A520.3.3.RB_Brianne Gowens_Constraints on Creative Problem Solving

Pablo Picasso said that “every act of creation is, first of all, an act of destruction”. Consider this statement in light of constraints we place on ourselves in the workplace. What are some constraints that you need to destroy before you can engage in creative problem solving? Give an example of how a constraint you placed on yourself prevented you from solving a problem. Reflect on what you could have done differently and how you will prevent that constraint from limiting you in the future.

Creative problem solving requires individuals to unfreeze from their traditional analytical approach to solving at problems and begin to consider them from a new perspective (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). Although creative problem solving is done less frequently than analytic problem solving, there are actually several different ways to solve problems in a creative way. Unfortunately, many people find comfort in the systematic four-step problem solving approach, which includes: (1) defining the problem, (2) generating alternatives, (3) evaluating alternatives, and (4) implementing the solution (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). Comfort with the familiar often makes it difficult to embrace the concept of trying new methods of problem solving.

When we become too comfortable with one approach, it can create something called a conceptual block, or a mental obstacle that prevents a person from being creative (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). The biggest conceptual blocks that I face are constancy and commitment, which lead to the refusal to consider alternate ideas and the tendency to assume that past experiences will turn out like future ones (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). Sticking with what is comfortable has become a constraint and it is limiting me from experiencing more innovative and creative problem solving.

I recently worked on an assignment at work where I had to build a strategy for negotiating with customers remotely in an effort to cut down our department’s travel budget. The intent was to implement this strategy throughout the Contracts organization, so that my team (Europe) and all of the other regional teams could equally reduce spending on customer visits. In hindsight I recognize my constraint almost instantly. I built a Situation-Target-Proposal (STP) presentation that discussed the issue with our budget, the goal of reducing spending on travel, and the proposal to invest in audio/video equipment in our conference rooms to facilitate virtual meetings. I did all of this based on my experience with my customer, along with the conversations I heard my peers having around me. I never took the opportunity to reach out to others, including those in other regions, to figure out if my proposed solution would also work for them. I found out the hard way that it did not.

When I submitted my proposal to management for consideration, the leadership teams from each region provided their feedback. For the most part, the European leader agreed with my recommendation to invest in virtual-meeting equipment. The African region, however, rejected my proposal because many of their customers are very small regional airlines with a fleet of only one to three aircraft. These customers simply do not have the funds available to invest in the type of equipment that would be needed on their end to facilitate sophisticated virtual meetings. The North America region argued that traveling domestically from Seattle to other U.S. locations would actually be cheaper than investing in equipment because they travel infrequently, and flights are generally inexpensive when they do have to travel. The Asia region rejected my exercise all together, stating that Asian customers simply refuse to do business if it isn’t done fact to face. As a result of my conceptual block, my proposal was not seen as something that would work for the whole organization and it was shelved.

If I had handled this situation in a more creative way, the outcome may have been more successful. In order to break my traditional approach to solving problems, I need to learn how to improve my creative problem-solving abilities. One step to doing this is to make a more conscious effort to reach out to those around me, ask what they think about my ideas, and ask for their suggestions (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). I have a great team of people around me who are all very familiar with Europe contracts, but I have become too comfortable reaching out to my immediate peers. Moving forward, I plan to reach out to peers supporting customers located in other regions of the world, like Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.  Some of the best ideas are created through debate and discourse because it allows the unique opinions of others to surface (Hill, 2015). I predict that making an effort to hear the perspectives of such peers will lead me down a path towards more creative thinking.

Another approach I will focus on is to find a quiet and comfortable place to think where interruptions will be limited or non-existent (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). For me, this quiet place will likely be a privacy room in my office because it has completely blank walls, no windows, no computers, and is very well insulated. I recently learned from Puddicombe (2013), that our minds are lost in thought at least 47% of the time and if we give them a rest now and then, we could expand their capacity and ability to display creative thinking. Traditionally, I have liked to wear headphones in order to tune out noise, but I have learned over the past few weeks that this may is not providing my brain the rest it really needs to be more effective.

Kalyuga, Renkl, & Paas (2010) stated that “an important goal of contemporary education is the development of flexible problem-solving skills as abilities to apply available knowledge in relatively new situations.” In order to find the right mixture of both the analytical and the creative approaches to solving problems, I must learn to be more flexible in my approach and more comfortable departing from that which feels familiar.

References

Hill, L. (2015, March 13). How to manage for collective creativity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjcZrtcBZi4

Kalyuga, S., Renkl, A., & Paas, F. (2010). Facilitating flexible problem solving: A cognitive load perspective. Educational Psycology Review, 22(2), pp 175-186. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-010-9132-9

Puddicombe, A. (2013, January). All it takes is 10 mindful minutes. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ&feature= youtu.be

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.

A520.2.3.RB_Brianne Gowens_10 Minutes Per Day

A520.2.3.RB Instructions: Reflect on the following in a well-written and integrated blog post: What is the expected value of spending 10 minutes doing nothing? What did you learn about yourself and your own stress through this exercise? Is this something you will continue and will you encourage others to practice these techniques? Why or Why not? How can remaining in the present reduce stress? 

In his TED Talk “All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes,” Andy Puddicombe (2013) recommended that individuals take 10 minutes out of their daily lives to do absolutely nothing. He specified that the goal is to let your thoughts come and go, almost as if they are passing right in front of you, while avoiding the instinct to pick one out and start actively thinking about it. According to Puddicombe (2013), the expected value of this exercise is that it allows us to give our minds a much-needed rest and naturally serve as a stress reduction and avoidance technique.

To test Puddicombe’s theory, I practiced his recommendation – I engaged in 10 minutes of complete silence for three consecutive days. Here are my reflections of this experience.

On day one, I pulled into my parking space at work, shut off the engine, and took a deep breath. I didn’t close my eyes, but I also avoided the instinct to look around and see who else was arriving in the parking lot. It was a Wednesday morning and I didn’t have any meetings to rush to, so I let myself relax and sit quietly. To be honest, I felt as if this experiment stressed me out. I could not help myself from thinking about the fact that I was sitting in my car instead of rushing into my office to turn on my computer. Although I tried to avoid it, I kept looking at my watch to see if the ten minutes was up. Oddly enough, I did not think at all about the work that needed to get done. My stress was caused by the fact that I had sat in traffic to get to my desk before my colleagues and now sitting in my car could allow someone else to beat me in. This is not at all what I expected to think about, but these are the results of my initial experiment. I felt a strange threat of competition bubble inside of me and the thought of “losing” dominated my mind. I didn’t like this feeling at all. Upon completing the experiment and entering my office, I was relieved to discover that I was still the first one in. I immediately felt embarrassed with how I had been feeling and I was disappointed with how I managed my first 10 minutes of silence.

Day two was Thursday, January 18^th and I vowed to do things a little differently this time. I drove to my office, booted up my computer, did about two hours’ worth of work, and then I put a private appointment on my calendar from 9:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. During this time, I went to a privacy room down the hall from my office, shut the door, and sat in silence. This was a much better experience than the first time, as there were no distractions around me and there was absolutely nothing on the walls to distract my attention (not even a window!). I truly felt relaxed during this process and, to be honest, actually felt a little sleepy during the last few minutes. One important change in my approach this time was to set a timer on my watch for 10 minutes. The timer allowed me to resist the instinct to become distracted by constantly checking my wrist.  

On day three, I wanted to take my 10 minutes at home. I knew I couldn’t accomplish this while my girls were awake, so I took my time after they went to bed. My husband starts his nightly exercise routine at 8:30 p.m. so I took this opportunity to go downstairs in our basement and sit quietly by myself. This experience was an interesting combination of the first two days. On one hand, the environment was ideal for quiet time. On the other hand, this is normally my homework time, so I couldn’t help the guilty feeling that I was cutting into 10 minutes that I normally dedicate to my studies. To address this, I reminded myself that taking this 10 minutes is my homework, so I needed to relax. It’s clear to see by now that I was doing way too much thinking during this time.

What I learned about myself during this exercise is that I worry too much about things that don’t deserve space in my brain. I have got to do a better job at disconnecting – not only from my electronic devices, but from my own thoughts as well. I intend to continue practicing Puddicombe’s recommendation and trying other techniques to help myself relax. I especially liked the suggestion by Harris (2014) to learn how to separate productive worry from unproductive worry. Productive worry is motivating, and as Whetton & Cameron (2016) stated, “stress is needed to motivate action” (p. 92). Unproductive worry, on the other hand, only blocks people from finding moment to relax and/or get much needed rest (Harris, 2014). One way to separate these two types of worry is to make lists, which is a concept I really like and is something I plan on doing more of in the future.

I plan on encouraging others to watch Puddicombe’s (2013) video and practice his 10-minute strategy in their own lives because I see people all around me who struggle to turn off their brains and live in the present. Living in the present can help reduce stress because it forces us to focus on the things we can control today instead of worry about the things that might pop up tomorrow. Although Levitin (2015) recommended prospective hindsight as a way to prevent future stresses, it’s critical to balance this with the acknowledgement that we can’t always control things that may impact us in the future. Proactive strategies help us cope with stress but mixing these strategies with a commitment to let our brains rest for at least 10 minutes each day may help us all live healthier and more balanced lives (Whetton & Cameron, 2016).  

References

Harris, S. (2014). How to shut off your brain when you just can’t sleep. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/23/shut-off-brain-cant-sleep_n_5161774.html

Levitin, D. (2015, November). How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPQjjsBbIc& feature=youtu.be

Puddicombe, A. (2013, January). All it takes is 10 mindful minutes. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ&feature= youtu.be

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.

A520.1.3.RB_Self-Awareness Blog_GowensBri

At the core of an exceptional leader is the understanding and mastery of oneself (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). This mastery of oneself, also referred to as self-awareness, enables leaders to engage with followers in a way that encourages them to work harder and more efficiently to accomplish the task at hand. Although I would not yet classify myself as an exceptional leader, I have no doubt that the five core aspects of my own self-awareness, which include: (1) emotional intelligence, (2) values, (3) cognitive style, (4) attitudes towards change, and (5) core self-evaluation, have matured throughout the process of obtaining my graduate degree from Embry Riddle.  

Although these five core aspects are becoming stronger, I can say with certainty that I still have a lot of room to grow in particular areas. Changes to my self-awareness have happened at different stages, but I’d like to begin by focusing on the three aspects that seem to be maturing most quickly.

First, my attitude towards change is significantly different now than it was when I started this degree program three years ago. I have always been very averse to change, whether it be in my personal life or work life. When it came to holiday planning over the years, my mother always described me to others as “so traditional” when in reality, I just didn’t want anything to be different than what I had been comfortable with growing up. In this course, however, the idea that change is absolutely inevitable started to sink in differently than ever before. This reality was described by Obolensky (2014) in his book Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty when he described the changes around us today as “more dramatic than ever” (p. 5). Obolensky (2014) taught me that in order to become comfortable with change, I need to come to the realization that I can’t always be in control. I am learning to become more tolerant with ambiguity and aware of how both internal and external locusts of control change outcomes that directly affect me (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). Coming to terms with this has matured my attitude towards change and helped strengthen one of my core aspects of self-awareness.

Another aspect of self-awareness that has grown during this degree program relates to my core self-evaluation, or “big five” personality traits (Whetton & Cameron, 2016). I am becoming more aware of which key attributes I am very strong in, like my level of agreeableness and my conscientiousness. I have also targeted attributes ripe for improvement like my lack of openness and my tendency to stay more reserved in social situations. Oddly, I have also realized that I display contradictory traits of neuroticism. I would categorize myself as somewhat emotionally fragile and fearful, but at the same time I am typically optimistic and positive. This fifth personality attribute, neuroticism, is something I look forward to investing in more detail as this course continues.

Finally, I’ve become much more aware of my own cognitive style as I continue to pursue my graduate degree. I have a very consistent way in which I gather information and evaluate it. Before I started my graduate program, I was somewhat fearful of asking others for information because I didn’t want to reveal that I didn’t know something. During this process, however, I’ve learned that the best leaders are those who are willing to acknowledge their own weaknesses and ask for help. I’ve also learned that leadership can be both downward and upward, which means it’s ok if I challenge my leaders when I believe their approach is wrong. Barta and Barwise (2017) of McKinesy & Company even suggested that horizontal leadership, including reaching across business unit boundaries to lead peers will benefit individuals and the companies they work for.

My comfort with my own cognitive style has made it easier for me to react to stimulus around me, even though that stimulus can be unpredictable and inconsistent. One thing I know for sure is that I prefer to gather info by digging into the origin of decisions made within my organization. Before I can gather information about how to address a specific problem, for example, I spend a significant amount of time investigating the origin of the problem. Through this process I become more confident in my proposed solution and I feel more open to think creatively about next steps.

My attitude towards change, knowledge of my core self-evaluation, and cognitive style have matured significantly throughout my degree program, but I have areas that still need further growth. Although I feel that my personal values are strong, I also struggle with knowing what the “right” or “good” thing to do is in terms of balancing my career demands and my family demands. I strongly value my career and I want to feel as if I’m exceeding expectations at all times. With that said, I have young kids and I want them to look back on their childhood and remember having me around to guide them.

The three maturity levels presented by Whetton & Cameron (2016) continue to perplex me as I can’t definitively say whether I practice self-centered behavior, conformity, or principled. In my head and heart, I believe I am principled, but when it came time to decide between “doing the right thing” and “following the rules,” I’m honesty not sure which I would choose. This is an area I hope to continue developing.

I’d also like to discover and develop my emotional intelligence in greater detail. I do believe I am very strong when it comes to emotional competency because I have great social skills and I have a reputation of being able to get absolutely anyone on my side through working with them collaboratively – even the toughest personalities. I am also good at picking up the emotional cues of others and responding to them in a way that helps others move past the situation they are facing, which is a sign of good emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, I am also a very emotional person who sometimes has a hard time hiding my feelings, which leads to a weaker level of emotional intelligence. With these two attributes at odds, I’m not sure where I stand on emotional intelligence and plan to continue exploring it.

As I’ve continued to mature and become a stronger leader, the people around me are beginning to take notice. First, at home, my husband has noticed how much better I am at controlling my emotions when I am forced away from the house for business travel. On my last business trip at the beginning of December, my husband commented at how impressed he was that I found alternate ways to keep in touch with the girls and I didn’t once show uneasy emotions like sadness or frustration. This is a result of my own conscientious thinking and desire to become a more well-rounded leader at home and at work.

In the office, my ability to adapt to change has definitely been recognized by one of my managers. Just last summer, I had an interesting interaction with my director that proved her awareness of my changes. My director came to my desk to tell me that the strategy I had been preparing to present to our executive board would need to change at the last minute. When she told me about this, she had a look of worry in her eyes as if she was afraid I would be so frazzled by the change that I wouldn’t be able to reset and get started on the new approach. When I calmly asked questions about what drove the change of plans and began offering ways that we can expedite the new strategy, her look of worry turned to a look of surprise and then excitement. As I continue to mature throughout this degree program, I’d like to begin setting up one-on-one meetings with those around me to actually ask them for an assessment of my leadership style, with a focus on the aspects of self-awareness that I believe need improvement.

References

Barta, T. & Barwise, P. (2017). Why effective leaders must manage up, down, and sideways. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/leadership/why-effective-leaders-must-manage-up-down-and-sideways

Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty (2^nd ed.). New York, New York: Gower Publishing.

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills, 9^th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.