Some people seem to others to be very talented, capable of resolving the most difficult difficulties. But these outstanding practices often have one thing in common - unconscious competence. Without even knowing the answers to the questions, they know where to find them. These people can learn the right approach to solving problems. After all, if a magic wand has not yet been invented to solve difficulties, then all kinds of methods and techniques allow each person to overcome obstacles and answer questions that are relevant to themselves.
Difficulty analysis
Many methods for solving problems are based on a process that contains four main steps:
- First you need to determine what the problem is. What is its true reason? How did it become clear that it basically exists?
- After that, possible options for resolving this difficulty are selected. Write down any ideas that come to mind.
- The next stage is a preliminary assessment of the options, and then the selection of the most suitable. Which strategy is best suited for this particular difficulty? And which one is the easiest to implement? Perhaps some strategies require additional resources — finance, health, or relationships with people who aren't there yet. And therefore, it is worthwhile to dwell on those methods that are available.
- The final stage is the embodiment of the chosen option. At the end of this stage, the question of whether the selected strategy was successful was answered. This will help to correct actions when new problems arise, similar to the previous one.
This method of analysis in solving problems is the basis for solving various difficulties. On their basis it is possible to compose all kinds of variations adapted to the individual characteristics of a person.
Social Issues: Solutions
The term “social problem” refers to such difficulties as unemployment, stratification of society, and a high level of morbidity and mortality among the population. Methods for solving social problems, primarily, are the adoption by the government of certain decisions. They are expressed in the legislative acts of the ruling authorities, the conduct of various measures aimed at solving the difficulties, as well as the use of modern Internet capabilities. They allow you to declare openly that there is a specific problem. And Internet users express their opinion on a specific issue and offer various alternative options for resolving them.
Management problems
In the process of developing and adopting an organizational strategy, the person who makes the decision can use various methods for solving managerial problems. Let's consider some of them.
- Two-phase questioning. Allows you to establish the main factors that affect the current situation, through the individual work of experts.
- Factor analysis. Allows you to obtain data on analytical dependence, which reflects the level of influence of certain factors and their indicators on the current situation. Mostly such data is obtained from statistical analysis.
- Economic assessment. Lets make a conclusion about the financial condition of the organization. It is used in conditions of accessibility of accounting reports. A typical financial model is based on determining the breakeven point of the enterprise.
- The method of control questions. This method of solving problems in the organization involves bringing to answers using leading questions. They can be used both in the process of individual work, and in group discussions of the existing difficulties.
Ways to resolve problems in the educational process
Statement of the problem is one of the main ways of learning. This approach allows students to turn on the thought process, recall previous experience and knowledge related to the actual difficulty of the lesson.
One of the main methods for solving a learning problem is to stimulate dialogue that allows students to put forward hypotheses. Typically, the motivation is carried out by the teacher using the standard phrase: “What are the hypotheses about this?” This question provokes the advancement of absolutely any assumptions - both incorrect and decisive, correct.
In the event that the class is silent, or if students put forward only erroneous hypotheses, the teacher should give a hint to the crucial version. Such a hint is thought out by the teacher in advance in preparation for the lesson. For verbal verification, another standard phrase is used: “Do you agree with this hypothesis or not? Why?"
Actualization of complexity
Problem solving is a teaching method that allows students to concentrate most deeply on the topic of the lesson. Another way to do this is to actualize a certain difficulty. For example, the teacher asks the class to define the term “atmospheric pressure”. Then he asks other questions. For example, why over different parts of the earth's surface its indicators may be uneven. The answer is recorded in chalk on a blackboard. During the lesson, the teacher also draws various schemes that allow students to focus more on one or another difficulty.
Creative principles for resolving difficulties
The process of creative thinking focuses on the following key points in resolving difficulties:
- The need to share the formation of new ideas and their subsequent evaluation. When brainstorming takes place, enough time should be devoted to fixing all new ideas. Possible obstacle management strategies should be formulated as much as possible. They should not be evaluated until the brainstorming is complete.
- Problems should be reformulated into clear and concise questions. Encouraging yourself, another person or group to find creative solutions will be much easier if the difficulty appears in the form of a specific question, suggesting an unusual answer.
- Using the words “yes, and” will significantly help develop a new idea. One of the main rules of improvisation is that each creative idea can be quickly ruined by the word “but ...” (“This option is good, but ...”). This short lexical unit should be avoided at all costs. Instead, it is worth adding a possible solution to the problem with the words "yes, and ...".
These principles can be applied both for individual problem solving and during brainstorming. It is best to start generating new ideas by asking interesting questions and drawing on the premises that already exist. And judgments and assessments can be started later - when the assault is completed.
Formulate difficulty in reverse
One of the most popular methods for creative problem solving. In the process of applying this approach, any positive statement must be changed to negative. For example, if you have difficulty finding new ideas in the field of working with clients, you can imagine the worst option for customer service. This will help to distract from standard approaches, and unexpected turns of perspective can be very successful. The technique allows you to automatically abandon criticism, helps to see until this time unnoticed combinations of ideas.
Free word selection
If standard methods of analysis and problem solving do not help, you can resort to the most unusual and creative ways. The meaning of this method is a completely random choice of a combination of words. The easiest way to do this is simply by looking at a magazine, book or newspaper. You must open any page, and then randomly swipe your finger until the moment you feel like stopping. If the finger stops at the picture or photograph, you should use the name of the fragment. For example, the picture shows a man, and the finger rested on his hat. In this case, the word "hat" is used.
This technique is suitable for independent work, and for finding solutions in a group. It allows within a few minutes to build a completely new associative series, which will either lead to new ideas, or show non-standard directions for the creative process.
Psychological Methods for Solving Problems: Using Experience
The history of resolving difficulties in psychology provides a large number of all kinds of ideas that can be very useful in current practice.
Back in 1911, E. Thorndike observed how cats tried to get out of the cage into which the researcher placed them. Based on the experiment, the scientist made a curious conclusion: if success in solving the problem was achieved by trial and error, then the next time a similar problem occurs, the probability of using exactly the strategy that was successful the previous time is much higher. Thorndike called this phenomenon the law of effect. The trial and error method may well be used as an effective method for solving the problem. Based on Thorndike's research, one can draw the following conclusion: the experience of the past helps shed light on the present difficulty.
Gestalt Psychologists Idea: Reproductive Thinking
The ideas put forward by Thorndike were developed by his followers. Many of these scientists were proponents of gestalt therapy. They argued that many difficulties could be resolved using a problem-solving method such as reproductive thinking. The meaning of this approach is that the reproduction of experience from the past provides significant assistance in resolving an urgent problem.
Barriers to productivity
Gestalt psychologists use this approach, which involves a detailed consideration of interference to resolve difficulties. The two main obstacles are as follows.
- Fixation. A person who in the past is stuck on a certain strategy of behavior cannot realize: in the current situation, this method does not work at all today. He is so obsessed with a certain strategy that he does not notice the lack of effectiveness of his actions.
- Non-use of alternative methods. This cognitive bias is similar to the previous one. Psychologists call it functional fixation. For example, a person has a ruler, but he needs to cut an even piece of paper. It is fixed on only one way to use the ruler, forgetting that it can not only measure objects, but also smooth the surface of the paper. Then tearing off an even sheet will be much easier.
The following conclusion can be drawn from this: the best method for solving problems is non-standard solutions. In this case, the standard refers to the experience that a person clings to. And it can also be biased ideas about their capabilities, or about using a particular tool.
Using these methods will solve the most complex difficulties in various fields. And the methods aimed at enhancing creative thinking will push us to create our own approaches to solving difficulties.