Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking

Early bird sale! Unlock 10,000+ courses from Google, IBM, and more for 50% off. Save today.

Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking

This course is part of People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization

Instructor: IBM Skills Network Team

47,559 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Learn more

1 module

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.6

(552 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

1 module

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.6

(552 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Utilize critical and creative thinking to solve issues.
Describe the 5-step process of effectively solving problems.
Analyze a problem and identify the root cause.
Explore possible solutions and employ the problem solving process.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There is 1 module in this course

In order to find a solution, one needs to be able to analyze a problem. This short course is designed to teach you how to solve and analyze problems effectively with critical and creative thinking.

Through the use of creative and critical thinking you will learn how to look at a problem and find the best solution by analyzing the different ways you can solve a problem. By taking this quick course you will gain the skills you need to find the root cause of a problem through the use of a five-step method. You will learn the process you must go through in order to find the problem, which leads to finding a solution. You will gain the necessary skills needed for critical and creative thinking which will be the foundation for successfully solving problems. This course provides fundamental skills that you will need to use in your day to day work. The course is suitable for anyone – students, career starters, experienced professionals and managers - wanting to develop problem solving skills regardless of your background. By taking this course you will be gaining some of the essential skills you need in order to be successful in your professional life. This course is part of the People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization from IBM.

This module will help you to develop skills and behaviors required to solve problems and implement solutions more efficiently in an agile manner by using a systematic five-step process that involves both creative and critical thinking.

What's included

31 videos11 readings12 assignments

31 videosTotal 30 minutes

Why do you need to focus on solving problems?1 minutePreview module
The problem-solving process1 minute
How can you solve problems in an agile way?0 minutes
Let’s begin with the first topic0 minutes
The problem-solving process-Identify0 minutes
Write a problem statement0 minutes
How do you find out if a problem is worth solving?0 minutes
Recap0 minutes
Let’s move to the second topic1 minute
The problem-solving process: Analyze1 minute
How do you use “The 5 Whys”?1 minute
The root cause!0 minutes
Many tools can help with root cause analysis0 minutes
Let’s move to the third topic0 minutes
The problem-solving process: Explore0 minutes
Brainstorming rules1 minute
Brainstorm to solve Georgia’s problem0 minutes
Recap0 minutes
Let’s move to the fourth topic 0 minutes
The problem-solving process: Select2 minutes
Let’s find five solutions for one problem1 minute
Use these factors to identify who should choose a solution0 minutes
Use the Ease and effectiveness matrix to select the best solution0 minutes
Recap 1 minute
Let’s move to the fifth topic0 minutes
What will success look like?0 minutes
How will you measure a solution’s effectiveness?0 minutes
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it0 minutes
Build an implementation plan0 minutes
Recap0 minutes
Review the five-step problem-solving process2 minutes

11 readingsTotal 36 minutes

Critical and creative thinking are required to solve problems5 minutes
What will you learn from the course?2 minutes
Let’s help Georgia!5 minutes
Is Georgia’s problem worth solving?4 minutes
Recap2 minutes
Brainstorm to get plenty of ideas5 minutes
Let’s find five solutions for one problem2 minutes
Who should chose a solution in Georgia's problem?2 minutes
How will you work out the best possible solution?4 minutes
Plan to implement the solution for Georgia3 minutes
Congratulations and Next Steps. 2 minutes

12 assignmentsTotal 116 minutes

Graded Quiz: Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking 20 minutes
Practice Quiz: What do you think?5 minutes
Practice Quiz: What do you think?3 minutes
Practice Quiz: The “5 Whys” for Georgia20 minutes
Practice Quiz: Which type of solution will work for Georgia?3 minutes
Practice Quiz: Who should choose the solution in each case?10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Who should choose a solution to Georgia’s problem?10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Using the Ease and Effectiveness Matrix10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Let’s use the Ease and effectiveness matrix for Georgia’s problem10 minutes
Practice Quiz: What do you think success will look like?5 minutes
Practice Quiz: What do you think?10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking 10 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Instructor ratings

4.5 (150 ratings)

IBM Skills Network Team

IBM

84 Courses1,334,437 learners

Offered by

IBM

Explore more from Personal Development

University of Minnesota
Creative Problem Solving
Course
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Delivering Quality Work with Agility
Course
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Developing Interpersonal Skills
Course
Status: Free Trial
Arizona State University
Creative Thinking
Course

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

4.6

552 reviews

5 stars
73.28%
4 stars
20.21%
3 stars
3.06%
2 stars
1.62%
1 star
1.80%

Showing 3 of 552

Reviewed on Jan 10, 2024

Was partially confusing, but this course gets you to have more of an open mind when it comes to being in or put in a situation whether it is to help you or someone else too.

Reviewed on Mar 14, 2023

really helpful if you want to manage and decide how to solve problems by systematic ways and how to deal with them.

Reviewed on Oct 10, 2022

An effective and methodical course that challenges you to test and hone your problem solving skills. Case studies and assessments keep you engaged.

View more reviews

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Learn more

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Explore degrees

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.