From the course: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Understanding the problem

From the course: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Understanding the problem

- My experience with new groups is extensive. Every quarter, I put together up to 20 new groups. I have several leadership projects that involve me putting people into project groups and regularly I'm brought in to help new groups create a positive culture and team relationship. In each of these, I get to see groups tackle issues. And what I so often see is that they just rush into finding a solution. They immediately go to what they're going to do before fully understanding what they're trying to solve. Now, with classroom groups, I will often let the students make the mistake and use it as a learning moment. But with the leadership groups and with client groups, I quickly bring them to a discussion about the importance of understanding the problem at hand. There are several things that I share with them that will help you guide your problem solving as well. First, you have to examine the type of claim. There are several types of claims that a person or a group can make. Statements of fact, when you determine whether something is true or not. Is the statement empirically verifiable? It could be the statement of value, when you determine whether something is worthy, good, or beneficial. These are a little trickier because you need to assess things that are not bounded by objective views. Values can be subjective. So consider the source to understand where the value is coming from. There are also statements of policy, when you argue for a change to the status quo. Most of these statements are supported by statements of value and statements of fact. Here, you need to look to stakeholders and assess how they're potentially going to be affected. After you determine the type of claim, then you need to make sure that everyone sees the problem at hand. This sounds easy, but it's not uncommon that someone on the group has more or less information than other people. It's important to talk through all of the information and make sure that everyone is on the same page. One trick I've used here is to have everyone individually write down their thoughts on what the issues are, and then share. This tends to highlight differences. When you can align to identify the problem first, you'll likely reduce wasted time, rework, and frustrations, and solve the problem more efficiently as a team.

Contents