How to develop your creative thinking skills

by Errol Wirasinghe 

Realizing that many opportunities come brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems, Albert Einstein once said: “The significant problems we face today cannot be solved on the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

Opportunities and solutions abound, if only you can see them. To see such opportunities you must start to think creatively. This is best exemplified with a story.

Two avid fishermen, Jack and Joe, were fishing in a pristine river in the Pacific Northwest, when they spotted a large grizzly rapidly approaching them from the other bank. The two started to head back to their shore as fast as they could. Once on shore, Joe took to his heels, while Jack stopped to remove his wading boots and put on his sneakers. Joe shouted at Jack; “Jack, you fool, you are not going to outrun that Grizzly simply because you have running shoes on. Start running!” Jack replied, “Who said I had to outrun the Grizzly, all I have to do is outrun you!” Jack’s life depended on his creative thinking skills.

To be creative you need to be a rule-breaker. But this is not easy since it goes against our entire upbringing. When we were growing up we were taught to conform. Now we are being asked to be creative, to think of something that is not so intuitive. What a contradiction!

A baby learns quickly because he/she does not have to unlearn anything. Living in the safety and comfort of what they know, adults are often reluctant to unlearn things that have served them well. Consequently, they are slow to learn creative thinking.

Tell a young college graduate to think of a way to trap a monkey and he/she will come up with many ingenious ideas, all based on some form of device. Yet, farmers in Africa have been relying on the monkey’s natural behavior to trap him. They dig a hole in the ground with an opening just large enough for the monkey to grab the food they place inside. The monkey cannot withdraw his hand unless he drops the food, which he will not do.

Creative thinking is sometimes referred to as lateral thinking or thinking out-of-the-box. The Internet, an incredibly creative concept, has generated some very creative ideas. Thanks to lateral thinkers, today we have search engines, e-mail services, Web-hosting services, individual Web sites, and so on., free of charge.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force continuously bombed the North Vietnamese bridges in an attempt to hinder the movement of men and machines to the war front. The U.S. could not understand how the Viet Cong kept moving forward in the face of such an incessant bombing campaign. Later it became known that a young Viet Cong soldier had suggested building bridges below the water line so that U.S. planes would not be able to spot them.

The “Aim-Preset” technique
Lateral thinking skills are not natural to everyone. However, lateral thinking can be learned by using the Aim-Preset technique. This technique enhances one’s capacity to think laterally and generate solutions.

The acronym stands for: Accept, Isolate, Modify, Problem, Replace, External, Sacrifice, Environment and Time. These are the basic questions you should ask each time you are faced with a problem. With every problem you face, employ the technique to search out your options.

This requires you to spend some time thinking through the implications. Do not jump at what comes naturally. Many people are inclined to charge at a problem like cavalry; the Aim-Preset technique is akin to artillery, where you search out the coordinates.

Can I simply accept the problem and learn to live with it?
We need to figure out if the problem is worth fixing or if the solution is cost-effective.

Your company relocated, adding an extra half-hour to your commute. Is this worth looking for a new job closer to home or can you live with it?

Can I isolate the product or the system from the influence?
When x-raying a patient, the dentist places a lead apron (shield) on the patient to reduce exposure to radiation.

Can I modify the product or the system?
Product modification is possibly the most common solution. When tires showed excessive wear, manufacturers modified the rubber compounds with synthetic additives to increase their wear resistance.

Is it possible that the solution might be in the problem?
Many years ago, rodents infested certain areas of England, destroying crops. The rodents were the external cause of the problem. Laboratory tests showed that a high-frequency sound generated at night caused the rodents to suffer epileptic fits and die. The rodents’ biological clock triggers a protective mechanism that makes them immune to noise during the daytime; somehow, this protection is rendered ineffective at night. Vaccines are derived from the source of the problem.

Can I degrade the product and replace it?
More and more manufacturers are resorting to this technique to cut costs and ensure a constant demand for their products. Often the cost of repairing something exceeds the cost of replacement. The downside of this is the cost to the environment and depletion of raw materials.

Disposable razors, plates and even cameras are good examples of this type of solution.

Can I eliminate or mitigate the external cause?
We use pesticides to kill or deter pests.

Can I use direct or indirect sacrificial techniques?
In automobiles, brake pads are sacrificed to protect the more expensive stainless steel rotors.

Can I change the environment the problem thrives in?
Genetic modifications to plants prevent certain pests from residing in them.

Will the passage of time resolve the problem?
Time is a valuable tool in resolving problems. When we are annoyed, we need some time to cool down. So why not use this as a tool for problem solving?

Parents go through some very difficult times with their teenage children. Some parents get frustrated and resort to all sorts of “remedies.” Others take a philosophical attitude and accept this as a passing phase in a teenager’s life.

Farmers seek seasons to plant corps – time!

With the Aim-Preset technique, you can revitalize your creative thinking skills, and seek solutions that are not obvious at first glance.

Dr. Errol Wirasinghe has worked for over 25 years in the area of decision-making and creative thinking. He has been a consultant to many international companies in Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East, and is well known for his ability to restructure complex problems. In addition to his book “The Art of Making Decisions—Expanding Common Sense & Experience”, Dr. Wirasinghe is the developer of “XpertUS” decision-maker software.For more information visit www.XpertUS.com.

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