Chapter 6: Creative Thinking

Chapter 6: Creative Thinking

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• generate multiple possible solutions
• avoid premature judgment
• challenge conventional assumptions
• use structured creativity techniques
• combine ideas in new ways
• develop differentiated recommendations

Why This Matters

Once a team understands the problem, it is tempting to jump immediately to the first reasonable solution. That can be dangerous. Your first idea is usually the most obvious. And if your team has the same information as every other team, the obvious idea is probably available to them also. 

Creative thinking helps you move beyond "What could we do?" to "What else could we do?" and eventually to "What could we do that others might not consider?"

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

Don’t confuse creativity with randomness. Great case solutions combine imagination with strategic discipline.

Creativity generates possibilities. Analysis evaluates them. Strategy selects them.

Deciphering Case Characteristics

Creativity becomes particularly valuable when:

• the case asks for innovation;
• existing solutions are failing;
• the organisation operates in a highly competitive market;
• customer needs are changing;
• traditional approaches have reached their limits.

But creativity is not only for innovation cases. Every case requires some degree of creative problem-solving. The key is determining how much creativity the situation requires.

The Creative Thinking Process

A useful process is:

• Define: Clearly understand the problem.
• Diverge: Generate many possibilities.
• Combine: Look for connections between ideas.
• Challenge: Question assumptions.
• Converge: Evaluate and prioritise.
• Refine: Turn the strongest idea into a practical solution.

The Rule of Divergence

During brainstorming, separate: Idea generation from Idea evaluation. If someone suggests an idea and another team member immediately says: "That won't work," you have stopped creative thinking.

Capture the idea. Evaluate it later.

Creative Thinking Tools

Reverse Brainstorming

Instead of asking: How can we solve this problem? Ask: How could we make this problem even worse? Then reverse the answers.

SCAMPER

Ask whether you can:

• Substitute
• Combine
• Adapt
• Modify
• Put to another use
• Eliminate
• Reverse

Constraint Thinking

Ask:

• What if we had half the budget?
• What if we had to launch in 30 days?
• What if we couldn't use our current distribution channel?

Constraints can force new thinking.

Analogical Thinking

Ask: Who else has solved a similar problem? The best idea for one industry may come from another.

Coach's Lens

Creative thinking doesn't mean adding more ideas to a recommendation. In fact, one of the most common mistakes is presenting a collection of creative initiatives as innovation. Five unrelated ideas are not a strategy. The strongest creative solutions usually have a clear connection to the problem. They are:

• Relevant
• Differentiated
• Feasible
• Valuable

Common Mistakes

• Brainstorming Too Early
• If you don't understand the problem, you may generate solutions to the wrong problem.
• Killing Ideas Too Quickly
• Premature evaluation reduces creativity.
• Creativity for Creativity's Sake
• An unusual idea isn't automatically a good idea.
• Ignoring Feasibility
• Creative solutions still need to work in the real world.
• Copying Other Industries Without Understanding Context
• A successful idea elsewhere may not transfer directly.

Competition Example

A struggling retailer wants to increase customer visits. The obvious solutions include:

• discounts;
• advertising;
• loyalty points.

A creative team might ask: What if the store became a destination rather than simply a place to buy products? That could lead to:

• events;
• experiential spaces;
• partnerships;
• community programming;
• personalised services.

The idea is not valuable because it is unusual. It is valuable if it addresses the underlying customer problem and creates economic Value.

Mad Skills Drill

Take a straightforward case problem: "Customer traffic has declined."

• Generate 20 possible solutions.
• Do not evaluate them.
• Then group them into themes.
• Finally, select the three most promising ideas based on:
  • customer value;
  • strategic fit;
  • feasibility;
  • financial impact.

What changed when you separated creativity from evaluation?

Reflection Questions

1. Does your team tend to jump to the first idea?
2. Who challenges conventional thinking?
3. How do you create an environment where team members can suggest unconventional ideas?
4. How do you prevent creativity from becoming impractical?

Chapter Summary

Creative thinking expands the solution space. But creativity must ultimately connect back to the problem, the organisation, and the decision. The goal isn't to be different. The goal is to discover a better possibility.

Key Takeaways

✓ Understand the problem before generating solutions.

✓ Separate divergence from convergence.

✓ Challenge assumptions.

✓ Use structured creativity tools.

✓ Evaluate creative ideas for strategic and practical Value.

Looking Ahead

Creative thinking helps us ask: "What could we do?" Ethical thinking forces us to ask a different question: "What should we do?"