Approach for Problem-Solving

Approach for Problem-Solving

Lateral or Creative Problem-Solving

During 1950 -1960, some significant research was done by Roger Sperry, which won
him the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1981. Sperry’s work demonstrated that human
brain is divided into two major parts or hemispheres - the right brain and the left brain.

The left brain is associated with verbal, logical, and analytical thinking. It excels in
naming and categorizing things, symbolic abstraction, speech, reading, writing and
arithmetic. The left brain is very linear: it places things in sequential order - first things
first and then second things second, etc. Left brain engages in a very systematic,
sequential and exact approach to getting the job done. The left brain strives for accuracy
in the process of the job being done.

The right brain, on the other hand, functions in a non-verbal manner and excels in visual,
spatial, perceptual, and intuitive information. It is associated with the realm of creativity.
The right brain processes information differently than the left brain. The processing
happens very quickly and the style of processing is non-linear and non-sequential. The
right brain looks at the whole picture and quickly seeks to determine the spatial
relationships of all the parts as they relate to the whole. This component of the brain is
not concerned with things falling into patterns because of prescribed rules.

So, lateral or creative problem solving does not follow a standard set of procedures. It
is a ‘subconscious process based on past distilled experiences’. It is based more on
the gut feeling of the manager than on an objective process of weighing alternatives.

There are a set of conditions and it is accepted that under those conditions intuitive
approach is generally preferred to rational approach. Intuitive method is preferred when:

• a high level of uncertainty exists,
• there is little precedence to draw on,
• variables are not reliably predictable,
• facts are limited or facts are contradictory,
• analytical data are of little use,
• there are several plausible solutions; and
• time is limited and decision must be made

The creative problem-solving is flexible. So it can be used to examine real problems
and issues. According to ‘brainstorming’ creator Alex Osborn and Dr Sidney Parnes,
creative problem-solving process involves six steps, which together provide a structured
procedure for identifying challenges, generating ideas and implementing innovative
solutions. Following are the six steps:

1. Objective (Mess) Finding: The problem solver discusses the situation about
the problem and brainstorms a list of objectives or goals which he/she might
have for him/her creative effort. Through some process, arrive at consensus on
one or more objectives the group is willing to attempt.

2. Fact Finding: The problem-solver brainstorms all the facts which might even
remotely be related to the objective. S/he has made sure that each perspective
and participant is represented on the listing. S/he has to take some time for the
participants to point out which facts they feel are most relevant to the objective
and its eventual solution.

3. Problem-Solving: One of the most powerful aspects of creativity is rephrasing
the problem definition to one which is both closer to the real problem and reveals
more obvious solutions. One technique for this is to brainstorm different ways
to state the problem. Most people recommend that the problem statement be
written as: “In what ways might we...” One has to pay particular attention to
changing the verbs and the nouns in the problem statement. Asking “Why?” and
“How?” will also result in some interesting problem statements. Let the owner of
the problem select the statement or statements which seem to best capture the
“real” problem.

4. Solution Finding: In this step, the ideas with the greatest potential are evaluated
and the problem owner selects an idea or set of ideas to take action on. One of
the most effective methods for this step is to brainstorm the criteria which
determine the best idea, like cost, appearance, etc., then select the most useful
criteria. These criteria are then used in a decision matrix in which every idea is
evaluated on every criterion and the judgments combined to select the idea
worth putting into action.

5. Acceptance Finding: In this phase, the problem solvers consider the real world
issues of the change from the old way to the proposed new way as well as
issues that are likely to have a bearing upon the acceptance and implementation
of the envisaged change. The ideas developed in this step are then integrated
into the plan, increasing it’s likeliness of success.
Unlike many other problem-solving methods, the process emphasizes the need to defer
judgment on possible ideas and solutions until a final decision is made. In this way, the
flow of ideas in the third step is not interrupted, and possible solutions, however, bizarre,
are accepted.