4 Reasons Why Your Problem-Solving Process Just Doesn’t Work

Organizations today are facing more change than ever. That said, many leaders continue to try to solve organizational problems believing that what worked before will work again. The problem with this reasoning is that while it may seem intuitive, it is not supported by current global affairs. In fact, there are four characteristics of the world that continuously disrupt and destroy conventions.

1. Dynamic: The world is in a constant state of change. This is nothing new–it’s been going on since the beginning of time. But what we’re seeing today is the growing rise of technology is creating changes that are rapid and disruptive. Five years ago it was the growth of the internet and social media, today we’re seeing a step-change into robotics and AI that will disrupt every industry. Leaders today need to have processes and tools to predict, manage, and navigate this continually changing landscape.
2. Networked: The world is said to be growing smaller with the rise of social media. The real insight from social media is the realization that the world is networked, that decisions made in one context or industry or country can have ramifications for seemingly unrelated companies or industries. Did people really think that the iPod was going to take down the music and news media industries? Being aware of the networked world requires a different way of thinking and designing solutions. It requires dealing with parts in wholes and wholes in parts. It requires a way of working that is anticipatory and collaborative, not just linear.
3. Open: The problems we are facing today are very much open-ended. When we are dealing with a world that is networked and in a state of rapid change, we realize that problems do not have clearly defined boundaries–they are not linear or fixed, but rather shift and emerge. This open system confounds the linear problem-solvers who try to rush to a solution which turns out to be a mere band-aid and not something truly transformative and authentic.
4. Complex: A world that is rapidly changing, networked, and open is a complex world. Many CEOs complain that complexity is a big challenge in decision making. Complexity is driven, as with rapid change, by technology. How simple was it to receive a telegram? Today we receive information in at least four different ways: phone, text, email, and social media. Like the person I mentioned in one of my last posts who felt liberated when his iWatch broke, our technological world is making things more complicated rather than simpler. Complexity demands a very different way of problem-solving that is conventional. You can’t just get a few people in a board room and expect to reach a solution to a complex problem–it takes a different way of working.

This is where design comes in. As a process, design is itself dynamic, networked, open-ended, and complex enough to be requisite to the complexity of the problems of the day. Design doesn’t solve a problem but, at its best, creates the problem. Design is about forming networks of people and engaging in a way that leverages creativity and openness to reframe the problem in an entirely new way, then reach a rapid solution. Design is user-centric. Design is anticipatory.

Leaders today need to become more familiar with design and hire more designers. In a company in which there are more engineers and business-folk, designers are critical. If you do not have designers and creatives in your organization, chances are you’re just not that innovative, and may experience the threat of obsolescence in the near future.