A synthesis of structural creative problem solving in the perspective of OR/MS methodology

Abstract

Whenever anyone focuses attention to solve a problem through Operations Research and Management Science methodology, it is required to address the problem from the perspective of scientific thinking as well as from the thinking of Art side. Sense of both science and arts is required to shape a totality. However, it is noted that much has been written about the science of decision making: mathematical models, solution algorithms, procedures following structural analysis etc. But unfortunately it is observed that relatively very little has been written in the perspective of Arts to solve the problems. There is no denying the fact that the creativity is the most important attribute of good management and it also helps to drill longitudinally and laterally sense of research and innovative ideas and conceptions and things will assume totality as and when both the sense of Arts and Science is meaningfully applied. Thus creativity is very much linked with problem solving but it is observed that it has, ironically, been largely ignored as a very important and forceful weapon of OR/MS problem solving process. In this paper a sincere attempt has been taken to synthesize explicitly OR/MS literature which has got closed link with creative thinking for solving problems and we shall try to provide here a framework for integrating structured creative thinking technologies with regard to OR/MS methodology and we will also discuss in this perspective of its implication for education, research and practice.