When it comes to problem solving at work, one needs some bit of creativity in order to find fresh perspectives and come up with innovative solutions. This helps in formulating the right plans to overcome obstacles and reach their intended goals.
Creative problem solving isn’t only about brainstorming; it’s an entire process that is intended to help in defining the problem as well as implementing solutions.
Numerous studies indicate that tomorrow’s jobs will demand "creative problem-solving skills, and for this reason, experts believe that it’s essential to have these skills so that one is not only adaptable but also fit in different working places.
Dr Alphonse Uworwabayeho, a lecturer of mathematics at University of Rwanda’s College of Education says it’s important to understand that creative problem solving is one way of dealing with problems or identifying opportunities when conventional thinking has failed.
For this reason, he says this encourages one to find fresh perspectives and come up with innovative solutions, so that they can formulate a plan to overcome obstacles and reach your goals as far as their career is concerned.
He explains that with creative problem solving, it means that one can use creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems, which is essential as far as making it in your career is concerned.
"I believe that this is a skill that is an absolute requirement for anyone in the labour market. However, many individuals are not equipped with such skills and this is the reason at times organisations experience challenges in terms of solving their internal issues,” he adds.
How to go about this
It’s believed that a natural way to think about problem-solving involves curiosity, and that people who are naturally curious can often be very good problem solvers.
This is because such individuals think about what can go wrong and explore solutions to either prevent the problem or solve it if it does occur.
Jane Nakaayi, an educator points out that solving an issue, doesn’t necessarily mean that one has to be smart and intelligent, but any curious person can solve it.
She goes on to add that for one to be a creative problem solver, there is need to first understand the current problem and make sure that they are focusing on the problem that they actually have and not the one that they would like to have or are more comfortable solving.
This, she says would help them reach a solution without facing many challenges. It will also take them less time to find the solution, therefore, saving time.
Also, the educator points out that understanding the problem at hand leads to accepting and recognising the situation.
From a different perspective, Elie Munezero, Youth centre coordinator, Gikondo says creativity in the working life can be approached as a learning process. This skill, he says is also vital in every kind of job and should be more strongly connected to everyday problem solving.
He notes that it is essential to also put in mind that creative problem solving is not dependent only on an individual’s will or the decision to be creative. Instead, many other external factors, apart from the individual, affects the creative process as a whole.
Other things to consider
Again, Munezero says that how to arrive at a creative solution depends on the situation and the nature of the problem at hand.
"It is also important to understand that the whole process of creativity and problem-solving is all about learning. This can be well achieved by looking for information and discussing with colleagues, or by simply reading blogs, or testing different solutions.”
Uworwabayeho thinks that while trying to find a solution to the problem at hand, there should be enough freedom to make decisions concerning one’s own job and flexibility in scheduling and organising work.
"By doing this, it is expected that creativity will be emphasised even more. This is why it is important for an individual to understand creativity as an essential process of the work itself, alongside continuous learning and coping at work,” he adds.