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Creative Problem Solving

Problem Solving

Receiving, retaining and processing information

Transmitting information or ideas

Finding solutions to challenges

Using imagination and generating new ideas

Overcoming challenges and setbacks to achieve goals

Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them

Supporting, encouraging and motivating others to achieve a shared goal

Working cooperatively with others to achieve a shared goal

Identifying influence

Comparing views

Analysing views

Investigating bias

Strategic questioning

Evaluating perspectives

Communicating sensitively

Speaking engagingly

Adaptive communicating

Negotiating

Constructive communicating

Presenting

Inspiring others

Following instructions

Evaluating approaches

Continual learning

Imagining

Sharing imagination

Expressing imagination

Generating ideas

Suggesting improvements

Combining concepts

Identifying opportunities

Defining success

Flexible thinking

Reflecting critically

Facilitating creativity

Championing creativity

Improving performance

Practising resilience

Supporting resilience

Identifying successes

Working carefully

Recognising strengths

Understanding reactions

Sharing reactions

Recognising reactions

Facilitating discussions

Managing disagreements

Coaching

Motivating others

Emotional intelligence

Taking responsibility

Reflecting collectively

Learning collectively

Developing others

Improving culture

Step

Researching

I use research to build my understanding

Core ideas

What is meant by research

Research is the process of gathering, analysing, and interpreting information to gain a better understanding of a topic, answer questions, or solve problems. It helps you find facts, develop ideas, and make informed decisions. There are two main types of research:

Primary research: This involves collecting new, original data. This could be through surveys, interviews, experiments, or observations. It is the first-hand information you gather specifically for your research. For example, if you're researching how well people understand a new product, you might conduct a survey to ask people directly about their thoughts and experiences with it.

Secondary research: This involves using data that has already been collected by someone else. You use published reports, books, academic articles, or online resources to gather information. For example, if you are working on a project about climate change, you may review scientific articles, government reports, and studies that have already been conducted in the field.

Why and when it is important to carry out research

Carrying out research is important when you need to:

Understand a topic better: If you are tasked with completing a project, writing a report, or solving a problem, research helps you gather the necessary information. It is crucial to do research before taking action so that you have a solid understanding of the situation. For example, before planning a marketing campaign, you might research customer preferences and market trends.
Solve a problem: When faced with a challenge, research helps you understand the wider context or find other similar examples. If you are trying to solve an issue with a project, such as low productivity, you might research different strategies to improve efficiency or read case studies from businesses who faced similar challenges.
Make informed decisions: Research provides the evidence you need to make better choices. For instance, when choosing the best supplier for your company, you would research different options to compare costs, quality, and reliability.

Verify information: Sometimes, you may have to verify information or check if something is true. For example, when reading a news article, you might research the facts to ensure they are accurate before sharing the information with others.

How to use research effectively to solve a problem

To make research more effective and focused on solving a problem, you should follow these steps:

Define the problem clearly: Before starting your research, make sure you understand the problem you are trying to solve. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you're trying to improve customer satisfaction in a retail store, focus your research on factors that affect customer satisfaction, such as store layout or product range.
Set clear objectives: Once you have defined the problem, set a clear question for your research. What exactly do you want to learn from your research?
Choose the right type of research: Decide whether primary or secondary research is best for your problem.
Narrow your focus: Instead of trying to research everything about a topic, limit your focus to the specific aspects related to your problem. This will save time and make your research more relevant.
Organise your findings: As you gather information, take notes and keep your findings organised. Group similar ideas together, and make sure you can easily access the most important information.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your research is focused, effective, and aligned with solving the problem at hand.

Assessment

Reflective questions for individuals can include:

What is meant by research and what are the different types?
When is it important to carry out research?
How can you focus research effectively to solve a problem?
When have you carried out primary and secondary research to help solve a problem?

Observation cues for trainers can include:

Is this individual able to choose appropriate times to carry out additional research?
Is the individual able to use primary research effectively to solve a problem? Can they use secondary research too?

Evidence can include individuals’ self-reflections, evidence of research which has been carried out to solve a problem, and observations from others.

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Skills Builder Hub is a complete platform for educators around the world to build their learners’ essential skills.

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Skills Builder Benchmark

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Skills Builder Benchmark allows individuals to discover their own essential skills.

It’s free to get started, and is used by individuals, employers, educators and NGOs across the world.

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Listening Step 1: Focusing

Listening Step 2: Recalling

Listening Step 3: Checking

Listening Step 4: Retelling

Listening Step 5: Recognising purpose

Listening Step 6: Note-taking