How To Breed An Innovative Business Idea — #26 of 31 Proven Skills [Research]
Skill #26 Tackle Problems with a Multi-Pronged Approach
Reducing a problem to a few simple words — the crux or nucleus of the problem — clarifies the innovative task in front of us. This presents a very clear target and allows unencumbered consideration of the five problem-solving choices that are available. The strategies are necessarily aggressive, each being distinguished by its Action Verb. Evaluating all five choices first will direct progress
Define the Problem Simply — A Recap
We have seen from Skill #25: See the Problem as the Pathway that defining the problem in any given situation can be a simple task. Identify the problem obstacle, use just one or two adjectives to describe why it is an obstacle, and then visualize the opposite of that ‘problem nucleus’ to identify the ‘problem solution’.
Here is an illustration of what is involved.
Suppose a restaurant finds the cost of leasing a building on a full-time basis puts a lopsided strain on its profitability because they are only open in the evenings. The location is ideal in all other respects; the full-time leasing cost is what is blocking them from a sustainable financial situation. We can define their problem as follows:
Problem Obstacle: Leasing Cost
Problem Nucleus: Excessive Leasing Cost
Problem Solution: Commensurate Leasing Cost
The goal and innovative task is to deal with the top-heavy leasing cost obstacle so that a proportionate leasing cost is achieved without the need for the restaurant operator to leave the building.
So, what do they do to tackle the Problem Nucleus? They use Skill #27 Avoid the Undesired Effect of a Problem Cause. Taking the view that the disproportionate premises’ rental cost could be reduced if part of it was paid for by someone else and matching this with their own operational requirements, they locate and negotiate with another party who is keen to establish a café serving breakfast and brunch for the first half of the day only. With two operators leasing the one property, the costs for each are affordable. As a result, the restaurant owner innovatively avoids the high rental attached to the building and achieves a ‘Commensurate Leasing Cost’.
Action Strategies for Tackling Problems
A research study of thousands of innovative ideas that have solved business problems reveals a total of 31 personal skills that can be learned and employed to generate innovative solutions intentionally. Of these skills, seven focus specifically on the problem being faced. Of these seven, five are strategies for dealing with the ‘Problem Nucleus’. As the title of this skill suggests, Skill #26 Tackle Problems with a Multi-Pronged Approach, we are overviewing the suite of strategies available.
Even the most rudimentary appreciation of the nature of problems understands that Cause and Effect are at work. The terms are essentially opposites. A problem exists because a person or thing gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition (the Cause) which produces a result or consequence that is undesirable in a specific situation (the Effect). This distinction between Cause and Effect must be understood if the roles of the various strategies are to be sufficiently comprehended and then applied.
Most of the time, dealing with the Cause of a problem is the obvious focal point and this is what the first four strategies do. The fifth strategy concentrates on the effect.
The five strategies are necessarily forceful, and it is apt to characterize each with an Action Verb that captures how it tackles a problem.
The four strategies for dealing with the Cause of a problem are:
· AVOID the Undesired Effect of a Problem Cause (Skill #27)
· PREVENT the Problem Cause from having the Undesired Effect (Skill #28)
· ELIMINATE the Problem Cause (Skill #29)
· TRANSFORM the Negative Problem Cause into a Positive Effect (Skill #30)
The fifth strategy, which deals with the Effect of a problem is:
· BUTTRESS the Effect Against the Problem Cause (Skill #31)
It is important to embrace the multi-pronged approach to innovative problem-solving in the same way that all 31 personal skills represent a multimodal approach to personal innovating overall. Like the acquisition of any skills, mastery in their use is directly proportional to the degree to which they are practiced.
It is not usually possible to determine in advance which of the five problem-solving strategies should be used to attack the ‘Problem Nucleus’. Indeed, more than one may provide an acceptable solution. And one solution may provide temporary success whereas another might represent a permanent fix. On balance, the needs of the situation will dictate which should be used.
However, there are two valuable guideposts:
· Judging whether to deal with the Cause or Effect; and
· Embracing the Action Verb that represents most closely what we instinctively feel needs to happen.
When the problem we are facing is distilled down to a few simple words, it concentrates focus nicely. The five available problem-solving strategies can then be drawn upon and the full force of the one selected is brought to bear on the problem nucleus. It is a case of being skillful with them all and drawing upon the essence of what each one is, using the Action Verbs to stimulate and guide our thinking. This will lead to an innovative solution that achieves our goal.
Takeaway
*Thousands of categorized innovative business ideas can be found at Sebir.com
