Problem Solving 2.0

This site is dedicated to the enhancement of problem solving capability in organizations. As a nation —  as a nation of businesses — we face problems of greater complexity, with often torturous histories, with larger and more contentious sets of stakeholders, and sometimes with painful tradeoffs rather than clean solutions.

I am pleased to announce that I have affiliated with Barnes & Conti in Berkeley, California. Together we have translated the PS2 material into a new course offering. I encourage you to visit their website and find out how you might bring this program into your company.

Most problem solving in today's organizations is under a classic model, let's call it Problem Solving 1.0. This model is a set of tools for helping groups work together. It includes tools for encouraging creativity, managing differences of opinion, exploring options, making tough choices, cultivating consensus, and the like. It is wrapped around a linear, rational model of seeking out causes and changing them. It is a good start...and we need something much stronger.

Problem Solving 2.0 is about truly understanding problems better. As valuable as group consensus may be, it has the risk of appearing like progress, when it is only agreement on a narrow or biased view. The term 'GroupThink' was invented to capture the downside of over emphasizing consensus and teamwork to the detriment of incisive thought. With greater problem complexity, the chance of consensus around a faulty understanding of the situation becomes more likely ... and more dangerous.

With a more sophisticated understanding of the essential nature of a given problem, we do not have to choose.  We can build a process that addresses both the essence of the problem and the best process for supporting those trying to solve it.

My new affiliation with Barnes & Conti

Barnes & Conti has a long history of developing and delivering unique courses to companies around the world. Over the last year I have been working with them to translate the PS2 materials into a new edition to their list of offerings.

The interaction with the Barnes & Conti staff has sharpened the concepts significantly (after all, I'm just an old academic) and created a set of exercises that make the material much more "learnable" than I ever could before.

I encourage you to visit their website and click on the Puzzles, Mysteries and Muddles icon on the left side. The program has been piloted on both coasts and is ready for delivery from any one of a number of excellent trainers.

They have all been certified in the materials and can bring the ideas of PS2 as well as their extensive corporate level experience in training delivery to your organization.