Table Of ContentCreative
Thinking
&
Problem
Solving
John Fabian
Boca Raton London New York
CRC PressC isR anC im Pprrinets osf, thIenc.
Taylor B&o Fcraanc Ris Gartoounp,, a nF ilnoforrimdaa business
First published 1990 by CRC Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fabian, John, 1934
Creative thinking and problem solving/John Fabian.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-87371-153-X
1. Creative ability in science. 2. Problem solving. I. Title.
Q172.5.C74F33 1990
153.4’3—dc20 90-31911
A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 90031911
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This book is dedicated to:
My folks, who whetted my appetite for crea-
tive expression
Mentors galore who showed me the imagi-
native potency and wisdom of the human
mind, teams at work and play, organizations
seeking innovation and transformation.
Detractors whose probes and barbs helped
hone my thinking and teaching.
Peers, students, and clients who cultivated
a curious air, a playful air, an always-ready
creative dare.
Pioneers who tinkered and toiled, tantalizing
me with their inventions.
John P. Fabian, PhD, is a widely experienced and highly effective
consultant, trainer, lecturer, and facilitator. For many years he
has been helping diverse companies, institutions, groups, and
individuals creatively untangle problems and opportunities, find
new options, explore the future, and behave more openly and
imaginatively. Through the use of creative thinking strategies,
he has helped scientists, engineers, researchers, managers, and
support staff discover novel approaches in their work, and ways
of unlocking their own creativity and potential.
A licensed psychologist, Dr. Fabian helps bridge walls be-
tween organizations, disciplines, teams, and individuals. Think-
ing strategically and creatively, building high performance teams
and organizations, solving thorny problems, and exciting people
with the potential within and around them are the targets of his
work.
Preface
Writing a book like this is an audacious act! Not wanting a
tedious textbook nor a fluffy generic self-help book, I've at-
tempted a balancing act. To provide the meat of creative thinking
with the right amount of tenderizer, I've tried to present the
important concepts and techniques without heavy gristle of back-
ground information that could detract from the taste and useful-
ness of the ideas.
The pages ahead are intended for scientists, engineers, and
project leaders who want to add depth, how to's, and spice to
their creative thinking. This book is for those who want to
sharpen their imaginative edge:
• Scientists probing the boundaries of the known or search-
ing for answers to perplexing problems or exciting possi-
bilities in the field or the lab
• Engineers at the forefront of product or process develop-
ment, as well as those maintaining, patching, enhancing,
or seeking solutions to technology that already exists
• Project managers wanting to forge teams not only driving
toward milestones but also applying imagination to their
tasks
• Others tantalized by creativity
This book doesn't guarantee a Nobel prize, a seat on a prestig-
ious commission of one's choosing, a huge grant from a founda-
tion, or a new product that takes the nation by storm. Many
factors besides innovative thinking go into those prizes.
Other opportunities lie in store for you in this book:
• Practical techniques for sparking individual and group
creative thinking
• Expanded inventive behaviors
• Ways for people with different thinking preferences to in-
teract creatively
vii
• Methods of breaking common perceptions and producing
wider ranges of options or ideas
• Remedies for overcoming innovation killers
• Greater appreciation for where, when, and how creative
thinking can be useful in your work
If you already know a subject, you might want to move to
another section. You may then want to double back for either
concepts or how to's. The following thumbnail sketch should help
you know what to anticipate in the pages ahead.
• Chapter 1: Sketches the creative thinking journey that has
been and can be taken by many scientific and technical
people. Provides definitions. Presents an overview of criti-
cal components.
• Chapters 2 and 3: Point to elements that help unleash crea-
tive energy. Highlight the individual qualities that deliver
breakthrough thinking. Show blocks to creative thinking
and ways to get around the personal barriers.
• Chapters 4-9: Explore how to ignite imagination. Go step-
by-step through the creative process, illustrating the four
key phases.
• Chapter 10: Provides specific practice and application tools
for expanding imaginative thinking in individuals and
groups.
• Chapter 11: Focuses on environmental keys for fostering
and managing innovative thought.
The book presents a buffet of ideas, a mixture of individual
and group stimulation concoctions. Fundamentals are given
along with the fancier morsels. Just as professional teams prepare
for sporting events by working on the basics, the foundation in-
novative thinking skills and methods need to be well in hand
before more esoteric practices can jell.
You already have built-in imaginative abilities and creative
techniques. I hope the ideas in this book can tease, stretch, and
stir what you already have, then take you to richer levels of crea-
tive thinking.
Become a participant in the book. Keep your mind loose as
viii
you search for applications. Have fun. Play with the concepts, the
how to's, and the strategies. See what fits for you and what might
work for your work group. Get involved when asked to.
The methods in this book come from a variety of sources.
Many streams of thought come together here. Researchers and
practitioners have been trying to ferret out the ingredients of
creative thinking for many years. In the 1950s, divergent reason-
ing was being contrasted with convergent thought. During the
1960s, brainstorming and other creative problem solving ap-
proaches were being tested on college campuses and in many
business settings. The human potential movement probed the
imaginative mind and spirit as a principle of personal growth.
The 1970s was a time of explosive study of the contrasting
modes of the two brain hemispheres. Neuroscientists, psycholo-
gists, and educators saw the historically mute right brain as the
site of functions that paralleled elements believed to be critical to
innovative thinking. The exploration of consciousness and its
many states was another stream that added further substance and
conjecture regarding the creative mind.
Also during this time, organization development specialists,
in their attempts to revitalize life within companies, industries,
and agencies, began to tackle work environments that inhibited
creative thought. They began to create methods to breathe more
imagination and innovation into organizations. Another impor-
tant tributary for the study of creativity was the wealth of knowl-
edge accumulating around the role of stress and change in the
human mind and body.
During the 1980s and on into the 1990s, there has been much
refinement and strengthening of earlier themes and areas of
study. Creative reasoning has begun to be more balanced. It is
seen as an integration of styles of thinking, emotions, levels of
consciousness, and intuitive processes. Arational or whole mind
thinking has been a target for stimulating creative thought. As-
sessments of preferred reasoning modes of individuals are ex-
panding. The environment and how it affects both intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation has been an intriguing focus. A wide variety
of methods has been developed to elicit creative thinking.
My fascination with creativity and the use of imagination
spans twenty-five years. I have applied creative thinking pro-
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