Problem-Solving is Actually Problem-Finding
We assume that we are already know the question or the specific conditions, and we try to use a sequence of logical steps in order get the unknown answer we’re looking for. The problem with this is that it’s not effective because problem-solving is a question of what, not how.
Instead of trying to find how out to get from the known (the question) to the unknown (the answer), we’re trying to find what is the condition or set of data for a specific answer or solution. From unknown to known, not known to unknown.
Think about it this way. If somebody asked you “how can I lose weight?”, you are already have the solution and answer in mind: losing weight. What you are searching for is the different conditions and data were people have been shown to lose weight. It’s kind of like, “this is what I want, what are the various ways I can get it,” instead, “I don’t know how to do this, how do I go about finding a series of steps that will help me do so.”
Initially, we don’t know the question because we don’t know the data. Taking the example of losing weight, we don’t know what is being done to lose weight. So what we do is we research the various ways one can lose weight instead of taking the more conventional step of trying to figure out how weight loss works.
So instead of figuring out a process, we are searching and trying out different methods. What we are lacking is the data of the question and not the answer. We already know the answer, losing weight, so it makes little sense trying the how or the process of losing, better to find out what are the different ways one can lose weight.
What you want is a general question that leads to a searching spree instead of definite question followed by logical steps. “What is this?” instead of “how do we get this?”
As Michael Simmons said, “every problem is a knowledge search problem.” And so, he recommends that we frame all our problems as knowledge search problem. And that whenever we face a challenge, we ask ourselves, “What knowledge am I missing? How can I most quickly find that knowledge?”
The first we should look for when solving any problem is to think about what knowledge you’ll need. Don’t jump right in trying to figure out how it works. Better to search for the missing information instead.
So shift focus away from trying to search for the “right answer” and move towards asking “Is this the right question?” and “What are some different ways of looking at this problem?”
Not only will you find better solutions, you’ll find one most suitable to the problem you have.
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