come up with solutions to this entrepreneurial-oriented problem.

Try following the first step of the creative problem-solving process and clearly identify the problem.

• Next, gather data and formulate the challenge.
• Then, explore ideas and come up with solutions.
• Develop a plan of action.
• Finally, note how you would evaluate the effectiveness of your solution.
• Using Creativity to Solve Problems

Entrepreneurs are faced with solving many problems as they develop their ideas for filling gaps, whether those opportunities involve establishing a new company or starting a new enterprise within an existing company. Some of these problems include staffing, hiring and managing employees, handling legal compliance, funding, marketing, and paying taxes. Beyond the mundane activities listed, the entrepreneur, or the team that the entrepreneur puts in place, is indispensable in maintaining the ongoing creativity behind the product line or service offered. Innovation and creativity in the business are necessary to expand the product line or develop a groundbreaking service.

It is not necessary for the entrepreneur to feel isolated when it comes to finding creative solutions to a problem. There are societies, tools, and new methods available to spur the creativity of the entrepreneur that will further support the success and expansion of a new enterprise. [1] Learning and using entrepreneurial methods to solve problems alleviates the stress many startup owners feel. The entrepreneur’s creativity will increase using collaborative methodologies. Some entrepreneurial collaborative methodologies include crowdsourcing, brainstorming, storyboarding, conducting quick online surveys to test ideas and concepts, and team creativity activities.

Crowdsourcing

Professor Daren Brabham at the University of Southern California has written books on crowdsourcing and touts its potential in for-profit and not-for-profit business sectors. He defines it simply as “an online, distributed problem-solving and production model.” [2] Crowdsourcing involves teams of amateurs and nonexperts working together to form a solution to a problem. [3] The idea, as cbsnews.com’s Jennifer Alsever has put it, is to “tap into the collective intelligence of the public at large to complete business-related tasks that a company would normally either perform itself or outsource to a third-party provider. Yet free labor is only a narrow part of crowdsourcing’s appeal. More importantly, it enables managers to expand the size of their talent pool while also gaining deeper insight into what customers really want. The challenge is to take a cautionary approach to the ‘wisdom of the crowd,’ which can lead to a ‘herd’ mentality.” [4]

Link to Learning

Read this article that discusses what crowdsourcing is, how to use it, and its benefits for more information.

This new business prototype, similar to outsourcing, features an enterprise posting a problem online and asking for volunteers to consider the problem and propose solutions. Volunteers earn a reward, such as prize money, promotional materials like a T-shirt, royalties on creative outlets like photos or designs, and in some cases, compensation for their labor. Before proposing the solution, volunteers learn that the solutions become the intellectual property of the startup posting the problem. The solution is then mass produced for profit by the startup that posted the problem. [5] The process evolves into the crowdsourcing process after the enterprise mass produces and profits from the labor of the volunteers and the team. Entrepreneurs should consider that untapped masses have solutions for many issues for which agendas do not yet exist. Crowdsourcing can exploit those agendas and add to the tools used to stimulate personal creativity. This type of innovation is planned and strategically implemented for profit.

For example, Bombardier held a crowdsourced innovation contest to solicit input on the future of train interiors, including seat design and coach class interior. A corporate jury judged the submissions, with the top ten receiving computers or cash prizes. Companies are often constrained, however, by internal rules limiting open source or external idea sourcing, as they could be accused of “stealing” an idea. While crowdsourcing outside of software can be problematic, some products such as MakerBot’s 3D printers, 3DR’s drones, and Jibo’s Social Robot have used developer kits and “makers” to help build a community and stimulate innovation from the outside.

Work It Out

A Crowdsourced Potato Chip

In an effort to increase sales among millennials, PepsiCo turned to crowdsourcing to get new flavor ideas for their Lay’s potato chips (called Walker’s in the UK). Their 2012 campaign, “Do Us a Flavor,” was so successful that they received over 14 million submissions. The winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread, which increased their potato chip sales by 8 percent during the first three months after the launch.

• What are some other products that would work well for a crowdsourced campaign contest?
• What items wouldn’t work well?

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is an online crowdsourcing platform that allows individuals to post tasks for workers to complete. In many instances, these tasks are compensated, but the payment can be less than one dollar per item completed. Mechanical Turk is one of the largest and most well-known crowdsourcing platforms, but there are a number of other more niche ones as well that would apply to smaller markets. In the case of innovation contests and outsourced tasks from corporations, those tasks may be hosted internally by the corporation.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is the generation of ideas in an environment free of judgment or dissension with the goal of creating solutions. See Creativity, Innovation, and Invention to refresh yourself on this technique. Brainstorming is meant to stimulate participants into thinking about problem solving in a new way. Using a multifunctional group, meaning participants come from different departments and with different skill sets, gives entrepreneurs and support teams a genuine chance to suggest and actualize ideas. The group works together to refine and prototype potential solutions to a problem.

Brainstorming is a highly researched and often practiced technique for the development of innovative solutions. One of the more successful proponents of brainstorming is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF faces unique problems of solving resource problems for mothers and children in underdeveloped nations.

See how UNICEF practices brainstorming to solve problems including child survival, gender inclusion, refugee crises, education, and others.

The setting for a brainstorming session should remain as informal and relaxed as possible. The group needs to avoid standard solutions. All ideas are welcome and listed and considered with no censorship and with no regard to administrative restrictions. All team members have an equal voice. The focus of brainstorming is on quantity of ideas rather than on the ideal solution provided in every suggestion. A classic entrepreneurial brainstorming activity, as popularized by business software developer Strategyzer, is known as the “silly cow” exercise. Teams come up with ideas for new business models pertaining to a cow, with the results often outrageous, ranging from sponsored cows to stroking cows for therapeutic release. Participants are asked to identify some aspect of a cow and develop three business models around that concept in a short time period, typically two minutes or fewer. The activity is designed to get creative juices flowing.

Watch this video from ABC’s Nightline that shows how IDEO designed a new shopping cart for an example of a design process that involves brainstorming.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is the process of presenting an idea in a step-by-step graphic format, as Figure 4.12 shows. This tool is useful when the entrepreneur is attempting to visualize a solution to a problem. The steps to the solution of a problem are sketched and hung in graphic format. Once the original graphic is placed, images of steps working toward a solution are added, subtracted, and rearranged on a continual basis, until the ultimate solution emerges in the ultimate graphic format. For many years, entrepreneurs have used this process to create a pre-visual for various media sequences.

Team Creativity

Team creativity is the process whereby an entrepreneur works with a team to create an unexpected solution for an issue or challenge. Teams progress through the same creative problem-solving process described already: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate. The main advantage of team creativity is the collaboration and support members receive from one another. Great teams trust in other team members, have diverse members with diverse points of view, are cohesive, and have chemistry.

Team members should work in a stress-free and relaxing environment. Reinforcement and expansion of ideas in the team environment motivates the team to continually expand horizons toward problem solution. A small idea in a team may spark the imagination of a team member to an original idea. Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder of Facebook, once said, “The most important thing for you as an entrepreneur trying to build something is, you need to build a really good team. And that’s what I spend all my time on.” [6]

Entrepreneur In Action

Taaluma Totes [7]

Young entrepreneurs Jack DuFour and Alley Heffern began to notice the beautiful fabrics that came from the different countries they visited. The entrepreneurs thought about what could be done with the fabrics to create employment opportunities both in the country from which the fabric originated and in their home base of Virginia. They decided to test producing totes from the fabrics they found and formed Taaluma Totes (Figure 4.13). DuFour and Heffern also wanted to promote the production of these fabrics and help underserved populations in countries where the fabric originated maintain a living or follow a dream.

The team continued to test the process and gathered original fabrics, which they sent to Virginia to create totes. They trained individuals with disabilities in Virginia to manufacture the totes, thus serving populations in the United States. The entrepreneurs then decided to take 20 percent of their profits and make microloans to farmers and small business owners in the countries where the fabric originated to create jobs there. Microloans are small loans, below $50,000, which certain lenders offer to enterprising startups. These startups, for various reasons (they are in poor nations, at poverty level), can’t afford a traditional loan from a major bank. The lenders offer business support to the borrower, which in turn helps the borrower repay the microloan. The microloans from Taaluma are repaid when the borrower is able. Repayments are used to buy more fabric, completing Taaluma’s desire to serve dual populations. If the process proved unsuccessful, the co-owners would revise the process to meet the plan’s requirements.

DuFour and Heffern now have fabrics from dozens of countries from Thailand to Ecuador. The totes are specialized with features to meet individual needs. The product line is innovated regularly and Taaluma Totes serves a dual purpose of employing persons with disabilities in Virginia and creating employment for underserved populations in other countries.

Portions of the material in this section are based on original work by Geoffrey Graybeal and produced with support from the Rebus Community. The original is freely available under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license at https://press.rebus.community/media-innovation-and-entrepreneurship/.

• “Three Tips for Entrepreneurs Creating the Perfect Team.” Virgin. n.d. https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/three-tips-entrepreneurs-creating-perfect-team ↵
• Daren C. Brabham. “Crowdsourcing as a Model for Problem Solving: An Introduction and Cases.” Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 14, no. 1 (2008): 75–90. ↵
• Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey. “How Crowdsourcing Is Shaping the Future of Everything.” Entrepreneur. January 13, 2018. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/307438 ↵
• Jennifer Alsever. “What Is Crowdsourcing?” CBS News. May 1, 2008. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-crowdsourcing ↵
• “Backpacks That Carry a Country.” Taaluma Totes. n.d. https://www.carryacountry.com/pages/about ↵

Real world problem solving: An entrepreneurial perspective Copyright © 2022 by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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5.6.3: Creative Problem-Solving Process

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the five steps in the creative problem-solving process
• Identify and describe common creative problem-solving tools

Creativity can be an important trait of an entrepreneur, as the chapter on Creativity, Innovation, and Invention discussed. In that discussion, we learned about creativity’s role in innovation . Here, we will look in more depth at creativity’s role in problem solving . Let’s first formally define creativity as the development of original ideas to solve an issue. The intent of being an entrepreneur is to break away from practical norms and use imagination to embrace quick and effective solutions to an existing problem, usually outside the corporate environment.

The Steps of the Creative Problem-Solving Process

Training oneself to think like an entrepreneur means learning the steps to evaluating a challenge: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate ( Figure 6.9 ).

Step 1: Clarify

To clarify is the critical step of recognizing the existence of a gap between the current state and a desired state. This can also be thought of as having need awareness , which occurs when the entrepreneur notes a gap between societal or customer needs and actual circumstances. Clarifying the problem by speaking with clients and developing a detailed description of the problem brings the specifics of a problem to light. Failure to identify the specifics of a problem leaves the entrepreneur with the impossible task of solving a ghost problem, a problem that is fully unknown or unseen. To establish and maintain credibility, an entrepreneur must clarify the problem by focusing on solving the problem itself, rather than solving a symptom of the problem.

For example, a farm could have polluted water, but it would not be enough to solve the problem only on that farm. Clarifying would involve identifying the source of the pollution to adequately tackle the problem. After gaining an understanding of a problem, the entrepreneur should begin to formulate plans for eliminating the gap. A fishbone diagram, as shown in Figure 6.10 , is a tool that can be used to identify the causes of such a problem.

Figure 6.10 A quality problem has main causes—here designated as a, b, c, and d. Within these main causes, there are several causes that might need to be addressed to solve the quality problem. The goal of a fishbone diagram is to find the root causes of the quality problem. (CC BY 4.0; Rice University & OpenStax)

In the case of our water pollution example, a fishbone diagram exploring the issue might reveal the items shown in Figure 6.11 .

Step 2: Ideate

To ideate is the step of the creative problem-solving process that involves generating and detailing ideas by the entrepreneur. After collecting all information relevant to the problem, the entrepreneur lists as many causes of the problem as possible. This is the step in which the largest variety of ideas are put forth. Each idea must be evaluated for feasibility and cost as a solution to the problem. If a farm does not have clean water, for example, the entrepreneur must list causes of toxic water and eliminate as many of those causes as possible. The entrepreneur must then move forward investigating solutions to bring the water back to a safe state. If, say, nearby livestock are polluting the water, the livestock should be isolated from the water source.

Step 3: Develop

To develop is the step in which the entrepreneur takes the list of ideas generated and tests each solution for feasibility. The entrepreneur must consider the cost of each idea and the obstacles to implementation. In the preceding example, adding a chemical to the water may not be a feasible solution to the farmer. Not every farmer wants additional chloride or fluoride added to the water due to the effect on both humans and livestock. These tradeoffs should be addressed in the feasibility assessment. The farmer might prefer a filtration system, but the cost of that solution might not be practicable. The entrepreneur should identify and assess alternative solutions to find one that is most cost-effective and feasible to the customer.

Step 4: Implement

To implement is the step in which the solution to the problem is tested and evaluated. The entrepreneur walks through the planned implementation with the client and tests each part of the solution, if a service, or thoroughly tests a developed good. The entrepreneur implements the solution and goes through a structured system of follow-up to ensure the solution remains effective and viable. In the water example, the solution would be reducing runoff from toxic insecticides by adding prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams.

Step 5: Evaluate

To evaluate is the step in which the final solution is assessed. This is a very important step that entrepreneurs often overlook. Any fallacy in the implementation of the product or service is reassessed, and new solutions are implemented. A continual testing process may be needed to find the final solution. The prairie strips, buffers of grass, and vegetation along banks of streams chosen in the farming water example should then be analyzed and tested to ensure the chosen solution changed the content of the water.

ARE YOU READY?

Implementing creative problem solving.

Removing waste is a problem, and it can also present an entrepreneurial opportunity. Try to examine ways in which waste products that you usually pay to have hauled away can now generate revenue. Whether it’s recycling aluminum cans or cardboard, or garbage that could be used to feed animals, your task is to come up with solutions to this entrepreneurial-oriented problem.

• Try following the first step of the creative problem-solving process and clearly identify the problem.
• Next, gather data and formulate the challenge.
• Then, explore ideas and come up with solutions.
• Develop a plan of action.
• Finally, note how you would evaluate the effectiveness of your solution.

Using Creativity to Solve Problems

Entrepreneurs are faced with solving many problems as they develop their ideas for filling gaps, whether those opportunities involve establishing a new company or starting a new enterprise within an existing company. Some of these problems include staffing, hiring and managing employees, handling legal compliance, funding, marketing, and paying taxes. Beyond the mundane activities listed, the entrepreneur, or the team that the entrepreneur puts in place, is indispensable in maintaining the ongoing creativity behind the product line or service offered. Innovation and creativity in the business are necessary to expand the product line or develop a groundbreaking service.

It is not necessary for the entrepreneur to feel isolated when it comes to finding creative solutions to a problem. There are societies, tools, and new methods available to spur the creativity of the entrepreneur that will further support the success and expansion of a new enterprise. 14 Learning and using entrepreneurial methods to solve problems alleviates the stress many startup owners feel. The entrepreneur’s creativity will increase using collaborative methodologies. Some entrepreneurial collaborative methodologies include crowdsourcing, brainstorming, storyboarding, conducting quick online surveys to test ideas and concepts, and team creativity activities.

Crowdsourcing

Professor Daren Brabham at the University of Southern California has written books on crowdsourcing and touts its potential in for-profit and not-for-profit business sectors. He defines it simply as “an online, distributed problem-solving and production model.” 15 Crowdsourcing involves teams of amateurs and nonexperts working together to form a solution to a problem. 16 The idea, as cbsnews.com’s Jennifer Alsever has put it, is to “tap into the collective intelligence of the public at large to complete business-related tasks that a company would normally either perform itself or outsource to a third-party provider. Yet free labor is only a narrow part of crowdsourcing's appeal. More importantly, it enables managers to expand the size of their talent pool while also gaining deeper insight into what customers really want. The challenge is to take a cautionary approach to the ‘wisdom of the crowd,’ which can lead to a ‘herd’ mentality.” 17

LINK TO LEARNING

Read this article that discusses what crowdsourcing is, how to use it, and its benefits for more information.

This new business prototype, similar to outsourcing, features an enterprise posting a problem online and asking for volunteers to consider the problem and propose solutions. Volunteers earn a reward, such as prize money, promotional materials like a T-shirt, royalties on creative outlets like photos or designs, and in some cases, compensation for their labor. Before proposing the solution, volunteers learn that the solutions become the intellectual property of the startup posting the problem. The solution is then mass produced for profit by the startup that posted the problem. 18 The process evolves into the crowdsourcing process after the enterprise mass produces and profits from the labor of the volunteers and the team. Entrepreneurs should consider that untapped masses have solutions for many issues for which agendas do not yet exist. Crowdsourcing can exploit those agendas and add to the tools used to stimulate personal creativity. This type of innovation is planned and strategically implemented for profit.

For example, Bombardier held a crowdsourced innovation contest to solicit input on the future of train interiors, including seat design and coach class interior. A corporate jury judged the submissions, with the top ten receiving computers or cash prizes. Companies are often constrained, however, by internal rules limiting open source or external idea sourcing, as they could be accused of “stealing” an idea. While crowdsourcing outside of software can be problematic, some products such as MakerBot’s 3D printers, 3DR’s drones, and Jibo’s Social Robot have used developer kits and “makers” to help build a community and stimulate innovation from the outside.

WORK IT OUT

A crowdsourced potato chip.

In an effort to increase sales among millennials, PepsiCo turned to crowdsourcing to get new flavor ideas for their Lay’s potato chips (called Walker’s in the UK). Their 2012 campaign, “Do Us a Flavor,” was so successful that they received over 14 million submissions. The winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread, which increased their potato chip sales by 8 percent during the first three months after the launch.

• What are some other products that would work well for a crowdsourced campaign contest?
• What items wouldn’t work well?

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is an online crowdsourcing platform that allows individuals to post tasks for workers to complete. In many instances, these tasks are compensated, but the payment can be less than one dollar per item completed. Mechanical Turk is one of the largest and most well-known crowdsourcing platforms, but there are a number of other more niche ones as well that would apply to smaller markets. In the case of innovation contests and outsourced tasks from corporations, those tasks may be hosted internally by the corporation.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is the generation of ideas in an environment free of judgment or dissension with the goal of creating solutions. See Creativity, Innovation, and Invention to refresh yourself on this technique. Brainstorming is meant to stimulate participants into thinking about problem solving in a new way. Using a multifunctional group, meaning participants come from different departments and with different skill sets, gives entrepreneurs and support teams a genuine chance to suggest and actualize ideas. The group works together to refine and prototype potential solutions to a problem.

Brainstorming is a highly researched and often practiced technique for the development of innovative solutions. One of the more successful proponents of brainstorming is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF faces unique problems of solving resource problems for mothers and children in underdeveloped nations. See how UNICEF practices brainstorming to solve problems including child survival, gender inclusion, refugee crises, education, and others.

The setting for a brainstorming session should remain as informal and relaxed as possible. The group needs to avoid standard solutions. All ideas are welcome and listed and considered with no censorship and with no regard to administrative restrictions. All team members have an equal voice. The focus of brainstorming is on quantity of ideas rather than on the ideal solution provided in every suggestion. A classic entrepreneurial brainstorming activity, as popularized by business software developer Strategyzer, is known as the “silly cow” exercise. Teams come up with ideas for new business models pertaining to a cow, with the results often outrageous, ranging from sponsored cows to stroking cows for therapeutic release. Participants are asked to identify some aspect of a cow and develop three business models around that concept in a short time period, typically two minutes or fewer. The activity is designed to get creative juices flowing.

Watch this video from ABC’s Nightline that shows how IDEO designed a new shopping cart for an example of a design process that involves brainstorming.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is the process of presenting an idea in a step-by-step graphic format, as Figure 6.12 shows. This tool is useful when the entrepreneur is attempting to visualize a solution to a problem. The steps to the solution of a problem are sketched and hung in graphic format. Once the original graphic is placed, images of steps working toward a solution are added, subtracted, and rearranged on a continual basis, until the ultimate solution emerges in the ultimate graphic format. For many years, entrepreneurs have used this process to create a pre-visual for various media sequences.

Team Creativity

Team creativity is the process whereby an entrepreneur works with a team to create an unexpected solution for an issue or challenge. Teams progress through the same creative problem-solving process described already: clarify, ideate, develop, implement, and evaluate. The main advantage of team creativity is the collaboration and support members receive from one another. Great teams trust in other team members, have diverse members with diverse points of view, are cohesive, and have chemistry.

Team members should work in a stress-free and relaxing environment. Reinforcement and expansion of ideas in the team environment motivates the team to continually expand horizons toward problem solution. A small idea in a team may spark the imagination of a team member to an original idea. Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder of Facebook, once said, “The most important thing for you as an entrepreneur trying to build something is, you need to build a really good team. And that’s what I spend all my time on.” 19

ENTREPRENEUR IN ACTION

Taaluma totes 20.

Young entrepreneurs Jack DuFour and Alley Heffern began to notice the beautiful fabrics that came from the different countries they visited. The entrepreneurs thought about what could be done with the fabrics to create employment opportunities both in the country from which the fabric originated and in their home base of Virginia. They decided to test producing totes from the fabrics they found and formed Taaluma Totes ( Figure 6.13 ). DuFour and Heffern also wanted to promote the production of these fabrics and help underserved populations in countries where the fabric originated maintain a living or follow a dream.

The team continued to test the process and gathered original fabrics, which they sent to Virginia to create totes. They trained individuals with disabilities in Virginia to manufacture the totes, thus serving populations in the United States. The entrepreneurs then decided to take 20 percent of their profits and make microloans to farmers and small business owners in the countries where the fabric originated to create jobs there. Microloans are small loans, below $50,000, which certain lenders offer to enterprising startups. These startups, for various reasons (they are in poor nations, at poverty level), can’t afford a traditional loan from a major bank. The lenders offer business support to the borrower, which in turn helps the borrower repay the microloan. The microloans from Taaluma are repaid when the borrower is able. Repayments are used to buy more fabric, completing Taaluma’s desire to serve dual populations. If the process proved unsuccessful, the co-owners would revise the process to meet the plan’s requirements.

DuFour and Heffern now have fabrics from dozens of countries from Thailand to Ecuador. The totes are specialized with features to meet individual needs. The product line is innovated regularly and Taaluma Totes serves a dual purpose of employing persons with disabilities in Virginia and creating employment for underserved populations in other countries.

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'It Turned Everything Around': How This CEO Conquered His ADHD Using Brain Boosters Dan Freed, founder and CEO of Thesis, found mental clarity with nootropics. Now, he is sharing his formulas with the world.

By Jon Bier • Apr 2, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Dan Freed is Founder and CEO of Thesis, a nootropics brand
• ADHD caused him to drop out of school and become a world-class chef
• After he discovered nootropics, he was no longer dependent on pharmaceutical stimulants

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When he was eight years old, Dan Freed could not sit still in school.

"I remember coming home and bouncing off the walls. I was getting suspended. I'm in the principal's office. They're sending me to a psychiatrist," Freed says. "People thought I was stupid, lazy, or unmotivated. I started to believe it."

Doctors later diagnosed Freed with ADHD and prescribed the stimulant Adderall. This helped him focus, but also left him depressed and irritable.

It wasn't until he was an adult that Freed discovered nootropics , nutrient compounds shown to support motivation, creativity, mood, memory, and cognitive processing.

"Nootropics turned everything around for me and helped me form the positive habits that I built my success on," he says.

Freed is now the founder and CEO of Thesis , a leading nootropics company that makes specially formulated blends to enhance an individual's personal neurochemistry. I spoke with him recently on my podcast One Day with Jon Bier about his personal and professional journey.

From chef to CEO

Early in Freed's career, he became a saucier at Michelin-starred restaurants and an esteemed chef worldwide. He credits part of his success to his ADHD.

"It was my superpower," he says. "As a chef, you're constantly in the weeds doing five things at once, but I was able to concentrate on so many different things."

But the work was also burning him out. He dreamed of taking the GMAT and going back to school. While working as an executive sous chef on a cruise ship, he learned how to run a successful operation from his boss, a former investment banker.

"One day, he said to me, 'If you're able to do all of this without an education, imagine what you could do with one," Freed recalls.

Around this time, he discovered nootropics, which were a total game changer.

"I scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT and earned a master's degree from Yale and INSEAD," he says. "For years, I was always on and off Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta, every couple of months," he says. "But nootropics were the first thing where I'm like, hey, this is sustainable. It doesn't have these side effects. I was able to make meaningful progress and be more productive and creative."

Related: How to Upgrade Your Brain to Boost Focus and Productivity

Solving a problem

Freed's newfound appreciation for nootropics changed the trajectory of his life, but it wasn't without its challenges.

For one, he realized early on that nootropics weren't a one-size-fits-all solution. He couldn't find a product in the market that was the perfect formulation for him.

"I was constantly experimenting with different ingredients, dosages, combinations to find what worked," Freed says. "When I found something that worked, it was much better than anything I could find on the market. And that was when it clicked: How can we get this tailored experience?"

A business idea was born.

Freed and his team tried out various combinations of different dosages and ingredients on a test group of 2,500 people until they got the desired results. The result was Thesis--nootropic blends formulated for different outcomes, including logic, creativity, motivation, energy, clarity, and confidence.

Freed says, "Nootropics is a data science problem. The solution is to get a massive amount of customer data on how they respond to different ingredients and formulations."

New product line

On the podcast, Freed also talks about a new product line they have developed called Stasis, which he describes as "supplements that are synergistic with stimulants."

Unlike Thesis, which is tailored to replace the effects of pharmaceutical stimulants such as Adderall, Stasis is designed to complement these drugs.

"We're able to find the right ingredients for the right person based on their genetics and their goals and knowing this person's taking a stimulant that very predictably altered their brain chemistry," he explains.

So far, customers have given the product exceptional reviews.

"I've been formulating for almost a decade now, and I've never seen such a positive response from any product," Freed says.

Related: How Leaders Can Help Employees With ADHD Succeed in Remote Work

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ABERDEEN, S.D. — Northern State University announces that two of its outstanding students, Alexandria Arndt and Diana Li, have been named finalists for the 2024 South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Competition. Their innovative projects have set them apart as top qualifiers, showcasing their commitment to entrepreneurship and creative problem-solving.

Alexandria Arndt's Groundbreaking Campus Safety App: Tier Five

Alexandria Arndt, a passionate student entrepreneur, has developed Tier Five, a revolutionary campus safety and security app designed to tackle the critical issues faced by college students. Drawing from her personal experiences and the prevalent dangers within her age group, Arndt's app prioritizes proactive crime prevention, aligning with Title IX objectives and Clery Act requirements. Tier Five empowers students with essential resources and knowledge, allowing them to take control of their safety on campus. What sets Tier Five apart is Arndt's innovative use of AI technology, offering a comprehensive solution to enhance campus security and community well-being.

Looking back on her journey, Arndt expressed deep gratitude for the support and mentorship she received at Northern State University. She credits her experiences at NSU, from participating in business pitch competitions to receiving guidance from faculty members like Dr. Sal Villegas, for shaping her entrepreneurial path.

As she prepares for the competition, Arndt aims not only to showcase Tier Five's potential but also to ignite interest in AI expansion and campus security research. Her ultimate goal is to set a new standard for campus security and empower communities to effectively address prevalent issues.

Diana Li's Innovative Workplace Wellness Platform: NAMI

Diana Li, the visionary founder of NAMI, is on a mission to revolutionize workplace wellness through an innovative AI-driven platform. Recognizing the widespread impact of mental health issues in the workplace, Li's goal with NAMI is to provide proactive, personalized support to employees and organizations. By leveraging AI technology, NAMI identifies early signs of mental health issues and delivers tailored wellness programs, ensuring employees receive the support they need to thrive. Li's vision for NAMI goes beyond individual well-being, aiming to cultivate a culture of resilience and productivity within organizations worldwide.

Li attributes much of her success to her education at Northern State University, where supportive faculty and resources provided invaluable guidance throughout her entrepreneurial journey. Mentors like Dr. Sal Villegas and Dr. Hannah Walters played a pivotal role in shaping her business acumen and navigating the challenges of bringing a tech-driven solution to market.

As a finalist in the Governor's Giant Vision Competition, Li is eager to showcase NAMI's potential to transform workplace wellness on a global scale. She envisions a future where mental health is prioritized alongside physical health, leading to healthier, more supportive workplaces.

"Collaborating with these exceptional students has been truly inspiring," said Sal Villegas, assistant professor of management in the School of Business. "Their journey to the finals of the 2024 South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Competition highlights not only their individual talents but also their unwavering dedication to innovation and problem-solving. Their projects reflect forward-thinking approaches to real-world challenges, underlining their potential to make meaningful contributions to the entrepreneurial sphere. We are incredibly proud to stand behind them."

Northern State University congratulates Alexandria Arndt and Diana Li on their remarkable achievements and wishes them the very best in the final round of the Governor's Giant Vision Competition, taking place on Thursday, April 11, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. The competitor displays will be open to the public from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in Exhibit Hall