Other Undergraduate 896 words

Creative Problem Solving, Leadership & Employee Motivation

~5 min read

Abstract

This paper presents three training handouts designed for a management team addressing key organizational development topics. The first handout outlines approaches to creative problem solving, including brainstorming, the cubing technique, and perspective-shifting exercises. The second examines strategies for motivating employees during organizational change, using Lewin's unfreeze-change-freeze model as a framework. The third explores the role of leadership in fostering an innovative organizational culture, with examples from companies such as Google and Zappos. Together, the handouts offer practical, evidence-informed guidance for managers seeking to build creative, change-ready teams.

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What makes this paper effective

Each handout section is tightly focused on a single topic, making the content accessible and practical for a management training audience.
The paper integrates named frameworks (Lewin's unfreeze-change-freeze model, the cubing technique) alongside real-world examples (Google, Zappos), grounding abstract concepts in recognizable practice.
Concrete, numbered steps within the cubing discussion provide an immediately actionable tool that managers can apply directly in training sessions.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates effective use of applied theoretical frameworks to support practical recommendations. By anchoring each section in a recognized model or technique — such as Lewin's three-phase change theory or brainstorming methodology — the writer establishes credibility while keeping the content relevant to a real organizational context. This technique bridges academic theory and workplace application, which is essential in business and management writing.

Structure breakdown

The paper is organized as three self-contained handout sections, each addressing a distinct management topic: creative problem solving, employee motivation, and leadership. Within each section, the argument moves from identifying a core challenge to presenting specific strategies or frameworks. The final section on leadership synthesizes themes from the earlier sections — creativity and motivation — by showing how effective leaders cultivate both simultaneously. References are collected at the end in APA format.

Approaches to Creative Problem Solving

One of the most vitally important obstacles to overcome in order to engage in truly creative problem solving is the need to break the fear barrier. In a group setting, people are often fearful of transgressing group norms of acceptable behavior, which can severely inhibit creative problem solving. That is why brainstorming can be such an important icebreaker when generating new ideas about a particular issue. The group writes down all possible solutions to a problem — no matter how unconventional — and then reviews them and selects one or two. The absence of anticipated judgment is intended to be freeing.

Brainstorming can be free-flowing, or it can make use of slightly more directive techniques if members of the group are initially reluctant. For example, through the technique of "cubing," members are asked to consider the topic "from six different directions… [to] take a sheet of paper, consider your topic, and respond to these six commands" (The Writing Center, 2010):

Encouraging Creative Problem Solving in Teams

In addition to stating ideas aloud, other creative problem-solving techniques include imaginative icebreaking exercises designed to generate a creative atmosphere without immediately relating to the problem at hand. For example, a group might tell a story in which every person contributes one or two sentences aloud and then passes responsibility to the person sitting beside them. Even going outside for a walk to shift the group's perspective can be useful and stimulating to idea production. Alternatively, the group can engage in perspective-shifting exercises such as "imagine if" — for instance, imagining how someone from a different historical era might approach the same problem.

2 Locked Sections · 470 words remaining

Employee Motivation During Organizational Change · 230 words

"Lewin's model applied to change-resistant employees"

Leadership and Innovative Organizational Culture · 240 words

"Leaders fostering creativity through culture and mentorship"

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Key Concepts in This Paper

Brainstorming Cubing Technique Change Resistance Unfreeze-Change-Freeze Kurt Lewin Innovative Culture Mentorship Organizational Change Creative Leadership Employee Motivation