2. Participants will be able to…
▪ Define problem solving strategies
▪ Describe the problem solving process
▪ Assess a problem situation for possible solutions
▪ Develop effective problem solving skills
3. Let’s Solve a Problem!
Challenge: To build the tallest possible structure, using the
materials provided.
4. Let’s Solve a Problem!
Part 1: Your team will have three minutes to discuss how you will
use the provided materials.
Part 2: Your team will have two minutes to construct a tower.
Procedure: During Part 1, Your team may handle the provided
materials, but you may not change them in any way. You may
begin to manipulate the materials during Part 2.
6. What is problem solving?
▪ It is unique set of mental tools
– Generating ideas
▪ Brainstorming
▪ Dissecting the problem
– Focusing ideas to reach a solution
▪ Creating an outline and an action plan
▪ Deciding how to proceed
– Improvisation
▪ Turning negatives into positives
▪ Adapting in unexpected circumstances
22. Let’s Talk Strategy
• Define the problem
• Analyze the problem / Generate solutions
• Focus ideas & determine a course of action
• See what works
• Repeat as needed
23. #1 What’s the Problem?
▪ A big, bad wolf has been blowing down all the little pigs’ straw
houses and eating them. Only two pigs remain, and they really
need our help.
24. #2 Problem Analysis / Generating Solutions
▪ A few ground rules for working in groups
– Defer Judgment
– Quantity over Quality
– Anything goes
– Consider unusual combinations
25. ▪ Brainstorming
– Come up with as many alternative building materials as possible in three
minutes.
– There are no bad ideas!
#2 Problem Analysis / Generating Solutions
26. ▪ Attribute Listing
– State the element that you want to change/modify
▪ Straw
– List the attributes of straw, and ways you might change or modify each
– Circle the changes or modifications that look promising
– Focus on one or more changes that you would make.
– How have you improved on the original element?
#2 Problem Analysis / Generating Solutions
27. ▪ Morphological Matrix
– Write your headings at the tops of the columns
– Fill in your variables
– Randomly select four numbers between 0-9, and see what combinations
you get
#2 Problem Analysis / Generating Solutions
28. ▪ Scamper
– Substitute one element for another
– Combine two elements
– Adapt your element to the situation
– Modify your element in some way
– Put your element to some other use
– Eliminate an element or situation
– Reverse/Rearrange the element or situation
#2 Problem Analysis / Generating Solutions
The moral of this challenge is that there are countless approaches to solving a problem. Even copying your neighbor is a method of problem-solving. It might get you in trouble in school, but in life, seeing what the other guy is doing is a very popular method.
Problem solving can be defined a multitude of ways, but it really can be broken down into three parts.
Problem solving is also a skill that requires constant practice, tinkering, testing, and experimenting, which often results in frequent failed attempts…when you are teaching problem solving to children, you impress upon them that failure is a positive…failure teaches us what doesn’t work, and in many cases it leads to success. And even if success is not achieved, you have had a new and different experience, you have exercised your brain, and added new information that will prove useful in the future. Practicing problem solving makes us smarter.
Finally, problem solving is a process, usually involving multiple, and sometimes unexpected, steps. Often times one process might not achieve the desired results, so we try a new process until we reach a solution.
Basically, problem solving is just the approach we take to figuring stuff out. We are all problem solvers in some form or fashion, and most of us don’t even realize when we’re doing it; it just happens.
Write these down on a sheet of paper for later
Technology often fails us at the worst possible times, and is rarely ever a quick fix
Software – It doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, new updates mean relearning things every time
Project management/execution – unforeseen hiccups in the process, personnel changes, unexpected results
Customer Service – student relations, breakdowns in communication between coworkers, lack of training
Before we dig into some strategies to tackle a problem, let’s discuss some of the things that prevent us from taking problems on.
Problems can be frustrating, time-consuming, rage-inducing, inconvenient messes. Sometimes we might have difficulty stretching our brains in new directions. Here are some very common hurdles that can limit our progress in problem solving.
1. Some of us react to a problem by ignoring it and hoping it will resolve itself or just go away. This can happen for a couple of reasons. It can take time to solve a problem. You might not have the time to really dig in and figure it out, so you leave it alone and hope that it resolves on its own, or that someone else might notice the problem and take it on. Another reason we choose to ignore a problem is because our brains trick us into thinking we’re imagining it and it’s “all in our head.” Ignoring the problem usually tends to lead to much larger problems down the road.
Before we dig into some strategies to tackle a problem, let’s discuss some of the things that prevent us from taking problems on.
Problems can be frustrating, time-consuming, rage-inducing, inconvenient messes. Sometimes we might have difficulty stretching our brains in new directions. Here are some very common hurdles that can limit our progress in problem solving.
1. Some of us react to a problem by ignoring it and hoping it will resolve itself or just go away. This can happen for a couple of reasons. It can take time to solve a problem. You might not have the time to really dig in and figure it out, so you leave it alone and hope that it resolves on its own, or that someone else might notice the problem and take it on. Another reason we choose to ignore a problem is because our brains trick us into thinking we’re imagining it and it’s “all in our head.” Ignoring the problem usually tends to lead to much larger problems down the road.
2. Things tend to go wrong at the very worst possible moment. When we allow ourselves to become consumed by frustration, panic, or anxiety, all clarity flies out the window. Yelling at the copier when it jams might feel good for a split second, but it does nothing to resolve the issue.
2. When a problem seems too large, or we find ourselves entering into unknown territory, it is very easy to become frozen in panic. Even something that seems simple, like a dialog box popping up on your computer screen, asking you to confirm a change or cancel a process can cause us to become paralyzed. In most cases, clicking “ok,” or forging ahead will not set about a catastrophic series of events, and if it does…just call OTS.
Sometimes we believe we have found the best possible solution to a problem, and we become so fixated on that solution that we fail to see other possibilities. We are left in a cycle of repetition without any meaningful results. This often happens to people that have used a certain approach successfully in the past, and become convinced that it is the only way. Most of the time, we break this cycle through a sudden “a-ha” moment that changes our entire line of thinking.
3. This is a common human condition. We tend to view an object only for its intended purpose.
Here we have a common butter knife, which resides in most home kitchens. Most of us only use it for buttering bread, cutting crusts, and sawing at over-cooked meat. Most common butter knives rarely leave the realm of the home kitchen because we are fixated on its original intended purpose. It is only in moments of desperation (problem solving) that the butter knife gets to try new things.
3. If we can broaden our view of everyday objects, and look at them as having unlimited potential, we can get to solutions much more quickly.
Just make sure to use some common sense.
When a problem arises at work, and you’re not entirely sure of how to go about solving it, what is the first thing you usually do?
There seems to be two very common first responses to unexpected problems.
Asking someone else for help
Googling the problem
Both of these first steps are perfectly acceptable. I do want to point out though that if you are the type to ask someone for help, odds are very great that the person you asked is probably just going to google it for you. By eliminating the middle man, you might get to your results quite a bit faster. Let’s all make a promise that we won’t outsource our problems until we’ve exhausted our resources.
So now that we’ve described what problem solving is, and discussed the ways our brains try to trip us up, let’s talk about some strategies for tackling a problem. As we previously discussed, problem solving is a multi-step process.
The first step we take is to define what our problem actually is. Suppose the copier stopped working. That is a problem with a clear definition. It’s broken.
Step 2 is to analyze the problem. It’s not enough to just throw our hands up and proclaim that the copier is broken. When you consider that you are dealing with a large machine made up of many smaller parts, it is important to try to understand how those parts are interacting with eachother, and determine which part is acting up. So check the plugs, open the doors, look at how every part is connected.
Step 3 Begin generating solutions. Your solution could be as simple as calling the print shop to come and figure it out, to trying to remove bits of paper from the inner workings, to slapping a sign on it and heading to another copier on campus. There are a multitude of options to consider.
Step 4 Analyze your options, and decide which option works best for you
Step 5 See if your chosen solution works. If it doesn’t work, go back to your list, and see if something else will work. Giving up is not an option!
So now that we’ve described what problem solving is, discussed the ways our brains try to trip us up, and listed a few steps in the problem solving strategy, let’s talk about a few techniques for tackling a problem.
The first one is pretty obvious. Brainstorming is something we’ve done since we were kids in school. It can be done alone or in a group. This is how we generate options for solutions, and it is usually the first thing we do when a problem occurs.
Most folks don’t realize that there are some very basic and important rules to follow when brainstorming, and these rules will help to ensure the maximum number of ideas are presented.
Defer Judgment – One of the biggest sources for idea block is judgment. Declaring an idea to be good or bad before all of the ideas have been had is the fastest way to kill a good brainstorm. We all know that telling a person their idea is terrible will cause that person to unplug from the conversation and shut down entirely. Nobody wants to be shamed in front of their peers. At the same time, telling someone that their idea is awesome can have a negative impact on the other participants. They begin to feel like they will never have an idea that good, so why bother trying…or they will latch onto that idea, and embrace it as the best, even if it isn’t.
The more ideas the better. You want a large list of possibilities to choose from. Often times, the very best ideas come later when the most obvious ideas have already been presented.
In a brainstorm, there are no bad ideas. Those bizarre and unexpected ideas that don’t seem to fit in with the rest often lead to divergent thinking, which lead to creative and original solutions
Think about how two ideas might be combined or interact. You might create something entirely new.
If you are having difficulty pulling your favorite idea out of the pile, or if you fear that favoring one idea over another might lead to hurt feelings, this is one of the best approaches to making a decision.
If you are having difficulty pulling your favorite idea out of the pile, or if you fear that favoring one idea over another might lead to hurt feelings, this is one of the best approaches to making a decision.
If you are having difficulty pulling your favorite idea out of the pile, or if you fear that favoring one idea over another might lead to hurt feelings, this is one of the best approaches to making a decision.
Improvisation is reaching a solution by making-do with what you have. If we look at improvisation in the context of customer service, our entire Exceptional Service Standard is centered around improvisation. It is centered around using positive language. We are not allowed to say things like, “You can’t do that,” or “That’s not allowed.” We have to frame everything in a positive way.
One of the fundamental concepts of improv. Is to make something out of nothing, and to turn a negative situation into a positive one. This is achieved through “Yes, and.” “Yes, and” is simply actively listening to the person that is speaking to you, acknowledging their idea, and adding your own ideas. If someone walks up to you and asks if they can go swimming in the lake outside, there are two ways to handle that conversation. You can simply tell them “no,” and the conversation ends, or you could engage that person and say something like, “Swimming does sound nice, but the lake looks rather murky today. Perhaps you might consider walking around it instead.” People, especially in a customer service situation, hate to hear the word “no.” Finding new ways to spin negative conversations with students and coworkers into a positive can take you in new directions. By saying, “Yes,” you are showing that you accept the person’s idea or premise. By saying, “And,” you are changing the course of the conversation, generating new options, and reaching new solutions.
So now that we’ve discussed how to generate ideas, focus ideas, and put them into practice, do you have any questions or thoughts to add?
