Creative thinking skills

Creative thinking skills
See also
Model of creativity Creative problem solving Why why analysis Creative thinking techniques Advantages of artificial intelligence Concept engineering Integrative thinking Innovativeness Deming wheel

In order to achieve high-quality, innovative and creative results, an individual or a group requires not only knowledge about creative process but also sufficient skills that are helpful in that process. They are named creative thinking skills.

Some creative thinking skills

Creative process thinking skills that can be used in the creative process include being able to:

• clarify, analyse and re-define the problem or question to uncover new ways of looking at it;
• ask thoughtful questions;
• notice connections between seemingly unrelated subject matter;
• challenge established wisdom by asking: how would I improve this?;
• recognise alternative possibilities;
• look at things from different perspectives.

Approaches connected to creative thinking skills

Creative thinking skills involve such approaches as:

• Engaging in reflection;
• Looking for many possible answers rather than one;
• Allowing yourself to make wild and crazy suggestions as well as those that seem sensible;
• Not judging ideas early in the process;
• Treat all ideas as if they may contain the seeds of something potentially useful;
• Allowing yourself to doodle, daydream or play with a theory or suggestion;
• Being aware that these approaches necessarily involve making lots of suggestions that are unworkable and may sound silly;
• Making mistakes;
• Learning from what has not worked as well as what did.

Basadur`s creative thinking process skills

Basadur (1995) identified four creative thinking process skills within the Simplex process:

• Active divergence - the ability to assertively generate a variety of options;
• Active convergence - the ability to evaluate and choose from among options and advance the process;
• Deferral of judgement - the ability to separate active divergence from active convergence;
• Vertical deferral of judgement - the ability to avoid unconsciously leapfrogging past steps, phases or stages of the process;

Mastering the skills and the process enables individuals or groups to move about the process in different sequences as situations requires.

References

• BASADUR, T. S. (1995). The power of innovation. London, UK: Pitman Professional Publishing;
• Ann Coughlan, (2007-08) LEARNING TO LEARN Creative thinking and critical thinking. Dublin City University. [accessed 03.01.2019]
• MIN BASADUR MARK A. RUNCO  LUIS A. VEGA (2011), Understanding How Creative Thinking Skills, Attitudes and Behaviors Work Together: A Causal Process Model].
• Cambridge Assessment International Education (2018) Developing the Cambridge learner attributes. [accessed 02.01.2019]
• Baer, J. (1996). The effects of task‐specific divergent‐thinking training. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 30(3), 183-187.