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This article explores five factors that can influence creative thinking: namely Judgement: Freewheeling: Association: Stimulation and Expression. These factors are used to develop a framework in order to categorize, compare and contrast different creative problem-solving techniques. The three categories developed in the framework are paradigm-preserving techniques, paradigm-stretching techniques and paradigm-breaking techniques. A number of practical implications are then presented including training, teambuilding and the reduction of apprehension and cognitive inertia.

The purpose of this paper is to present five strategies that can help organizations improve productivity in decision making and problem solving groups. These strategies are: Developing and building teams with the appropriate participants. Undertaking techniques that will improve and enhance team creativity. Coaching the team members and training them to improve their behaviour, communication and thinking skills. Planning the team event and supporting the meeting by using effective facilitation techniques and interventions. Utilizing the appropriate technology in order to improve communication, idea generation and group memory. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for facilitating group processes. The facilitator's process is divided into three phases—pre-planning, running the group session and the post-session output. The purpose of facilitation is to develop and support an effective meeting. An examination of the process is presented and a number of important elements are described. These elements are developed and illustrated in a conceptual framework of the facilitation process. Two examples of pre-planning and supporting a group session are presented in order to illustrate the influences that these elements may have on the group's process and outcomes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

It can be argued that companies may innovate on a more regular basis if groups and individuals can be encouraged to think more creatively. One method of encouraging novel ideas is to undertake creative problem solving (CPS). There are a number of different techniques that can enhance creative thinking. Some of these techniques require less imagination and produce less novel results than others. Individuals and group facilitators must choose which creative problem solving technique(s) to use for their specific situation. Some techniques, for example, may leave an inexperienced group feeling uncomfortable (e.g. if they are asked to draw pictures or develop fantasies) although they are often more effective than the more analytical methods. It may be helpful, therefore, to classify creative problem solving techniques so that individuals can easily choose an appropriate technique for their specific situation. This paper offers such a classification, which categorises the creative problem solving techniques into paradigm preserving, paradigm stretching and paradigm breaking. Some implications and future research are also presented.

Organisations today utilise teams to undertake problem solving and opportunity finding tasks. There have been a number of variables that have been posited by theorists that can influence group productivity. Two of these – namely group technology and creative problem solving (CPS) techniques – are explored in this paper. Studies have found that group support systems tend to improve group productivity because they can reduce evaluation apprehension, production blocking and free riding. These systems, however, tend to utilise Electronic Brainstorming in modes that fail to deliver some advantages of other CPS techniques. The paper suggests how developers of group support systems could incorporate new creative problem solving modules into their software.