Problem Solving Capability- Your Biggest Competitive Advantage.

Where we are now

With increasing technological sophistication in a web based age, business challenges now take place on a global stage. With so much progress being made in so many social, technological, industrial, engineering and digital arena’s. An important detail that we often take for granted is that many of the simple problems in these fields have been solved, and for each simple problem solved two more sophisticated problems are created. The one part of the problem being that of ‘Complication’ where there are more and more hierarchical layers of ‘Complexity’. Complexities are are new inter-dependencies created by the most recent layer of the solution. What this means for an enterprise that wants to stay competitive is that these greater and more difficult problems need to be solved, better, sooner and more affordably than what others are doing it.

Problem solving capability is the single greatest marker of competitive advantage. All organisations that are ahead in their respective arenas, and the ones creating seemingly new niches are the ones who are upping the sophistication by which they systematize the ways in which they unravel problems. As much as solving complexity inherent in business is dependent on advanced systems and technologies, the efficacy of these will always be underpinned by the human capacities to ask the right questions. What this means is that if we want to see where leaders will emerge in the digital organisation it will be those who enhance their capacities to problem solve.

The Simplicity on Either Side of Complexity

Being aware that basic components generate complicated and complex results is the foundational principal to harnessing the power of problem solving. The tech you are reading this very article on is based on just two binary states. The vibrancy of the images that we watch on our ever flatter and flatter monitors still comes from the blending of three primary colours and the manipulation of light and shadow. Just so there are six vital substrates inherent in human solution finding. They are computational mental algorithms that are expressed as behavioral archetypal strategies; Formulating the Framework (The Sage), Incubating Insights (The Scholar), Building Bridges (The Companion), Managing the Minutia (The Priest), Sculpting Solutions (The Artisan), and Doing the Deliverables (The Warrior).

The more challenging the problem, and the faster the pace of the sector you are in the more vital this skill set is going to be. We are not talking about rudimentary paint by numbers, join the dots, conventional small-scale approaches here either. This often just leads to what the American economist Alfred E. Kahn described as the Tyranny of Small Decisions. What this means is that all our linear, small scale ‘solutions’ are negatively changing the context of subsequent choices, often to the extent where desired options are irreversibly destroyed. The concept isn’t isolated to economics it reaches into any field where decisions are made on things that require any degree of Future Proofing such as environmental degradation, political elections, health outcomes as well as electronics, medical, industrial design and the engineering industries. These areas are rapidly evolving, yet grounded in foundational practices, and require solutions that are holistic, systemic, non-linier and divergent. Solutions that use a strategic focus, changing problems into opportunities precisely because they go beyond ‘in the moment’ tactical reactions.

To solve problems in a hyper-connected world, the thinking must be global, adaptive and organic. The bottom line is, our organisational information is long past the stage where clip, boards, pen and paper, and even excel spreadsheets are good enough for us to see the whole picture. Information technology is not merely something that is faddishly de rigueur it is the primary tool that we require to best tap our strongest strategic asset which is knowledge. Without these six fundamentals our problem-solving skills are seriously undermined. According to a recent survey by Bloomberg, problem solving is categorized as one of the least common and most sought-after skills across all industry sectors. Basically, if you are not promoting a culture of problem solving in your business, and your business is not meaningfully addressing problems that your clients are facing, then your chances for growth if not survival are exceedingly limited.

Putting the Quest back into Questioning

Every narrative has embedded within it some type of algorithm 'if, if, if = then'. There is something that catalyses a movement from one point to another, one situation or state to another, hence an ‘advent’-ure. There are input behaviours and output consequences that construct an ever-deepening journey as the protagonist quests on and on, going towards that which he or she must ‘prize’ from the unknown. An unknown that fills the adventurer with fear, frustration, determination and sometimes even disappointment. Ultimately regardless of how we deal with situations, whether resolved or not, a story will have come into existence, one that on some level speaks of the victor and the vanquished. If we take seriously this questing framework it allows us to generate language, imagery and a sense of dynamism wherein we can truly invest in meaning-making beyond the mere dry ‘facts’ of the situation at hand. Facts like the frustrations of people and events that may thwart our attempts at going forward. Derailments and delays, detailed plans that end up back to the drawing board, upheavals, crisis, catastrophes, the slow arduous plodding, the lucky breaks, new vistas, uncovered secrets, the acquisition of powerful tools that act as force multipliers and game changers. It is only by fully embracing the hidden ‘dramas’ that we will be able to uncover the deep wisdom of effective principles and practices unearthed on our problem-solving journeys.

The Great Divide: The Haves and the Have-Nots

When looking at what it is that separates the adroit problem solvers from their not so nimble counterparts, it comes down to how well they comprehend the six essentials, and how many of the essentials they use. The key to the six essentials is that it is not just something that one needs to use by themselves, but by how much of these qualities one can harness in others. Understanding anything in any real depth requires that we develop a broad understanding of what constitutes these principles. The deeper our understanding the greater our capacity to pull together these resources in us and from around us. When expressed as archetypes these six essentials can be understood as problem solving formulas in a dominance hierarchy Keep in mind here that by dominance hierarchy I am referring to the fact that anything that we do not understand well enough can exert control over us, if not direct or overt control we remain subjugated by our inability to classify or predict what we do not understand, and so are are prone to be if not dominated then certainly constrained by it.

Archetypes understood as personalities assist us in identifying what our own personal strengths and limitations are as well as giving us an insight into the problem-solving patterns (survival strategies) people around us employ. This allows us to build teams that will complement each other’s strengths and compensate for each other’s weakness. Problem solving as an ability to get things done is all about creating transformative wholes that are greater than the sum of their transactional parts.

Then there were Six

Formulating the Framework (The Sage)

The Sage is oriented to moving away from unstructured reality to well defined perspectives. The Sage achieves this through a process of imaginative ideation around the sensibility of why things need to be done in a more enlightened and holistic way. The Sage is a radical perspectivist and thus seeks to understand and incorporate the broadest swath of points of view. The most imaginative solutions require a great amount of divergent thinking, as well as an anchor of systemic convergent principles to create a strong centre of gravity around which cognitive diversity can orbit and coalesce into motivating framework. When this level of commitment to principles and pan-ideatory mindedness merge, we allow ourselves access to wider realms of solution opportunities and resources. Look at Dee Hock’s creating of Visa International, and John Seely Brown of Xerox. Either the company is headed by a Sage or the sage mindset is epitomized within an innovative company’s day to day activities.

Incubating Insights (The Scholar)

The Scholar as a dedicand of understanding focuses on bringing all the substantiating facts into the Sage’s innovative framework. The Scholar does this by drilling deeper and deeper via timely observation and experimentation. With good information at hand we have better knowledge at our disposal with which to make decisions. The Scholars immersion in the data landscape allows him to choose better workflow paths and analyse risk more clearly before making the next move. Scholars unashamedly have a territorial imperative when it comes to knowledge, this gives them a very deep appreciation for the subtleties of problem solving that require insight and comprehension. Wonderful examples of Scholar Archetypes are Craig Venter of Celera Genomics, Gordon Moore of Intel, companies that embody the Scholastic narrative are ones established based on research and discovery, think of Caltech, MIT and Bell Labs

Building Bridges (The Companion)

The Companion is the one who takes the insights to the people. The Companion wants to be side by side with their community, and does so by harnessing and developing better and better ways of connecting and communicating with his or her ever expanding network of associations. The Companion is keyed into loyalty and service, their motto is “Ask not what the world can do for you, but rather what you can do for the world” This is the part of the problem-solving process that deals with people and how they can be brought together. The masterful Companion is discerning enough to know which people are worth connecting, and what the implication of those connections might be. It is not uncommon that these Companions rise to great leadership positions, because they communicate a sense that they understand the people, and that people feel understood by them. Renowned Companions like Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt took bridge building onto the global stage forging alliances while connecting and inspiring millions.

Managing the Minutia (The Priest)

The Priest is the one who takes the communities that the companion has built up, and gets them to line up in formation. This archetype is both the clock and the compass of the community, as it sets both priority and direction. It is at this level of focus that we clarify the vision by concretising the destination, with the Priest also being capable of codifying the mission statement in systems and strategies that assist us in strategically reaching the ‘promised land’. Priest like Nelson Mandela, Colin Powell and Jack Welch demonstrate the capability these individuals have through their principled leadership styles to solve problems that change the lives of so many.

Sculpting Solutions (The Artisan)

The Artisanal mindset is the one utilised to sculpt and mould all the principles inherent in the other strategies, the tech, the people, the rules etc, around the needs of the client. The Artisan takes the delineations and outcomes that the Priest has put in place, and establishes what it would take to get an organisation to where it wants to go. This is the pinnacle of the iterative process that has gone before. As the insight into the problem leads to innovation and knowledge expands, expertise in defining further challenges well increases, in so doing deepening relationships. These deepened relationships are what allows the artisans to sculpt the effective world in which we want to live out of the materials that constitute the inefficient world we don’t want to be a part of anymore. These are the Bill Gates’, Steve Jobs, Steve Woznick’s and Jeff Bezos’ of this world. They have all built organisations that are marked for their cultures as well as their contributions.

Doing the Deliverable's (The Warrior).

The Warrior is the one who takes what is sculpted and the power inherent therein and drives it into the front lines of the battlefield of the free market to ensure that sustainable advantage is leveraged. This is done through disciplined and intuitive implementation. With the Warrior the key driver is to excel by exceeding the expected. The warrior steps up to the plate and tackles the natural resistances inherent in engaging in the competitive sphere. If the Priest establishes the doctrine and the Artisan forges the weapons, it is the Warrior who needs to fearlessly wield them. If the Companion has built the bridges and forged the alliances and the Scholar has gathered the key strategic information then the victory that constituted the vision of the Sage is readily assured. They are the unsung heroes who go out every day to capture that hill, be that hill in the sales sphere, at manufacturing facilities, on a production plant, around a negotiating table, in front of the computer.

Pioneering Problem Solving

Whatever the arena, it is problem solving that defines a business’ place in our new economy. We need to place a premium on the whole person, by positioning that person within a team that taps the strongest aspects of their problem-solving typology. Hiring people with the right qualifications for a job is only half the victory. The other half is made up of all of the facets that constitute their personal problem-solving capacities. The capacity to conceptualize, to organize, the capacity to collaborate and seek help in the face of uncertainty, to be self-reliant, the capacity to bring concepts together, the capacity to self-initiate. The Problem solver is the one who tenaciously surmounts the next peak and tackles the uncharted with resolve. Regardless of the tools and the techniques our new technologies give us, they are of little value unless they are in the hands of a problem solver. For personal and professional flourishing this one capacity will confer the greatest advantage both despite and because of whatever time, tide or circumstance have in store.