Download - Welcome to How to solve (almost) any problem
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Welcome to How to solve
(almost)any problem
Alan Barker
Kairos Training Limited
23 May 2013
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Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created.
Albert Einstein
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What is a problem?
Answer this question on flipchart paper, in as many ways as possible – without using words
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You know you’ve got a problem when:
you want to do something, but you don’t know what to
do
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Stuck. No answer. Honked. Kaput.
This is the zero moment of consciousness.
It’s a miserable experienceemotionally. You’re losing time.You’re incompetent. You don’t knowwhat you’re doing.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Why don’t we get stuck every second?
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Mental models organize our reality.
Without them, no world would exist for us.
[Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrell]
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Human beings are not so much problem-solvers as solution-seekers.
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Human beings are not so much problem-solvers as solution-seekers.
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Intuitive problem-solving
Understanding the problem and solving it are the same thing.
The match of information to mental model is the solution.
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Sometimes, our mental
models won’t work.(Can you
see what it is?)
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And when that
happens, we get stuck.
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Stuckness affects our
limbic system
(where we respond
emotionally to external stimuli...)
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The result can be the
fight-or-flight response...
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... which can cause all sorts of stress – and
lead to a longer-term
stress response.
Bad news.
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Part of problem
solving, then, has to be emotional
intelligence.
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Solutions unstick our thinking....
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problem solution
Stuckness opens a gap
in our problem-solving
response...
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... into which
rational problem-
solving can enter.
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Problem-solving: two approaches
Rational
Problem: something is not as it should be
Solution: a ‘fix’ that stays fixed
Whole-brain
Problem: we are stuck
Solution: moving; becoming
‘unstuck’;
a course of action
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Problem-solving: two approaches
RationalWhat’s the
problem?What’s the cause?Why? (five times)What’s in the
way?How do we put it
right?What can we
measure?How do we break
the problem into manageable parts?
Whole-brain
What do I want to achieve?What if…?What if the problem were a
solution?Why not?What else could we do?What rules can we break?What is the problem like?
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Who owns the problem?
• Problems without owners tend to become unmade decisions.
• Somebody has to be responsible for tackling the problem.
The problem owner:
defines the problem at the outset; decides how to think about it; chooses the course of action to tackle
it; and commits to dealing with it.
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Where is the problem?
Circleof
Influence Some problems are in our Circle of
Influence, and some in our Circle of
Concern.
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Circle of concern
Circle of influence
Steven Covey says that we
should aim to deal with problems that are in our Circle of Influence, and put aside problems in
our Circle of Concern.
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Circle of influence
Stephen Covey
Circle of influence
Effective problem solvers strive
continually to increase their Circle
of Influence.
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blame
Four levels of ownership
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resistance
Four levels of ownership
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responsibility
Four levels of ownership
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commitment
Four levels of ownership
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Two stages of thinking
reality
1:Perceptionsensation; intuition
Representation: language, models, images
2: Judgementreason
evaluation
Action
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Two stages of thinking
We do first-stage thinking to work out
what we are thinking about.
We do second-stage thinking to work out
what to do about it.
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Two stages of thinking
Perception determines what we know.
Judgement determines what we know about what we know.
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First-stage thinking
First-stage thinking uses perception: the five senses, and intuition (our sixth sense, or perception using the unconscious).
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RepresentationThe output of first-stage thinking
is language.
= dog
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Second-stage thinking
Second-stage thinking uses judgement: reason and evaluation.
Second-stage thinking manipulates language to reach its conclusions. The dog is healthy.
The dog is alert.The dog is looking at its owner.(etc.)
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We have all sorts of
technology to help us
do second-stage
thinking...
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...but not so many to do first-stage thinking.
(Mind maps are good stage-one thinking
tools.)
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Leaping to judgement: the dangers of ignoring first-
stage thinkingProduct developmentEngineering the product rather than seeking to satisfy
the customer’s needsContractual negotiationsAddressing perceived ‘issues’ rather than questioning
assumptions about what the issues areCorporate strategyRe-engineering structures rather than asking ‘What
business are we in?’
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To improve your problem-solving skills:Improve your first-stage thinking
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First-stage thinking:two questions
1. How is the problem structured?
2. Is the problem presented to us
or
constructed by us?
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Structuring a problem
• Initial conditions [Where am I?]• Goal conditions [Where do I want
to be?]• Operators [How do I get from
where I am to where I
want to be?]• Constraints [What limits my
action?]
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Structuring a problem
Assess:• initial conditions; • goal conditions; • operators; • constraints.
If all four are clear, the problem is well structured. [WSP]
If any or all are unclear, the problem is ill-structured. [ISP]
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Two types of problem
presented
constructed
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Presented problemsExpress as a statement of
what is wrong• Happen to us• Not our fault but we are
responsible for solving them• Obstacle in our path• Perceived gap: what is/what
should be• Cause stress• Solution: fight or flight
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Presented problems: examples
The photocopier breaking down
A new product invading our market
Being stuck in a traffic jam
Delays in a production process
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Constructed problems
Express as a phrase beginning ‘how to…’
• Made by us• We are responsible for creating
them• The reason for taking the journey• Perceived gap: what is/what could
be• Cause creative tension• Solution: dispel tension by
releasing energy
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Constructed problems: examples
Gaining a qualification
Improving quality
Innovating a new product or service
Increasing market share
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planpuzzle
headache dream
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1Puzzles (presented;
WSP)
• A deviation from the norm. • One right answer.
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1Puzzles (presented;
WSP)• Archetypal examples are
technical: a fault in a machine, an interruption in the power supply, a piece of equipment that won’t work properly.
• The classic problem-solving process – diagnose the cause of the problem, remove the cause, solve the problem – will work only for this type of problem.
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1Puzzles (presented; WSP): techniques
• Ishikawa Analysis• Asking ‘Why?’ (five times)• Tree diagrams (why/why)• Apollo Root-cause Analysis• Control charts
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Ishikawa Analysis Use for Type 1 problems (puzzles).
Many formsTo complete
Forms not Complete
Inability to access supplier website
Supplier loses the file Supplier has varying
processing times depending on circumstances
Friendly supplier on leave
Executiveunderpromises the delivery date
Executive not realisticin estimating time
Not in officein training
Procedures People
EquipmentApproving Authority
Inability to estimateaccurately processing
time
MissingData
New change in policy Hard to establish
strong working relationshipwith supplier
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Root Cause AnalysisUse for Type 1 problems (puzzles).
Primary effect
Action cause
Conditional cause
evidence
evidence
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Solving puzzles strengthens the urge to find the
correct answer...
...which is sometimes unhelpful...
...because not every problem has a single
correct answer.
(Which shape is the odd one
out?)
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2Headaches (presented;
ISP)
• A deviation from the norm.
• No single or obvious right answer. The problem may have no identifiable cause, or have many causes.
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2Headaches (presented;
ISP)• Much traditional problem-
solving spends a lot of time and effort trying to turn Type 2 problems into Type 1 problems.
• Unfortunately, Type 2 problems often have a habit of reverting to type.
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2Headaches (presented;
ISP): techniques
• Live with it: suppress the pain• Use a sticking plaster (hide
the problem)• Transform the problem into
another type of problem (move the problem into another quadrant)
• Walk away
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Aspirin
Use for Type 2 problems (headaches).Use sparingly.
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3Planning problems (constructed; WSP)
• A challenge to be achieved.
• One clear goal.
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3Planning problems (constructed; WSP)
• Mapped out in terms of objectives, targets, milestones and measures of success.
• Examples include working out objectives after an appraisal, setting a budget, giving the team a sales or quality target, or organizing a project.
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3Planning problems
(constructed; WSP):techniques
• Action plans• Gantt charts• Force Field Analysis• Solution Effect Analysis• Tree diagrams (how/how)
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Gantt chartUse for Type 3 problems (plans).
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Force Field AnalysisUse for Type 3 problems (plans).
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4Dreams (constructed;
ISP)• Objective: to find something
new: a product or service, a new process, a new territory, a new set of goals.
• No obvious answer.
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4Dreams (constructed;
ISP)• Demands creative or lateral
thinking.
• Cannot be tackled operationally.
• Examples: creating new products or sources of customer satisfaction.
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4Dreams (constructed;
ISP): techniques
• Brainstorming• ‘How to’• Metaphorical analysis• Reversal• Synectics
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OracleUse for Type 4 problems (dreams).
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Using the problem grid
Take a problem that you currently face at work.
• Where would you currently place the problem in the grid? (Type 1, 2, 3 or 4)? Why?
• Where would you like the problem to be in the grid? Why?
• How could you transform the way you look at the problem to put it in that quadrant?
• What can you do right now?
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Find out more...
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