Objective:
- The participant is exposed to live enterprise and business problems and to systematically apply creative problem-solving techniques to then develop solutions
- To evidence the power of diversity both cultural and intellectual in group work both within their own group and across the wider group
- Confidence to lead or be part of a group being creative in a business context
- To explore generation of idea, evaluation of ideas and synthesis of ideas to develop creative and appropriate solutions
- Participants to renegotiate their relationship with theory as something of use in practice
- Identify, analyse and respond to relevant opportunities
Overview:
The overall module is based around the application of the creative problem solving (CPS) techniques in a live business context. This involves the participants visiting the premises of entrepreneurs to be given a problem or conundrum that the entrepreneur is working with currently. Then applying a systematic creative technique to determine creative solutions and feed those solutions back to the entrepreneur for summative evaluation. The guiding principles of the module being authenticity, creativity, disruption and integrity.
The systematic process is:
- Object finding - ranked by linking each to a particular organisational objective and making an assessment of the effect on those objectives if the problem were to be solved.
- Fact Finding - Systematic approach to questioning the entrepreneurs, built around the Incident Method of three questions and determining new questions from the answers
- Problem Finding - from the situation or enterprise problem posed determining the actual problem
- Idea Finding - the production of creative ideas to solve the problem at hand through theoretically grounded techniques
- Solution Finding - The evaluation and synthesis of the ideas at hand to produce a solution
- Acceptance Finding - to identify the factors which are likely to assist acceptance and those which are likely to limit it
The Activity described below is part of the Ideas Finding aspect of the module. The groups will have already Investigated:
- People factors - motivation, cognitive styles, psychological barriers, expertise, intuition
- Process factors - environmental. climate, cultural, social and political factors
- Product factors - creative techniques and their appropriate use in groups
Activity:
- Participants will have already been exposed to the creative techniques and team working through previous exercises (See #### on Diagram ##Flow Chart)
- Participants will have practiced the Incident Method Fact finding process with two entrepreneurs and then deployed the technique in the three live companies and determined the Problem.
- Participants find themselves areas to work in and organise their environment. They are encouraged to consider the nature of the working environment
- Participants have 30 minutes to submit a working plan that takes them to presenting their solution back to the entrepreneurs
- Participants are then facilitated in a number of the techniques described by the facilitators and encouraged to take ownership of the process
- In this phase of the module we use idea generation techniques such as:
o Contingency Modelling
o Brainstorming (mind storming)
o Synectics
o Lateral Thinking
o Effective communications
o Mind mapping
o Knowledge Modelling
- Facilitators are then called upon by individual groups to support activity on a as needed basis. This support is around use of techniques, overcoming sticking points, shifting perspective and conflict management
- Facilitators have to "hold their nerve" - not intervening with their own ideas or attempting to force their own good ideas on to the participant groups rather holding to the techniques and where necessary seeding ideas. This is imperative so that participants have ownership of their own process and solutions and can reap the reward of the successful completion of the process.
- Once there is a diminishing return on the effort expended to create more ideas, participants are facilitated in synthesising the current ideas together to create fewer better ideas.
- Participants are then facilitated in finding methods for evaluating these improved ideas to finally select those that will become the basis for the solution to the clients. This process of evaluation is determined by the group in conjunction with the facilitators but must be taking opinion within the group into consideration as well as what was learned about the entrepreneur, the context of the business sector and the economic viability.
- These are then investigated as to the best method of representation of the solution and complied into a presentation as part of the acceptance finding process.
- The presentation is subject to practice runs with the facilitators and is brutally formatively assessed
- The solutions are presented to the wider group, facilitators, entrepreneurs other faculty members during dinner between the course that the groups have to shop for and cook. Feedback and questioning are sought.
Assessment
Two summative assessments:
- Presentation mark agree with the relevant entrepreneur
- Reflective essay (3000 words) on the Practice of systematic creative Problem solving
Skill Development:
To be successful, participants must be prepared to work like an entrepreneur. This means:
- Trust - to both share, criticise and be criticised for their ideas
- Resilience - offering and receiving uninhibited feedback from peers and from the facilitators
- To overcome the preciousness of their individual ideas in favour of better (appropriate, more creative) and synthesised improvements
- collaboration - and asking for help in a structured and concise way
- Theory Into practice through an authentic experience at the appropriate level
- Evaluation - of ideas (both commercial / economic and innovation) to take forward, develop and expend effort during the rest of the module
- Reflection - Development of critical self-reflective practice
Clients
- Graduate level assistance
- Something done off the “too difficult” or “not enough time” work stack from entrepreneurs
- Sign posted back into the university
- Relationships with local economic community
- Opportunities for research and other projects
- Support for other activities form a supportive economic community
- Better informed teaching and research agenda
Resources:
- Flip Charts
- Pens
- Post its
- Blue Tack
References:
Cope, J. and Watts, G. (2000) ‘Learning by Doing: An Exploration of Experience, Critical Incidents and Reflection in Entrepreneurial Learning’, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research 6(3): 104–24.
Reynolds, M. (1998) ‘Reflection and Critical Reflection in Management Learning’, Management Learning 29(2): 182–200
Sullivan, R. (2000) ‘Entrepreneurial Learning and Mentoring’, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research 6(3): 160–75.
Young, J. E. and Sexton, D. L. (1997) ‘Entrepreneurial Learning: A Conceptual Framework’, Journal of Enterprising Culture 5(3): 223–48