Osborn-Parnes CPS Model
Updated 2026-08-13
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Developed by Alex Osborn and Sidney Parnes, the Creative Problem Solving model runs through six stages: objective finding, fact finding, problem finding, idea finding, solution finding, and acceptance finding. Every stage contains a divergent phase that widens the options and a convergent phase that narrows them. The qualification is that the sequence is a discipline rather than a script, and forcing convergence before the problem has been properly framed is the most common way it fails.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use Phase Separation: keep idea generation and evaluation in different sessions so criticism does not suppress options. - Use Problem Reframing: spend a dedicated stage on what the problem really is before proposing solutions.
Anchor fast decisions
Generating and judging use opposing criteria: generation needs volume and tolerance for bad ideas, while evaluation needs strict selection. Running them at once lets the judging standard act during generation, so the option pool shrinks before it has been explored, and the process separates the two phases to protect both.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- files.eric.ed.govhttps://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1301525.pdfverified
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