Shu Ha Ri — Disciplined Learning and Problem Solving Approach
An Agile approach to learning and how to correlate it with design thinking.
We often find it difficult to approach a new subject, art, opportunity, especially when we want to learn it. While learning something in itself is a beautiful art - one can always break it down into smaller stages and approach it in a disciplined manner.
One such approach to adopt disciplined learning and problem solving could be — Shuhari (守破離) a Japanese martial art concept which describes the stages of learning to mastery.
This is a term the Japanese use to describe the overall progression of martial arts training, as well as the lifelong relationship the student will enjoy with his or her instructor.
Shu(守): Protect
In this phase one must blindly learn and absorb everything there is to learn. Approach the subject in a step by step manner; Repetition is the name of the game. It is a fairly linear approach because following a single path ensures that one learns efficiently.
Ha(破): Sever
By this time, one has learned the fundamentals of what she/he intended to learn and have a clear understanding of the fundamentals. One must now also possess the skill to teach others what has been learned and improve upon this knowledge in due process.
Ri(離): Transcend
It is now time to extend whatever one has learned beyond the sphere of the current subject. Everything learned during this process now becomes second nature. One must now be able to apply this across multiple problems.
Extending Shu Ha Ri to Problem Solving (and Design Thinking)
The entire process is not a linear progression. It is more akin to concentric circles, so that there is Shu within Ha and both Shu and Ha within Ri. Thus, the fundamentals remain constant; only the application of them and the nuances of their execution change as the one progresses.
While there are quite a few articles that explain how this approach can be adopted within the Agile principles, I’d love to correlate its subtleties to Design Thinking.
Shu: Understand the depth of your problem, the underlying need and its impact in the Shu stage.
Ha: You have now understood your problem, and should be well aware of what is causing the problem. It is now time to break away from the problem and try focusing on how you can solve it.
Ri: If the pattern of this problem is repetitive and idiosyncratic to you, it should be now easy for you to correlate the process adopted earlier and apply (transcend, go/approach) this to any other impending problem.
The goal of Shuhari being, that the student must surpass the masters ability — in the case where the subject surrounds an individual (oneself), one must strive to surpass himself/herself during the course of this ongoing process.
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