Training Teamwork Through the Creative Problem Solving Process in Bull Information Systems

By Wayne Lewis

Originally appeared in the International Creativity Network Newsletter, volume 3, number 4, 1993, page 6.

To state the obvious, teamwork involves people and people are different! The challenge is then HOW to ensure effective teamwork by maximizing these differences cooperatively in teams to improve customer satisfaction and profitability.

It was for exactly this purpose that 21 Bull United Kingdom managers found themselves in Hitchin, Herts one wet Monday evening in July 1993 when they embarked on a course in Creative Problem Solving (CPS), a problem solving process that has been used extensively in Bull NAP, a little in Groupe, but until now, very little in the UK.

You might ask the question, "Doesn't everyone solve problems the same way?" The answer is "NO," and it is these differences in our preferred approach to solving problems that sometimes cause us to be frustrated and unproductive when we meet in teams or groups to jointly address challenges in our company.

A common method for solving problems with defined stages, a common language, and some basic tools dramatically improves the productivity of our meetings and interactions. Imagine being able to start a meeting knowing precisely where you left the last one and how to immediately pick up the threads, and then spending the entire time productively moving forward. Wouldn't this be better than starting anew each time or debating where you were before or whether or not you were solving the right problem?

The relationship between CPS and teamwork is very simple. It is a process that harnesses the differences in people - from style and background to personality and skills - and focuses them on solving wide ranging problems, together. CPS systematically helps the team deliver tangible, implementable solutions by consensus. It is particularly appropriate when we need a breakthrough in thinking or novelty in the solution. That is where differences in people are maximized, valued and ultimately built into a final solution.

Although individuals' processes may at first look very different, there are some common stages that we all go through when solving problems. Some of us skip, hurry, or dwell on certain stages, but we all have stages that might be commonly described as understanding the problem, generating ideas and planning for action.

CPS builds these three common components into a framework and, via a good set of tools, allows us to explore any stage thoroughly as a team to generate the desired amount of novelty and come to consensus on how to, or if to, move on to another stage. Doing this as a team promotes fun, risk-taking, trust and empowerment in a very open way.

We can use CPS to resolve a complex problem through to an action plan in one session, or we can dip into it at any stage and leave it when we are satisfied with the results. We can modify it to suit our needs, change the tools to others we prefer, or just use a few of its tools to help us over difficult periods in meetings.

The most important question, however, is does it work? From my experience I have no doubt that it does! The participants in the course experienced dramatic improvements in their productivity and showed enthusiasm and commitment to the process in positive feedback.

Another test of CPS effectiveness is whether and how much it is used after the training, and if it improves the productivity of day-to-day life. To date, some participants in the Bull training are using it successfully in their teams. In addition, some of the management committees are using it for their company-wide projects to vision the future and to cause real change in the way Bull doesbusiness.

Although Creative Problem Solving is not the only approach for motivating teamwork, I firmly believe that in CPS we have found a tool that really helps us with "how" to make teaming work TODAY.

Contact Information: Wayne Lewis, Manager, Organizational DevelopmentBull Information Systems, Inc. Computer House, Godfrey WayHanworth Road, HounslowMiddlesex, TW4 5PX, United Kingdom Phone: (011) 44 81 479 3459Fax: (011) 44 81 479 3206