1.2 Types of Problems

This module, we’ll discuss problem-solving. Decision making, we’re going to talk about in module three. Now we’re going to have a knowledge check for you. So take a look at that and we’ll be back. Module one, lecture two. Let’s Start with Types of Problems. A lot of this comes from Problem-Solving: The Owner’s Manual by Pierce Howard. Great book, you should take a look at that one. There are couple of other books that we’ll refer to as well through here. Problems for which solutions are unknown. So we have different kinds of problems. Sometimes, we have no idea what the solution is. We have to find that out. We also have problems that have solutions, we just don’t know which is going to be the best one. It’s not obvious to us, which the best solution is. Problems with solutions that have unknown results. Problems where the cause is unknown and must be discovered. Sometimes, if we find out what the cause of the problem is, then we can figure out how to deal with this problem. We just get rid of the cause, the problem goes away. Sometimes, the cause doesn’t make any difference at all. It’s unknown or irrelevant. If we’re talking about peace in the Middle East, the original cause for some of the conflict, really irrelevant and it’s a little muddy about what it really was all about. We just know that now we have to solve this. We have problems where solutions are known, but we don’t know which one’s the best one. Sometimes, these are very difficult kinds of problems to, to solve. We have solutions with certain outcomes. We have solutions with uncertain outcomes. And we have solutions that need to be prioritized. Let’s think a little bit about looking at a new job. What solutions with uncertain outcomes? We know that we’re going to have a new job. We have two choices, choise A, choise B. Both of them are great jobs. They are both great opportunities. One of them means that we move to the Northeast Coast of the United States. One of them means that we move to the South Central part of the United States. Different size cities, different types of work, different groups of people we will work with. So we’re trying to envision, what is our daily life going to look like once we accept one of these jobs and go there. What does it look like in the workplace everyday? What does it look like when I’m out around in my new community? What is it going to look like when I make new friends in these places? So we have a number of things to look at and we we really don’t know. We will find out when, when we get there. And eventually, find out, yes, I’m really happy here. I love my work everyday. I love the people I work with. I love where I live, everything’s great. I have a fantastic life. I made the right choice. Solutions with certain outcomes, we know that there’s this outcome, that outcome. We just evaluate, which one is the best and solutions. Where we have a number of different outcomes, we just need to prioritize those and say none of these ten different things. The priority listing looks like this. This looks like the best. This looks like the next best. This looks like the next, next best. So we prioritize all of these. There are a number of prioritizing tools when you’re trying to do problem-solving. Look at different kinds of problems and solutions. If we take a look at problems with unknown causes, we just find the cause. If you’re gonna look at problems with unknown and irrelevant causes, where we just don’t even care about what they are. We just gather ideas that can fix the problem. That’s what we’re looking for there. Decisions between solutions with certain outcomes. Decide on one or the other, all we need to do. And decisions where there are uncertain outcomes, like we just discussed. We just have to figure out which one looks the best out of these with a number of things we evaluate along the way. And then if we just tear this whole jumbo list, we need to get this prioritized. What, what does this look like? What’s my best choice? My second best choice? My third best choice?