How to Improve Problem Solving Skills

In an ever-changing world, students can benefit greatly from developing problem solving skills at an earlier age. However, these skills don’t develop naturally; they need to be explicitly taught, either through traditional or online learning. And they should be taught in a way that can be transferred across multiple settings and contexts. By building a problem-solving mindset, students can face some of the world’s challenges with more confidence and resources. Many people don’t know how to improve problem solving skills though, so our online education center is sharing one of our favorite methods of improving those irreplaceable skills: the McKinsey Problem Solving Game. Read on to learn more.

What is Problem Solving?

Before diving into how to improve problem solving skills, we should first define what we mean by problem solving. Problem solving is the ability to use critical thinking to consider challenges objectively, weigh options, and identify solutions. When the future scenarios are easier to predict, risks can be mitigated based on identifying possible outcomes early.

Effective decision making and critical thinking are important at all times, but their application is most essential in times of crisis. Learning good problem solving skills is beneficial for everyone—from teachers to students to school leadership and beyond the school years as well.

Improve Problem-Solving Skills with the McKinsey Problem Solving Game

After decades of problem solving with leaders across businesses, Mckinsey & Company have come to the conclusion that great problem solvers are made, not born. Adhering to a systematic process for cracking problems under any conditions, they adopt a particularly open, tolerant, and curious mindset.

“To develop your problem-solving acumen, use a structured approach that focuses on the why, what, and how of your issue.”

Let’s break it down by analyzing the six mutually reinforcing behavioral approaches underlying successful problem solving, as recommended by Mckinsey & Company:

• Being curious
• Being an imperfectionist
• Having a “dragonfly eye” view of the world
• Experimenting relentlessly
• Tapping into the collective intelligence
• Practicing “show and tell”

No. 1 Be Curious When Problem Solving

When faced with uncertainty, channel the curious child within you by asking: “Why is this so?” Our brains make sense of patterns that have worked for us by relying on our past experiences. That’s why a simple technique that can help improve problem-solving skills is to simply pause and ask why conditions or assumptions occur. And keep asking until the root of the problem is identified.

Famous author and economist Caroline Webb advises putting a question mark behind all initial hypotheses or first-cut answers. This encourages multiple solution paths and generates more relevant responses to questions, such as: Why is this solution better? Why not that one?

No. 2 Explore Trial and Error

When faced with how to solve problems, many experience trial and error while they constantly test their hypotheses and put probabilities to the test. It’s essential to be comfortable with estimating probabilities to make good decisions, even when these guesses are imperfect. That’s why one of the keys to operating in uncertain environments is epistemic humility, which Erik Angner defines as “the realization that our knowledge is always provisional and incomplete—and that it might require revision in light of new evidence.”

Recent research shows that we’re better at solving problems when we think in terms of odds rather than certainties; having a tolerance for ambiguity and a willingness to play the odds helps in finding an appropriate solution path. Good problem solving typically involves designing experiments to reduce key uncertainties as each move provides additional information and builds capabilities. Therefore, assess your alternatives by asking questions, such as: “What would we have to believe for this to be true?”

No. 3 Take a Dragonfly-Eye View

Having a “Dragonfly-Eye” perception is common to great problem solvers. By analogy, dragonflies see multiple perspectives not available to humans. Therefore, the idea of a dragonfly eye taking in 360 degrees of perception is an attribute of people who are “superforecasters with an ability to analyze the problem through multiple lenses.”

By widening the perspective, we can condition our minds to see beyond the familiar outcomes of our pattern-recognizing brain and identify threats or opportunities which are beyond the periphery of vision.

No. 4 Pursue Occurrent Behavior

Risk-embracing problem solvers find a solution path by constantly experimenting. Occurrent behavior is allowing your experiments to generate your data, giving you insights that others don’t have. This approach to problem-solving entails creating data rather than just looking for what has been collected already. It also comes in handy should you find that crunching old data is leading to outdated solutions.

You can improve problem-solving skills by designing experiments to reduce key uncertainties and not just relying on existing data. Each move and each experiment not only provides additional information to make decisions but also builds capabilities and assets that support further steps. Problem-solving teams can work together in building new information, foundational assets, and confidence as they take steps forward.

No. 5 Tap Into Collective Intelligence

In an evolving world where conditions can change unpredictably, crowdsourcing invites the smartest people in the world to work with you.

You can improve your problem-solving skills by learning from people around you. Start with brainstorming sessions that engage people from outside your team. Accepting that it’s okay to reach out for diverse experiences and expertise from outside your circle will give you more insight into your problem.

The broader the circles of information you access, the more likely it is that your solutions will be novel and creative. This approach differentiates an experienced problem solver from a novice.

Free education resources like Knovva Academy gives students the opportunity to brainstorm and problem solve with people from around the world, offering them a rare space to tap into global collective intelligence and gain problem-solving skills they may not otherwise learn.

No. 6 Show and Tell to Drive Action

The most constructive problem solving makes the solution obvious. This critical approach connects your audience with the problem and then uses combinations of logic and persuasion to implement a solution. The show-and-tell mindset aims to bring decision makers into a problem-solving domain you have created. The late economist Herb Simon put it this way: “Solving a problem simply means representing it so as to make the solution transparent.”

To practice this, begin by being clear about the action that should flow from your findings. Then find a way to present your logic visually so the solutions you propose can be debated and agreed upon mutually. It’s essential to present the argument both emotionally and logically, to clarify that the proposed solution is an attractive balance between all risks and rewards.

Learn More About Knovva Academy

Knovva Academy is an education nonprofit, connecting students from around the world with visionary educators, experts, and innovators. From free education resources to international leadership opportunities, Knovva Academy creates opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom.