Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to solve a problem and discovering that your solution isn’t a solution at all? It happens to me far too often. And, after disappearing down a rabbit hole, you end up being annoyed and frustrated with yourself.
It reminds me of a presentation given by a friend, Teddy Langschmidt, who had a market research company called Integrated Marketing. He started with words to the effect of - “for almost everything in life there is a given reason and a real reason”. He then went on to say that our job as researchers was to uncover real reasons.
It seems to me that this applies to problem-solving too. Too often problems are ill-defined, leading to good solutions to the wrong problem.
Albert Einstein once said:
If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.
Edward De Bono was a medical doctor, who was born and raised in Malta. You may remember him as the inventor of lateral thinking. He made his name as a pioneer in alternative modes of thinking. I was privileged to spend two days, as part of an audience of 2000 people, listening to him lecture on creative thinking. It made a huge and lasting impression on me.
One of the many stories he told was about defining and solving the wrong problem:
I often tell the story of the alarm clock in Pasadena, California. I had to get up at 4.30 a.m. to drive into Los Angeles to catch a plane to Toronto. So, I set the alarm clock on the table beside my bed in the Pasadena Hilton, to go off at 4.30 a.m. At 4.30 a.m. I was awoken and set about switching off the alarm so that all my neighbours would not also be awoken at an hour which might not have suited them. I tried everything, including disconnecting the electricity supply. Nothing had any effect. The sound continued. I was just about to drown the clock in a basin of water when I suddenly noticed that the sound was coming from my travel clock which I had set and then forgotten all about.
I had defined the problem as “how do I turn off this alarm clock?” In hindsight, it is easy to say that I should have defined the problem as “how do I stop this alarm sound?
It seems to me that a large part of the problem is caused by straight-line thinking. That is what leads us down a rabbit hole.
I recently came across the world’s shortest IQ test, the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). It is designed to test your ability to ignore your gut response and think slower and more rationally. It consists of three questions, the second of which is “If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?” (You can Google it to get all three questions).
The trap set by this (and the other two) questions reminds me of the trap inherent in the way many problems present themselves.
We experienced this at home just a few days ago. Our Sodastream machine was spewing gas and water out of the top. Our first thought was that the washer the gas canister screws into was worn or damaged. The solution, replace the washer, failing which, replace the machine. On closer inspection, it turned out that the canister hadn’t been screwed in completely. Does this sound familiar?
In business, a frequent business problem might be that sales targets are being missed. The knee-jerk reaction might be to offer discounts to boost sales. However, if the real problem is a lack of training for the sales team, discounting will only provide a temporary boost.
So, what are some strategies for avoiding the wrong solution trap?
- Don’t Jump to Solutions Too Quickly: Resist the urge to immediately implement solutions. If Einstein would have spent 59 minutes defining the problem, perhaps taking a minute or two will save us some frustration too.
- Consider Multiple Perspectives: Others often have different perspectives on a problem. Seeking input from them can often uncover aspects we might not have thought of.
- The Five Whys: The 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation. It is a simple tool used to identify the root cause of a problem by asking “why” five times.
For example: Why won’t the car start?
- Problem: The car won’t start.
- Why 1: The battery is dead.
- Why 2: The alternator isn’t charging the battery.
- Why 3: The alternator belt is broken.
- Why 4: The belt was not replaced during the last maintenance check.
- Why 5: The mechanic overlooked the worn belt during the inspection, leading to its breakage.
- Solution: Have a heart-to-heart conversation with the service manager!
I guess this sounds like a lot of effort, which is why we often revert to old habits, by following our noses. Think about the benefits, though - avoiding making the same mistake twice; saving time, effort and frustration.
Oh, and the answer to the CRT question is: “It takes 100 machines 5 minutes to make 100 widgets.”