Osborn further developed CPS simplifying it into a three-stage model: fact finding- problem definition, data gathering and analyzing Idea-Finding- idea production and development and Solution Finding- evaluation and adoption (Osborn, 1963). The stages were: orientation, preparation, analysis, hypothesis, incubation, synthesis, and verification (Isaksen & Treffinger, 2008).
In his seminal work Applied Imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem-solving (1953), Osborn developed CPS as a seven-stage process as shown in Figure 1. While the earliest approaches to creative problem solving (CPS) can be traced to studies in the 1940s, any reference to CPS will invariably lead to Alex Osborn who in 1953 introduced the CPS process and the brainstorming tool to enhance and facilitate groups’ and individuals’ creative thinking skills (Puccio, Mance, & Murdock, 2011). Osborn: Enhancing Creative Thinking Skills (By Lauritz Huthchinson) Later this foundation led to the establishment of the Creative Studies Department at Buffalo State, which has helped countless students develop and grow their understanding and application of creative thinking and problem-solving.Alex F. With that in mind, he founded the Creative Education Foundation in 1954.
In literature related to the creative process, Applied Imagination remains one of the most frequently cited books on this topic.Īlthough he was a businessman, Osborn’s dream was to impact education in such a way as to preserve the creative imagination of students. The success of his creative-process methodologies led to the publication of several books, most notably “Applied Imagination.” Released in 1953, this book introduced the Creative Problem-Solving process to the world. Ruth Noller, a methodology for teaching it to students.Īs a business leader, Osborn was acutely aware of the contribution creativity made to organizational success and, as such, began to develop and test methodologies that would enhance the probability that individuals and teams could generate creative solutions in response to complex problems. Working with Parnes, the two developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Model and later, together with Dr.
Parnes, to the establishment of the Creative Studies Program at Buffalo State. Osborn’s radical ideas and persistent efforts led to the founding of the Creative Education Foundation and, by extension, through his close collaboration with Dr. Osborn was a co-founder of the now-iconic BBDO advertising agency, where he coined and developed a deliberate creative-thinking method known as “brainstorming.” Osborn’s persona as a high-powered New York advertising executive often overshadows what might be his most laudable and courageous accomplishment-establishing the field of creativity education.