Chapter 16 Creative Decision Making and Problem Solving.ppt

Marakas: Decision Support Systems, 2nd Edition ? 2003, Prentice-Hall Chapter 16: Creative Decision Making and Problem Solving Decision Support Systems in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition by George M. Marakas 16-1: What is Creativity? Creativity is the ability to see the same things as everyone else but think something different. Creativity involves the translation of our unique gifts and talents into something that is both new and useful. Creativity is an important element in finding new ways to do old things and ways to do things yet undone. 16-2: Creativity Defined To further refine our definition, we must distinguish between three related, but unique characteristics. Intelligence is the ability to think and learn. Academic achievement results in a degree after years of lectures, exams, and theses. Creativity is the ability to redirect a line of thought into new directions. 16-3: The Occurrence of Creativity When creativity emerges, it often occurs in the form of an intuitive flash of insight. It is usually just the complete idea that is revealed. Equations, testing, and analysis come much later. An example is Velcro, which arose from George de Mestral’s observation about how cockleburs clung to clothes. Another is Post-It notes. Arthur Fry wanted a “poor” adhesive so he used a colleague’s adhesive that was “useless” because it took years to set. Different Ways to Think There are five basic categories of ways to think: Logical thinking – the decision maker builds on his or her analytical abilities. Lateral thinking – disrupts the usual vertical thinking by introducing discontinuity Critical thinking – takes the position that certain elements within a problem context are most critical to the solution. For example, Pareto’s Law implies that 80% of problems occur from 20% of causes. Different Ways to Think (cont.) There are five basic categories of ways to think: Opposite thinking – the decision maker takes the perspective of someone other than himself. Groupth