{"id":453185956,"count":22,"description":"

Creative Problem Solving<\/h1>\r\nLeading a group from \u2018here\u2019 to \u2018there\u2019 presupposes more than one right answer. Facilitation strives to articulate the best answer for each group of participants, eschewing the thought that some universal \u2018best answer\u2019 exists.\r\n\r\nWhen preparing for problem solving or gap analysis, the meeting designer alone bears tremendous burden to design optimal meeting activities that will kindle consensus. No one can prove certainty about the future, so I\u2019ll also recommend building different scenarios and ranges of possibilities. Therefore, creative thinking remains paramount for exceptional problem solving or gap analysis. Facilitators may be challenged more than ever, but these articles will make it easier for you, especially once you learn how to manage \u2018many-to-many.\u2019\r\n\r\nThis Problem Solving<\/em> Approach<\/em> solves problems by creating focus when there are many symptoms, many causes, many preventions, and many cures that ought to be considered. This Problem Solving<\/em>\u00a0Approach<\/em> also keeps participants \u2018on track,\u2019 especially those that jump around.\r\n\r\nMany meetings waste time because they lack structure, not because they fail to generate some promising ideas. Meetings are challenged by people who never know when they are done, how they can measure their progress, and how much work remains to be done. They don\u2019t know what they missed. They don\u2019t know what they don\u2019t know. Here is a disciplined Problem-solving<\/em><\/strong> Approach<\/em> to structure activities and ask precise questions that will unveil practical and obscure solutions.<\/strong>\r\n

Problem Definition<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nEarly emphasis should not try solving the problem but finding unusual ways of looking at and describing the problem situation. The more general the expression of a problem, the less likely it is to suggest answers. As the problem definition becomes more specific, it sharpens potential solutions.\r\n\r\nNOTE: The problem definition remains far more critical than most people understand. For example, while traveling on a deserted road, an automobile gets a flat tire. The occupants discover that there is no jack in the trunk. They de\ufb01ne the problem as '\ufb01nding a jack' and decide to walk to a station for a jack. Another automobile on the same road also blows a tire. The occupants of the second car also discover that there is no jack. They de\ufb01ne the problem as 'raising the automobile.' They see an old barn, push the auto there, raise it on a pulley, change the tire, and drive off while the occupants of the \ufb01rst car are still trudging towards the service station.[1]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a>\r\n\r\nTo create divergent solutions, vary the descriptions of the problem. When focused on describing the problem, using mountaineering as the analogy, you might consider:\r\n
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    Re-writing or versioning problem statements.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/h3>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n