Course Objective & Scope
When facing complex challenges, corporate teams frequently jump straight to the most familiar solution; mixing idea generation (divergent thinking) with evaluation (convergent thinking) kills novel options before they mature. This course grounds Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in real operational constraints: separating symptoms from root causes, crafting generative problem statements, breaking cognitive fixation with structured ideation methods, and converging on actionable plans.
Working on a live challenge from their own business unit, participants apply the full CPS cycle to produce a validated solution portfolio.
Who Should Attend?
- Product, operations, strategy and business development managers
- Team leads tackling recurring problems that resist standard playbooks
- Specialists driving internal innovation, continuous improvement and transformation initiatives
- No technical prerequisites
Key Takeaways
- Deliberately separate divergent and convergent phases to prevent premature judgement
- Distinguish surface symptoms from root causes and translate problems into actionable 'How Might We' prompts
- Apply structured creative techniques to overcome functional fixedness and groupthink
- Develop raw sparks into robust solution concepts using explicit impact and feasibility criteria
- Translate chosen concepts into low-risk validation steps and stakeholder action plans
Curriculum
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Architecture & Cognitive Barriers
- How routine expertise creates blind spots and functional fixedness in novel situations
- Ground rules for separating divergent exploration from convergent selection
Clarifying the Problem: From Symptom to Root Cause
- Mapping the true boundaries of a problem through data, observation and stakeholder insight
- Uncovering structural drivers with 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams and problem trees
Generative Question Framing (How Might We)
- Turning restrictive or blame-laden problem statements into open 'How Might We' prompts
- Calibrating question scope so it is neither boiling the ocean nor pre-prescribing a fix
Structured Divergent Thinking & Pattern-Breaking Methods
- Analogical transfer, reverse brainstorming and forced connections
- Silent ideation and remix workflows that prevent anchoring and groupthink
Converging, Strengthening Concepts & Action Design
- Using the POINt method (Pluses, Opportunities, Issues, New thinking) to refine fragile ideas
- Acceptance-resistance mapping and building a 30-day validation roadmap
Other Courses in This Category
-
Analyzing organizational challenges through feedback loops, time delays, system archetypes and leverage points rather than isolated events; leaders map and diagnose their own business systems.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
-
User empathy research, customer journey mapping, problem definition, ideation and rapid prototyping; teams design and test solution prototypes grounded in real user insights.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
-
Avoiding the trap of solving the wrong problem (Type III error), challenging hidden assumptions and multi-perspective reframing; teams unlock stalled initiatives with a sharper problem frame.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
-
Structured ideation beyond flawed brainstorming (Brainwriting, SCAMPER) paired with impact/effort and risk-value prioritization matrices; teams turn scattered ideas into an actionable backlog.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
-
Testing ideas before heavy investment using Hypothesis Cards, pretotyping, MVP experiments and validation metrics; teams design rapid experiments to test their riskiest assumptions.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
-
Using generative AI (LLMs) not as a generic copywriter but as a thought partner, devil's advocate, scenario simulator and concept synthesizer; participants build AI-augmented ideation workflows.
- Live Course
- 5 modules
Get in touch
