A basic TENEX principle is : The only problems that you cannot solve are the problems you havent understood.

 

Before you decide to voice your rebellion to that statement, read further on.

 

Consider the following problem :

You are given 4 cards with a letter on one side of the card and a number on the other.

The cards need to follow a simple rule :
No card with a vowel on one side should have an odd number on the other side.

 

The 4 cards are placed on a table, so that you can see the following :

I   H    12   17

How many cards do you need to pick up and check the back-side to ensure that this rule is followed ?

Quite simple, isnt it ?

 

However, it was found that the distribution of the right respondents to this problem is almost comparable with those who

respond :

i) pick up the "I" card only
ii) pick up the cards with I, 12 and 17.

Now, consider a different problem, which is just the same problem phrased differently, but surprisingly this brings out the

correct reponse most of the time.

The following facts about four girls enjoying their drinks at a pub are known :

 

The first is 19 years old.
The second is drinking a lemonade.
The third is 25 years old.
The fourth is drinking whiskey.

 

The bar has a rule that no one below the age of 21 could be drinking an alchoholic drink. The bar manager arrives there and wants to ensure that the rule is being followed. How many checks does ne need to make ?

Why is it that the same problem poised differently creates such a varied result in the accuracy of the response generated ?

 

The answer is : THE CONTEXT of the problem.

 

The human mind understands people, age and drinks more tangibly than cards, vowels and numbers. Although, we know all about cards, vowels and numbers, it is just that unless we are dealing with them on a regular basis, our inherent Innovation Mechanism may not understand them as tangibly as it does people, age and drinks.

 

Our "Innovation Mechanism" responds to all the problems that "it has understood". We might understand a problem well, but unless it has been communicated to the Innovation Mechanism in the language "it" understands, it wouldnt be able to provide a solution ... and quite naturally so ... how can it answer a question it hasnt understood ?

 

Problem-Solving and Innovation can be looked upon as a conversation with ourselves. One part of us communicates with the other to communicate the problem and receive the solution. However, this communication has to be accurate and in the language the other part (the Innovation Mechanism) understands.

 

Any time you feel that you have understood the problem, but the solution process hasn't begin, one of the most important factors could be - the Innovation Mechanism hasn't understood the problem, and you need to refine the communication further.

 

Suppose the rule "No card with a vowel on one side should have an odd number on the other side." is refined further as

follows :

i) Any card with "A,E,I,O,U" on one side cannot have an odd number on the other side.
ii) Any card with an odd number on one side should not have "A,E,I,O,U" on the other side.

 

Is there a possiblity now for anybody to miss out the right answer to that problem ?

Consider the following problem :

 

While going on a trek up the hill, I start from the foot of the hill at 11 AM and reach the top at 4 PM. I spend the night on the top and start my downhill journey following the same track, at 11 AM the next day, reaching the bottom at 4 PM. The journey is totally random - I stop when I want, I walk at any pace that I feel like, except that the start and end timings are observed and that I have followed exactly the same track on both days.

 

Is there a point on the track that I reach at exactly the same time on both the days ? Prove or Disprove.

This problem can be solved in several ways, but try to get an exercise in problem-solving by "communicating" the problem to  your "Innovation Mechanism" in a way that "it" understands perfectly. Keep refining, re-stating and re-defining the problem statement itself till you can "see" the answer directly.

 

Imagine a young guy visiting Germany for the first time. An attractive young lady walks up to him and says "Ich heibe Jennifer. Wo wohnen Sie?"

 

The young man looks at her blankly, smiles and says "Yes, thank you" and moves on wondering whether he missed any opportunity.

 

All those occasions when you felt you had no clue how to go about solving a problem was most likely your Innovation Mechanism smiling at you,saying "Yes, thank you" and moving on ... just because it didn't understand a think of what was being communicated to it.

 

The art of understanding and communicating a problem to ourselves effectively is a giant leap one can take in enhancing one's problem-solving and innovation skills. Visit the TENEX home-page http://mindstones10x.com to learn more a host of other factors that can enhance your innovation skills dramatically.