🛠️ Module 3: Creative Thinking Techniques

Your Toolkit for Generating Amazing Ideas!

🎯 What You Will Learn

📖 Story: How Vikram Saved the Day

The Crisis...

Vikram manages a customer service team in Chennai. Suddenly, customer complaints increased by 50%! His boss gave him one week to find a solution or face consequences.

Vikram was stressed. Random thinking wasn't helping. Then he remembered a training session about creative thinking techniques. He decided to try them systematically:

First, he used Brainstorming with his team - everyone shared ideas without judgment. Then he used SCAMPER to improve the best ideas. Finally, he created a Mind Map to organize everything.

Result? He found the root cause (outdated complaint system) and implemented a new, faster process. Complaints dropped by 60% in two weeks! His boss was impressed!

The Secret? Not just creativity, but STRUCTURED creativity using proven techniques!

🎨 Technique 1: Brainstorming

What is it?

Brainstorming is like a mental shower of ideas! You generate as many ideas as possible WITHOUT judging them. Quantity first, quality later!

📋 Golden Rules of Brainstorming:

  1. No Criticism: Don't say "that won't work" during brainstorming
  2. Go for Quantity: Aim for 20-30 ideas, not 2-3!
  3. Wild Ideas Welcome: Crazy ideas can lead to practical solutions
  4. Build on Others: Take someone's idea and add to it
  5. Stay Focused: Keep the main problem in mind
  6. Write Everything: Capture all ideas, even small ones

💼 Corporate Example: Flipkart's Big Billion Days

Challenge: How to compete with Amazon in festive season?

Brainstorming Session: Flipkart team threw out ideas:

  • "What if we do 24-hour sale?"
  • "What if we offer 80% discounts?"
  • "What if we call it something catchy like 'Big Billion Days'?"
  • "What if we create hype before sale?"

They combined multiple ideas and created India's biggest online sale event! Now every e-commerce company copies this idea!

🎮 Try It Now: Brainstorming Exercise

Problem: How can we make office meetings more interesting and productive?

Type your ideas below (aim for at least 5 ideas!). Press Enter after each idea:

Your ideas will appear here... Start typing!

🔄 Technique 2: SCAMPER Method

SCAMPER is a powerful checklist that helps you look at any problem from 7 different angles. Each letter gives you a different way to think!

SCAMPER = 7 Questions to Spark Ideas

S

Substitute

Ask: What can I replace?

Example: What if we substitute in-person meetings with video calls? (Zoom!)

C

Combine

Ask: What can I mix together?

Example: Phone + Camera + Internet = Smartphone!

A

Adapt

Ask: What can I adjust or tweak?

Example: Swiggy adapted food delivery to deliver groceries too!

M

Modify

Ask: Can I change size, shape, or color?

Example: Making phones smaller, then bigger (tablets)!

P

Put to Other Use

Ask: Can I use it differently?

Example: WhatsApp for business communication, not just chatting!

E

Eliminate

Ask: What can I remove?

Example: OYO eliminated hotel middlemen for direct booking!

R

Reverse/Rearrange

Ask: Can I do it backwards or differently?

Example: Work from office → Work from home!

🏢 Real Example: How Café Coffee Day Used SCAMPER

Problem: Sales were dropping. How to attract more customers?

Using SCAMPER:

  • Substitute: Replace regular seating with comfy couches
  • Combine: Café + Free WiFi + Workspace
  • Adapt: Adapt timings - stay open till midnight
  • Modify: Create bigger cups for long work sessions
  • Put to Other Use: Make cafés meeting spots for professionals
  • Eliminate: Remove time limit for sitting
  • Reverse: Instead of "quick coffee," promote "stay longer"

Result: CCD became a popular workspace, not just a coffee shop!

✏️ Quick Practice: Your Turn!

Problem: Your team's monthly reports take too long to prepare.

Use SCAMPER to think of solutions:

  • Substitute: Can you replace manual entry with automated data?
  • Combine: Can you combine multiple reports into one?
  • Adapt: Can you adapt templates from other teams?
  • Modify: Can you make reports shorter/simpler?
  • Eliminate: Can you remove unnecessary sections?
  • Reverse: Can reports be created throughout the month, not just at end?

🌳 Technique 3: Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is like creating a visual tree of your thoughts. Start with one main idea in the center, then branch out with related ideas!

🎯 How to Create a Mind Map:

  1. Write your main topic in the CENTER of page
  2. Draw branches coming out from center
  3. Write main ideas on thick branches
  4. Add sub-ideas on smaller branches
  5. Use colors, pictures, symbols to make it visual
  6. Connect related ideas with lines

Example Mind Map: Improving Customer Service

Better Customer Service
Speed
• Faster response
• Live chat
• Quick templates
Training
• Weekly sessions
• Role play
• Knowledge base
Technology
• CRM software
• Chatbots
• Mobile app
Feedback
• Surveys
• Review system
• Follow-up calls

💼 How Infosys Used Mind Mapping

When planning a new project, Infosys teams create mind maps in their planning sessions. They put "Project Goal" in center, then branch out: Technology, Resources, Timeline, Risks, Budget. Each branch has sub-branches with details.

Benefit: Everyone sees the complete picture on one page! No confusion about how different parts connect.

🎩 Technique 4: Six Thinking Hats

Imagine wearing different colored hats - each hat makes you think in a different way! This technique, created by Edward de Bono, helps you see all sides of a problem.

The Six Thinking Hats

🟢 White Hat - Facts & Information

Focus on data, numbers, facts only. No opinions!

"What do we know? What data do we have?"

🔴 Red Hat - Feelings & Emotions

Express feelings, hunches, intuition

"How do I feel about this? What's my gut saying?"

⚫ Black Hat - Caution & Risks

Point out problems, risks, what could go wrong

"What are the dangers? What could fail?"

🟡 Yellow Hat - Benefits & Positives

Look at the bright side, benefits, opportunities

"What are the benefits? Why will this work?"

🟢 Green Hat - Creativity & Ideas

Generate new ideas, alternatives, possibilities

"What if we try...? How else can we do this?"

🔵 Blue Hat - Control & Process

Manage the thinking process, summarize, decide next steps

"What have we learned? What's our action plan?"

🏢 Corporate Example: TCS Project Decision

Decision: Should we invest in a new technology platform?

Using Six Hats:

  • White Hat: "Current system is 10 years old, costs ₹50 lakhs yearly to maintain"
  • Red Hat: "I feel excited but also nervous about the change"
  • Black Hat: "Risk: Team needs training, might face downtime during transition"
  • Yellow Hat: "Benefit: Save ₹30 lakhs yearly, 50% faster processing"
  • Green Hat: "What if we do phased rollout? Start with one department?"
  • Blue Hat: "Decision: Proceed with phased approach, start pilot in 2 months"

Result: Complete view of situation = Better decision!

⚡ Technique 5: The 5 Whys

Sometimes the real problem is hidden beneath the surface. Ask "Why?" five times to dig deeper and find the root cause!

Example: Customer Complaints Increasing

Problem: Customers are complaining more

Why? → Response time is slow

Why? → Not enough staff to handle calls

Why? → Company didn't hire during busy season

Why? → No system to predict busy periods

Why? → Never analyzed historical data patterns

Real Solution: Create a data analysis system to predict busy periods and hire accordingly! (Not just "hire more people")

🚗 Famous Example: Toyota's Success with 5 Whys

Toyota made this technique famous! When a machine stopped working, instead of just fixing it, they asked "Why?" five times to find the real reason. This helped them prevent future problems, not just solve current ones.

This is why Toyota cars are known for reliability - they fix root causes, not just symptoms!

📝 Quick Revision: Key Points to Remember

🎯 Your Practice Challenge

This Week: Pick one problem at work. Use SCAMPER to generate at least 7 different solution ideas (one for each letter). Write them down!

Bonus: Try creating a Mind Map for your next project or meeting!

⬅️ Previous: Mental Blocks Next: Practice & Exercises ➡️