Creative Problem Solving And Change Management In The Workplace

Problem Solving

Creative problem solving is a mental process involved in searching a previously unknown solution to the problem or original information. It is necessary to analyze and evaluate the problem and find out a creative solution to it. The solutions which are creative have distinct characteristics and it includes problematic factors or existing components as the basis of solution. These solutions are considered creative if the components are readily available and they are used to solve the problem within a stipulated period of time. The creative solution may have a broad application and it may be referred to as an innovative solution.

This paper will highlight why creative problem solving is important for an organization, problem solving and its associated theories. The perspectives on creativity and the creative process in the workplace will also be discussed in the paper. Moreover, the paper will also analyze creative problem solving in National Bank of Abu Dhabi. There are various techniques and tools which are associated with effective solutions to the problems. It is necessary to change the focus of an individual from active problem solving and include a creative solution set to it. This will include the number of fresh ideas which are based on certain beliefs that greater ideas will raise the chance of being valuable. It may also include selecting an idea randomly and then thinking about the similarities which are applied in that particular situation. Generation of new ideas and creativity are regarded as the daily necessities of all organizations and businesses. Creative problem solving also helps to deal with the challenges and obstacles and thus effectively deal with the services, products and interpersonal skills. It is also necessary to balance the divergent and the convergent thinking in a proper way.

Problem solving skills enables the employees to identify the problems, analyze the problems and assess the impact of the solutions. Problem solving is an important process of defining the problems and determining the cause of the problem. There are certain important steps in problem solving such as defining the problem, generation of alternative solution to the problem, selection and evaluation of alternatives of the problem and implementation of the solutions. There are certain well defined problems which have specific goals and there are clearly defined solutions for it. The solutions of those problems can also be generated as expected although it requires much more initial planning than the other problems (Hwang, Hung & Chen, 2014). To deal effectively with various kinds of problems, it becomes necessary to deal with pragmatic and semantics. There are certain strategies which are involved in problem solving and this helps in fulfilling the goals of the organization. There are some common barriers to problem solving and it includes the mental constructs which impedes the ability to solve the problem. The idea of problems solving can be applied on different levels i.e. from individual to civilization. There are some problems which are solved collectively such as problems which are related to global and social issues. Some problems are also solved through crowd sourcing which is the process of accumulating the thoughts, ideas and information with the intention of providing them the best solution. Some organizations also provide training to the employees in solving the problems. These programs are designed for the employees so that they can develop their problem solving skills and thus work for the development of the organization.  These training workshops provide various types of opportunity to the new employees so that they can learn from the experienced employees. The problem solving frameworks are used in various business situations and it includes large scale management initiatives and corrective activity (Bardach & Patashnik, 2015).

Theories Associated with Problem Solving

The theories which area associated with problem solving takes the form of various parameters that helps in characterization of the methods. On the other hand, some particular models will help to find out the parameter values which produce specific strategies. The standard theory of problem solving stated that problem solving includes carrying out the search procedure through problem space which helps to transform an initial state into a state of satisfying goal description (Sheldon et al., 2015). The problems in such a case are not enumerated beforehand but it is generated dynamically by applying the various operators and transforming those states into some other states. The operators include those conditions such as application and effect which are produced when applied. These search processes are also guided by heuristics and it is organized by the strategies which influence the order through which the states are considered and in which the operators can be applied adequately. The standard theory of problem solving includes the description of the goals as well as the description of the state. These standard process of problem solving operates in five stages i.e. problem selection, checking the termination, intention generation, checking the failure and application of the intentions. These stages are associated with the various problem structures and there are some alternative problem solving strategies which may result in variations in these five stages (Felin & Zenger, 2014). If the problem solver has selected the problem, the work needs to be done. This is compared to the state and goal description which helps in determining the extent to which the work is done. After determining the problem, the operator must select such an instance which must be applied at the end. It helps in examining the current problem and the available operators. There are different settings which are applied on these stages and it produces different alternatives. For example, selecting a recently created problem will lead to various strategies such as iterative deepening and depth first search. This is possible by selecting the recently created problems which produces breadth first search.  It is also necessary to check the failure which indicates that the problem solver must abandon the choices. It is also necessary to inspect the current problem and the associated intentions of it. An intention is also necessary to be applied in the current problem state so that it gets resolved (Anderson, 2016).

The structured theory of problem solving model was developed by John Dewey and it is known as “reflective thinking”. Dewey developed a standard agenda and taught people how to solve a problem while working in a group. He developed a series of six steps such as identification of the problem, planning out possible solutions, evaluation and testing the various solutions, implementation of the solution, deciding mutually acceptable solution and evaluating the solution. The organizations must adopt this approach because it solves all the problems which are related to people. Moreover, Dewey has proposed this problem solving process to help the communities and the groups in solving complex problems. It is necessary to adopt the approach as the conflict is inevitable in almost all the business process (Rios, McConnell & Brue, 2013). This method ensures consistency and it becomes easier for everyone to understand this approach. This also helps in providing justifiable solution and it makes the decision process much easier. The techniques such as interviewing, brainstorming, questionnaires are used in identifying and defining the problem. To develop an alternative solution to the problem, it is necessary to be analytical and develop critical problem solving behavior. It also helps in deciding whether the solutions can be merged which will help in getting a better answer to the defined problem. The project manager is also involved in implementation of the solution and taking the necessary actions. The implementation of the project also needs to be monitored by the groups to ensure the recommendations and check whether the milestones are met. The six step method implemented by Dewey also helps to keep a track of the group and it enables a thorough investigation of the solution as well as the problems. This involves the users and the implementers and it helps in finding a monitorable solution based on the data (Amabile & Pratt, 2016).

Imagination is an important tool for creativity and innovation. It becomes difficult to solve any new problems without imagination. It provides the vision so that people can set procedure in their mind for solving a problem from beginning to end. Sometimes, people may also go wrong in the process and it is imagination which provides envision to solve those problems. Imagination also gives the ability to escape from the reality, but it also helps us to work in difficult situations. It is a creative power which is necessary for inventing and designing anything (Vohs, Labroo & Dhar, 2016). Imagination also helps us in acquiring knowledge through the formation of images, sensations and concepts. It also helps us to decide how to put all pieces of a project together. It enhances the creativity and thus is regarded as an important tool for serving the personal intentions of an individual. Imagination also acts as an important means of transferring ourselves into a special realm and makes us feel comfortable and serves as an important means of escape. Thus, it is necessary to use imagination effectively and put the knowledge into practice so that it becomes easier to reach fulfillment, success and happiness (Carmeli, Gelbard & Reiter?Palmon, 2013).

In this competitive world, it is vital to develop a problem solving mindset. There are certain practices in enhancing the problem solving mindset such as recognizing the problem, turning the problem inside out and upside out, solving it permanently. Awareness and attentiveness is necessary to develop a proper mindset. It also becomes easier to recognize the problems of others than solving our own problems. A growth mindset is necessary for solving the problem. It requires us to evaluate, deliver, decide and involve in different situations. This will help to build the organization and the community in a much better way. It is our responsibility as leader, citizen and team member to adopt and enhance a problem solving mindset (Serrat, 2017). To develop a problem solving mindset, it is necessary to accept the problems which will never end. Moreover, developing a solution oriented mindset is ideal for those situations. The people who are solution oriented think in advance about the avoidance of potential problem, but they must also be aware that their problems will not conflict with others. Moreover, people solving mindset people accept the problems as challenges and try to take responsibility and provide quick solution to the problems. Creative thinking is an essential skill which is essential for problem solving. It is necessary to develop curiosity and persistency for the problem. Critical thinking is essential in this case. Critical thinking requires benchmarking, evaluation, analyzing and making judgment of the solutions. Thus, problem solving mindset is necessary to develop various strategies (Basadur, Gelade & Basadur, 2014).

Brainstorming technique is used to make associations based on the capacity of human brain. It is a two person way which allows to come up with various ideas that may be useful or irrelevant. The brainstorming session will be considered as richer if it is attended by more people who are not directly involved with the problem. There must be no criticism or judgment in brainstorming and this will avoid creation of tension in the group. The participants can express themselves freely during the brainstorming session (Gallagher,2013). The quality and the quantity of ideas do not play a vital role in brainstorming. It is important for the moderator to explain the objectives of the session and describe the chosen topic to the client before brainstorming. The participants who have a negative attitude must not be allowed to participate in brainstorming. If the participants express themselves negatively the ideas cannot work properly in the company. There are certain important benefits of brainstorming such as the results and the ways of problem solving are unexpected and new. The solutions can be found economically and rapidly. Moreover, the responsibility must be shared and it provides a wider picture of the issue or the problem. The implementation process is also facilitated by the staff in the decision making process. Thus, it can be said that brainstorming is essential for any kind of human activity and by using this method; it becomes easier to get a grasp of the various things (El Obaid et al., 2016).

Creativity is such a process which helps to bring something new in the organization or the workplace. It requires commitment and passion. The rising complexities have allowed the teams to lead with creativity and connect to the customers in an imaginative way and thus design the operation for flexibility and speed. Creativity is also associated with the foundation of knowledge and mastering the way of thinking (Shi, 2015). Through the creative process, the employees are tasked to explore the profitable outcome of a potential or an existing endeavor. It also involves generation and application of the alternative options for the product, procedure and services of the company either through conscious or unconscious insight. It is the duty of the supervisor to manage the creative process but not creativity alone because creativity does not occur exclusively in an individual but it is due to the interaction within a social context. It is necessary to establish a creative environment than turning the employees to give and loose reign in the hope that they will value something else. Creativity in the workplace means increase in the bonding, talent retention and team work. Moreover, the creative workers try to remove the artificial barriers which occur in communication. It is necessary to value the individual suggestions of the people and encourage them to perform better in the organization. Creativity in the workplace increases the emotional engagement of the employees which is essential for gaining loyalty and respect. For example, Google fosters creativity in the workplace by providing collaborative spaces, relaxing environment and various other provisions. It is also essential to enforce positivity in the workplace and let the team members to deal with the negative and the potential topics. There are some members who are reacting to increase the regulation and this enable them to operate the business in the organization. It is also necessary for the management to understand the language of the customers and solve them accordingly (Deuja et al., 2014).

National Bank of Abu Dhabi is one of the leading banks of Middle East operating in United Arab Emirates. Its business line includes a wide range of retail banking, wholesale and investment banking, wealth management, private banking, property management, brokerage and leasing. The bank has expanded in 17 countries and in five continents. It is a public joint stock company and a major portion of it is owned by Abu Dhabi Investment Council. The bank must explain their problem to the customers as well as the staffs so that they can find out innovative ways to solve the problem.  For example, the bank had to utilize standardized spreadsheet to perform financial analysis and realize that it had to enhance the risk capability related to credit. The problem that was faced by the bank is to develop a consistent and robust internal rating system. The bank had to gain technical and support through various kinds of matrix. The bank also faced problem in the rating system. This was possible through proper mindset of the employees. The employees have developed an approval process and this has helped the bank management to find out innovative ways by talking to the customers and thus solving the problem of credit and finance. The power of collaborative thinking and partnership are the creative problem solving process. The staff members must try to work out more properly in the organization. To solve this problem, small teams were formed within the bank and every team members contributed different ideas. They used imagination as the creative problem solving tool. The members arranged a team meeting and they tried to solve out the issues of the customers. During this process, they had to interact with the customers, understand their problems and then give proper solutions to them. This has increase the strength and diversity of the workers in the organization. The low performance of the bank is the main obstacle and it has found out innovative ways to solve the problem (Jing, Madore & Schacter, 2016).

The non-performing loans are regarded as the main obstacle of National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The National Bank of Abu Dhabi was very low in certain moments. There was stress in the marketplace. The bank was working with the small businesses to address the short term cash flow issues. The loans moved into a negative territory in the other quarters and this was noticed in the survey report. There was problem in the outstanding loans of the bank. The merger of National Bank of Abu Dhabi with the Gulf bank was essential in this case and this helped in the creation of new entity (Ibrahim, 2014).

The merger of National Bank of Abu Dhabi has allowed for more entities which to operate in the same sector. Social responsibility is an important aspect of creativity in this sector. The bank collaborates with Abu Dhabi Blood Bank to organize blood drive outside the office. The employees and the members can donate their blood in this bank. This is a good way to encourage the business and become socially responsible. The bank must be happy in taking this step (Kumar, 2016). Another important way of creative problem solving is providing incentives to the employees through various business expansion procedures, extra privileges for business owners, deduction of fees in the society. The bank must also try to provide small support to the community as well as the country to help them to pursue their career by providing them loans. The bank must also provide support to the young entrepreneurs and take care of corporate social responsibility (Alomari, Awawdeh  & Alolayyan, 2017).

The results of National Bank of Abu Dhabi can be linked to the standard theory of problem solving introduced by Dewey. Dewey has developed a standard agenda and has shown how to solve the problem. The management of the bank must try to follow the six steps of Dewey and thus try to recover their loans from the customers. This will also help in recovering bad debt and help the bank in reaching a good position (Zhou & Hoever, 2014).

Thus, it can be said that the customers of National Bank of Abu Dhabi must have a reliable, secure and efficient channel to repay international remittances and payments. The employees must develop the problem solving skills and motivate the customers to repay the loans or help them to find out some alternative ways to get their money refunded. Problem solving is an important aspect which will help the bank to solve the problem. The management must try to develop friendly relation with the customer so that it becomes easier to get the loans refunded.

Conclusions:

Thus, it can be said that creative problem solving is important for very organization for efficient functioning. The generation of new ideas and creativity are important for the development of business. It also helps in dealing with the various challenges and obstacles in an effective way. Problem solving is an important aspect of creative thinking and the solutions of the problems require much more initial planning. Brainstorming, imagination and creative mindset also plays an important role in this aspect. It can be seen that creative problem solving can also reduce the problem of National Bank of Abu Dhabi and thus help the bank to get their loans refunded within the stipulated time.

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