Creativity and Problem Solving
Creativity and Problem Solving
- Class 40
- Practice 0
- Independent work 110
Course title
Creativity and Problem Solving
Lecture type
Obligatory
ECTS
5
Lecturers and Associates
The course aims
Students will gain insight into key cognitive limitations, such as biases, logical errors and mental shortcuts, which hinder rational and objective reasoning and informed decision making, in reasoning and business decision-making. Students will be able to apply creative analytical techniques aimed at raising the level of their creativity and innovation in business environment. They will also gain knowledge and skills necessary for applying problem-solving techniques in resolving complex business problems and making business decisions.
Content
Lecture topics:
L1: What is creativity and why is it important: Creativity 4.0
L2: Testing your creativity
L3: Cognitive limitations.
L4: Creativity blocks
L5: Tina Seelig: Innovation Engine.
L6: Creative thinking techniques.
L7: Structured techniques
L8: Unstructured techniques
L9: Instinctive mental traits.
L10: Analytical management.
L11: Problem-solving techniques.
L12: Decomposition and visualization.
L13: Hypotheses generation and testing.
L14: Scenarios and indicators.
L15: Cognitive bias.
L16: Criteria of a good argument.
L17: Logical errors: Structural criterion. Criterion of relevance.
L18: Logical errors: Criterion of eligibility. Criterion of sufficiency. Effective rebuttal.
L19: Critical thinking skills.
L20: Intellectual standards.
Topics for seminar classes:
S1: Standards of critical thinking.
S2: Accuracy of thinking. Validity. Feasibility.
S3: Presumption. Fact. Empirical evidence. Theory.
S4: Analogical reasoning.
S5: Causal reasoning.
S7: Instinctive mental characteristics.
S8: Perception and decision-making.
S9: What is culture?
S10: Centrisms and their consequences.
S11: Synesthesia, apophenia, pareidolia.
S12: Availability bias.
S13: Anchoring (effect) bias.
S14: Confirmation bias.
S15: Overconfidence bias.
S16: Frame effect. Expert bias. Retrospective bias.
S17: Definition and categories of logical errors.
S18: Stages of critical thinking development. Elements of thinking. Intellectual properties.
S19: TTCT. Convergent and divergent thinking.
S20: Creative thinking techniques.
Literature
Kopal, R. i Korkut, D. (2014) Tehnike kompetitivne analize, Zagreb: Effectus studij financije i pravo – Visoko učilište.
Korkut, D. i Kopal, R. (2018) Kreativnost 4.0: evolucija i revolucija, Zagreb: Visoko učilište Algebra.
Supplementary literature
Michalko, M. (2006): Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques. Ten Speed Press.
Jones, M. D. (2009) The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving, Crown Business.
Heuer, R. J. i Pherson, R. H. (2014) Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis, 2nd edition, CQ Press.
Minimum learning outcomes
- Evaluate the impact of cognitive limitations in creative thinking, and logical and objective reasoning.
- Recommend a large number of alternative solutions using structured creative thinking techniques.
- Recommend ways of solving business problems using unstructured creative thinking techniques.
- Recommend ways of solving business problems using decomposition and visualization techniques.
- Explain ways of solving business problems using hypotheses generation techniques.
- Recommend ways of solving various business problems using scenario and indicator generation techniques.
Preferred learning outcomes
- Critically assess reasons for introducing structured analytical techniques.
- Critically evaluate structured creative thinking techniques in finding unconventional solutions to business problems.
- Critically assess application of unstructured creative thinking techniques in solving business problems.
- Argument opinion in solving practical problems using visualization and decomposition tools.
- Critically assess application of hypotheses generation techniques in solving various business problems.
- Argument one's opinion in solving various business problems using scenario generation, and indicator validation techniques.