A Polar Bear a Cockroach and a Space Alien Walked Into a Problem

The article presents information on two problem-solving instruments. The chapter "Are You a Convergent, Divergent, or Lateral Problem Solver?" is an assessment instrument in "The 2005 ASTD Training and Performance Sourcebook," that provided exercises in how to approach problem solving from multiple angles. The chapter described convergent, divergent and lateral problem solving and explained that each approach was useful in different situations. The logical, deliberate convergent approach involves defining the problem, deciding on a course of action, implementation and the evaluation of the solution. The paper "15 Activities to Discover and Develop Creativity," that was published in the journal "Infoline," begins with exercises to inspire creativity, such as relaxing, focusing, illustrating knowledge gaps and naming preoccupations. Then it describes an eight-step creative problem-solving model that involves a series of expansions, in which ideas are generated and contractions, in which ideas are evaluated and eliminated.