The most common behavior in this research is that companies try to solve the problem without properly diagnosing it.,In other words, companies are not aware of the problem they solve. In other words, problem-solving is given importance, but it is often unaware of whether the correct problem is wasted.

To solve the problem, looking at the problem from a different angle can produce creative and productive results. In this article, we will tell you what kind of way you should follow the problems again…

Slow Elevator Problem

Imagine something like this: You have a five-story building. You are the host of all apartments in this building. However, tenants complain about the slowness of the elevator in the building. The elevator is both old and ragged. Some tenants say they will terminate the lease unless the elevator is repaired.

Many people offer a solution to the problem here: A new and powerful engine to the elevator to increase the speed of the elevator up and down…

Indeed, when the mirror was placed in the elevator, people’s complaints were reduced. Because people cannot fully comprehend the time spent examining themselves in the mirror.

So when we put the problem in a new frame, we come across a landscape like this:

It’s boring to wait-People’s mirror, music, etc. make them feel less with time (Alternative solution proposal)

The mirror solution is very interesting because it doesn’t provide a new solution to the problem, it doesn’t speed up the elevator. However, it allows you to look at the current problem from a different angle.

Installing a fast engine in the elevator could also work. But the main purpose of looking at the problem from a new perspective is to obtain a fresh perspective. In the example of the elevator, differentiating the time of arrival and lunch according to the departments could also provide a solution to the slow elevator problem.

Now, let’s look at the steps to be followed to look at the problems encountered from a new perspective.

How to Look at Problems from New Perspectives

Two different ways can be followed in the methods we will talk about here. In the first of these ways, how much control you have over the situation is important. However, this method can be taught to everyone in 30 minutes.

The second way is when you do not have control over the situation. Here is mainly to address the problem again in 5 minutes. 5 minutes may seem too short to redefine a problem, but the expression Türk when the egg is on the door ”in Turkish is very meaningful at this point. When people have to, they use more of their potential. If time is less, it is decided faster. Interestingly, these decisions are often more effective.

So let’s look at the methods you can use to look at the problems you face with a fresh eye.

1. Should be a democratic environment

If you are the only person who knows the importance of addressing the current issue from a new perspective during a meeting, your job is a bit difficult. When you are with clients or people on the company’s board of directors there is a hierarchy in between. They can suppress your voice if they are hierarchically superior to you.

The first thing you need to do here is to explain the importance of re-handling the problem and to explain why this method works. At this point, you can explain the slow elevator problem. The slow elevator example is a very good and practical way to explain what it means to reconsider the problem. In other words, everyone should have the right to speak and a democratic work environment should be established. This is, of course, related to the corporate culture. It is not going to be a few days to build such a corporate culture, but I can still say that it is worth trying.

2. Invite someone outside to talk

Think of a company: Managers think there are problems with in-house innovation. Then the company managers want to get the employees to get innovation training, but the managers cannot decide how this training should be given in the company.

Here we need a new one to debate among the managers. For example, the boss’s secretary may be asked what he thinks about it. The secretary can say that the company has already been given innovation training for years, but employees are reluctant to apply innovation techniques.

In other words, someone from the kitchen can point to the main problem by saying that the main problem is not the lack of innovation, but the lack of motivation. If employees are aware of innovation but lack motivation, they can provide more autonomy. For example, flexible working hours can be provided. Employees may be allowed to work from home several days a week. Decision-making within the company can be made more democratic. Employee ties can be strengthened.

As this example shows, there is much that a fresh perspective can bring to the issue. As a person who knows both the management and personnel levels of the company, the secretary can provide very useful opinions.

For this reason, one of the members of the company may be elected to speak freely and express his / her opinions. In other words, asking an employee for comments and opinions about the company can be more effective than waiting for a solution proposal from that person. The task of this person is not to solve the problem, but to encourage a different view of the problem.

3. Ask People to Describe

People can agree on the X issue during a meeting. However, after a certain period, they have different opinions about the subject.

For example, the company’s board of directors may think that there is a problem of innovation in the company. However, when people on this board are asked to define the problem one by one, it is seen that they all have different opinions.

Iz Our employees are reluctant to innovate. ”

Lar They don’t understand the urgency of the situation. ”

“Employees must receive innovation training.”

Ter Customers are looking at the price of the product, not innovation. ”

Each of these sentences points to different issues. In this case, the first thing to be done is to ask people on the board to write their thoughts. Individual definitions of the problem can be better analyzed during the meeting. In other words, asking everyone for their views on the problem and then going over it collectively gives them a rich repertoire of perspective.

Learning the opinions of others in more detail in writing enables more rational and efficient solutions to the problem.

4. Ask What Is Missing

In describing what the problem is, people often repeat the previously mentioned details and pay less attention to unspoken issues. To prevent this, ask people what topics are not being discussed at the meeting.

Here is an example: There is a company. This company needs to improve its market perception of stock prices. The team interested in this business is trying to develop a strategy by analyzing technical issues such as stock value, earnings per bond, debt ratio. These are already well-known to the company’s management.

However, a question about what is missing at this meeting can help this team find something new. For example, financial analysts who give the company a credit rating are interviewed by the company’s young executives. These managers are not fully equipped with how to talk to financial analysts. Negotiations with the credit rating agency are one of the most important factors determining the position of a company in the stock exchange. This was discovered as a question about what was missing or different, and steps have been taken to improve the company’s perception of market prices.

As you can see, sometimes even looking at the issue from a very subtle angle can make a difference. That is, seeing what is different and incomplete rather than what is present can also open the door to a solution.

5. Consider Different Categories

A strong and powerful change is possible by changing the way people view a problem. One way to achieve this is to make people think about the category of the problem in the middle. Is there a problem with earnings? Is it a problem with future expectations? Or an attitude problem? The team saw the problem as a usability issue. By developing the application, he tried many methods of membership and tried to simplify the process, but that didn’t work either.

If you only have a hammer, you start to see every problem as a nail. However, with the addition of explanatory video, the rate of children using the application increased significantly. 

6. Involve Fresh Brains

To reconsider the problems, it is necessary to look at the situation when there is no problem.  However, after these meetings, they continue to talk about short term projects again. However, one of these meetings is attended by a young lawyer who has just entered the company. This young attorney is very good at starting up and shining in the company. ” That is, in some cases, incorporating fresh brains into speech can also lead to new ways of solving.

7. Query Destination

Make it two. They argue about whether the window should be opened or closed. One wants fresh air, the other wants to avoid the draft. When these two people reveal their hidden targets with third-person questions, the problem is solved by opening the window in the next room.

This story is also important from a fresh perspective. It is necessary to clarify the problem first and then generate ideas for solutions. For example, increasing the number of animal shelters may seem to be the only solution to help animals on the streets. However, researches have shown that raising the awareness of pet owners on this issue and providing support to them has largely solved the problem and that the number of animals left on the street has decreased significantly.

As a result…

Looking at problems from different angles is a very powerful feature. However, it becomes time to acquire and internalize this practice. If you get used to looking at problems from new perspectives, you will see that productivity in business  will increase dramatically.

Finally, there is a point to remind: It is not possible to find new solutions to an existing problem in a meeting room. You can refine the new problem definition and potential solutions by researching and observing them in real life.