Creative Problem Solving

The Disney creativity cycle is one of many ways of thinking about creativity. It splits the creative process up into three distinctive roles that should be kept separate. Ideas can originate in any part of the cycle and be passed back and forth until solutions are chosen. The one direction that is destructive to creativity is for ideas to go straight from the dreamer phase to the critic. The critic's role is to look for problems and the dreams need to be made real first by thinking of how to implement them.

The Dreamer

• What if……?”
• Needs to have time away from the critic and realist to generate as many ideas as possible.
• Not concerned with what is practical
• “If I was guaranteed success……?”
• “If I had unlimited time and other resources……?”
• “What could I do with £10 million ……?
• What if I changed that colour?
• What if I used that poem?”

The aim of a dreamer is to generate as many ideas as possible and to select those that seem to have the most potential. 

The Realist

• “How could I make this work…...?”
• Not whether it is feasible or sensible
• 110% sure it can work somehow
• Creates specific and practical implementation ideas
• May need lots of cunning and ingenuity
• “How do I make this better ……?”
• “Who or what else could I copy ……?”

The realist takes the dreams and makes them practical.  They search for missing information and make implementation plans.  The aim of the realist is to create a specific and practical proposal.

The Evaluator and Critic

• “Yes but ……?”
• The critic evaluate the options
• Looks for pit falls
• Feedback both positive and negative criticism
• “What else have I missed ……?”
• “What will make this fail ……?
• “Every plan has a weak link……”

The critic is an evaluator, they give not only negative but also positive feedback on improvements.  The aim of the critic is to avoid Murphy’s law by finding all the possible problems.

The ideas can then cycle back from the critic to the realist or dreamer for more input.  Most interactions are productive but going from the dreamer to the critic is a sure way to destroy creative ideas.