1. The Need for Creative Thinking
1.1. Take Away Value
1.1.1. 1. Understanding the nature and logic of creativity
1.1.2. 2. The will and intention to make a creative effort.
1.1.3. 3. Specific tools, techniques and methods.
1.2. The Theoretical Need for Creativity
1.2.1. Understanding the basis behavior of patterning systems is necessary in order to understand serious creativity.
1.2.2. Using lateral thinking as cutting across patterns which is not natural process in brain.
1.3. The Practical Need for Creativity
1.3.1. Ability to use creative thinking should be part of every thinker's thinking skill. It is not definitely limited to special person or occasions.
1.3.2. The logic of perception demands the ability to think creatively so anyone who has to do any thinking must develop this ability to think creatively in any occasion.
1.4. Information & Creativity
1.4.1. There is high for creativity in interpreting data and looking at possibilities.
1.5. Misperceptions about Creativity
1.5.1. Creativity is something you are born with; it can't be learned
1.5.2. You have to be artistic to be creative
1.5.3. Creativity is crazy and illogical
1.5.4. Creativity requires particular conditions
1.5.5. Right brain/Left brain
1.6. Sources of Creativity
1.6.1. Innocence
1.6.2. Experience
1.6.3. Motivation
1.6.4. Tuned Judgement
1.6.5. Chance, Accident or By Mistake
1.7. Lateral Thinking
1.7.1. Using the systematic techniques and tools of lateral thinking, a logical and consistent source of new creative ideas can be tapped into.
1.8. Perception & Processing
1.8.1. Creative need the fluidity of perception and the possibility of multiple perceptions. However, the idea need to be rock logic to present the workable ideas.
1.8.1.1. The concept of Water Logic (Logic of Perception)
1.8.1.1.1. The water is fluid and flows.
1.8.1.1.2. Perception depends on context, experience, emotions, point of view, framework and etc.
1.8.1.1.3. Concern with "what might be"
1.8.1.1.4. Perceptions build up by layer that is not separated to give a total perception.
1.8.1.2. The concept Rock Logic (Logic of Processing)
1.8.1.2.1. Rock has a fixed and permanent shape
1.8.1.2.2. Concern with "what is"
1.9. Design & Analysis
1.9.1. Analysis is the traditional method of thinking.
1.9.2. Design needs to use creativity in order to put forward possible concepts and to change existing perceptions.
1.9.3. Misperception towards designing
1.9.3.1. It is considered that design is not part of everyday thinking. That is a real disaster, which has continued for centuries.
1.9.3.2. Design has been almost completely neglected and has been relegated to graphic design, dress design and architecture only.
1.10. The Uses of Creative Thinking
1.10.1. Improvement
1.10.1.1. Can be applied to existing systems with the hope of making an improvement or finding a better and more efficient way to achieve anything.
1.10.2. Problem Solving
1.10.2.1. To provide an alternative solution offering enhanced benefits over the traditional approach.
1.10.3. Value and Oppotunity
1.10.3.1. Additional value can be created by adding new products or services, or by utilizing unused assets.
1.10.3.2. Opportunities require creative thinking.
1.10.4. The Future
1.10.4.1. Creative thinking can be used to forecast future scenarios, and to generate alternative courses of action which may produce improved results.
1.10.5. Motivation
1.10.5.1. Creativity is a strong motivator because it generates tremendous enthusiasm and energy.
2. The Application of Creative Thinking
2.1. Application
2.2. Everyday Creativity/ Specific Creativity
2.2.1. Everyday Creativity; creativity becomes part of ordinary thinking.
2.2.2. Specific Creativity: the definition of creative task should be specific by:
2.2.2.1. 1. Defining the creative task
2.2.2.2. 2. Structure for the deliberate application of the systematic lateral thinking tools
2.2.2.3. 3. Evaluation and implementation of the output of the creative thinking.
2.3. The Creativity Hit List
2.3.1. The item:
2.3.1.1. PROBLEM
2.3.1.2. IMPROVEMENT TASK
2.3.1.3. PROJECT
2.3.1.4. WHIM & OPPORTUNITY
2.4. Introduction of Creativity
2.4.1. Sensitization
2.4.2. Six Thinking hats
2.4.3. Nominated/Process champion
2.4.4. Structures and Programs
2.5. Responsibility
2.5.1. The process champion
2.5.2. The concept manager
2.5.3. Creativity centre
2.5.4. Network
2.5.5. Human resource department
2.5.6. Trainers
2.6. Structures & Programmes
2.6.1. Quality circles
2.6.2. Quality, continuous improvement and cost-cutting
2.6.3. Creativity centre
2.6.4. Concept RnD
2.6.5. Creative Hit List
2.6.6. Cloud 9 File
2.6.7. Creative task sheet
2.6.8. Opportunity audit
2.6.9. Regular creative session
2.6.10. Trainers & Training
2.6.11. Facilitators
2.6.12. The fat/cat program
2.6.13. Messing around
2.7. Training
2.7.1. Training needs
2.7.2. Forms of training
2.7.3. Allocation of time
2.8. Formats
2.8.1. Instant use
2.8.2. Individual format
2.8.3. Group Format
2.8.4. Group structures
2.9. Evaluation
2.9.1. End categories
2.9.2. Major considerations
2.9.3. Essential factors
2.9.4. Fall-back position
2.9.5. Testability
2.9.6. Risk
2.9.7. The Final decision
2.9.8. Making an idea works
3. Lateral Thinking Tools & Techniques
3.1. The Six Thinking Hats
3.1.1. Only allow one time of thinking at any time to avoid excessive thinking of any kind.
3.1.2. White Hat
3.1.2.1. Facts
3.1.2.2. Present information in neutral & Objective way.
3.1.3. Yellow Hat
3.1.3.1. Optimism & Logical Positive View
3.1.3.2. Benefits
3.1.4. Green Hat
3.1.4.1. Creative Thinking
3.1.4.2. Alternatives
3.1.4.3. Possibilities & Hypotheses
3.1.4.4. New Approach
3.1.5. Black Hat
3.1.5.1. Caution
3.1.5.2. Critical Thinking
3.1.6. Red Hat
3.1.6.1. Gut-Feeling
3.1.6.2. Hunches
3.1.6.3. Intuition
3.1.7. Blue Hat
3.1.7.1. Managing the thinking process
3.1.7.2. Organize and control the thinking
3.1.8. Example:
3.2. The Creative Pause
3.2.1. Pause the current train of thought when you have been thinking on the same path for a while.
3.2.2. Example:
3.3. Focus
3.3.1. Focus on an interesting point, rather than quickly moving on.
3.3.2. Pick out one specific area everyone just takes as a given and look for a creative idea about improving that area
3.4. Challenge
3.4.1. Challenge established assumptions.
3.4.2. Example: “Why is it done this way? Does it have to be done this way? Are there any other ways which might be better?"
3.5. Alternatives
3.5.1. Move from one idea or concept to a similar one
3.5.2. Use when want more ideas like a current idea
3.5.3. Ask: "Is there another way of doing this?" "What are the available alternatives?" "What can be done differently in this situation?"
3.6. The Concept FAN
3.6.1. Create alternatives by finding concept behind idea and generating list of ideas from concept.
3.6.2. “Fan” of concepts is generated from multiple pull-backs and idea or concept lists from initial idea.
3.6.3. Example:
3.7. Concepts
3.7.1. Look at the concepts behind an existing successful idea and ask whether these same concepts can be applied somewhere else.
3.8. Movement
3.8.1. Move from a provocation to other ideas
3.8.2. Types:
3.8.2.1. Expose the principle
3.8.2.2. Expose the difference between provocation and starting point
3.8.2.3. Moment-to-moment: Follow through with the consequences by simulation.
3.8.2.4. Look for the positives
3.8.2.5. Look for the circumstances in which the provocation is useful.
3.9. Provocations
3.9.1. Cause a radical departure from current thinking.
3.9.2. Types:
3.9.2.1. Escape/negation of things that are taken for granted. “Building software is free.”
3.9.2.2. Reversal (reversal of relationships; like escape, but narrower). “Servers call clients.”
3.9.2.3. Exaggeration (values become very large or small, etc.). “Programs are a single line of code.”
3.9.2.4. Distortion of normal relationships (as in time order). “The program is written before the requirements”
3.9.2.5. Wishful thinking (positive version of escape). “Wouldn’t it be nice if programs wrote programs.”
3.10. The Random Input
3.10.1. Place or deal a problem noun with a random noun; it is useful when stuck.
3.10.2. Try to relate random word to problem. For instance: “Enhancement po oil.”
3.11. Sensitizing Techniques
3.11.1. List five unconnected statements in problem area to sensitize (cause) to problem
3.12. Harvesting
3.12.1. Specific ideas, for-instance ideas, seedling ideas, direct concepts, pull-back concepts, directions, needs, new focuses, changes of thinking, flavor
3.13. The Treatment of Ideas
3.13.1. Strengthen and shape the ideas to fit in a condition
3.13.2. shape it, tailor it, strengthen its strengths, reinforce its weaknesses, compare it with other ideas, find its faults and defects, examine its consequences, determine how it can be tested and evaluate it.
3.14. Formal Output
3.14.1. Retrieve the focus, dominant concept, dominant idea, and value from the discussion.
3.15. Group or Individual
3.15.1. Individuals can develop new up lines of thinking
3.15.2. The group can develop the ideas more
3.15.3. There is value in combining individual and group creative thinking
3.15.3.1. People become more tolerant of the ideas of the others.