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Welcome to How to solve (almost) any problem

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?.

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Welcome to How to solve (almost) any problem

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  1. Welcome to How to solve (almost)any problem Alan Barker Kairos Training Limited 23 May 2013

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

  3. What is a problem? Answer this question on flipchart paper, in as many ways as possible – without using words

  4. You know you’ve got a problem when: you want to do something, but you don’t know what to do

  5. This is the zero moment of consciousness. Stuck. No answer. Honked. Kaput. It’s a miserable experience emotionally. You’re losing time. You’re incompetent. You don’t know what you’re doing. You should be ashamed of yourself.

  6. Why don’t we get stuck every second?

  7. Mental models organize our reality. Without them, no world would exist for us. [Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrell]

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

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

  10. Intuitive problem-solving Understanding the problem and solving it are the same thing. The match of information to mental model is the solution.

  11. Sometimes, our mental models won’t work. (Can you see what it is?)

  12. And when that happens, we get stuck.

  13. Stuckness affects our limbic system (where we respond emotionally to external stimuli...)

  14. The result can be the fight-or-flight response...

  15. ... which can cause all sorts of stress – and lead to a longer-term stress response. Bad news.

  16. Part of problem solving, then, has to be emotional intelligence.

  17. Solutions unstick our thinking....

  18. problem solution Stuckness opens a gap in our problem-solving response...

  19. ... into which rational problem-solving can enter.

  20. Problem-solving: two approaches Whole-brain Problem: we are stuck Solution: moving; becoming ‘unstuck’; a course of action Rational Problem: something is not as it should be Solution: a ‘fix’ that stays fixed

  21. Problem-solving: two approaches 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? Rational What’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?

  22. 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.

  23. Circle of Influence Where is the problem? Some problems are in our Circle of Influence, and some in our Circle of Concern.

  24. 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 concern Circle of influence

  25. Effective problem solvers strive continually to increase their Circle of Influence. Circle of influence Circle of influence Stephen Covey

  26. Four levels of ownership blame

  27. Four levels of ownership resistance

  28. Four levels of ownership responsibility

  29. Four levels of ownership commitment

  30. Two stages of thinking reality 1:Perception sensation; intuition Representation: language, models, images 2: Judgement reason evaluation Action

  31. 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.

  32. Two stages of thinking Perception determines what we know. Judgement determines what we know about what we know.

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

  34. Representation The output of first-stage thinking is language. = dog

  35. 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.)

  36. We have all sorts of technology to help us do second-stage thinking...

  37. ...but not so many to do first-stage thinking. (Mind maps are good stage-one thinking tools.)

  38. Leaping to judgement: the dangers of ignoring first-stage thinking Product development Engineering the product rather than seeking to satisfy the customer’s needs Contractual negotiations Addressing perceived ‘issues’ rather than questioning assumptions about what the issues are Corporate strategy Re-engineering structures rather than asking ‘What business are we in?’

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

  40. First-stage thinking:two questions • How is the problem structured? • Is the problem presented to us or constructedby us?

  41. 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?]

  42. 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]

  43. Two types of problem presented constructed

  44. Presented problems Express 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

  45. Presented problems: examples The photocopier breaking down A new product invading our market Being stuck in a traffic jam Delays in a production process

  46. 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

  47. Constructed problems: examples Gaining a qualification Improving quality Innovating a new product or service Increasing market share

  48. puzzle plan headache dream

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