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 Innovative
Problem Solving
One way to foster innovative problem solving is to engage at a level
of play with a purpose. The stories abound of how significant
discoveries have been made in a state of relaxation and reflection. It
is said that Thomas Edison would formulate a problem for his imagination
to solve, sit in a rocking chair holding a ball, and when he was nearly
asleep, the ball would drop from his hand waking him, and a new solution
would be evident. In chemistry, the mystery of the benzene molecule
ring shape was revealed in such a state by Kekule.
We have all had
experiences of insights while running, showering, listening to music,
or simply reflecting. In organizations, one of the ways to engage that
intellectual imagination is to reclaim the relaxed purposeful state that
is play.
I use a process which is based in the specific context about
the client’s situation. Then in a proven process each group member
creates a lego structure as a symbol, to represent their innovative
version of the solution. When a group does this in a free-form yet
guided format, you have a tangible representation of the group’s
wisdom. The combined symbols provide a source of information, and a
way of talking about it, that exceeds the possibilities in other
business forums such as email, flow charts or flip charts.
The
facilitated discussion enables the group to identify the similarities
among team members, as well as creative outlier ideas, synthesizing the
information to create the best possible solution. This process is called
Lego Serious Play©, developed yes by that same company that makes the
plastic blocks, and can be used for strategic planning, service
development, product development, mission, vision, culture and other new
and unchartered challenges companies face.
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