The Art of Problem Solving – from Buzz Words to Common Sense

Over the last twenty years. We have lived through globalization, entrepreneurship, change and crisis, complexity, wicked problems and a multitude of “Black Swan” events. To address these changes and problems we develop strategies and plans, these strategies are meant to be creative and substantive. Pleasing to the senses and most of all appeal to common sense and should not be information overload. The strategies to address problems are meant to be straight-forward perception of an achievable outcome: truth. It exposes cowardliness, laziness, hypocrisy, envy, falseness by denying them opportunity to hide behind the curtain of ambiguity. Strategy an accountability statement, which must be transparent. It is risk and courage. Strategy is long term and at times, may make things worse before so they can be better. Strategy is about responsibility and leadership. It is patience and self-control. Strategy builds character and nourishes morality and ethics.

For a strategy to be meaningful, we have to do something with it. As a result, business communities have come up with many mechanisms to tackle approaches to solving problems, developing and implementing strategies, such as the concepts of design, systems, creative, integrated thinking are all means to an end of doing something with a strategy.

Regardless of the labels we apply to problem solving , it comes down to common sense, and over the last few decades consultants have found innovative ways to create value by making things seem more complex than they really are. The common sense

approach to solving many problems comes down to simplifying (watch out for

oversimplification) the issue of problem at hand.

Common sense is a decision-maker’s best friend when the decision has to be made rapidly, with a minimum of research or formal theory, with no more than moderate risk or consequences, and by individuals who have accumulated experience and wisdom. Common sense is also a means of applying sound and prudent judgment based on the simple perception of the situation and the loosely organized set of facts, observations, experiences, insights, and pieces of received wisdom that each of us accumulates over a lifetime.

Where in the process of problems solving we lost our common sense and started reaching for complex means to problem solving?

Time to get back to the basics and apply what we know best to simplify the complexities and address the real issues at hand. By answering the questions below, we will have taken the time to frame the issue and will be on a path to clear communication and resolution:

• What are we trying to solve?
• Why and what is the intended purpose or outcome of the resolution we are seeking?
• Who or what will be impacted?
• Who or what will benefit?
• Who has to be involved, consulted, depended or relied on?
• When does this have to be completed?
• How much will it costs? Can we afford it?
• What are the known risks?
• What are our contingency plans for unforeseen problems? (if relevant)
• Who is ultimately responsible for the outcome?

Having the responses or answers to the questions above, makes it simpler to frame and communicate the problem, enable next steps and actions. Doing so will entice support and participation to enable the resolution and realize the outcome as desired.

There are biases of both side of a problem, and both sides will say that terrible things will happen if they don’t get their way, (Domain Protection sets in). The difference is that, as nasty as that disagreement is, at the end of the day there’s an answer. It’s subject to evidence. So with 10 steps forward and nine steps back, we can make progress.”

As humans our brains has essentially the same design. We have gut reactions. Those are our natural triggers and automatic settings, which is what most of us rely on most of the time. And it makes sense to rely on our gut reactions when we’re dealing with the “what is in it for me versus us”. We need to avoid the common-sense morality, and not let our gut reactions get in the way of common sense and the means of applying sound and prudent judgment based on the loosely organized set of facts, observations, experiences, insights, and pieces of received wisdom that each of us accumulates over a lifetime.

“The complexities of Golf is its simplicity”

Author: Dave Gajadhar

Simplifying Business complexities to support sustainability and generative growth!

Contact us: ResultantGroup Your business modernization, transition and blockchain advisors.

Email: dgajadhar@resultantgroup.com

Twitter:

@dgajadar

@ResultantGroup – Simplifying business complexities