Creativity in MS/OR: Ten exercises and the number 24

Research in creativity, particularly that carried out by Sidney J. Parnes and his associates at the Creative Education Foundation has shown that: creative imagination can be developed deliberately; creative problem-solving exercises can measurably improve the ability of people of average intelligence to produce better ideas; and that a systematic course of instruction in applied imagination can produce significant gains in such personality traits as confidence, initiative, and leadership potential. A previous column described some key traits that promote divergent thinking among creative individuals. These include awareness and problem sensitivity, fluency, flexibility, originality, and intellectual playfulness. Creativity can be enhanced by consciously trying to improve these traits. The two most important rules are to defer judgment and seek quantity (of ideas). This is a two-part column. The first section describes various exercises that are drawn or adapted from the creativity literature to expand one’s thinking and develop the traits listed above. The second section on the number 24 is contributed by Alan Pritsker, who concludes with some interesting implications for MS/OR practice.