Problem-Solving Basics I

1. Welcome …

2. In the next series of videos we’re going to be looking at problem solving.

3. You might recall from earlier videos that we looked at Curiosity, Creativity and Critical

4. Thinking as the three spokes of a wheel that will get us to better problem solving.

5. So as we talk about problem solving this week please don’t lose sight of what we’ve

6. covered to this point.

7. So to start with let’s look at the some of the basics of problem solving.

8. We’ve previously looked at identifying what is or is not a problem, so for now let’s

9. assume we are only talking about solving something that truly is a problem.

10. Let’s start by remembering that Creativity (and its supporting Curiosity) is a divergent

11. type of thinking and Critical Thinking can often involve more convergent thinking.

12. Depending on the problem at hand each will be necessary but in varying amounts.

13. For example, when a fire breaks out behind your building you’re likely to apply mostly

14. critical thinking to the issues of how do I put it out or how do I get away?

15. Whereas if your business suffers a sudden drop in sales you’re far more likely to

16. apply a mix of creative and critical thinking.

17. And in this example perhaps the more creative thinking you apply the more likely it is you’ll

18. come up with some helpful solutions to the problem.

19. So what are the five key skills that are needed to be a good problem solver?

20. Analytical Ability – This means the know how to visualize, gather information, articulate,

21. analyze, solve complex problems and make decisions.

22. For example, analytical skills are essential in the workplace to ensure necessary problem

23. solving occurs for the business to function smoothly.

24. Lateral Thinking – This is our old friend creativity by another name.

25. It involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind the usual modes of thought and throwing

26. away preconceptions and using your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by
looking

27. at them from unexpected perspectives.

28. Logical Reasoning – this is a major aspect of our other friend Critical Thinking.

29. It is asking the important questions, gathering and assessing relevant information, arriving
 30. at well-reasoned conclusions while staying open-minded and then communicating
effectively

31. with others to arrive at solutions

32. Initiative – This is seizing upon opportunities and taking the lead to solve problems, rather

33. than to pass them on to other people.

34. It can also involve anticipating potential problems and taking pre-emptive steps to resolve

35. them.

36. Persistence – This is the “stick to it” factor.

37. Perseverance and persistence are highly related to the ability to not only solve the problem,

38. but to also enact a solution.

39. It’s all very well to finally come up with a solution, but it only matters to you or

40. your organization if it is carried out despite any obstacles.

Problem-Solving Basics II
1. Start of transcript. Skip to the end.

2. There are literally dozens of ways to approach problem solving and an infographic attached

3. to this page shows some of them.

4. But for now let’s consider two of the more straightforward approaches:

5. One way to look at problem solving is an acronym IDEAL:

6. The “I” stands for identifying the problem – What is it?

7. Why is it a problem and not something less?

8. The “D” stands for defining the context of the problem – How is this problem impacting

9. other people or other parts of the business?

10. What are the consequences if we don’t solve it?

11. “E” is for exploring possible strategies – This is brainstorming solutions in a non-judgmental

12. way and then and only then cutting down the list to a few possibilities.

13. “A” is for acting on the best solution – This is where you pick the best solution

14. and implement it.

15. While “L” is for look back and learn – This is the post-solution phase… where you critically

16. examine how things went and what could be improved for the next time.

17. Another way to look at problem solving is to look at it as a series of steps

18. You start with a critical thinking step: You analyze the problem – Who does it affect?

19. How big is the problem?

20. What are the consequences of not solving this problem?

21. You then switch to a creative thinking step: You imagine solutions – Can we get beyond

22. the expected or usual solutions?

23. Can we brainstorm multiple possible solutions?

24. Then you switch back to critical thinking to plan a solution – Which of the solutions

25. are most likely to succeed?

26. Can we narrow it down to one solution?

27. Now switch to creative thinking and imagine applying the solution – Has everything been

28. considered?

29. Is it the best solution?

30. Now you try some critical thinking one more time to evaluate the solution – Is it a

31. good fit?

32. Will it work?

33. Does it meet everyone’s needs?

34. A final turn at creative thinking will allow you to improve the solution – Will a few

35. small changes make it even better?

36. Are there things that were suggested along the way that might polish the ultimate solution/

37. Now a final use of critical thinking happens when you implement the solution and evaluate

38. it critically – Did it work?

39. How well did it work?

40. What can we improve for next time?

41. As you can see the path of problem solving can readily draw from both creative and critical

42. thinking.

43. IDEAL and being able to visualize yourself switching from creative to critical thinking

44. to solve a problem are just two approaches.

45. Over time it is likely you can build a toolbox of problem solving strategies that will improve

46. your problem solving skills.

47. And like everything, these skills only get better with practice.

48. Eventually you may even see ways to use multiple strategies to solve complex problems.
 49. Before I go, a quick key points recap:

50. Depending on the problem we often use both creative or divergent thinking and critical

51. or convergent thinking.

52. Problem solving relies on analytical ability, lateral or creative thinking, logical reasoning

53. or critical thinking, initiative and persistence Our brains are required to switch from critical

54. to creative thinking at different stages of problem solving

55.

Key players / Who cares about the problem?

1. Welcome …

2. Now that we’ve looked at the fundamentals of problem solving you might well think there’s

3. not much to it.. but that might ignore other things that must be considered before you

4. can successfully solve a business or personal problem.

5. One big consideration is the key stakeholders.

6. Stakeholders – whom we sometimes call customers, clients, co-workers, neighbors etc. - can

7. be defined as anyone who is a part of, effected by, or a recipient of, a product, a process

8. or service.

9. Understanding their needs, experiences and expectations will improve your thinking about

10. the current state of things and will allow you to solve the problem while keeping them

11. in mind.

12. One way to understand who the key stakeholders are is to use the following steps to identify

13. them and their needs:

14. At the bottom of this page you’ll find a grid that can be downloaded or printed that

15. maps to these questions.

16. Who stands to “gain” or “lose” as a result of the problem solving process?

17. And it’s critical here to think broadly about individuals and groups both internal

18. and external.

19. Better to start with a too-big pool than a too-small one.

20. Why do they want the problem solved?

21. This is the “what’s in it for them?”

22. question.

23. For some stakeholders it might be critical to their future health and well-being.

24. For some it may just be nice if the problem was solved.

25. Knowing the “why” and its importance to each group is very useful information.

26. What does “solved” look like to each stakeholder?

27. This can be a little difficult.

28. You must place yourself in each group of stakeholder’s shoes.

29. You should also understand that ‘solved:” for one group might be at odds with another

30. group’s idea of what “solved” looks like.

31. What do the stakeholders want from us?

32. Whether it has been stated or not, usually all stakeholders want something – explicitly

33. or implicitly.

34. It may just be a solution that makes the problem go away or it may be more.

35. Knowing this is also critical to effective problem solving.

36. What do we need from the stakeholders?

37. The other side of the coin.

38. Do we as a company or a group or an individual expect something in return for solving the

39. problem or as a consequence of solving the problem?

40. For example, maybe it’s just the satisfaction of solving the problem for our customers or

41. maybe it’s that we expect to make more sales to them.

42. Again, this is important to understand.

43. Once you have answered these question for all the key stakeholders you identify you

44. will be able to keep them in mind during the problem-solving process.

45. This is most likely to result in solutions that are more useful, palatable and/or acceptable

46. to all concerned.

47. Now that you know the questions to ask to identify key stakeholders this would be a

48. good time to put them into practice.

49. Recall a problem you have dealt with in the past and using the chart try to fill it out

50. in terms of various stakeholders.

51. A quick key points recap:

52. For every problem we are trying to solve there will be key stakeholders
 53. Identifying them involves a series of questions we must ask ourselves

54. Keeping them in mind during the problem-solving process can result in solutions that are
more

55. useful, palatable and/or acceptable to all

56.

Risk-Taking vs. Safe-Space Problem Solving I

1. Welcome …

2. In recent videos we looked at the basics of problem solving and identifying key stakeholders.

3. In this video we’ll look at the role of risk-taking in problem solving.

4. Why risk-taking you might ask?

5. Isn’t it counter-intuitive to be doing something risky when solving a problem?

6. Well, yes and no.

7. “Yes” - in the sense that we truly are not suggesting irresponsible risk-taking.

8. But, “no” in the sense of this – If there is no risk taking in your thought process

9. are you ever likely to come up with some better solutions in your problem solving?

10. It has been said that “progress can only happen by taking risks” and when applied

11. to problem solving it could mean that your thinking can only be of the highest order

12. if you are willing to take a few risks with your problem solving skills.

13. Put another way – if you only want a basic and possibly unimaginative solution to a problem

14. by all means do not allow any risk-taking.

15. On the other hand if you are willing to allow the team to make a few mistakes – as long

16. as they aren’t life-threatening – then you may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

17. Of course, along with risk-taking comes the potential for error and maybe even failure.

18. But this doesn't have to be a bad thing, mistakes are important steps to arriving at better

19. solutions.

20. So typically what happens when we're incorrect?

21. Why are most of us so afraid of making mistakes?

22. It likely has everything to do with learned behaviors such as being worried about what

23. others will think of us or imagining bad consequences way out of proportion to the thing
we’re

24. really suggesting.

 25. To get past these fears smart supervisors and managers allow for and encourage some

26. mistake making.

27. Why?

28. Because in doing so they create new opportunities to try out other problem solving
techniques

29. and generate other solutions.

30. Without those mistakes or failures the better answers may never come.

31. You’ve probably been in that meeting where no one wants to speak because they are afraid

32. to take a risk.

33. Is this really a good way to get everyone contributing to solving a problem?

34. So what’s the solution?

35. Find ways to de-stigmatize the idea of being wrong by making it a part of how we become

36. right or how we get to better problem-solving.

37. Think of it as creating a safe space for everyone to be wrong once in a while.

38. This is especially important for managers and supervisors.

39. How do we create spaces that embrace these kinds of risks?

40.

Risk-Taking vs. Safe-Space Problem Solving II

1. tart of transcript. Skip to the end.

2. Here are some ideas:

3. Don't be afraid to make mistakes to model what happens when you do.

4. Everyone needs to see what happens and not be afraid to also make mistakes.

5. Admit when you don't know something and turn it into a discussion to figure it out together.

6. This helps everyone in the room feel as though they are on an equal footing.

7. Applaud unsuccessful attempts at figuring something out and note that it’s not simply

8. knowing an answer that’s important.

9. It’s the journey of discovery to finding something out that is most valuable.

10. And always encourage everyone to take risks.

11. Make questioning a big part of any discussion, letting everyone’s curiosity lead the problem

12. solving, regardless of not knowing where the discussion may end up.
 13. Involve everyone in the room by finding a way of calling on people that ensures even

14. the quietest voice in the room is heard.

15. Have a "parking lot" or other designated space for ideas where anyone in the room can send

16. their ideas anonymously.

17. This helps even the most-nervous to contribute to the discussion.

18. Sometimes this may need to happen after a meeting.

19. Set basic ground rules for problem-solving meetings – These might include a no snickering

20. rule or a rule about not allowing disapproving looks at people who make mistakes.

21. Also consider having a rule that everyone can only add on to another’s ideas and may

22. not attack or deride them.

23. It’s also important to enforce the rules by letting people know when they’re breaking

24. them.

25. So, there you have it some starter ideas for creating a place where risk-taking can be

26. encouraged and safe spaces for making mistakes exits.

27. Perhaps you have ideas of your own.

28. Remember, everyone tackling a problem needs to appreciate that the path to better
solutions

29. will sometimes involve mistakes and that’s OK.

30. A quick key points recap:

31. Making mistakes along the way can lead to better problem-solving

32. It’s important to have safe spaces for people to speak and take risks

33. Setting up ground rules for these things can increase the likelihood everyone will buy

34. into the idea

35.

Collaborative Problem-Solving I
1. Start of transcript. Skip to the end.

2. Welcome … in the most recent videos we’ve looked at problem-solving, some best practices

3. and some key barriers to solving problems.

4. By now I’m sure you’re starting to see that problem solving can be somewhat complex

5. and ever-present.

6. As Karl Popper, one of the most influential 20th century philosophers of science, once
7. eloquently put it, “All life is problem solving.”

8. As this relates to business, what are companies to do to solve an ever-flowing stream of

problems?

9. The most successful of today’s business leaders understand that problem solving needs

10. to be part of everyone’s job and that true accountability and decision-making power has

11. to be woven into the fabric of their organizations.

12. They also understand that being a leader means being a listener, a fact-checker, a motivator,

13. and in some senses, someone like a film director or orchestra conductor.

14. More and more, business leaders are turning to the principles of collaborative problem

15. solving to address both their immediate and long-term goals.

16. Why?

17. Because in a nutshell at the speed at which things change around us none of us individually

18. can possibly be as smart as a group of us collectively thinking about a problem.

19. So, what is collaborative problem solving?

20. And why does it succeed where other approaches fail?

21. Collaborative problem solving is a system developed by the Collaborative Leaders Network

22. (CLN), a nonprofit that that came up with a nine-stage process for facilitating collaborative

23. problem solving.

24. Clarify intentions - This is where we Identify expectations to help those putting a group

25. together - an executive or other manager - to envision how the process might be organized,

26. who might participate, what time and resources might be needed and what the outcomes
might

27. be.

28. Perform background inquiry - Or put another way - get all the necessary background
information

29. to determine which issues are most important for the collaborative process.

30. Design process - To get participants’ early commitment to the collaborative process develop

31. a provisional design for how the collaboration might play out that explains the logic and

32. outputs of each phase.

33. Group launch - Introduce the participants and process, and start building trust and

34. confidence by collaborating on a group operating procedure.

35. Analyze issues - Develop a shared understanding of the issue and identify the aspects that
 36. will benefit from intervention.

37. Generate options - The group identifies and analyzes a range of alternative strategies

38. for addressing a problem or taking advantage of an opportunity.

39. Evaluate options - Evaluate strategies and choose between them using criteria the group

40. collectively agrees on.

41. Produce documents - Develop a plan, set of recommendations or policy document that
describes

42. the strategy the group has developed, the rationale for its adoption, and the process

43. by which it was developed.

44. Conduct executive review - Finally deliver the report to the executive or to the manager

45. and explain it in a way that it is understood, accepted and supported.

46. This sounds complicated, but it is a basic outline.

47. The CLN summarizes this process as … one in which “group members engage in clarifying

48. the problem, analyzing potential strategies, crafting recommendations, evaluating draft

49. documents, and delivering a report for which there is a high level of consensus and
commitment.”

50.

Collaborative Problem-Solving II

1. Collaborative problem solving is by its nature cross-functional – reaching across lines

2. traditionally drawn across organizational charts.

3. As such, successful collaborative problem solving usually draws upon a wide range of

4. business skills from different areas of the organization.

5. This, in turn, means that any solution arrived at through collaborative problem-solving
techniques

6. is only as good as the group that generates it.

7. And the group is only as strong as whoever takes on the task of picking who is within

8. the group to get the work done.

9. So the first issue for any business leader is to decide who will be on the team.

10. Sometimes team members are obvious - for example, a member of each affected business
unit.

11. But this usually limits the thinking in the group to what is known by those groups.
12. A smarter solution is to add an outsider or two - maybe people known in the organization

13. for their curiosity or creativity.

14. The next thing is to consider the overall makeup of the team.

15. Does it represent all the company interests?

16. Importantly, does it also represent customer or client interests?

17. An example might be having an employee from Customer Service sit in on a meeting trying

18. to solve a packaging problem.

19. Perhaps the customer service rep has heard complaints about the packaging before.

20. Then consider the overall size of the group.

21. Is it too big to be efficient?

22. Too small to have enough input?

23. So, what are the advantages of using collaborative problem-solving methods?

24. Because a wider range of interests are represented, there is more likely to be new
perspectives

25. on the problem at hand and therefore more likelihood people would be willing to
contribute.

26. Which adds up to a greater pool of resources and efficiency.

27. Also, attitudes such as “It’s not my job” and “That’s above my paygrade” have

28. no place in a team environment defined by collective ownership of both the problem and

29. any solutions (including the implementation of those solutions).

30. Collaborative problem solving can also help leaders better identify employees with high

31. future potential — as well as employees who may not be suited to the corporation’s

32. culture.

33. Two other big benefits of collaborative problem solving:

34. The most productive collaborations thrive on “Yes, and …” thinking.

35. This concept, transferred from improvisational theater, places its trust in “supporting

36. a suggested idea and building on the idea to make it better.”

37. And as such, “Yes, and …” thinking encourages both energetic communication and creativity.

38. Success is shared during and after collaborative problem-solving.

39. This sharing of success promotes a fuller understanding of the business - its mission,

40. values, and goals, at every level of the organization.

41. Employees who feel they possess a personal stake in the company’s overall advancement
 42. are more likely to be happier and highly motivated.

43. So there you have it, the advantages of taking a collaborative approach to problem solving.

44. There can also be some downsides to these groups, but those were covered well by my

45. Colleague Professor Dave Neumann in SoftSkills 102x, Teamwork & Collaboration course.

46. If you haven’t seen this, I encourage you to review them.

47. Should you not have pool of people at hand, you can still use the problem solving basics

48. found in the first video of this unit, or, get together with other independent workers

49. and help each other solve problems.

50. Here then is a quick key points recap:

51. Collaborative problem-solving is dependent on team membership and the team will benefit

52. from having one or two members from outside the immediately affected groups inside the

53. organization Collaborative problem-solving can bring better

54. solutions and offers a wide range of other benefits including employee ownership of the

55. problem-solving process and boost willingness to contribute

56.

Important Links
1. Collaborative Leaders Network ( CLN) - 9 Stages of Collaborative Problem Solving
https://collaborativeleadersnetwork.org/strategies/collaborative-problem-solving/

2. https://commonoutlook.com/learning/book-reviews/getting-to-yes-review/