Developing Creative Thinking

Health

Reform

Conference

Kuwait

March 2009Presented by:

Dr. Naji Bejjani

CCREATIVEREATIVE TTHINKINGHINKING: :

WWHATHAT IISS IITT??

DefinitionsDefinitionsCreative Thinking is …

Unconventional Thinking

Merging of Ideas which Have

Not Been Merged Before

Always new perspectives, and extending the frontiers of what’s possible

Interesting Quotes

“Every organization must be prepared to

abandon everything it does to survive inthe future”

Prof. Peter F. Drucker

“The problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them”

Albert Einstein

The average human being thinks of about

100 new ideas/day!!

If a team of “6” Nurses and Doctors Express All Their Ideas

After 2 days …

Think Of The Possibilities…Think Of The Possibilities…

!!!1200 NEW IDEAS!!!

Creativity boosting techniques

Motivation

ExpertiseCreative Thinking

skills

Creativity

Creative Thinking skillsCreative Thinking skills

Let’s start with the following premise:

You’re alive,

Therefore you’re creative.

Creative Thinking skillsCreative Thinking skills- Unconventional.- Uninhibited.- Risk-taker.- Always looks for new patterns and new

combinations.- Inventive.- Extremely curious.- Driven.- Visionary: Michelangelo looked at a large piece of

marble and decided to “chip away at everything that wasn't David”.

- ParticularIy intuitive.- Rather individualistic (unfortunately …).

Motivation to be creativeMotivation to be creative

2 Motivations:

-External: expressing your new ideas to others.

- Internal: Thinking of new ideas.

Barriers To Creativity

Motivation to be creativeMotivation to be creative

Manage it by:

- Providing challenges: stretching people’s skills in their jobs.

- Freedom to create: while clearly specifying

goals. This yields a very valuable sense of ownership.

- Providing resources: mainly time – particularly time pressure - and money – but never enough.

Creativity boosting techniques:

The most obvious ideas are often the most important ones, and, unfortunately, also the ones we are

most unaware of.

Creativity boosting techniques:

Always Create F-teams (F = future) with your P-teams (P = present):

While the P-team deals with current

work challenges, the Future team is

literally always investigating and / or

creating, the “next future” and

preparing the institution for it.Re: Ken Blanchard: “Mission Possible”- 1997.

• Brain Storming• The Classic Creative

Methods for Groups

• Mind Mapping• Hierarchal Breakdown

and Exploration

• Absence Thinking• Thinking About What is

Not There

• Talk Streaming• Talking, Talking and

Talking Until Unblocking

• Attribute Listing• Listing Attributes of

Objects and then Challenging them.

• Assumption Busting• Challenging

Unconscious Assumptions

• Visioning• Creating a Motivating

View of the Future

• Wishing• Stating Ideas as Wishes

to Expand Thinking

• Pausing• Think More Deeply for a

Minute

• Taking a Break• When Creativity is

Fading

•Prof. Edward de Bono:

– World’s leading authority in the field of creative and conceptual thinking

– Author of over 60 books translated to about 50 languages

6 Thinking Hats6 Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

• Provides a framework for thinking:

Creativity, new ideas

Process – thinking about thinking

Emotions – how do we feel about this?

Optimism, good points

Caution, bad points

Facts – what do we already know?

Discipline

Positive Attitude

Critical Thinking Creativity

Optimal Thinking

Have a very creative life

Naji Bejjani

Health Reform Conference

Kuwait – March 2009