notes on creative thinking and problem solving grade 10

Caps Business Studies 10

Caps bs 10 term 3 week 1 – 2 creative thinking and problem solving, topic – creative thinking and problem solving.

• Creative thinking and its contribution towards successful and sustainable business practice • Creative thinking to generate entrepreneurial opportunities and to solve business problems

• Problem solving:
• Research skills -finding information to assist with problem solving
• Problem solving versus decision making
• Problem-solving cycle: identification of the problem, definition of the problem, formulation of the strategy, implementation of the strategy, allocation of resources, monitoring problem solving and evaluation of the problem-solving process
• Problem-solving techniques (e.g. Force-Field Analysis, Chair Technique, Empty Chair Technique, Delphi Technique, Nominal Group Technique, brainstorming, Forced Combinations, SCAMPER) — The use of indigenous knowledge to solve problems and identify business opportunities — The use of mind mapping, brainstorming and creative thinking/idea generation to identify innovative and entrepreneurial business opportunities — The use of non-conventional thinking to identify innovative business opportunities — Ways in which creative business opportunities can realistically be implemented

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Gr. 10 T3 W1 Business Studies Lesson Plan: Creative Thinking & Problem Solving

2020 Gr 10 Business Studies Lesson Plan: Creative Thinking & Problem Solving

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Business Studies: CREATIVE THINKING & PROBLEM SOLVING

Kurt Bailey 

At the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Explain the meaning of creative thinking.

• Discuss/Describe/Explain the advantages/benefits of creative thinking in the workplace.

• Explain how businesses can use creative thinking to generate entrepreneurial opportunities.

• Discuss how businesses can use creative thinking to solve business problems.

Introduction:

Businesses have to solve many problems as they confront the challenges of dynamic and complex business environments. Businesses need to find ways to break out from routine thinking in order to solve problems and make decisions.

Recently all businesses, locally and abroad, were confronted with the challenges that was brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic This forced them to come up with new/innovative ideas to survive. Just consider how the restaurant industry, which is one of many, was adversely affected. As a result of the declaration of a state of disaster, restaurants could no longer open up their doors for patrons to come and sit down. Consequently, most of them have resorted to taking orders online and/or telephonically and then deliver to the clients.

Solving problems requires businesses to apply creative and critical thinking skills.

The key focus of this lesson will be on:

i) How Creative thinking can contribute towards successful and sustainable business practice. We will also be looking at ii) How Creative thinking can be used to generate entrepreneurial opportunities and solve business problems.

CONCEPTS AND SKILLS

• 1. Make sure that you know the key concept(s):

Creative thinking - The thought process that leads to original/novel/new ideas/new approaches. Use of non-conventional methods to solve problems. Breaking out of routine thinking.

Routine thinking - Sequence of actions or patterns of behaviour that is regularly followed or rehearsed.

Conventional solutions - Solutions based on what is generally done, believed or conformed to.

Non-conventional ideas - Solutions based on what is not generally done, believed or conformed to.

Problem solving - Alternative solutions are generated/ identified and critically evaluated. Analysing a situation to identify strategies to bring about change.

Decision making - Various alternatives are considered before choosing the best one. It is part of the problem solving cycle as decisions need to be made in each step.

Innovative - The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.

Challenge/Threat - A problem/obstacle that can prevent you from achieving a goal.

Opportunity - A time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

Business Opportunity - Is a business investment that allows the buyer to start a business.

• 2. Core Content: • Make sure that you know / understand and are able to apply the CORE CONTENT. Pay particular attention to the cognitive levels. The cognitive verbs serve as a guide for how to answer the questions.
• 3. Discuss how businesses can use creative thinking to solve business problems.
• 4. Elaborate on the meaning of problem solving.
• 5. Explain the differences between decision making and problem solving
• 6. Outline/Mention /Discuss/Explain/ the problem solving cycle.

1.1.Complete the following statement by using the word(s) in the list below. Write only the word(s) next to the question number.

1.1.1 The …. process requires creative thinking skills to generate and evaluate alternative solutions. (2)

1.1.2 …. refers to the process in which various alternatives are considered before deciding on the (2) best one.

2.1 Read the scenario below and answer the questions that follows:

2.1.1 Define creative thinking. (2)

2.1.2 Explain the advantages/benefits of creative thinking in the workplace for businesses like Google. (10)

2.1.3 Discuss ANY FOUR steps in the problem-solving-cycle that Google can follow to solve their problems. (12)

2.1.4 Explain how Google can use creative thinking to generate entrepreneurial opportunities. (6)

In Conclusion

• Constant changes in the market impact on business operations and so they need to adapt to it quickly and make quick/creative decisions.

• Creative thinking can help to solve business problems successfully.

• In part two of Creative thinking and Problem-solving the emphasis will be on the Problem-solving techniques businesses can use to solve many problems as they confront the challenges of dynamic and complex business environments.

• 2020 Grade 10 Business Studies Core Notes: Business Roles: Creative thinking and Problem-solving, Pages 3-6

• Via Afrika Business Studies Grade 11 Learner's Book

• Platinum Business Studies Grade 11 Learner's Book

• Oxford Successful Business Studies Grade 11 Learner's Book

• Solutions for a Business Studies Grade 11 Learner's Book

• Focus Business Studies Grade 11 Learner's Book

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What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

• 01 Feb 2022

One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown. Business leaders can overcome this barrier by mobilizing creative team members and providing space to innovate.

There are several tools you can use to encourage creativity in the workplace. Creative problem-solving is one of them, which facilitates the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems.

Here’s an overview of creative problem-solving and why it’s important in business.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Creative Problem-Solving?

Research is necessary when solving a problem. But there are situations where a problem’s specific cause is difficult to pinpoint. This can occur when there’s not enough time to narrow down the problem’s source or there are differing opinions about its root cause.

In such cases, you can use creative problem-solving , which allows you to explore potential solutions regardless of whether a problem has been defined.

Creative problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes and encourages exploring open-ended solutions. It also focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity in the workplace . Its benefits include:

• Finding creative solutions to complex problems : User research can insufficiently illustrate a situation’s complexity. While other innovation processes rely on this information, creative problem-solving can yield solutions without it.
• Adapting to change : Business is constantly changing, and business leaders need to adapt. Creative problem-solving helps overcome unforeseen challenges and find solutions to unconventional problems.
• Fueling innovation and growth : In addition to solutions, creative problem-solving can spark innovative ideas that drive company growth. These ideas can lead to new product lines, services, or a modified operations structure that improves efficiency.

Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles :

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving uses two primary tools to find solutions: divergence and convergence. Divergence generates ideas in response to a problem, while convergence narrows them down to a shortlist. It balances these two practices and turns ideas into concrete solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

By framing problems as questions, you shift from focusing on obstacles to solutions. This provides the freedom to brainstorm potential ideas.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When brainstorming, it can be natural to reject or accept ideas right away. Yet, immediate judgments interfere with the idea generation process. Even ideas that seem implausible can turn into outstanding innovations upon further exploration and development.

4. Focus on "Yes, And" Instead of "No, But"

Using negative words like "no" discourages creative thinking. Instead, use positive language to build and maintain an environment that fosters the development of creative and innovative ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Whereas creative problem-solving facilitates developing innovative ideas through a less structured workflow, design thinking takes a far more organized approach.

Design thinking is a human-centered, solutions-based process that fosters the ideation and development of solutions. In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase framework to explain design thinking.

The four stages are:

• Clarify: The clarification stage allows you to empathize with the user and identify problems. Observations and insights are informed by thorough research. Findings are then reframed as problem statements or questions.
• Ideate: Ideation is the process of coming up with innovative ideas. The divergence of ideas involved with creative problem-solving is a major focus.
• Develop: In the development stage, ideas evolve into experiments and tests. Ideas converge and are explored through prototyping and open critique.
• Implement: Implementation involves continuing to test and experiment to refine the solution and encourage its adoption.

Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving Tools

While there are many useful tools in the creative problem-solving process, here are three you should know:

Creating a Problem Story

One way to innovate is by creating a story about a problem to understand how it affects users and what solutions best fit their needs. Here are the steps you need to take to use this tool properly.

1. Identify a UDP

Create a problem story to identify the undesired phenomena (UDP). For example, consider a company that produces printers that overheat. In this case, the UDP is "our printers overheat."

2. Move Forward in Time

To move forward in time, ask: “Why is this a problem?” For example, minor damage could be one result of the machines overheating. In more extreme cases, printers may catch fire. Don't be afraid to create multiple problem stories if you think of more than one UDP.

3. Move Backward in Time

To move backward in time, ask: “What caused this UDP?” If you can't identify the root problem, think about what typically causes the UDP to occur. For the overheating printers, overuse could be a cause.

Following the three-step framework above helps illustrate a clear problem story:

• The printer is overused.
• The printer overheats.
• The printer breaks down.

You can extend the problem story in either direction if you think of additional cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Break the Chains

By this point, you’ll have multiple UDP storylines. Take two that are similar and focus on breaking the chains connecting them. This can be accomplished through inversion or neutralization.

• Inversion: Inversion changes the relationship between two UDPs so the cause is the same but the effect is the opposite. For example, if the UDP is "the more X happens, the more likely Y is to happen," inversion changes the equation to "the more X happens, the less likely Y is to happen." Using the printer example, inversion would consider: "What if the more a printer is used, the less likely it’s going to overheat?" Innovation requires an open mind. Just because a solution initially seems unlikely doesn't mean it can't be pursued further or spark additional ideas.
• Neutralization: Neutralization completely eliminates the cause-and-effect relationship between X and Y. This changes the above equation to "the more or less X happens has no effect on Y." In the case of the printers, neutralization would rephrase the relationship to "the more or less a printer is used has no effect on whether it overheats."

Even if creating a problem story doesn't provide a solution, it can offer useful context to users’ problems and additional ideas to be explored. Given that divergence is one of the fundamental practices of creative problem-solving, it’s a good idea to incorporate it into each tool you use.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a tool that can be highly effective when guided by the iterative qualities of the design thinking process. It involves openly discussing and debating ideas and topics in a group setting. This facilitates idea generation and exploration as different team members consider the same concept from multiple perspectives.

Hosting brainstorming sessions can result in problems, such as groupthink or social loafing. To combat this, leverage a three-step brainstorming method involving divergence and convergence :

• Have each group member come up with as many ideas as possible and write them down to ensure the brainstorming session is productive.
• Continue the divergence of ideas by collectively sharing and exploring each idea as a group. The goal is to create a setting where new ideas are inspired by open discussion.
• Begin the convergence of ideas by narrowing them down to a few explorable options. There’s no "right number of ideas." Don't be afraid to consider exploring all of them, as long as you have the resources to do so.

Alternate Worlds

The alternate worlds tool is an empathetic approach to creative problem-solving. It encourages you to consider how someone in another world would approach your situation.

For example, if you’re concerned that the printers you produce overheat and catch fire, consider how a different industry would approach the problem. How would an automotive expert solve it? How would a firefighter?

Be creative as you consider and research alternate worlds. The purpose is not to nail down a solution right away but to continue the ideation process through diverging and exploring ideas.

Continue Developing Your Skills

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader, learning the ropes of design thinking can be an effective way to build your skills and foster creativity and innovation in any setting.

If you're ready to develop your design thinking and creative problem-solving skills, explore Design Thinking and Innovation , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

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BUSINESS STUDIES – GRADE 10: TERM 3 WEEKS MAIN TOPIC BUS ROLES TOPIC: CREATIVE THINKING & PROBLEM SOLVING DATE COMPLETED ASSESSMENT

Term 2 business studies lesson plans

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To view this video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8OQ9Vsx21g.

You solve problems every day, and not just in math class. You figure out what to wear, what to eat, and how to manage friendships. You can solve even bigger problems using critical and creative thinking. Watch this video to find out how.

Your Turn Critically analyze a problem. Think of a problem that relates to something you are studying, or use this problem: Many people don't have enough to eat . Analyze the problem critically by writing down the causes and effects of it in a chart like this one.

Your Turn Creatively offer solutions. Review the causes and effects of your problem. Brainstorm ways to remove one or more of the causes. Brainstorm ways to lessen one or more of the effects. Create a list of as many possible solutions as you can, even wild ones! Which solution interests you most? What would you have to do to make it work? (The next step in problem-solving is planning the solution.)

From pages 47-66 in Inquire High School

From the blog post " How to Teach Creativity "

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