Solving problems is something we all have to do every single day–both at work and in our day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n
The trouble is: Sometimes, finding the right solutions to those problems can be difficult.<\/p>\n
We learn in school that problem solving means arriving at a value for X. This is great for an algebra test (and for most black and white problems), but solving more complex, layered, \u201cgray area\u201d problems\u2026 that\u2019s different<\/em>.<\/p>\n Say you\u2019re a designer working on a task with various departments, for example. You need approvals and collaboration<\/a> from the sales team, but no one\u2019s answering your emails or calls because they\u2019re stuck in meetings all day.<\/a> The marketing team can\u2019t agree on a final version. Leadership wants a design that will solve all of the brand\u2019s UX problems. For this designer, there are a lot of layers to this problem.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve all been in a similar situation.<\/p>\n So what do you do? <\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019re going to need better problem solving strategies to cut through the ambiguity–that\u2019s what. Let\u2019s look at some better ways to solve the kinds of problems that show up in the working world.<\/p>\n Get started with monday.com<\/a><\/p>\n When you develop problem solving and decision making skills, you realize some immediate benefits. What are they?<\/p>\n Problem solving equips you for work<\/strong><\/p>\n In the 1990s, research at Bells Labs<\/a> found that IQ was not a predictor for work performance. Problem solving and interpersonal skills were. Having problem solving skills helps you deal with the dynamic problems that you won\u2019t find in the classroom.<\/p>\n Problem solving equips you for more complex problems<\/strong><\/p>\n Many of us solve minor problems by guessing, estimating, or making assumptions. Most of the time, this works if the problem is fairly simple. We can usually find a workaround using these tactics and some trial and error experimentation.<\/p>\n The trouble comes, however, when this strategy doesn\u2019t work with more complex problems.<\/p>\n Nat Greene, author of Stop Guessing: The 9 Behaviors of Great Problem Solvers<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>says this: “Here’s where most folks go wrong,\u201d said Greene. \u201cOften, people use the same guessing methods they apply to easy problems to try to tackle hard ones–and they get steamrolled.”<\/p>\n In short: Tackling complex problems requires a working knowledge of problem solving as a skill set.<\/p>\n Best suited for: <\/strong>Work and strategy problems<\/p>\n How it works: <\/strong>Ever notice that children always seem to ask \u201cwhy?\u201d They\u2019re absorbing knowledge like sponges–and they\u2019re doing it strategically.<\/p>\n In problem solving, this strategy is known as the \u201cFive Whys<\/a>.\u201d This is a linear technique for breaking down a problem until you find its root causes. The idea is simple: State the problem, and then ask: \u201cWhy?\u201d Write down your best answer. Keep on asking until you arrive at an answer that feels like the causal issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve identified the root cause of the problem, the solution should present itself.<\/p>\n Example: <\/strong>As detailed in Bulletproof Problem Solving<\/a>, job candidates for the consulting firm McKinsey were once asked to demonstrate their problem solving skills. The question: Did Sidney, Australia need a second airport?<\/p>\n Most candidates wanted to talk about air travel demand, but the most effective<\/em> candidates broke the question down into its component parts. That included a series of \u201cWhy\u201d questions that broke the problem down to specifics:<\/p>\n Key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n Think logically and show your work. <\/strong>Candidates who performed the best arrived at specific<\/em> questions and followed a linear path of thinking. For McKinsey, the goal wasn\u2019t just to see who found the correct answer. It was to see how candidates arrived there.<\/p>\n Get started<\/a><\/p>\n Best suited for: <\/strong>Product problems, creative problems<\/p>\n How it works: <\/strong>Design thinking<\/a> is an approach to problem solving methodology with the end user in mind. The first step is to empathize with the end user. After that, you\u2019ll create testable prototypes for solutions that meet their <\/em>needs.<\/p>\n Example: <\/strong>The Kingswood Trust is a charity for children with Asberger\u2019s syndrome and autism<\/a>. Katie Gaudion, a member of the product design team<\/a>, decided to take an end user approach to their solutions. Rather than come up with her own set of questions, she spent time with Pete, a man with non-verbal autism.<\/p>\n Katie studied Pete\u2019s actions, like picking at sofa leather. Immersing herself like this led to a change in thinking. Rather than seeing these habits as damaging, she was surprised to find them comforting. What if Pete wasn\u2019t doing these things to destroy, but to enjoy<\/em>?<\/p>\n It worked. According to the Harvard Business Review<\/a>, this new insight \u201cled to the creation of living spaces, gardens, and new activities aimed at enabling people with autism to live fuller and more pleasurable lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n Immerse yourself in the problem. <\/strong>UberEats<\/a> says they immerse themselves in the places where our customers live, work, and eat. They\u2019ve introduced processes like having new team members shadow deliveries. The result: they\u2019ve learned more about their customers and how they think.<\/p>\n Observe customer behavior and respond. <\/strong>In one case study<\/a>, Bank of America observed how some savers would fudge their own budgets by rounding up. This led to the \u201cKeep your change\u201d program that appealed to frugal savers and attracted new accounts.<\/p>\n Best suited for: <\/strong>Big picture problems, stuck problems<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How it works: <\/strong>Most people like to think of themselves as logical. Factual. Only interested in results. But as Nathan Greene wrote, we really just tend to guess our way through problems and hope for the best.<\/p>\n Solutions-based thinking turns that on its head. Rather than focusing on what we think should<\/em> work, it shifts our focus. What actually does<\/em> work?<\/p>\n In Stephen Covey\u2019s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/em>, this principle was number two: Effective people tend to think with the end in mind–and then work backwards.<\/p>\n Example: <\/strong>Think about America\u2019s animal shelters and the dog adoption problem<\/a> they face.<\/p>\n The challenge? It\u2019s not that America doesn\u2019t love dogs. In fact, America loves dogs to the point of 40% of all households having at least one. The problem is that perhaps too<\/em> many people have dogs. This leads to dogs being put up for adoption with high rates of dogs in shelters.<\/p>\n Starting from problem-based thinking might yield all sorts of solutions. A marketing campaign for higher adoption rates, logically, should work. Unfortunately, the \u201cSave a Life – Adopt a Dog\u201d campaign hasn\u2019t been able to solve the whole problem.<\/p>\n Yet some shelters have taken a solutions-based approach. According to Harvard Business Review<\/em>, Lori Weise, the founder of Downtown Dog Rescue in Los Angeles, has demonstrated that adoption is not the only way to frame the problem. Instead, one challenge is that so many former dog owners are giving up on their dogs too quickly.<\/p>\n Weise came up with a plan: whenever a family came in to hand over a pet, a staff member in the South Los Angeles shelter would ask if they preferred to keep the pet.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin the first year it was clear that the program was a remarkable success,\u201d notes HBR. \u201cCosts went down from $85 per pet to $60, and more families held on to their dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n Ask yourself the \u201cmiracle question.\u201d<\/strong> This is a concept from Solution-focused brief therapy<\/a>: What will it take for you to imagine the problem as being gone? Get a clear picture of what a solution would look like. Start asking your \u201cwhy\u201d questions from this end.<\/p>\n Look for preventative solutions that reach the same conclusions.<\/strong> It\u2019s great to get people to adopt dogs, for example. But is it even more<\/em> effective to get fewer people to give up their dogs for adoption? Solutions-based thinking means focusing on what really works, not what you hope should work.<\/p>\nWhy you need to make problem solving a skill<\/h2>\n
How to solve problems with a strategic approach<\/h2>\n
Problem Solving Method #1: Linear Thinking<\/h3>\n
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Problem Solving Method #2: Design Thinking<\/h3>\n
Problem Solving Method #3: Solutions-Based Thinking<\/h3>\n