Creativity and Planning: Training Interventions to Develop Creative Problem-Solving Skills

Abstract

Creative thought requires planning to support the refinement and successful implementation of new ideas. In this study, 174 people were given training intended to provide more effective strategies for executing two key skills held to be involved in implementation planning-penetration (e.g., identification of key causes) and forecasting. The quality and originality of the plans obtained on a transfer task, involving implementation of a new educational curriculum, were assessed. It was found that training forecasting strategies and penetration strategies proved particularly beneficial for creative people, as defined by scores of divergent thinking tests. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of planning in creative thought are discussed.

A Meta-Analytic Investigation of Business Ethics Instruction

“…These findings are in line with research on problem solving and planning in domains such as creativity, where strategy-based training is effective in enhancing skills (e.g., Osburn and Mumford, 2006;Scott et al, 2004). Table VI presents the results of general instructional characteristic moderators.…”

Problem definition as a stimulus to the creative process: Analysis of a classroom exercise

“…In a study cited as an example by these authors, it was observed that, in a briefing presentation-an exercise in which several letters with information were distributed to students-, those who received information considered to be key points or anomalies produced more creative solutions. In another study, by Osburn and Munford (2006), high-school students who received briefings related to penetration capacity and planning produced more creative outcomes. After reviewing numerous studies, the authors concluded that briefings that stimulate disruption lead to a more productive search for information.…”

Training Auditors to Perform Analytical Procedures Using Metacognitive Skills

“…Research into creative problem solving suggests that training in the combination of divergent and convergent thinking should lead to better outcomes than training in divergent thinking alone (Brophy 2001;Osburn and Mumford 2006). One benefit is that training in both allows auditors to avoid consistency checking, which allows them to focus on establishing a more exhaustive list of explanations.…”