Values and problem-solving
Values are highly relevant in the context of making breakthroughs in complex-problems that persist. As mentioned elsewhere, making a breakthrough often means revisiting the basic assumptions and values of the involved parties, and reconfiguring how the different parties interact. The key to creating a breakthrough is often about correcting basic assumptions about what works and what does not, while at the same time respecting and protecning the values that the different stakeholders hold sacred.
In the case of Solve180 and the work involved in mapping and unlocking hidden innovation opportunites, the values below have special significance.
Openness and respect
When we are faced with a persistent problem that we have tried to solve repeatedly without success, we must start with the assumption that our own account of reality is probably not complete and possibly flawed. We must expect that the problem-solving process will bring surprises, and we must commit to consider differing perspectives with an open mind. Honesty is key in this process, and we must respect it when people share opinions that may not please us. We must respect the spirit in which these opinions are shared which is one of being constructive.
Grey over black & white
When faced with a persistent problem, we should assume that differing accounts of reality are not either right or wrong. Instead they are likely to be both right and wrong. As a starting point, and until we have sufficient data to show otherwise, we should assume that each account of reality is likely to correctly describe a particular situation or context.
Frustration is gold
In an organizational context we tend to frown upon frustration. We expect a “good soldier” not to display frustration. And we tend not to like it when customers display frustration with our offering. However, frustration can be a powerful source of innovation if we recognize it merits. First of all, there is no way to fake frustration, so we can be sure that whoever expresses frustration is telling the truth. Or at least the truth as experienced from that person’s perspective. Secondly, frustration contains information about something that is not working, and often also about how things could or should be. In the context of innovation in problem-solving, frustration is hence not something we should shy away from. On the contrary, frustration is something we should work to identify and explore.
Welcome uncertainty
When solving problems, we have a tendency to focus on identifying “the cause”. We prefer to reduce our problems to one issue that needs changing. When it comes to persistent problems however, this can be a problem. If there were only one cause, it would likely have been identified already. In this situation, we need to consciously break the tendency for groups to converge towards single reasons. Instead we must accept that the problem is likely to have multiple roots. In the initial process, this will increase uncertainty about the problem, and it will appear to become bigger. Later, however, we will get the opportunity to confirm or discard hypotheses. This will allow us to converge towards a simpler but more accurate understanding of the problem.
Limit discussions
Discussing is so ingrained in our meetings and social interactions in general that we tend to think that it is the only way to advance. But there is a difference between discussing and interchanging viewpoints. In a discussion, people will typically defend a specific viewpoint. You “win” a discussion when your argument has generated sufficient support over another argument. When you interchange viewpoints, however, your objective is not to win but to increase your collective understanding of the problem. A discussion can be a great way to decide between different solution alternatives. However, when faced with a persistent problem that we have been unable to solve, what we need is to improve is the collective understanding of what the causes might be. Here we need to focus on interchanging viewpoints to see new possibilities and save discussions for later.
The thoughts on values in relation to creative problem-solving are partly inspired by points made in “Innovation as Usual” by Paddy Miller and Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg, and in “Enhancing creativity for individuals, groups and organizations” by Søren Hansen and Christian Byrge.