2023 Q4 | Edition 4 | Article 2
The Hidden Problem
Today, the purpose of producing tables of results and charts isn’t to end the measurement process with a final conclusion. Every stage of the data process has the potential to be the beginning of a new question and a new investigative process.
With this more nuanced approach, the more we uncover of a picture, we reveal questions, not answers. For those brought up on the certainty of schooling, this fluidity can be uncomfortable and troubling.
Data solutions are an organic process
The problem solving process is always cyclical, rather than linear, with plenty of opportunities for the problem to split, merge and break away from our plans. Click on a button below to see more information about each stage.
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We might start the cycle with identifying a problem. As soon as we invite others to help define that problem, which we should always do, we’ll quickly start to see multiple definitions and may even want to break the problem down into further stages.
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In tackling any problem worth solving, there will almost always be a need to go and find out more information. We might even need to go back to our original definition of the problem and re-frame it.
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Information will rarely come to us in an ordered fashion. We need to sift through and select the best information. We need to recognise poor information, and where we have gaps in our knowledge. We may complete this stage and realise that we were looking in the wrong places and need more data or even rethink the problem.
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When we have all the information we need we can start the analysis. This might be actually running mathematics over the data, but it could also involve building a prototype and testing it out with stake holders.
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Once we get the results, it’s possible that they process ends there, and we can move onto a completely new problem. We may even discover that our problem had no solution that were able to identify. In reality, innovation applies known information to new situations and so even the most successful project will be a prompt to start the next cycle elsewhere.
The more nuanced the problem, the more likely it is to split cell-like into new but similar aspects of the same, large, chaotic problem. We are only ever seeing a partial view of any situation that we face.
Some tips to take back control include:
1 Be curious to hear what people think. One of the biggest obstacles to solving problems is a strong attachment to our own views. The human brain is designed to seek out anything that will support that view and effort is needed to resist that urge,
2 Be willing to let go of what you think. Increasingly, our identities come from our views and knowledge. Once you accept that every idea and every belief you hold has to be tested again and again, you get closer to the truth. Anything that is not the truth is a form dishonesty that benefits no-one.
3 Have empathy for other people. A natural response to information that challenges what we think or say is anger. An accusatory and defensive reaction will always come naturally and easily. Understanding and change takes time and reflection and effort.
One of the biggest challenges now that decision making is going digital will be the invitation to embrace what we don’t yet know. The partial world view that we each have doesn’t translate well to global experiences. There is almost nothing universal out there, and negotiating how we bring together partial knowledge, from people trained in different disciplines, with different views of success and what matters, is one of the biggest problems to solve of all.
Take a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point. If you sell something, use this space to describe it in detail and tell us why we should make a purchase. Tap into your creativity. You’ve got this.
Next Article:
A Skewed Perspective
Data seems so neutral an objective - at least that is what our science teachers told us. But when data is gathered in a social context, it bears little in common with scientific observation in a laboratory. Social data gets its meaning from its context, and that is something we need humans to supply.
