Clarification Through Critical Discussion
Clarification, in lieu of simplification, does require more work. It starts with making sure the problem-solving unit is unified on the issue needing clarity.
Ensuring a team (the problem-solving resource) is charged with solving a common problem, which is fully agreed upon, and it is interested in solving is essential. If more than one person is involved with solving a problem, there has to be clear communal understanding of what the problem is. When no one on a team is interested in or dedicated to solving the problem it is tasked with, then the team is not made up of the right people and / or the initially stated problem is not really a problem worth solving. It is common for managers to assume that all team members share their view of the problem, but it cannot be implied that everyone has the same of understanding of a problem, even if there seems to be consensus. If there is no certified agreement of a common problem then any attempt at solving the problem will be moot.
The process to solve complex problems should start with a critical discussion that will conclude with a common (agreed) understanding of the problem. The critical discussion is aimed at uncovering an approximation of reality and starts with each individual adopting a self-critical attitude. A self-critical attitude views ideas as objective products of life (such as birds' nests, beaver damns and spider-webs): products that can be repaired or improved. Another regulative concept to a critical discussion is keeping it focused on theories and ideas with high informative content that can be used to eliminate false theories and ideas(1). This is why it is vital to have team members who are more interested in learning that being right.
It is important for the team to go to depth at the onset of the critical discussion. The problem that convenes the team may not actually be the problem the team is eventually charged with solving. For example, at the executive and upper management level, it is not unheard of for a team to be assembled for the task of launching a new product to end up tackling the company's organizational structure.
The concept of critical discussion to solve complex problems is not new. However, in today's time-starved decision environment, taking the time to think through a problem in all its complexities and respecting competing constituencies is new … and better. Allocating a day to critical discussion creates more value than a week spent navigating the fallout of miscommunication, competing agendas and unnecessary uncertainty.
(1) Karl Popper, 1972
Originally published February 20, 2008