Friday Feature: Coming at it From Another Angle

What's the best way to solve a problem? According to this piece in the Harvard Business Review, it all begins with asking the right question.

While some problems are straightforward, their solutions clear at first glance, other problems call for creative solutions. Creativity has three elements: originality (a unique perspective), fluency (the ability to generate a lot of ideas) and flexibility (the ability to shift from one perspective, idea or solution to another). When we're trying to solve complex problems and/or seek novel solutions (such as building a better vacuum cleaner, as described in the article), reframing the question can help us tap into our originality and flexibility. Generating solutions is a complex process, and asking the question a different way can help us tap into memories relevant to the problem at hand. In this way, memory cues serve as the passwords that unlock creative solutions.

So, the next time you want to move away from the same old same old, try shifting your perspective. Whether you're organizing a closet or building a better vacuum cleaner, asking new questions might just hold the key to a new approach.