Creativity in MS/OR: Overcoming Barriers to Creativity

Over the years, Gene Woolsey and others have taught us that mathematics and models are not always necessary to solve important problems in MS/OR. Often, the best solutions are novel and unusual—that is, they are creative. The Edelman Award papers often illustrate how even mathematical models can be used creatively. Creativity is a fascinating subject. Years ago in teaching an undergraduate capstone course in management science, I found that learning the principles of creative thinking helped students to address unstructured cases and to apply the traditional operations research problem-solving techniques. I find these principles helpful in explaining, understanding, and enhancing what I do in teaching, research, and consulting. In this series of columns, I plan to discuss many principles of creative thinking and ways in which you can become more creative and enhance your problem-solving skills. I invite you to submit your examples, comments, and perspectives on creativity.