ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the nature of problem solving within the information-processing paradigm. It examines individual and organisational blocks to creative thinking. Some barriers limit individuals' creative output and are related to the people themselves. The chapter looks at ways of dealing with both kinds of block. It also examines the need to be ready for change and the need to deal with new kinds of problem. The chapter discusses how these blocks can be diagnosed and overcome. It focuses on blocks encountered in organisations and the conditions under which creativity may be encouraged in organisations. A. A. Luchins showed how mindset under certain circumstances can produce fixation and stereotyping in problem-solving behaviour. M. N. Jones initiated a study designed to find out more about the factors which inhibit creativity. He identified four typologies of block. These were derived from cluster analysis of self-reported items. The typologies are: strategic blocks, value blocks, perceptual blocks, and self-image blocks.
