Welcome to How to solve

(almost)any problem

Alan Barker

Kairos Training Limited

23 May 2013

Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created.

Albert Einstein

What is a problem?

Answer this question on flipchart paper, in as many ways as possible – without using words

You know you’ve got a problem when:

you want to do something, but you don’t know what to

do

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.

Why don’t we get stuck every second?

Mental models organize our reality.

Without them, no world would exist for us.

[Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrell]

Human beings are not so much problem-solvers as solution-seekers.

Human beings are not so much problem-solvers as solution-seekers.

Intuitive problem-solving

Understanding the problem and solving it are the same thing.

The match of information to mental model is the solution.

Sometimes, our mental

models won’t work.(Can you

see what it is?)

And when that

happens, we get stuck.

Stuckness affects our

limbic system

(where we respond

emotionally to external stimuli...)

The result can be the

fight-or-flight response...

... which can cause all sorts of stress – and

lead to a longer-term

stress response.

Bad news.

Part of problem

solving, then, has to be emotional

intelligence.

Solutions unstick our thinking....

problem solution

Stuckness opens a gap

in our problem-solving

response...

... into which

rational problem-

solving can enter.

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

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?

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.

Where is the problem?

Circleof

Influence Some problems are in our Circle of

Influence, and some in our Circle of

Concern.

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.

Circle of influence

Stephen Covey

Circle of influence

Effective problem solvers strive

continually to increase their Circle

of Influence.

blame

Four levels of ownership

resistance

Four levels of ownership

responsibility

Four levels of ownership

commitment

Four levels of ownership

Two stages of thinking

reality

1:Perceptionsensation; intuition

Representation: language, models, images

2: Judgementreason

evaluation

Action

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.

Two stages of thinking

Perception determines what we know.

Judgement determines what we know about what we know.

First-stage thinking

First-stage thinking uses perception: the five senses, and intuition (our sixth sense, or perception using the unconscious).

RepresentationThe output of first-stage thinking

is language.

= dog

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.)

We have all sorts of

technology to help us

do second-stage

thinking...

...but not so many to do first-stage thinking.

(Mind maps are good stage-one thinking

tools.)

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?’

To improve your problem-solving skills:Improve your first-stage thinking

First-stage thinking:two questions

1. How is the problem structured?

2. Is the problem presented to us

or

constructed by us?

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?]

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]

Two types of problem

presented

constructed

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

Presented problems: examples

The photocopier breaking down

A new product invading our market

Being stuck in a traffic jam

Delays in a production process

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

Constructed problems: examples

Gaining a qualification

Improving quality

Innovating a new product or service

Increasing market share

planpuzzle

headache dream

1Puzzles (presented;

WSP)

• A deviation from the norm. • One right answer.

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.

1Puzzles (presented; WSP): techniques

• Ishikawa Analysis• Asking ‘Why?’ (five times)• Tree diagrams (why/why)• Apollo Root-cause Analysis• Control charts

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

Root Cause AnalysisUse for Type 1 problems (puzzles).

Primary effect

Action cause

Conditional cause

evidence

evidence

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?)

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.

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.

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

Aspirin

Use for Type 2 problems (headaches).Use sparingly.

3Planning problems (constructed; WSP)

• A challenge to be achieved.

• One clear goal.

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.

3Planning problems

(constructed; WSP):techniques

• Action plans• Gantt charts• Force Field Analysis• Solution Effect Analysis• Tree diagrams (how/how)

Gantt chartUse for Type 3 problems (plans).

Force Field AnalysisUse for Type 3 problems (plans).

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.

4Dreams (constructed;

ISP)• Demands creative or lateral

thinking.

• Cannot be tackled operationally.

• Examples: creating new products or sources of customer satisfaction.

4Dreams (constructed;

ISP): techniques

• Brainstorming• ‘How to’• Metaphorical analysis• Reversal• Synectics

OracleUse for Type 4 problems (dreams).

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?

Find out more...

Kairos Training Limited

www.kairostraining.co.uk