Problem Solving Methods: Overview of Methods and Recommendations

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Some people seem very talented to others, capable of resolving the most difficult difficulties. But these outstanding practitioners often share one trait - unconscious competence. Even without knowing the answers to questions, they know where to find them. You can learn from these people the right approach to problem solving. After all, if a magic wand for resolving difficulties has not yet been invented, then all kinds of methods and techniques allow each person to overcome obstacles and answer questions that are relevant to themselves.

Difficulty Analysis

At the heart of many problem-solving methods is a four-step process:

• First you need to determine what the problem is. What is its real reason? How did it become clear that it actually 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 choice of the most suitable one. What is the best strategy for this particular difficulty? Which onethe easiest way to do it? Perhaps some strategies require additional resources - finance, he alth, or connections with people who are not yet there. And therefore it is worth dwelling on those methods that are available.
• The final stage is the implementation of the chosen option. At the end of this stage, the question of whether the selected strategy was successful should be answered. This will help you to adjust the actions in case of new problems similar to the previous one.

This method of analysis in solving problems is the basis for resolving various difficulties. Based on them, you can make all sorts of variations adapted to the individual characteristics of a person.

Social problems: solutions

Under the term "social problem" understand such complexities as unemployment, stratification of society, high levels of morbidity and mortality among the population. Methods for solving social problems, first of all, consist in the adoption of certain decisions by the government. They are expressed in the legislative acts of the ruling authorities, carrying out all kinds of activities aimed at solving the problem, as well as the use of modern Internet opportunities. They allow you to state openly that there is a certain problem. And Internet users express their opinion on a certain issue and offer various alternative solutions.

Management issues

In the process of developing and adopting organizationalstrategy, the person who makes the decision can use various methods of solving managerial problems. Let's take a look at some of them.

• Two-phase questioning. Allows you to identify the main factors that affect the current situation, through the individual work of experts.
• Factor analysis. Allows you to get data on the 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 valuation. Allows you to draw a conclusion about the financial condition of the organization. It is applied in the conditions of availability of accounting reports. A typical financial model is based on determining the break-even point of the enterprise.
• The method of control questions. This method of solving problems in an organization involves leading to answers using leading questions. They can be used both in the process of individual work and in a group discussion of an existing difficulty.

Ways to solve problems in the learning process

Problem posing 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 current difficulty in the lesson.

One of the main methods of solving a learning problem is through stimulating dialogue, which allows students to come up with hypotheses. As a rule, motivation is carried out by the teacher using the standard phrase: “WhatAny 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 students put forward only erroneous hypotheses, the teacher should give a hint to the decisive version. Such a hint is thought out by the teacher in advance in preparation for the lesson. For oral verification, another standard phrase is used: “Do you agree with this hypothesis or not? Why?”

Difficulty update

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 specific 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 different. The answer is written in chalk on the blackboard. During the lesson, the teacher also draws various diagrams that allow you to further focus the attention of students on a particular difficulty.

Creativity in problem solving

The creative thinking process emphasizes the following key points in problem solving:

• The need to separate the formation of new ideas and their subsequent evaluation. When brainstorming occurs, sufficient time should be taken to capture all new ideas. Possible strategies for overcoming obstacles should be formulated as much as possible. They shouldn't be valued.until the brainstorm is complete.
• Problems should be reformulated into clear and concise questions. Encourage yourself, another person or group to find creative solutions will be much easier if the difficulty comes in the form of a specific question that suggests an unusual answer.
• Using the words "yes, and" will go a long way in developing a new idea. One of the main rules of improvisation is that every creative idea can be quickly ruined by the word "but …" ("This option is good, but …"). This short lexical item should be avoided at all costs. Instead, you should supplement the possible solution to the problem with the words “yes, and…”.

These principles can be applied both in individual problem solving and during brainstorming. The best way to start generating new ideas is by asking interesting questions and building on the prerequisites that you already have. And it will be possible to start judgments and assessments later - when the assault is completed.

Formulate difficulty in reverse

One of the most popular creative problem solving techniques. In the process of applying this approach, any positive statement must be changed to a negative one. For example, if you're having trouble coming up with new ideas in customer service, you can imagine the worst possible customer experience. This will help to distract from the standard approaches, and unexpected turns of perspective can be very successful. The technology allows you to automatically opt outcriticism, helps to see hitherto unnoticed combinations of ideas.

Random choice of words

If the 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 lies in the completely random choice of a combination of words. The easiest way to do this is by simply looking through a magazine, book, or newspaper. It is necessary to open any page, and then randomly move your finger until the moment when there is a desire to stop. If the finger stops at a picture or photograph, you should use the name of the fragment. For example, the picture shows a man, and the finger stopped on his hat. In this case, the word "hat" is used.

This technique is suitable both for independent work and for finding solutions in a group. It allows you to build a completely new associative array within a few minutes, which will either lead to new ideas or show a non-standard direction for the creative process.

Psychological problem solving techniques: using experience

The history of problem solving in psychology provides a large number of all sorts of ideas that can be very useful in the current practice.

Even back in 1911, E. Thorndike watched how cats tried to get out of the cage in 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 greater. Thorndike called this phenomenon the law of effect. Trial and error may well be used as an effective method of solving a problem. Based on Thorndike's research, one can also conclude that the experience of the past helps to shed light on the present difficulty.

The idea of Gest alt psychologists: reproductive thinking

Thorndike's ideas were developed by his followers. Many of these scientists were proponents of Gest alt therapy. They argued that many complexities could be solved using the problem-solving method of reproductive thinking. The meaning of this approach lies in the fact that the repeated reproduction of experience from the past provides significant assistance in resolving the current problem.

Productivity Barriers

Gest alt psychologists use this approach, which involves a detailed consideration of obstacles to resolve difficulties. The two main obstacles are as follows.

• Obsession. A person who in the past was stuck on a certain strategy of behavior cannot realize that in the current situation today this method does not work at all. He is so obsessed with a certain strategy that he does not notice the lack of effectiveness of his actions.
• Not using alternative methods. This cognitive distortion is similar to the previous one. Psychologists call it functionalfixedness. For example, a person has a ruler, but he needs to cut off an even piece of paper. He fixes 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 it will be much easier to tear off a flat sheet.

From this we can draw the following conclusion: the best method of solving problems is non-standard solutions. The standard in this case refers to the experience that a person clings to. And it can also be preconceived ideas about their capabilities, or about using a certain tool.

The use of these methods will solve the most difficult difficulties in various fields. And methods aimed at activating creative thinking will encourage you to create your own approaches to solving difficulties.