This technique allows to optimize and enhance group
creativity. The author thinks that this technique may help to find out
the possible combinations between different categories of items or properties.
- Preliminary analysis of the situation. Practically speaking, the
group must start an open but guided discussion (see Brainstorming,
Six Thinking Hats) and try to:
focus on discontent and worries;
- separate the different reasons ;
- state the priorities according to gravity, urgency and trend;
- give a precise picture and localization about discontent and
worries, not just generic or confused description .
- Proper problem analysis. This is a reasearch on the deep causes
of the problem:
- define the gap between the expected and the real event, because
each problem is actually a deviation from an expected path;
- summarize the real problem by formulating a clear definition;
- look for peculiarities inside the problem (what actually is
from what is not);
- point out the changes (possibly datable) that occurred within
these peculiarities;
- formulate a draft hypotesis and list a few possible causes;
- verify (by real tests and simulations) possible causes and
reduce more and more the field till the most probable cause emerges;
- after pointing it out, verify this cause and then act on reality.
Problem solving with broadened field is based on a path that can be defined
actually as an ingeniuos method for collecting, deepening and comparing
events. Recenlty it has imposed as a group method, even though keeping
its rational and individualistic flavour, becoming part of the wider scope
of decisional techniques.
Decision Theory”, in fact, splits the decisional process
in a few fundamental phases:
- knowledge and action;
- analysis of the real essence of the problem;
- search for and selection of ideas in order to find a solution.
In Decision Theory, experts talk about closely combined techniques for
state analysis, problem analysis, problem solving, decision making, decision
enforcing. Anyway problem solving, even without taking the above-mentioned
sequence into consideration, activates not only logical and critical mental
processes (event collection and diagnosis) but also intuition (interpretation
of events and taking into consideration other apparently marginal issues).
In this view, also problem solving can be enlisted among group techniques,
provided that the field of analysis is not rigidly defined but, on the
contrary, deliberately broadened to secondary phenomena.