A logical problem-diagnose scenario that crosses all industries is to keep peeling back the layers to discover the root cause, deal with the right problems and solve them in the right way.
There are multiple, inter-related dynamics today, change is inevitable, people have different perceptions; they perceive problems differently, as they have cognitive differences to understand what the real problem is, how they contribute to the observed problem; discover the real cause and address it. All stages must be handled with attention and proficiency.
Look at the problem from a different angle, understand the issues via multi-disciplinary lenses, and dig into the root cause: Problem-solving is about seeing a problem and actually finding a solution to that problem, not just the band-aid approach to fixing the symptom. Often problems are complex in the face of “VUCA” reality. Believe it or not, the same problem perhaps means different things to different people because they perceive things differently. The assumption that there is a single cause to a “problem” in a complex adaptive business system is unhelpful.
There are small issues and large problems, understand which of these root causes is being addressed. Lack of understanding leads to “fixing the symptom, not the root cause” syndrome. Sometimes, you even intend to solve problems but perhaps cause more serious problems later on. It is important to identify the root causes, encourage constructive behavior and open discussion upon the issues, trace from the top-down level, not only just symptoms but also underlying root causes.
Lucid understanding leads to insight which helps to improve root cause discovery: The reality is that there are many contributing factors to problems, and it is often a combination of these causes which has such a devastating impact on initiative to change. So the level of understanding directly impacts problem-solving effectiveness. Understanding has happened to a human, which is a reflection of the intellect that has evolved. Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect in a specific context or the core issues of a situation based on the identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario.
The desired outcome of problem-solving is to identify and fix the root causes with little side-effects. Understand the proposed solution and how it is expected to address the root cause you chose to address. Understand what your high-level outcomes are related to the issue, opportunity or problem. Understand the interconnectivity and root causes, the cause and effect relationships, and how performance is actually being generated; collaboration, teamwork, unity bring strength.
It is the understanding of the root cause of a problem or the core issues of a situation which leads to innovative solutions: A solution is vague or temporary if the problem is not perceived comprehensively. Until the underlying problem is addressed, the symptom will continue to return. Understand the proposed solution and how it is expected to address the root cause we chose to address. The predictive analysis in business dynamics can include nonlinear cause and effect models, and develop nonlinear business problem-solving scenarios.
Good problem-solvers can gain lucid understanding and guide people through problem-solving via framing open, thought-provoking questions with emphasis on doing-pre-work, in order to attract a multi-dimensional viewpoint, fix the root cause of one problem; and come up with systematic solutions. In order to come up with innovative solutions, you may well define a starting point to break it through. It helps greatly with prioritization, allowing you to focus on the most important things, take alternative solutions.
Problem-solving today is complex. It becomes complex if things do interact, particularly in the case of nonlinear interconnection and interactions. A logical problem-diagnose scenario that crosses all industries is to keep peeling back the layers to discover the root cause, deal with the right problems and solve them in the right way. This helps to put the magnitude of an issue in perspective and allows you to better prioritize when everything seems to be urgent, take a step back and decide which actions to take first and which to take last, discovering the root cause of issues and seeing the interconnectivity between the parts and the whole.
