Dead ends. Blank pages. Mental blocks.

The struggle to solve problems is all too real. Sometimes, inspiration is in short supply. Other times, you may have plenty of great ideas – but no process for seeing them through.

What’s a savvy business professional to do?

Get creative!

Creative problem solving is much more than brainstorming; it’s a well-defined process for every step of problem-solving. And it’s incredibly important in business – helping you to overcome challenges, improve on existing ideas, and continually generate new ones.

Want to give it a try? Below, we describe two techniques you can experiment with to solve business problems:

Re-Describing

This Entrepreneur.com post describes a unique problem-solving strategy that works on a simple assumption: most of the time, you already know something that will help you solve your problem. The key is to find the right memory cue to retrieve the information you need.

To use the re-describing technique, try changing the way you describe your problem to yourself. The more unique ways you can find to frame your challenge, the more memories your brain will unlock – and the more likely you’ll be to develop a great solution. Ask these two questions to get the process started:

• What kind of problem is this? Take off the mental blinders that limit creativity and memory, and try to think more abstractly.
• Who else has faced this kind of problem? Find parallels to your own challenge, and then consider the ways others’ solutions could be applied to your problem.

The Inversion Technique

This approach to problem-solving is similar to reverse-engineering. It starts with imagining worst-case scenarios, and then using those scenarios as the basis for developing solutions.

To use the inversion technique, start with the absolute worst outcome you could imagine to your problem. Then, imagine everything that could possibly go wrong which would lead to that disaster scenario. By working backward from a worst-case scenario, you can reveal hidden problems, opportunities and potential solutions you might otherwise miss.

Improve Problem-Solving by Boosting Creativity

No matter which problem-solving approach you select, use these quick tips to amp-up your team’s creativity (and solve problems faster!):

• Get everyone involved. More people can generate more ideas.
• Make your work environment more interesting. Hang art. Play music. Expose employees to scents like lavender or peppermint (which are thought to increase brain power). Engaging their brains in novel ways will spur new emotions, abstract thinking and fresh ideas.
• Play creativity games. With a simple Google search you can find several free resources for engaging your team’s creative faculties.

Have a Tough Problem to Solve?

Give the experts at Exact Staff a call. Our national staffing agency provides a full complement of staffing and placement services to help you get the most from your team and your career.