Understanding individual problem-solving style: A key to learning and applying creative problem solving

More than five decades of research and development have focused on snaking the Creative Problem Solving process and tools accessible across a wide range of ages and contexts. Recent evidence indicates that when individuals, in both school and corporate settings, understand their own style of problem solving, they are able to learn and apply process tools more effectively, and when teams appreciate the styles of their individual members, their problem solving efforts are enhanced. We summarize recent studies and report new data supporting the conclusion that individual style differences provide an important key to understanding the interaction of person, process, product, and press when managing change. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.