ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY OF SYSTEMIC THOUGHT ACTIVITY (MSTA) AND CREATIVE GAMES
MSTA stems from the millennia of the development of human civilization and such particular aspects of it as philosophy and science, with an emphasis on social psychology, logic, and creativity. It has taken shape as a separate method over the last 70 years, and has been successfully applied to a variety of areas where new, innovative and creative ways for solving problems are needed.
What is MSTA?
The Methodology of Systemic Thought Activity (MSTA) is a combination of several methodological tools aimed at effective organization of collective thinking and finding out-of-the-box, often breakthrough solutions for complex issues. The rationale behind the method is the ‘unpacking’ of the mind and getting rid of ‘snail-paced’ thinking and ‘tunnel vision’, which hamper human creativity to a great extent. An important tool that MSTA operates with is formalization through visualization. Notions, ideas, assumptions, correlations and statements are visualized in order to be logical and clear. The language of the MSTA is a language of visual clarity. Another important tool is using the ‘reflection lift’, i.e. the ability to observe the attitude of the actor towards the problem as part of the problem; this creates an opportunity for “thinkers” to identify connections and solutions that are beyond the borders of the problem itself. The application of these mechanisms builds the screen of collective thinking (please see picture 1) and develops a group vocabulary that allows participants to be on the same page while speaking about this or that notion and process. The collective thinking screen also secures the flow of thinking from abusive interferences, since the flow is visible for the whole group, and any idea can be caught, developed, used or criticized by each member of the group. Moreover, thanks to formalization, the picking up of an idea by a group member continues the agreed logic of the group, and incorporates it in the group thinking in a way visible for the whole group.
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