Chapter 3
Solving Problems Analytically
Kristopher Blanchard
North Central University
and
With Creatively
Exercises by Pam Burke
Stevens Institute of Technology
Management 612
Learning Objectives
Gain experience with creative problem
solving approaches
Understand the value of encouraging groups
to use a variety of problem solving
approaches
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Analytical vs.
Creative Problem Solving
Analytical Problem Solving is the kind that
managers use daily
Creative Problem Solving is used less often
but leads to greater success
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Information Processing Styles
Intuitive Thinkers Systematic Thinkers
See the “forest” See the “tree”
Rely on “hunches” Are “detail” people
See the big picture Prefer careful analysis
Prefer non-routine environments Are methodical
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Example of Poor Problem Solving
(click to view clip)
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Choosing A Problem Area
Goal: To apply problem solving
methods to real problems
Domain: Any growth area you
identified for your skills
development paper
Class List Of Possibilities:
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Sort Yourselves Into Groups
Requirements:
1. Groups may have any number of
people between 3 and 6, inclusive
2. Everyone must join a group
3. Sit together around one table
4. Appoint a record keeper for the next
activity
5.You have 3 minutes to get into groups
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How Did You Do it?
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Overview
Analytical Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the Problem
Step 2: Generate Alternative Solutions
Step 3: Evaluate and Select an Alternative
Step 4: Implement and Follow Up on the Solution
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Analytical Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the Problem
Differentiate fact from opinion
Specify underlying causes
State the problem explicitly
Identify what standard is violated
Determine whose problem it is
Avoid solutions disguised as problems
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Analytical Problem Solving
Step 2: Generate Alternative Solutions
Match solutions to goals
Get solutions from everyone involved
Build on others’ ideas
Specify short- and long-term solutions
Postpone evaluating alternatives
Specify alternatives that solve the problem
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Analytical Problem Solving
Step 3: Evaluate and Select an
Alternative
Evaluate relative to the best standard
Evaluate systematically
Evaluate relative to goals
Evaluate main effects and side effects
State the selected alternative explicitly
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Analytical Problem Solving
Step 4: Implement and Follow Up on the
Solution
Implement at proper time in right sequence
Provide feedback opportunities
Engender acceptance
Establish ongoing monitoring system
Evaluate based on problem solution
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TASK #1 Problem Definition
Use the Analytical Problem Solving method to
Define The Problem
Follow the steps in Step 1 of Table I on Page 161
Differentiate Fact From Opinion
Specify Underlying Causes
Tap Everyone for Information
State the Problem Explicitly
Identify What Standard is Violated …
Avoid Stating the Problem as a Disguised Solution
10 Minutes – Record all problem definitions
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How’d You Do?
Did you agree on a problem statement? Not easy!
Run into any of these problems?
•Uncertainty about who’s definition to accept?
•Problem defined in terms of solutions?
•Symptoms get confused with real problem?
•Confusing information inhibit problem identification?
•Tried to converge on a definition too quickly?
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Limitations of the Analytical
Problem-Solving Model
Time & competing problem demands (firefighting)
Ambiguity of the situation or problem
Insufficient, inaccurate information
“Brain Strain” – information overload
History, habit, commitment
Specialties and backgrounds of decision makers:
perceptual blocks
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Limitations of the Analytical
Problem-Solving Model
Individual differences in cognitive styles
Self-interest
Money
Politics, conflict
Need to “break set”...
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Creative Problem Solving
Welcome to the Brain Gym
Stand up
Find a partner
With backs to each other, change 5 things
about your appearance
Face each other – guess what is different?
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Creative Problem Solving
(click to view clip)
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Creative Problem Solving
Focused on generating something new
Can enhance the profitability and efficiency of
organizations
Products produced from creative problem solving
include:
NASA’s Velcro Snaps
GE’s self diagnostic dishwasher
Mead’s carbonless copy paper
Kodak’s Trimprint film
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Use Creative Problem Solving When...
No acceptable alternative seems to be
available
All reasonable solutions
seem to be blocked
No obvious best
answer is accessible
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Creativity Defined
Involves the use of intuition, ingenuity,
insight
Rather than narrowing down to “one best
decision,” opening to create new
possibilities, many alternatives
Outgrowth of training and experience
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Stages in
Conceptual Blockbusting
• Preparation
• Incubation
• Illumination
• Verification
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Preparation
Define Problems Gather Information
Make the strange Defer judgment
familiar Expand current
Elaborate on the alternatives
Definition Combine unrelated
Reverse the attributes
Definition
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Incubation
This stage involves mostly unconscious
mental activity in which the mind combines
unrelated thoughts in pursuit of a solution
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Illumination
This occurs when a creative solution is
articulated
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Verification
This involves evaluating the creative solution
relative to some standard of acceptability
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TASK #2 Define Problem:
Creative Problem Solving
Practice Divergence and Expansion before
Converging on a Problem Definition
Generate as many possible views of the
problem definition as you can – fast, no
judging – write them all down
5 minutes
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Different List This Time?
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Team Intervention
Rotate one person out: Pick someone to
leave the group.
Chosen person: Stand up, and go to another
group.
3 minutes
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How’d You Do It?
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TASK #3 Creative Problem
Solving – SYNECTICS
Using Metaphor and Analogy to Enhance
Problem Definition
“Making the Familiar Strange and the
Strange Familiar”
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SYNECTICS
1. Pick one of your problem definitions
2. List several possible analogies or metaphors
3. Explore what those metaphors mean
4. Impose the same analysis on the original definition
What does it remind you of?
What does it make you feel like?
What is it similar to?
What isn’t it similar to?
10 minutes – record all ideas
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Tips for Constructing
Analogies or Metaphors
Example: Low Organizational Morale
Include action or motion: (driving, cooking, attending a
funeral…) “The problem reminds me of trying to turn a rusty
nail.”
Include things you can picture: (football games, carnivals,
places) “It makes me feel like I do when I visit a hospital ward.”
Pick familiar events: (family diners, poor customer service)
“This is similar to the loser’s locker room after a basketball
game.”
Relate dissimilar things: (an organization is more than a crowd,
it is a psychic prison or poker game) “This isn’t like a well-tuned
automobile.”
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Creative Problem Solving:
Generating Alternative Solutions
Fluency: The number of ideas or concepts
produced in a given amount of time.
Flexibility: diversity of ideas or concepts
produced in a given amount of time.
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Task# 4 Five- Minute Brainstorm
Pick one problem definition
List as many alternative solutions as you can,
no discussion, no judgment
Strive for High Frequency (number) and High
Fluency (diversity of ideas)
Record all alternatives – five minutes
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Task #5 Expand Alternatives
Random Stimulation Method
Each group pick a magazine
One person close eyes and point to specific spot on
the cover
The object closest to his or her finger is the stimulus
word
List relationships between that object and the problem
What alternative solutions do you see?
Record all alternatives – ten minutes
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What Did You Learn?
Tell us your “object”
Attributes and similarities
New alternative solutions
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Creativity Tips
Give yourself relaxation time
Find a place where you can think
Talk to other people about ideas
Ask other people for their suggestions about
your problems
Read a lot
Protect yourself from idea-killers
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Model of Analytical and Creative
Problem Solving
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To Foster Creativity...
Unlocking others
creative potential can
be a challenge
Will help you become
more successful
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To Foster Creativity...
Principle Examples
Let individuals work alone as well as with teams and task forces
Pull people apart;
Encourage minority reports and legitimize ‘devil advocate’s’ role
put people Encourage heterogeneous membership in teams
together Separate competing groups or subgroups
Talk to customers
Monitor and Prod
Identify customer expectations both in advance and after the sale
Hold people accountable
Use ‘sharp-pointed’ prods
Idea champion
Reward multiple
Sponsor and mentor
roles Orchestrator and facilitator
Rule breaker
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Creative Problem Solving
Change 5 More Things!
Stand up
Find a partner
With backs to each other, change 5 things
about your appearance
Face each other – guess what is different?
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Behavioral Guidelines
Use the 4-step analytical procedure to solve
straightforward problems
Use conceptual blockbusters with these activities:
Lateral thinking in addition to vertical thinking
Use several thought languages
Challenge stereotypes
Identify underlying themes
Delete superfluous information
Avoid artificially constraining problem boundaries
Overcome any unwillingness to be inquisitive
Use right and left brain thinking
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Behavioral Guidelines
Use metaphors and analogies
Elaborate problem definitions
Reverse problem definitions
Wait until all potential solutions have been
offered before offering judgment
Expand possible alternatives by subdividing
the problem into its attributes or using random
stimulation methods
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Behavioral Guidelines
Combine unrelated problem attributes to
increase the number of possible alternatives
Foster innovativeness
Use a practice field to experiment
Combine people with different perspectives
Hold people accountable
Use sharp-pointed prods to stimulate new thinking
Recognize, reward, and encourage the participation of
multiple roles in the innovation process
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Hindrances to
Creative Problem Solving
Conceptual Blocks – Obstacles that constrain the way
problems are defined
Education Paradox
Adults over 40
Too little education
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Conceptual Blocks Inhibit
Creative Problem Solving
Constancy
Vertical thinking – “dig the
well deeper”
Single thinking language – can you move
one stick to create a true equality?
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Answer to Match Stick Problem
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Conceptual Blocks
Inhibit Creativity
Compression
Artificially constraining a
problem –
draw three lines through nine
dots without lifting your penc
il
Distinguish figure from
ground
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Nine Dot Answer
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Conceptual Blocks
Inhibit Creativity
Commitment
Stereotyping based on past
experience – “
four volumes of Shakespeare
” question
Ignoring commonalities –
what are common terms that ?
apply to both water and =
finance?
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Four Volumes of Shakespeare
“There are four volumes of Shakespeare on the shelf. The pages
of each volume are exactly two inches thick. The covers are
each one-sixth of an inch thick. A book worm started eating at
page 1 of Volume 1 and ate straight through to the last page of
Volume IV. What distance did the worm cover?”
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Four Volumes of Shakespeare-
Answer
5 inches (Remember where the first and last
pages are.)
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Conceptual Blocks
Inhibit Creativity
Complacency
Lack of questioning – when was the last
time you asked three “why” questions in a
row?
Bias against thinking – left brain more
likely to be used than right
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Bias Against Thinking
List 1 List 2
Sunset Decline
Perfume Very
Brick Ambiguous
Monkey Resources
Castle Term
Guitar Conceptual
Pencil About
Computer Appendix
Umbrella Determine
Radar Forget
Blister Quantity
Chessboard Survey
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