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Creativity Tip 20 - How do you avoid premature evaluation?
The simple answer it to 'Analyse first'
Our natural approach when we encounter a problem is to come up with an idea and then take decisive action. This is often the expected response for an active person - especially managers in a work environment. It is better than doing nothing and it is often a good thing to do. If the building is on fire then you evacuate and call the fire brigade.
However, there are many times when a different approach could result in improved results. A knee-jerk solution may well not be the best, as we may have a poor understanding of the problem with such a brief study.
Albert Einstein once said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend 59 minutes analysing the problem and 1 minute coming up with solutions.
There are various techniques that work well for problem analysis.
One of the best tools is the Six Serving Men approach which allows you to look at a problem from 12 specific and different points of view. As follows:
Six Serving Men
Using the words of the Rudyard Kipling poem:
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
Formulate twelve questions based on positive and negative aspects ie:
1. What is good xxx?
2. What is not good xxx?
3. Why do we get good xxx?
4. Why do we get bad xxx?
5. When is there good xxx?
6. When is there bad xxx?
7. How do we get good xxx?
8. How do we get bad xxx?
9. Where is there good xxx?
10. Where is there bad xxx?
11. Who gives good xxx?
12. Who gives bad xxx?
By asking and answering these questions you get a broad picture of the issue and the underlying factors.
Another technique is to activate your inner child using just one question:
Why, Why?
The problem is stated and then the question 'Why?' is asked. This should elicit some initial main answers. Then for each of these answers the question 'Why?' is asked again. This process is repeated until a full picture of all the causes is shown.
This method encourages us to think like a child. Children often ask 'Why?' and continue to ask until it becomes irritating. It is a highly effective technique for getting to the bottom of an issue but it is one that we often abandon when we no longer wish to appear childish. Use this technique to rediscover the power of the child's questioning technique.
A very sophisticated technique that originated in Japan is the Lotus Blossom method.
Lotus Blossom
This method is more thorough than Why, Why? but it takes longer and it requires considerably more paper! It is a useful technique to do in a group. It is meant to resemble the peeling of the petals of a lotus blossom flower where each petal reveals more petals underneath.
The problem or issue is written in a circle in the middle of a large piece of paper and the eight main causes of the problem are discussed and agreed. They are drawn as satellites around the main issue.
Each of these eight causes becomes a theme in its own right and the group has to find eight attributes, issues or causes for each. This results in nine sheets of paper, each containing the eight main themes which in turn generate a further eight sub-themes. So we end up with some 64 issues - many of which are interrelated. It is best to start with a big wall for Lotus Blossom!
It may appear difficult to find eight causes or attributes for each theme. However, the extra effort is usually worthwhile and that the discipline ensures that the issues are fully explored. Items that would otherwise be overlooked are uncovered.
Once you have defined a problem using these techniques, it is a good idea is to let the subconscious have a chance at the problem. Many great thinkers and inventors used this method. They analysed the problem, then parked it for a while and did something else. The result is that they allowed their subconscious mind to digest the issues. Later when they returned to the topic they found they had a whole new set of ideas.
By separating the analysis and the creation stages of problem solving it's possible to form a better view of the situation; then it's easier to find and focus on the real issues and your brain has time to turn up better solutions.
Ref: Lateral Thinking Skills by Paul Sloan
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