August 2024 - Leah M. Joppy & Associates Coaching

You and your team are working on a project and, suddenly a problem (or two or three) develop and threaten to derail your progress. Dealing with obstacles and challenges is a regular part of working life and overcoming them isn’t always easy. People tend to do three things when faced with a problem: 1) they get afraid or uncomfortable and wish it would go away; 2) they feel that they have to come up with an immediate answer and it has to be the ‘right’ answer; and 3) they look for someone to blame. Most of us are ‘conflict-adverse’. It makes us feel uncomfortable and dealing with that discomfort is a huge challenge. That’s why building a culture of creative problem solving in the workplace is so vital.

So, what exactly does creative problem solving mean? Creative problem solving or CPS is a method for approaching a problem or a challenge in an imaginative and innovative way, aka thinking “outside of the box”. It helps you redefine the problems and opportunities you face, come up with new, fresh solutions and then take action. If you do an Internet search on the term, you’ll find many variations, most of which can be traced back to the work started by Alex Osborn in the 1940s and further developed at Buffalo State College and the Creative Education Foundation. CPS is based on a few core principles:

Everyone is creative.
Creative skills can be learned and enhanced.

CPS is an essential soft skill that can help leaders and team members find new solutions to old problems and thrive in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment. Making creative problem solving a priority has a wealth of benefits for organizations:

It encourages innovation
It improves productivity
It allows for adaptability
It fosters growth

And here’s a really big one: It leads to better job satisfaction. When people are encouraged to be creative, they’re also more engaged. They’re not just solving problems in the stale, same old way, but are brainstorming and coming up with new, fresh ideas to approach challenges. This encourages retention and more joy in the workplace. And who doesn’t want that in today’s competitive hiring environment?

How many of us have had training in problem solving? We know it’s an important part of our role, but do we actually know how to do it effectively? That’s where working with a coach, like Leah M Joppy and Associates, can help. We can walk you through the CPS process, work with your leaders and team on how to approach problem solving in a fresh way and support you through any challenges during the entire process. Call us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com to learn more.

It’s inevitable. Problems are going to happen in the workplace. It’s how leaders and team members approach them that makes all the difference. And trying to solve new problems using old solutions isn’t the answer. That’s why creative problem solving (CPS) is a such a vital skill to prioritize and develop. It fosters innovation, encourages brainstorming and approaches issues from a fresh perspective. In our last article, we looked at many of the reasons why CPS is a benefit for any organization. But how do leaders and teams get started if this is a relatively new concept and way of approaching problems?

The CPS process can be broken down into 7 steps:

Identify the goal: Before solving a problem, you need to understand the problem. Take some time to analyze the conflict and clear up any confusion. Did you misunderstand some details or overlook something? Clarity is key.
Gather data. Once you know what the problem is, you need to learn all about it. Gather all the information you can to gain a better understanding of the issue and to solve it. For example, who is involved in solving the issue? Who does it affect?

Ask challenging questions. After you’ve gathered details, turn the problem into a question. Be sure to phrase the question in a way that encourages suggestions and ideas. Questions should be short, concise and only focus on a single issue. Trying to tackle too much only leads to frustration and feeling overwhelmed.

Explore ideas. Now the brainstorming begins and the creativity really starts to flow as you create possible ideas and solutions. With so many ideas being thrown around, it’s crucial that you write each one down—even they seem a little stupid! Trying to sort out bad ideas from good ones during this step can squash creativity.

Come up with solutions. Evaluating each idea will help you zero in on the best solution and weed out the less effective ideas. See if the possible solution actually solves the problem and if you can implement it successfully. If it doesn’t resolve the issue, move on to the next idea.

Create an action plan. Now that you have a solution, it’s time to create an action plan outlining steps for implementation. Think about what resources you’ll need, how long it will take and document everything clearly. Once you create the plan, communicate it to the rest of the team so everyone is on the same page.

Take action. Now that your plan is created and your team on board, it’s time to implement your solution and resolve the problem. Then, take a step back, look at what worked, what could have been done better and document ideas for the next time.

Dealing with problems in the workplace is a fact of life, yet so many us are conflict-averse. It’s human nature! But learning the CPS process can make a big difference in how both leaders and team members face hurdles and come out stronger on the other side. It takes training to build these skills and that’s where Leah M Joppy and Associates can help. We work with both leaders and team members to learn how to approach problem solving in a fresh, creative way that builds trust, innovation and a new perspective. It’s an investment that pays off in a big way for your organization.

Ready to learn more? Contact us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com to learn more.

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