Enhance Your Team’s Wellbeing Through Creative Problem-Solving

As a leader, you have an opportunity to foster a culture that values and prioritizes the mental and emotional wellbeing of your team. One powerful way to achieve this, while continuing to get things done, is by embracing creative problem-solving.

What is Creative Problem-Solving?

No matter what industry you are in, you inevitably face challenges that need workable solutions. Creative problem-solving (CPS) is a method used to approach a challenge in an innovative way. It involves looking beyond the obvious solution and considering other possibilities.

Anyone can learn how to implement CPS. Here are some of the defining characteristics:

Solution-focused: Rather than focusing solely on the problem itself, CPS looks at the desired future outcome or goal and works backward to identify strategies to achieve that outcome.
Flexible and Adaptive: CPS involves having the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and conditions and the flexibility to change one’s approach if a solution isn’t working.
Divergent and Convergent Thinking: In the divergent phase, individuals brainstorm and come up with as many potential solutions as possible without immediately evaluating their feasibility. In the convergent phase, they critically evaluate, refine, and narrow down these solutions to find the best fit.
Iterative: CPS recognizes that the first solution might not always be the best. As new information emerges or circumstances change, it may be necessary to revisit and modify the solution.
Collaborative: CPS can often benefit from the collective intelligence of a group, where individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives come together to address a challenge.
Use of Techniques and Tools: Various techniques, such as brainstorming, lateral thinking, mind mapping, and others are often employed as part of the CPS process.
Holistic: Creative problem-solving considers not just the direct implications of a solution but also its wider impact, looking at the big picture and examining how a solution fits into broader contexts.