Review the Following Scenario

question 18

Essay

Review the following scenario.Briefly identify three techniques for fostering creativity through the use of lateral thinking,and explain which one would best fit the unique circumstances faced by Kevin with his engineering group.Provide a concrete justification for your recommendation.Be sure to clarify any assumptions that you make in developing your answer.
Kevin is the Engineering Manager in the Environmental Services Division of a multinational construction company.He believes that his organization has been losing project bids over the past three years because his staff members have become stale in their thinking.He recently read an article on techniques of promoting creativity through the application of the lateral thinking method.He has brought you in as a consultant to discuss the possibility of applying this technique in his unit.Kevin's major concern is that his engineers are very conservative and old-fashioned in their thinking.They have consistently demonstrated an unwillingness to explore problem-solving options that differ too much from the traditional,logical thinking approaches to problem solving and decision making that they learned in their university engineering programs.As a group,they denigrate such non-traditional approaches as "touchy-feeling" stuff that lacks the rigor of careful,systematic rational analysis.They do,however,demonstrate a high regard for intellectual expertise,and enjoy exploring ideas with others from any discipline that they consider to be on their own intellectual level.Kevin has asked you to explain three techniques for fostering the development of new ideas through the use of lateral thinking,and to recommend one to him for possible implementation in his group.

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Definitions:

Alfred Kinsey

An American biologist and sexologist who founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University and is known for his research on human sexuality.

Representative Sample

A subset of a population that accurately reflects the members of the entire population, used in statistical analysis to make inferences about the whole group.

Interviewing Style

The method or approach a person uses when asking questions and interacting with interviewees, which can significantly influence the responses given.

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by an obsessive fear of gaining weight, leading to severe restriction of food intake and self-imposed starvation.