Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Overview

21st Century learners need 21st Century teachers, curriculum, and instruction. Our work is contemporary— but we also build on more than five decades of research, development, and field experience worldwide. We offer a wide variety of high-quality web-based and print resources, e-learning opportunities, workshops, and consulting services on Creativity and Creative Problem Solving (CPS). Our work focuses on methods and tools for generating ideas (“creative thinking”), focusing ideas (“critical thinking”) and systematic approaches to defining and solving complex, open-ended, real-life problems (Creative Problem Solving, Version 6.1™).

Creative Problem Solving is… … a model to help you solve problems and manage change creatively. It gives you a set of easy-to-use tools to help translate your goals and dreams into reality. CPS Version 6.1™ is:

• Proven. CPS has been used for more than 50 years by organizations throughout the world and is supported by research, with hundreds of published studies on its effectiveness and impact.
• Portable. CPS links your natural creativity and problem-solving approaches. It is an easy-to-learn process that can be readily applied by individuals and groups of many ages, in many organizations, settings, and cultures.
• Powerful. CPS can be integrated with many organizational activities, providing new or additional tools for making a real difference. It can stimulate important and lasting changes in your life and work.
• Practical. CPS can be used for dealing with everyday problems as well as long-term challenges and opportunities.
• Positive. CPS helps you to unleash your creative talent and to focus your thinking constructively. When applied by groups, CPS promotes teamwork, collaboration, and constructive diversity when dealing with complex opportunities and challenges.

Children, adolescents, and adults can learn and apply CPS, working independently or as part of a group or team.

Free Resources:

Click here to find a number of free resources that will explain CPS, to obtain articles that deal with both research and practice, and to obtain an extensive bibliography to give you direction for future reading and study.

Online Resources:

Click here for advanced online resources in PDF format to support your efforts to learn, apply, and teach CPS. These resources are available at a reasonable cost for immediate download. The cost of each one includes permission to duplicate the file for up to three other individuals at no additional charge.

Distance Learning Resources:

Click here for information about our extensive (newly revised and updated) distance learning modules on CPS.

Print Resources:

We also have print publications about problem-solving style that you can purchase.  Click here to view those publications.

Workshops, Training, Consulting Services:

Our CPS programs and services are custom-tailored to meet your needs and interests. We will confer with you, create a complete proposal to meet your unique needs, and work closely with you to carry out our collaborative plan. Click here for more.