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Suzanne Dameron, MS, APR, a distinguished communications consultant and FourSight facilitator, joined the Accessible Disruption podcast to discuss the power of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in navigating change. After more than 20 years in public relations, Dameron formed The Third Edge Studio to focus fully on CPS and change management, defining her work as leading organizations toward resilience through process. She outlined the modern four-step CPS process, which is practical and already used by humans unconsciously every day. The four steps are: Clarifying (understanding the present situation), Ideating (generating ideas), Developing (making the best idea workable), and Implementing (taking action).

The discussion highlighted that while everyone has the capacity for all four steps, people have cognitive preferences for certain steps —a key insight derived from the Foresight thinking profile work. These preferences explain why the same process can be draining for one person and energizing for another. The CPS process is inherently resilient and relies on the core principle of separating the generation of options (divergent thinking) from the selection of options (convergent thinking) in each step, a refinement of traditional brainstorming. Dameron named her company, The Third Edge Studio, after the concept of the "third edge," or liminal space, which is the often uncomfortable space of transition and ambiguity where transformation occurs.

Dameron stressed that CPS is specifically designed to address complex problems—those with multiple possible solutions, making it a vital tool for navigating the rapid pace of change in the current era. She emphasized the vital role of a facilitator in guiding individuals and teams through these challenges, ensuring they don't get stuck and helping them deepen their thinking beyond what they could achieve alone. The process works by inviting collaboration and helping people find their own solutions, which builds resilience and better human skills, such as tolerance for ambiguity and better listening. Her call to action was for listeners to research CPS and explore the concepts in the book Good Team Bad Team.