Creative Problem Solving

Treats problem solving as the craft of turning uncertainty into insight and options. Divergent and convergent modes alternate: explore widely to discover possibilities, then narrow with evidence to select the next best move. The approach blends creative exploration with analytical rigor and applies across strategy, product, operations, policy, and social impact.

Core elements include clear problem definition, user and stakeholder empathy, and modeling of systems, feedback loops, and constraints. Practitioners visualize cause and effect, run experiments to reduce uncertainty, and combine qualitative signals with quantitative data. Decision quality improves through explicit criteria, trade-off clarity, scenario thinking, and techniques such as causal diagrams, 5 Whys, FMEA, and multi-criteria decision analysis—used as aids, not crutches.

Outcomes are sharper framing, faster paths to viable options, and decisions that are transparent and defensible. Teams build a shared language for creativity under pressure, de-risk bold ideas with small bets, and move from opinions to learning to results.