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CREATIVITY: A KEY TO VALUE STUDY SUCCESS (FRED KOLANO) PAGE 1

CREATIVITY: A KEY TO VALUE STUDY SUCCESS

Fred Kolano, CVS‐Life, FSAVE

Author Biography

(100 words or less)

Abstract

Creativity is one of the key phases of the Value Methodology Job Plan. To improve a project or product, numerous ideas are needed. These ideas – which can be thought of as the “sticks and stones” for building a new vision of a project or product – are essential for improvement. This paper presents a brief overview of group dynamics during creativity and what a facilitator needs to be aware of to ensure effective management of a brainstorming session. Numerous puzzles and exercises are presented, which can be used to stimulate team members. Detailed explanation and instructions for each are provided. Tips and hints are noted for effective facilitation and to generate ideas.


The goal of the Creativity Phase of the Value Methodology Job Plan is to generate many ideas to improve the product, process or service that is under study. The concept is that, through mental stimulation, team members can reach back into their minds – to thoughts, to past experiences, or to education – to capture an idea that may be offered as an idea for improvement.

The Creativity Phase is a way to stimulate the mind to generate ideas that can be used to cause change. So here we are dealing with the human mind. Creativity is in all of us. Using a structured approach to helping team members think differently about a project will help to get ideas parked in our minds. The creativity process is the way in which outside influences can be used to help team members think differently by changing their built‐in filters. These filters will prevent concepts that are stored in the back of the mind from being brought into the open. Removing these filters helps to foster new ideas. In her article “The Unleashed Mind,” Shelly Carson notes that “Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us. And creativity flows best when barriers are down.” 1 Her article focuses on three fast facts related to creative eccentrics: “1. People who are creative often have odd thoughts and behaviors – and vice versa. 2. Both creativity and eccentricity may be the result of genetic variations that increase cognitive disinhibition – the brain’s failure to filter out extraneous information. 3. When unfiltered information reaches conscious awareness in the brains of people who are highly intelligent and can process this information without being overwhelmed, it may lead to exceptional insights and sensations.”

So with this as a premise, how can we change our team members’ minds to help get new ideas? Let us temporarily be a little eccentric to help generate ideas.

Rooted in the concept of creativity is that we develop bias during our life and these work to filter thoughts. By suppressing these biases and unblocking filters, ideas can flow better. The eccentrics mentioned above have been born or have developed their minds to prevent this filtering.

In order for individuals to mentally shift out of their routine work “mind set”, it will usually take some external stimulus to help. Perhaps individuals are most creative when they are relaxed. When is the most relaxing part of your day? Would you be surprised that it is middle of the night? This may be so because our minds are not cluttered by the noise of typical workday activities and is free to fantasize and come up with new and off‐the‐wall, out‐of‐the‐box ideas.

The process of creativity really starts right at the beginning of the value study. During your introduction to the value study you might mention the following to the team, suggesting that new ideas start right at the start of the workshop.

FACILITATOR TIP>> Explain to the team that as information is presented during the Value Methodology Information Phase, fleeting thoughts run across the mind. These emerging potential ideas (“zingers”) need to be recorded by team members or the facilitator so that they are not lost. A few words are all that are needed as a reminder as ideas pop into the mind. Then, when the Creativity Phase is conducted, there are ideas at hand. Also, show the participants that you mean what you say by recording ideas as they come up on flip charts on the wall.


Another key point to bring up with the team early in the study is the concept of a “Yes if, not No, because” attitude.

FACILITATOR TIP>> Early on, it is important to let the team know that it is easy to dismiss an idea for any number of reasons: we have tried that before, the client will not agree, etc. However, with a “Yes, if” mentality, ideas can be offered and advanced and will complement the structured Value Method Job Plan. This phrase should be written and posted where it can always be seen by the team.

When the Creativity Phase arrives, an atmosphere should be established so that the team is willing to come up with new ideas. When faced with an incomplete picture, the mind works to complete the mental image by inferring what the missing information is. Your mind works the same way on an unsolved problem or challenge; it loves to dive right in and get the job done. Creativity could be thought of as thinking smarter in order to complete the picture or vision of a greatly improved project or process.

After the Information Phase, when the project has been discussed and functions have been selected for brainstorming, comes the time to conduct mental exercises to temporarily change the team members’ attitudes and notions regarding the project at hand. The following diagram shows that if a creativity session is not allowed enough time, the potential ideas may not be recorded.

Figure 1 – Number of Ideas vs. Time

Creative thinking techniques can also be thought of as a “Blast and Create” method to identify new ideas.

Ideas

Time

Using Memory Period These ideas are what you are used to doing or have done before. It is the solve‐the‐problem approach.

Using Creativity for NEW IDEAS After going through creativity exercises, the mind will open up to new concepts, combinations, and variations.

DON’T STOP HERE Usually there is a lull after a large number of ideas are thrown out. Pause and allow incubation to take over. Overnight is optimal.


Blast is where the project or product can be expanded apart to discover all the parts and pieces to help get to the root of the problem. Using the function nomenclature of an Active Verb + a Measurable Noun is helpful as a simple expression, which can be used as the focus for generation of new ideas. Using more complex expressions is likely to create images of specific systems and thus narrow the thinking of the participants. The function is the ideal way to create a focus for new ideas.

Create is where the function can be used as a signal to stimulate the brain and urge the conception of new ideas. Information or knowledge is not always retrievable from the brain. It is important to record any idea a participant may have, so that any new kernel of an idea may be captured.

EXPLAINING CREATIVITY TO THE TEAM

Start your creativity session by helping the team to understand a little about creativity.

First ask them, “When do you think they were most creative during their LIFETIME?” (Various answers are offered; suggest that it may be during early childhood.) Then ask them, “What was the first word you probably understood?” (Answer is usually the word “NO”.)

Then show them the graphic on the following page (Figure 2). Explain that, in the figure, the horizontal line represents neutral creativity. The area above the line represents creativity and the area below is judgmental. The wavy line represents our variations in creativity.

Suggest to them that as children we have very few preconceived notions. We gain attitudes and habits from playing and learning. Perhaps mention that when we enter life, our brains are essentially a bunch of empty file cabinets that get filled up with our attitudes through education and experience. Discuss that as children, we have no habits, but as we grow older this changes. We tend to become judgmental because of our schooling and workplace rules. Ask them if they work with any people that are judgmental. (They usually say they do.) Finally, explain to the team that your job in the next few minutes is to get them back up the curve to the creative area by conducting a number of mental exercises.

After this preamble of creativity, start creative exercises to stimulate new ideas for improvement of the project or process.


CREATIVE CYCLE

No Habits Growth Flow Necessity Curtailment

Childhood Adolescence Adult Life

External Stimulus

NEUT

RAL

CREA

TIVI

TY

TIME

Figure 2. Creative vs. Judgmental Attitudes During a Lifetime

CREATIVE EXERCISES

Riddles and puzzles offer the twin elements of disguise and discovery. As a team leader, it is important that you keep the team upbeat and away from judgment. Make sure that initially, team members are presented riddles and puzzles that are easy enough and entertaining so that they have early success and enjoy them. If you present a “stump the stars” exercise early – and the team cannot figure out the answer within a reasonable time – then considerable momentum has been lost that may be very difficult to overcome. Typically, these result in the opposite of what you desire. Discouragement, frustration, and failure prevail; when the goal of creativity is to be open‐minded with new thinking to discover new ideas.

FACILITATOR TIP>> Sometimes it is necessary to caution the team members about blurting out the answer too quickly. Mention that if they get the answer immediately, to hesitate providing their answer to the team. This way the team gets a chance to receive stimulation from the exercise.

Each of the following exercises is self‐explanatory. The instructions are followed by a graphic to be used during the presentation of the exercise.

Appendix A contains several useful creativity exercises with detailed explanations and comments that help a facilitator provide a dialogue and discussion of the main points of the exercise.

Appendix B offers numerous other exercises and puzzles for use during the Creativity Overview. The answers are found on the last two slides. It is a complete presentation. So you will have to fill in with discussion in some of the slides.


RULES OF BRAINSTORMING

After you have explained and discussed creativity and performed the exercises, discuss with the team the following Rules of Brainstorming:

• Quantity Not Quality

• Suspend Judgment

• Hitchhike on Ideas

• Record All Ideas

Quantity, Not Quality points to the desire to get as many ideas as possible in front of the team. Go back to the zinger list each team member is to have for ideas. Also, refer to your Idea List for ideas that you may have captured during the Information Phase.

Suspend Judgment is helpful because it keeps the team away from negativity, “we tried this before” and other discussions that get in the way of more ideas. Here it may be helpful to demonstrate. Ask the team what sorts of gestures or body language they might exhibit if they liked an idea that was offered. Then ask how they gesture if they disliked an idea. Then, take a piece of paper and gingerly hold it up by your fingertips and say, “If I were to offer this tiny, frail idea to the team…..and (take the paper, scrunch it up, throw it to the floor and stomp on it) and ask, “Now where is the next idea coming from?” Answer: “Not from me!”

Hitchhiking on ideas refers to using your past experience and education to take an idea already given and expand on it or combine it with other ideas.

Record all ideas means that even a word or phrase may be the trigger for an entirely new idea. (Use your judgment to exclude extremely crazy ideas.)

FACILITATOR TIP >> Sometimes it is good to do a round robin offering of ideas. This usually works for two rounds; then open it up for anyone to offer an idea.

INCUBATION PERIOD

Asking team members to offer ideas for each function at the start of creativity is the common practice. However, the brain needs time to incubate on new ideas. Obtaining ideas is not like a light switch…when we turn it on, all the ideas come out. It is helpful to allow an overnight incubation period to allow the mind to think about new ideas.

FACILITATION TIP>> Ask the team as a homework assignment to come back with two new ideas in the morning. If an overnight period is not convenient, then pause your Evaluation Phase activity the next morning and start out with a revisit of brainstorming to see if any new ideas came to mind over night.


RECORDING IDEAS

As team members are offering ideas it is important to record them so all can see. This way, as the workshop progresses, the team members can refer to them and could possibly come up with a few more ideas. The listing of all the ideas can then be used for evaluation to determine which ideas can be advanced as an alternative to the original design concept.

CONCLUSIONS

The Creativity Phase of the Value Methodology Job Plan will result in ideas and concepts that have the potential to become alternatives or recommendations for improvement of a project. Taking adequate time for this phase will help the team members come up with new ideas for change. It will also show the team members how their contributions will result in positive change to a project. Temporarily feeling a little eccentric can help to unblock filters we develop through our experiences which can help ideas flow.

1 ““The Unleashed Mind,” Shelly Carson”; Scientific American Mind; May/June, 2011. Pg. 22‐29.


APPENDIX A

ADDING A COLUMN OF NUMBERS

PURPOSE

To illustrate how mental sets influence thinking. Bottom Line: Facts vs. perceptions, both exist, both OK.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 5 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Flip chart page with the numbers listed as shown in the Adding Numbers Chart.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1.

Start by writing down the first three lines—1000, 1000, and 40—in a column. Ask the team for their collective answer. Add 1000 to the column. Ask the team for their collective answer, and “together and a little bit louder please.” Add 30 to the bottom of the column. Ask the team for their collective answer. Add 1000 and repeat question. Add 20 and repeat. Add 1000 and repeat. Add 10 and repeat. Ask everyone together: What is the sum of the numbers?

Typically the answer is 6,000. Some say other numbers. A few respond with the correct answer of 5,100.

Step 2.

When they have completed the addition, discuss what they were thinking as they were accomplishing their task. Discuss that what we have here is facts vs. perceptions. Discuss that the fact was 5,100, but the perception was 6,000. How is this so? Mention that the bottom line is that they both exist and they are both OK. Suggest to team members that it is important to clarify a fact from a perception and to tell the team when a perception is being discussed.

This exercise is usually presented first because it is such an eye opener. Ask the team, “How did you get the wrong answer? It was a simple exercise of adding a column of numbers. Mention that, as we become comfortable with a process, we tend to lose sight of what is really happening. Mention that as we do our work, we tend to get into a rut and thus do not see what is happening.


1000 1000 40 1000 30 1000 20 1000 10

__________________________


HOW MANY SQUARES DO YOU SEE?

PURPOSE

To give participants an opportunity to see that things are not really what they appear to be. Bottom Line: It is not always the first thing you think of that is the answer. Incubation time provides more combinations.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 5 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Squares Chart.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1.

Present the chart to individuals—either on paper, on a flip chart (drawing the figures may be a challenge), or by computer projector.

Step 2.

Ask them how many squares they see.

Step 3.

Coach the team to the right answer of 30 squares. Usually 16 is the first answer, followed by 17. Then 24 is suggested. Keep telling the team that there are more. Typically, the four 3 by 3 squares are missed.

Step 4.

Show the team where the 30 squares exist.

Step 5.

Discuss why the answer was not easy to discover.


HOW MANY SQUARES DO YOU SEE?


WHAT IS THE NEXT SYMBOL IN THIS SEQUENCE?

PURPOSE

To give participants an opportunity to think “out of the box”. Bottom Line: Abstract shapes conceal a hidden sequence. Try to think out of the box when brainstorming.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 3 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Next symbol sequence chart.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Present the chart to individuals—either on paper, on a flip chart (drawing the figures may be a challenge) or by computer projector. Mention to them that if an individual sees it right off the bat to hold their response until others have a chance to find the solution.

Step 2

Give the team about 1 minute to think. Then give them a hint: What comes in symbols? A bit later: What comes in sequences?

Step 3

If the answer is not discovered by any of the individuals in a reasonable amount of time, the facilitator will reluctantly give the answer to the group. (It is the number 6 with its reversed image attached.)

Step 4

Discuss what the symbols are. They are reverse images of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Discuss why the answer was not easy to discover.


? ?

Wha

t is

the

Nex

t Sym

bol i

n th

is S

eque

nce?


PERCEPTIONS

PURPOSE

To increase awareness of the differing perceptions two or more people can have from the same external reality. To increase an individual’s willingness to acknowledge the existence of different perceptions. To increase appreciation of the value of differing perceptions and decrease the notion that one’s own perception is the only right one. Bottom Line: Habits tend to keep us from being creative.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 5 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Set of slips of paper with a phrase.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1.

Distribute the slips of paper. Tell the participants that they are going to conduct an exercise in visual perception. Ask them to count the number of times the letter “F” appears on their slip.

While each person counts, set up the following table on a flip chart:

Number of “F’s” Frequency <3 3 4 5 6 >6

Collect the data – the number of F’s counted by each participant.

Step 2.

To add some spark to the discussion, have a participant who found 3 “F’s” exchange slips with one who found 6. (An awareness will be dawning that something is going on!)

Inform the team that they are all inspecting the same “part.” Ask them to reinspect (recount). Record the data again. Point out that there is some improvement.

Step 3.

Explain to the team that they have experienced a perceptual blind spot. We all have them. They have nothing to do with intelligence. They can occur with any or all of our senses. What they have in common is that the concept, which forms in the mind, is not the same thing as the sensory input we receive. Many factors influence the concept.

What happened in our search for “F’s”? Probably all of us had the image of 6 “F’s” formed on our retinas, yet not all of us developed all of those images in our minds. Possible explanations: The phonetic interpretation of “F” causes us to “see a V.” We commonly judge small words to be unimportant, and therefore, we did not “see” all of the “F’s.”


FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF

YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY

COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS.



COMBINED WITH THE




COMBINED WITH THE




COMBINED WITH THE




COMBINED WITH THE




COMBINED WITH THE



LOST ON THE MOON

PURPOSE

To provide participants with an experience of decision making by group consensus. To offer some participants an opportunity to serve as observers of small group behaviors and activities. To heighten the awareness of how certain behaviors and activities impact the quality of the group process and the decision made. Bottom Line: Team building exercise that shows a team can usually get a better answer than an individual.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 15 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

“Lost on the Moon” exercise and score sheets.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1.

Inform the participants that the exercise they are about to do involves both individual and small group decision making (in the form of ranking items). For the small group portion, an “observer” will be assigned to watch behaviors and activities.

Step 2.

Distribute a copy of the Lost on the Moon exercise sheet. Ask them to read and follow the instructions. They are to place their ranking under the “Individual Ranking” column. They have 5 minutes to complete this task.

Step 3.

Have all the individuals develop a “group” answer to the problem. These are recorded under the “Group Ranking” column of one of the group members.

Step 4.

Have the individuals tally their score, which is the sum of the deviations from the “textbook” score. The facilitator tallies the score for the group. Determine the lowest member’s score, the average score, the deviation of the lowest individual from the group score, and the deviation of the average score from the group score.

Step 5.

Discuss topics such as leadership of the group. Was there any? How did the leader of the group evolve? How were opinions and viewpoints handled? How was consensus achieved? Were any assumptions made? Was there any synergy? Why?


FLEXIBILITY IN THINKING

PURPOSE

To illustrate that it takes change in our traditional thinking mode to identify and answer a problem. Bottom Line: Easy to solve puzzles that help people become at ease and show success because they can come up with the answers.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 10 minutes.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Handout of the word equations.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1.

Handout the word equation sheet.

Step 2.

Go through each equation one by one.

Step 3.

Coach the team to the correct answer by giving hints.


FLEXIBILITY IN THINKING PROBLEMS

Each problem is an equation which can be solved by substituting the appropriate words for the letters.

Examples: 3F. = 1Y. (3 Feet = 1 Yard); 4 L.C. = G.L. (4 Leaf Clover = Good Luck)

1. M. + M. + N.H. + V. + C. + R.I. = N.E.

2. “1 B. in the H. = 2 in the B.”

3. 8D. – 24 H. = 1 W.

4. 3P. = 6

5. H. H. & M. H. at 12 = N. or M.

6. 4 J + 4Q + 4 K = All the F. C.

7. S. & M. & T. & W. & T. & F. & S. are D. of the W.

8. A. + N + A. F. + M. C. = A. F.

9. T. = L. S. S.

10. 23Y. – 3Y = 2D

11. E. – 8 = Z.

12. Y. + 2D = T.

13. C. + 6D = N. Y. E.

14. Y. – S. – S. – A. = W

15. A. & E. were in the G. of E.

16. My F. L. and S. P. are both M. C.

17. “N. N. = G. N.”

18. N. + P. + S. M. = S. of C.

19. 1 + 6 Z. = 1M

20. “R. = R. = R.”

21. A. L. & J. G. & W. M. & J. K. were all A.

22. N. + V. + P. + A. + A. + C. + P. + I. = P. of S.

23. S. + H. of R. = U. S. C.


ANSWERS

1. Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are New England.

2. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

3. Eight days less 24 hours equals one week.

4. Three pairs equal six.

5. The hour hand and the minute hand at 12 equals noon or midnight.

6. Four jacks and four queens and four kings equal all the face cards.

7. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are days of the week.

8. Army and Navy and Air Force and Marine Corps equal the armed forces.

9. Texas equals the Lone Star State.

10. Twenty‐three years less three years equals two decades.

11. Eight less eight equals zero.

12. Yesterday plus two days equals tomorrow.

13. Christmas plus six days equals New Year’s Eve.

14. A year less summer less spring less autumn equals winter.

15. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden.

16. My Fair Lady and South Pacific are both musical comedies.

17. No news is good news.

18. The Nina and Pinta and Santa Maria were ships of Columbus.

19. One plus six zeros equals one million.

20. A rose is a rose is a rose.

21. Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John Kennedy were all assassinated.

22. Noun and a verb and a preposition and an adjective and an adverb and a conjunction and a pronoun and an interjection are parts of speech.

23. The Senate and House of Representatives are the United States Congress.

24. Are you the one for me?


APPENDIX B

ADDITIONAL CREATIVITY EXERCISES

This is a presentation that covers creativity and presents many puzzles and mental exercises. Answers are on the last two slides.

THE IMPOSSIBLE INVENTION

PURPOSE:

To give participants an opportunity to think “out of the box.” Bottom Line: Allows the team to participate in a crazy exercise to create something impossible. Shows how creativity thrives when biases and criticism is eliminated.

APPROXIMATE TIME

About 15 minutes. MATERIALS REQUIRED Sheet of flip chart paper, several colored markers. INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Break up the group into small teams. Step 2. Instruct the members to individually list ways to separate things. Anything goes. Step 3. Instruct the teams to combine their ideas into one list. Step 4. Have the team draw a line through the three “worst ways” to separate things. Step 5. Have the team circle the three “best ways” to separate things. Step 6. Have the team invent the “Impossible Invention” using the words of three “worst ways” to separate

things as part of their invention. Examples:

Separate male chicks from female chicks Separate a filling from a tooth Separate a contact lens from an eyeball

Step 7. Give the team 10 minutes to invent their invention product. Walk out of the room. Offer no help. Tell them to make assumptions. Team deliverables:

A title for the Invention A drawing of the Invention and how it works A marketing plan for the Invention The sales price for the Invention The availability of the Invention

Step 8 Have each team present the Invention to you—the Venture Capitalist with tons of money and looking for a place to spend it.

Step 9. Discussion Were you creative? Why were you creative? What things did you let go of to be creative? Ridicule by others, being crazy. Finally, what did you risk?

Step 10 Discuss that the experience of creativity should now be used to go into brainstorming for our project.

creativity - a key to value study success 05 02 12 · creativity: a key to value study success ......

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