Nine Skills For Problem Solving
Equip Your Team To Meet Any Challenge
The speed of modern life, according to new studies, can be measured at the weight of 2.3 words per second, or about 100,000 words a day.
That is the amount of verbiage bombarding the average person in the 12 hours they are typically awake - from emails, texts, the internet and other media and reading.
It is estimated that if you add to that the images we receive through videos and games we’re faced with around 34 GB of information every day. That's more than enough to fill the average laptop every week.
Data overload, say some neuroscientists, may be rewiring or reshaping our brains. Under threat from all this information, the lower faculty areas of the brain - those responsible for fight or flight for example - may overtake the higher faculty areas responsible for empathy.
We may end up a race of individuals who are in constant need of understanding but quite unable to show it to others.
Whether or not that scenario pans out remains to be seen, but one thing is already clear. The bombardment of information is causing many people to lose their edge when it comes to problem-solving – and this has great ramifications for the workplace and for life in all kids of volunteer organizations.
When people are under pressure, surrounded by unprocessed information and options, it's all too easy for them to throw their hands in the air and say, "I can't take it all in; just do whatever." This kind of resignation is unhelpful in competitive business, where finding solutions to problems is a cornerstone of creating new products and processes.
Put simply, people need help today to sharpen their problem-solving skills. Your team may need for you to spend some time on this. Here are nine helpful tips you should pass on to them:
1. Understand the Problem.
Before chasing possible solutions, or trawling through your options, you must work to decide the nature of the problem itself. What is it that needs to be changed? What should be the ultimate outcome of the changes you make? Who will benefit from those changes and how?
If you can't define the problem clearly and succinctly, trying to solve it will be a major headache. Take your time with this part of the process, if you can.
2. Approach any Problem with Confidence.
Robert Schuller has said, ‘Never underestimate your problem, or your ability to deal with it.’ Without some sense of confidence in yourself and your fellow team members, your energy will drain away fast.
3. Ask the Basics First.
All kinds of heavy tomes are written about problem-solving and creative thinking. In the end, though, the simplest steps are the most helpful. Whenever you are confronted with a problem, immediately ask yourself three simple questions. What could I do? What could I read? Who could I ask for help?
4. Work with Concept and Detail.
Sometimes you must solve a problem in a holistic rather then sequential way, focusing more on big picture processes and consequences than details. Other times, you will need to concentrate more on details.
Yet the best problem solvers know how to switch constantly in their thinking from the big-picture concept to small detail and back, seeing how each will impact the other.
If you think only conceptually, you set yourself up for major frustration further along in the process when details become spanners in the works. If you focus only on micromanaging fine details, you will lose the vital motivation that comes from seeing how your project will change the lives of others.
5. Expect Uncertainty.
A skilled problem solver accepts as normal the sense of anxiety that often comes with not knowing what to do next. Instead of running from feelings of apprehension, be willing to embrace them, turning nervous energy into creative motivation.
6. Deal with Your Sacred Cows.
Skilful problem-solving requires an understanding of when to stick with your previous decisions and when to abandon them. You can't always force-fit solutions to old problems onto new ones.
Sony had the ability to manufacture MP3 players long before any of their competitors, but they gave up the advantage to companies like Apple because they weren't willing to cannibalise their beloved Walkman.
Products or ideas that were once market leaders can very quickly become yesterday's news and even a hindrance to future breakthroughs. Don't be afraid to deconstruct your own past successes in order to find new products or approaches.
7. Step Back a Little.
Constantly seeking perspective is important in problem solving. Sometimes, problems with projects and products are like cryptic crosswords: the answer only becomes clear when you step away for a while.
Give yourself space to reflect, allow your mind time to unconsciously work through problems while you are doing other, less demanding things.
8. Stay Loose and Creative.
When you think you may have hit on a solution to a problem, keep a ‘What if?’ somewhere in the back of your mind. Don't be so locked into one solution that you can't play with other possibilities as the need arises or as new information comes to hand. (Remember: it’s always possible that a decision you made earlier is actually contributing to the problem.)
9. Manage What You Can't Solve.
When you confront a challenge that seems insurmountable given your present resources, don't try to push it in a cupboard somewhere, out of sight and out of mind. You may not be able to deal with it fully right now, but at least be proactive in trying to manage it.
Perhaps you need to set some timelines in your diary for dealing with this later or to delegate responsibility for further research into the problem.
In the modern world, said B. F. Skinner, ‘the real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do.’ In an age where we’ve come to rely on technology to crunch through processes for us, we must not lose our skills for higher thinking and problem solving.
Copyright Mal Fletcher, 2010
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