Training Effects on Attitudes Toward Divergent Thinking Among Manufacturing Engineers

In a field experiment, we tested the effects of training on attitudes of 112 manufacturing engineers toward divergent thinking in problem solving. The second group (n = 47) served as the control for the first group (n = 65) in the first part of the experiment, and vice versa in the second part. Measurements of attitudes toward divergent thinking were taken at three points in time (baseline, following the training of the first group, and following the training of the second group). Results showed that the training positively affected engineers' attitudes toward divergent thinking in problem solving. Specifically, the training with intact work groups demonstrated consistent results, whereas training with those from diffuse locations produced mixed results. Implications are discussed

The impact of training on the formulation of ill-structured problems

Problem structuring heuristics and creative thinking techniques have been advanced as useful approaches for solving ill-structured problems. Unfortunately, little controlled experimentation has been done to test the effectiveness of these techniques. This paper describes an experiment in which the effects of training in the use of a problem-structuring heuristic and creative thinking on the quality and quantity of problem statements are investigated. The experiment illustrates that such training does have a positive impact on problem formulation quality and quantity.Problem structuring Ill-structured problems Problem solving Training Creativity Innovation