Creativity in MS/OR: Managing the Process of Formulating the Problem

The role of problem formulation in creative problem solving is often overlooked in MS/OR training and practice. In our rush to develop techniques for solving problems, we accept initial formulations as givens, fail to fully explore the boundaries of the problem, and shorten the creative process by making a premature evaluation. Finding opportunities rather than simply solving the problem-as-given is the real challenge. To do this we must understand the importance of formulating problems and know the techniques for managing the process (Evans [Evans, J. R. 1991. Creative Thinking in the Decision and Management Sciences. South-Western, Cincinnati, Ohio.]).