A lot of people assume they know what problem solving is. I have heard many opinions on what it is, stuff like: solving equations, fixing issues or making something better by offering new solutions. Personally, this isn’t my definition of problem solving. I prefer one that extends the idea that problems are perceptions that form in our mind which pattern our outward view of reality. In other words, problem solving really is about understanding mismatched expectations. There is a way things appear to us, through our thoughts and there is a way things really are. Problems are identified when we recognise something in our reality that troubles us. These are the things of ideology, thought, perception and culture. So what then is problem solving if it’s primarily related to perceptions? Before we can answer this, I want to argue for what problem solving is not.

Problem solving is NOT fixing something

I always hear that problem solving is when we fix something. I don’t agree. Problem solving involves the understanding and identification of a troubling issue. This comes from interpretations, perceptions and concepts that come from our heads. If the problem was a fixed point in time and space then we all would notice. Granted, there may be some issues like this. I am yet to find one that is perfectly perceived as being the same by all people at all times.

Problem solving is about ‘identification’

Consider this… what’s a problem you have now? Say it’s sore guts. The problem is sore guts. Now you have automatically identified the problem as well as the solution in one hit. What you are thinking about now is: what medicine can I take to solve my sore guts! Instead of doing that think about how you identified the problem in the first place. I see business people do this all the time. We aren’t getting any sales! Answer… we need to spend more money on advertising… bad choice. How do you know it’s not a poorly perceived sales letter (or something like that) that’s hindering you? Think about it.

What can you take out of this post

This: problem solving is not about fixing anything… it’s about recognising when you identify a problem you have by default defined any solution you are likely to use. This means, that you need to think carefully through your choices when you are looking to make decisions because they way in which you identify problems is the same process as ’solving it’. For me, problem solving is identifying the issues and knowing that they contain ‘possible’ solutions NOT the solution. There is an art to this because we are all blinded by our perceptions.

Whatever problem you are facing right now, chances are you didn’t get there overnight. Sit back and think through what it was that made you get there. What decisions did you make because you thought you had ‘the’ answer? Look carefully at such things for in them lies the key to where you have made a wrong turn and if you can get back there you can switch tact and begin to improve your situation. Problem solving begins with understanding how your identified problems are related to what you think will solve it. If you can understand that, then you are on your way to a better life.

The answer to this question may seem very simple. University lecturers (like me) should not be responsible for teaching students how to manage real problems. However, I disagree. Why?

High school does not teaching practical skills as such

While I admit there are a lot of useful ideas for reaching teenagers and getting them to cope with real life issues and problems, there is still a long way to go.  What happens is that students leave high school and then go into university then go into the workforce. Some, do trades or just get a job. Yet the process of learning is exactly the same. They go from high school to the outside world and then that’s it.

University courses are not that practical in general they are specific

Most university courses I have taught will not teach you how build great responses to problems. One of the reasons I started this blog was because I noticed people who were coming through university courses with no life skills. Yes, they could read and write (and do maths) but where were their problem solving skills? What about creative thinking skills? What about learning how to cope with relationships? If life is all about work then what do we do the rest of our time?

90% of what you do at work is NOT academic

This is hard to admit but how often do you reach for your economics book? Or wonder what Maslow would have thought about your jerky boss. It’s time for bone dry honesty… how useful is the information you get at university, high school or college (TAFE included)? Theories are wonderful… I have a lot of them. But unless something helps me to solve a problem I throw it away. What good is knowledge that doesn’t work? It’s like having a Porsche with no motor OR a Monet with a hole in the centre of it.

Once upon a time university was a place where people expanded their minds. Now, I think it’s a sausage factory. People go out to work after studying and I wonder all the time just how useful this knowledge is?  I have written papers in the past and then thought… is this even meaningful… I mean is this ever going to change our lives? I doubt it. We should be teaching people at University, high school and other places of education how to manage and cope with life. Why? I think there is a responsibility here for educators to realise that a portion of what we teach should be how to manage real life problems. If it isn’t then we are not preparing people for a life in the business world where learning curves are steep and lessons are harshly learned.

A lot of people don’t realise that there are many different ways to solve a problem. The picture above is what we have come to recognise as the traditional linear problem solving process. I discussed this is my first two podcasts. This traditional method works under the assumption that we have limited amounts of information and life is fairly linear. Think about it. We look at the problem, we study it’s causes and find solutions to implement. Very simple. Life isn’t so simple. What about problems where the immediate causes are not known. What if the wrong problems have been identified? What if they are a subset of a bigger more messy problem? You get the picture.

Is there more than one way to solve any problem?

Of course! We can think about this from several different points of view. Everybody knows we can think differently and that has results right. So it stands to reason that thinking differently about a problem will also reveal layers of the problem from different vantage points like this diagram below shows us:

This basic overview shows the basic argument I am putting forward here. Problems are tied to perspectives. Okay let’s complicate this a little further and add in even more viewpoints from the main ones I have isolated here. See below:

You can see by just expanding this diagram a little bit I have increased the amount of incoming perceptions of the problem. There are many ways to think about a problem and (at the very very least 10) that I know off. So here are 10 ways to solve a problem:

Resolve it

Most common approach this is where you reach a given conclusion with known information. It’s based on the Newell and Simon model shown above. Generally when we speak of working things out we are talking of accommodation and comprise. This is common in universities when power players bash heads. This is what I think of a lose-lose situation because in general you have to give something up in order to move forward with the problem.

Absolve it

This means you do nothing. Just wait and see what happens. Personally this is only one step better than turning a blind eye. Yes, I think this is a cop-out.

Dissolve it

This is following the art of problem solving by Russell Ackoff and changing the conditions (or the higher order concepts) to make the situation different so the problem can’t occur. I discussed this a while ago.

Solve Another Problem

Sometimes when we solve problems we forget that there are perceptions that tie these things together. We can actually think, ‘what else is this related to in our mind,’ and trace back to that issue and solve it. It’s shorthand form of problem dissolving

Shift the boundary

This has to do with problem identification. Change the boundary you have set around the problem and new perspectives will open up that show you faults in your thinking.

Change your mind

When you solve problems by changing your mind, you are doing various combinations of the things I have already spoken of above. In this way of solving the problem you decide to identify a different problem. Most helpful in political situations because it can help you see things that you would have missed otherwise.

Mediation

Mediation is where you involve a third party to help resolve a conflict. Using someone else to help is a great way of expanding available perspectives, concepts and ideas. Try it, it works great. In situations where negotiation is required or a mediator may be called for. In Australia if you want to bail out of a marriage it is now compulsory that you do it through a mediator.

Use mathematics

Polya was a great example of this. He had a formula for every possibility modern day statistics (i.e. regression) and operations research (i.e optimisation analysis) are examples of this approach

Use a decision support tool

A decision support tool is an electronic decision making aid that cycles through various scenarios to help you reach a conclusion. The link above has a comprehensive list of tools you can use.

Flip a coin

The easiest way to solve a problem, provided you are after a yes/no answer. Flip a coin heads you do X tails you do Y. Simple.

Use the ‘decision maker’

Early on in my marriage my wife had a problem making decisions (who am I kidding she still does) so someone bought her a decision maker. It was a piece of wood with a yes on one side and a no on the other. Absolutely brilliant.

Phone a friend

Every watched who wants to be a millionaire? They have this segment where you can phone a friend for advice. Gaining some perspective from others is an excellent way to understand how to shift through problems to a conclusion. As you do this you open up new channels of thought that make your way clearer. Gaining a perspective on these things is important because your thinking may be what’s wrong with the problem.

Remember that a problem is a mismatched expectation. You can change your expectation and your problem won’t exist but doing so is a lot harder than it seems. We have a saying in problem solving/strategic thinking research… ‘change your perspective change your problem’. Yes but how? Ahh, it would be nice to live in such a world wouldn’t it?

Solving problems is a really nice ideal isn’t it? But, how often in life do you find yourself in a position where your problem cannot be solved? What do you do then? In previous articles I have spoken about ‘perspective shifting‘ and the art of solving problems by changing your mind. What I want to share with you today is how to solve problems by building a bridge and getting over it.

Taking the first step: Coming to terms with reality

Let’s just push aside the how you got there for a minute and work on solutions. Does it matter? You there now how to we navigate a way around it? You don’t. You build a bridge and get over it. The thing is we get hung up on looking for the causes so much so that we forget to think about what really matters… the solution. You don’t actually solve most problems. You rebuild the environment in your life as such so that the problem can’t occur any more. If you are up against the wall it’s because you are trying to solve a problem that probably doesn’t want to be solved. The first step is therefore looking at the problem and asking yourself, ‘what would it be like if the problem didn’t exist?’ NOT, ‘How can I solve this thing.’ For really messy problems you will not get free until you accept the fact that you need something to swallow it.

The second step: Finding a bigger picture view that removes the need for the problem to exist

I have already talked about this in my perspective shifting article. What I want to talk about here is that problems that are a mess require a new way of seeing. Finding that may be impossible and it may require hope and/or a miracle. It is however, the ideal we need to aspire to. If your problem is, ‘I don’t have any money’ then the most obvious answer is to go get some more. I would disagree. Why? Well, whatever you have been doing up to this point clearly hasn’t worked has it? If it has worked then why don’t you have enough money? A better way of expressing the problem would be to say, ‘I am not in a position to receive more money.’ You then begin to ask yourself, ‘what can I do to get into a position to earn more money.’ If you are desperate enough the answer will become apparent as you think through your options.

The second step involves you looking at your situation and finding a bigger picture or creative solution that dissolves the problem. It is only your own beliefs that tell you things can’t change. Start saying, ‘things are getting better.’ You will be surprised how the solutions will suddenly appear when you change your attitude. It’s just as easy to say ‘things are getting better’ as it is to say, ‘nothing is ever going to change’. When I was earning less than $6000 a year I began saying, ‘I am prosperous’ and quoted bible references on prosperity. This began to change my life. Over the last five years I am in a position where I am earning more than ten times what I did just five years ago. Who can tell where I will be in five years? In a much MUCH better position!

In this second step you need to stretch yourself and I think begin to use your imagination. See the problem gone and ask yourself, ‘what do I need to be in order for this thing to be gone?’ Don’t get stuck in the rut of solving the problem. That will not get you anywhere. Look for options to dissolve the problem.

The third step: acting on it by taking one step at a time

As you come to see the bigger picture view of what is going on around you, it won’t be long before you realise that there will be something small you can do to build the panel on your bridge. The first step will be there. Sure, it may be taking a new job or doing something completely controversial to your family members. The important thing to remember is that it’s one step after the other. As you take the first step, the second will become apparent. After you take the second, the third will become apparent and so on. After a while you will put yourself in a position so that that next ten steps are easy to see. This could take a few years or even decades so be patient!

The final step: Stick with it

Imagine that as you navigate your way over the problem you are laying one part of the bridge down after the other.   If you throw down the towel now you will never make it.  You will more than likely have to go back and build it again and again until you get it right.  Sometimes, it might take you years to get it right.  Still I think that’s better than living with the mess don’t you?

If you notice the picture I have included with this post it’s a bridge over a river.  If that river was your mess then you don’t build a bridge under the water do you?  You build the bridge over the water in order to bypass the trouble.  You don’t go through it either because that doesn’t make sense.  The only way to be truly rid of a mess is to gradually build a bridge over the river of the problem so it can’t bother you anymore.  That however, is a another post for another day.

A problem can be defined as a mismatch between what we expect and what actually happens in our lives. As we come to identify problems we find that our problems are often linked to an expectation we have imposed on our surroundings. To take this definition further a problem is better thought of as being an expectation that we have that does not match what we presently experience. This means our present experience is defined by our expectations. Reality, is often not what we would like it to be.

Expectations: What are they?

An often easy out for us to say something like: just don’t have any expectations. Unfortunately this is not possible. An expectation is a desire for something you want to come to pass in your own life. That desire, is as much you, as you are you. Most of the time you don’t even realise that expectation is there until the heat of the day (circumstances) reveals it. Expectations are deep down desires that I think need to be cultivated, not ignored. In some circumstances, your expectations need to shift or be changed because some of them are poisonous. Ultimately, the problem you perceive is tied to some kind of expectation you have in your life. Now, we can take our definition of what a problem is even further. A problem is an expectation or desire that has does not match what we expect reality to be. The problem does not lie in reality as such, it lies in causal structures we have mapped over reality. Here’s an example.

The man and the flat tyre parable

There was as man who was driving home from work on a rainy afternoon when suddenly his tyre blew out. Angry at the situation the man slowly edges over to the curb and gets out to assess his problem. He studies his problem and doesn’t see the 18 wheeler approaching from behind. He is hit and killed. Now his problem no longer exists. Why? Because he is dead. Problems are perspectives on events that are tied to deep rooted expectations of what we take things to be. Here is another one.

The stock market problem

The CEO of SuperCompany Inc. (sorry burned out at the moment couldn’t think of a snazzier name), walks into his office one morning to a frantic Chief Financial Officer. He says to the lady, ‘My God Chloe, wants the matter, you look like crap?’ The CFO hands the CEO a piece of paper with a media report that the company is going bankrupt due to bad investments in Australian wheat. The CEO takes one look at the piece of paper and throws it in the bin. The CFO is amazed. ‘Why did you do that,’ she asks. He looks back at her and says, ‘That’s not my problem,’ he says, ‘my problem is that we are going bankrupt and you had to tell me via a media report!’

In this example we can see that neither the CEO or CFO were aware of the problem until it was created for them to believe. These are boundary judgments. Those ideas which we create that form rules and expectations of what we think is the case. In this case the company didn’t think it was going bankrupt. How much of what you hear is ‘actually’ the case? There is a reality and you can be sure it will impact on you but it’s a reality of intersecting ideas and thoughts some of which cause great problems (like the internet bubble burst) and some of which cause smaller ones.

Three ways of exploring a problem by changing your mind

There are three ways I know of problem solving by changing your mind. Here we go:

Doing nothing

When we absolve a problem we actually do nothing. There are times when a ‘wait and see’ approach is called for. Say you are building an adwords campaign to boost traffic to your website. You select a bunch of keywords and wait. They come back with a little bit more traffic everyday than the amount you had before. A bit more, a bit more and a bit more. Imagine if you grew impatient? You then start to muck about with keywords and ruin the campaign. In this case you should do nothing, observe and then take action if required.

Invoke dialectical processes

When you begin to examine life from many angles you begin to see just how limiting your point of view is. If you are facing a problem you can’t solve. Begin to play the devil’s advocate. Take the heart of the contradiction and expose it for what it really is. I recommend using at least four contradictory ideas to analyse the situation. Let’s go back to our stockbroker example above. What if he said the CFO, ‘I don’t believe the report because I trust your judgement… are we going bankrupt?’ He could have also taken the dreamers approach, ‘Now that I have read this report, I believe it will turn out for our good.’ In turn he could have taken a mathematical approach, ‘Show the numbers is this true?’ Then again he could have taken the view of a seasoned old veteran, ‘Listen to me, there is no crisis, people invent nonsense like this all the time. Put out a statement saying we are not going bankrupt and quote some numbers. People will believe that over some half-cocked media report.’ In short, take what you think the problem is and look at it’s enemy. By teasing out the enemy you will be able to see the faults in your own thinking.

Creative problem solving

Creative problem solving is the hardest and least likely to succeed in a problem solving intervention. This is when you take a brand new idea that hasn’t been tried which removes the old one completely. In this version you solve the problem by changing the expectation on which it’s framed. What? I mean you take the initial expectation of the problem, the idea that the problem is a problem and you begin to move into a new way of thinking that gets rid of the problem. In essence you change the rules of the expectation by shifting the ideas it’s built upon to a new solution that removes the need for the old one to exist. For example, our friend with the tyre problem had a death problem which is a nasty creative solution to his tyre problem. The tyre is the least of his worries.

When people create a problem it’s built on expectations and perceptions. Problems often revolve around what we think is the case. I know managers who will not make decisions because of fear. Fear stops creativity because it blocks the flow of anything opposed to it. You need to begin to create rather than do what you think you should. A creative solution is a new idea that moves the old out of the way. If a market problem emerges it’s because of perceptions. If there is a climate crisis, we have found that through our man-made data, analysis and conversations. If we find there isn’t… it’s exactly the same process.

When we change our mind about something new solutions begin to emerge.  As we learn to shift the perspectives that hold us back we will change our mind and new more creative solutions will spring up.

I went to the Mr Toys Toyworld yesterday to buy a Vmigo for my daughter.  She had some [tag]money[/tag] she wanted to spend but she didn’t want to spend it because she really wants a DS lite. She got worked up to the point of tears about having to compromise one over the other.  Then as we talked about it she realised she could have both if she was prepared to wait for what she wanted.  If she simply waiting a few more months or perhaps up to a year she could get the Vmigo.  As I sit here typing this she looks very happy playing with the Vmigo.

The [tag]problem[/tag] was: choose one or the other.  When in reality she could have chosen both and not had to compromise one or the other.  In academic circles we call this ‘dissolving the problem.’ This is where you take the higher order constraints of the problem and change the conditions that cause the issue to exist.  So instead of my daughter having to choose one or the other she came to a higher order conclusion where both were possible.  Try this way of thinking in your own life and why not let me know in the forum how it works out.

In management circles the idea that problems can be messy (not structured, poorly defined) has been around for some time. I was reading the news this morning and came across a good example of a messy problem. This is the Pakistan crisis. A messy problem is said to have no clear solution that will work and any idea that is used might make the situation better or much worse. In this article the writer points out how the Pakistan crisis is good for business. Two different [tag]viewpoints[/tag] are offered here and we can express them meaningfully as a narrative:

“The Pakistan crisis threatens economic stability”

and

“Businesses are worried about their future because they attach it to Pervez Musharraf staying in power”

From a [tag]business[/tag] point of view a political crisis is an economic crisis because later in the article the report notes the economy fell as a result of the news that the General may not be in control. This is perception is it not? The perception or idea that he is not control is causing economic problems. Think about it… that’s almost worth remembering and writing down!

So we see that what is happening in the political economy could make an impact on the business economy of Pakistan. Now to the solutions:

1. General Musharraf leaves

If he leaves the country may fall into economic turmoil destroying it’s livelihood.  There is a perceptual link between stability and Musharraf that needs to be handeld carefully here.
2. General Musharraf stays

If he stays political unrest may come anyway and then economic turmoil is coming anyway (apparently).

3. General Musharraf resigns his military post but stays on as Prime Minister

The market will see this as a show of weakness and in favour of political stability we have economic instability. This in turn would lead to more political instability in the long term and would keep the country in turmoil over a longer period of time.

4. General Musharraf keeps his military position but resigns leadership of the country

This option would see a new election. Possibly [tag]Imran Kahn[/tag] or [tag]Benezir Bhutto[/tag] could take power. This would mean a conversation would need to be struck between Kahn or Bhutto about how the military role would play out in the new government. I would think this is impossible given that both of the aforementioned people are currently on the run.

5. General Musharraf is ‘removed’ and a democratic election held… again

Say for a moment that Musharraf goes into exile and a new election is held. This would mean either Kahn or Bhutto would get in. Which would mean in the short term (according to the article) that economic unrest would follow. Now, for a country that already has a history of economic problems, this would be a huge blow. Economic turmoil always seems to follow political unrest.

6. Any of the above solutions may lead to unrest which in turn may lead to drug growth industries

Consider this article on Lebanon and the growing drug trade there.  When unrest occurs, the restrains are lifted off and crime begins to rise.  Unrest means chaos and this in turn means legal, political, economical systems begin to fall apart.  Sure, it’s the illusion of control but it’s an illusion that’s real enough alright.

These are just a few options that on the surface present new ideas which in turn present new problems. In order to effectively overcome such problems in life you need to dissolve the problem. How can this crisis be dissolved?  A higher order solution that removes the problems above is required.  Yet, none immediately spring to mind. Everything that I think of only makes new problems.  I could go on and list solutions here but what is really required is a change of perspective.   A fresh set of ideas.  Yet in a country that is in this much turmoil it’s unlikely that it will ever occur.  Do you have any ideas?