Problem-solving requires creativity, but most adults, as a result of negative feedback while growing up, have lost the majority of their creative ability by age forty.

1. Problem-solving is something you do all the time. When the problem affects a number of people and it is complex, it is best to get the affected people together to solve it. This way, you're likely to have two benefits:

   • The solution will probably be better than any one person can come up with.

   • You will have commitment to its implementation.

2. Call a meeting of people who have an interest in solving a particular problem. Here are things to do in preparation:

   • Warn people about the meeting at least a week in advance so they have time to think about the subject.

   • Plan to get a variety of ideas by inviting people with different backgrounds and diverse skills to add fresh perspectives.

   • Include in your group at least one person with the reputation of being a maverick.

   • Choose a location. The more informal and unusual the environment, the more creativity you can expect.

3. Your meeting will be successful if you do these things:

   • Before the meeting starts, get people into a creative and relaxed frame of mind with an icebreaker.

   • Restate the purpose of the meeting. Indicate your desire to encourage new ideas.

   • Appoint a recorder to write all ideas on a flip chart.

   • Use brainstorming to generate ideas. Explain the rules of brainstorming:

     • Quantity. Get as many ideas as possible. Don't worry about quality.

     • No discussion. Discussing issues will reduce the number of ideas. Leave discussion and comment until afterwards.

     • No criticism. Don't judge ideas. Early evaluation will stifle the development of unusual ideas.

     • Record. Record ideas on a flip chart, where they are visible.

     • Piggyback. Build on ideas. A ridiculous idea might spur a very practical idea from someone else.

     • Incubation. If you run out of ideas, leave your list and return to it later. You will usually find that participants have more new ideas.

   • Conduct a round robin. Ask people to call out their ideas one at a time, in rotation. Those who don't have ideas can pass.

   • Keep the process moving quickly. When you sense that ideas are drying up, encourage contributions from anyone, rather than by rotation.

   • When all ideas have dried up, revisit the list so the team can piggyback. Use these ideas to spur new ones.

   • If you are dissatisfied with the ideas on your list, give the group more time to incubate. Collect more ideas after a break or a few days later.

   • Only when all ideas are exhausted should you refine the list. Eliminate duplications. Evaluate ideas based on criteria such as

     • payback period;

     • novelty;

     • cost;

     • benefit;

     • ease of implementation.