Making the problem smaller is one way to examine a problem statement. So is making it bigger.
When solving messy problems (also known as ill-defined or wicked problems), the problem solver should use every trick in the book to craft the most useful problem statement. Messy problems, however, tend to be vague, their goals fuzzy, and the way to a solution, murky.
So what do you do? You can make the problem smaller by breaking it into pieces (see Which problem are you solving?), or make the problem bigger by making it more abstract.
Making a problem more abstract means identifying the core concept(s) of the problem, and moving up to a higher or more general category.
Chunking
Chunking up is the term most often used in creative problem solving for moving to a higher level. Chunking means breaking something into meaningful chunks. Chunking up is when you group related chunks into a higher category; chunking down refers to moving downward to specifics.
In psychology, chunking is a technique to memorize long lists of items. To memorize a telephone number, for example, you break the number into meaningful chunks such as country and area code. Objects can be grouped in whatever way makes sense to you—colour, shape, use, and so on. Such groups, because they are meaningful to you, will be easier to remember than an unordered, large group. The items in a group will also be easier to remember; because they are similar in whatever way you chose, one item can remind you of another.
Chunking can also refer to the way text is broken into meaningful chunks; for example, chapters, sections, paragraphs, and lists.
Going abstract
Creativity researchers call this shift of focus to an enclosing group abstraction. Studies suggest that, when you use abstraction to craft a problem definition, you increase your chances of finding high-quality and original solutions.
Examples:
- Improving your communication with a friend is specific; striving to be a good communicator is more general.
- A fear of public speaking is a specific fear; social phobia is a more abstract concept, and anxiety is another step up.
- Examining a company’s overall image (abstract) may give better results than improving the marketing of a single product (specific).
- Working on your self-image (abstract) will give different results that exploring ways to make more friends.
Imagine taking a photograph: you do not only select the angle from which to take a photograph, you also choose the focus. Do you zoom in on a detail, or zoom out to reveal a bigger picture? You play with the focus until you are happy with the level of detail the photograph will capture.
Hypernymns
Do you remember the technique of replacing key words in a problem statement with synonymns? To chunk up, you can use hypernymns. A hypernymn is the class or category to which a concept belongs. For example, a desk is a type of furniture; blue is a type of colour. Furniture and colour are the hypernymns; desk is a hyponymn of furniture, and blue is a hyponymn of colour.
How can I use abstraction (or chunking) for a problem definition?
Let’s look at a few examples.
The problem: I put on a lot of weight since Christmas. I want to lose it. (Wicked problem, huh?!) Let’s see how this situation can be transformed into a useful problem definition.
Initial statement:
How can I lose weight?
Weight loss can be abstracted as a health activity. The problem could now be stated as:
How may I improve my lifestyle to focus on my health?
Another possibility is:
In what ways can I modify my lifestyle to include more health activities?
Either of these statements could now serve as problem definitions. However, If they are too wide (too abstract), you can chunk down again, in this case to a type of health activity:
How can I change my diet so that I lose weight?
You can go further down if this definition is still too abstract:
Where can I find recipes for food that is both low in fat and tasty?
How can I modify my favourite foods so that they are less fattening?
You can chunk up again with:
How can I change my attitude towards food?
Keep chunking up and down until you are satisfied with the problem statement.
Why, why else
To help you chunk up, you can use the questions “Why?” and “Why else?”
Why do I want to lose weight?
Possible answer:
I have nothing to wear. My clothes don’t fit.
Why else do you want to lose weight?
To feel better about myself.
Possible problem statement:
How can I feel better about myself even while I still haven’t lost weight?
Or chunk down even further to:
How can I modify or supplement my wardrobe until I have lost weight?
What is the real problem?
Asking “What is the real problem?” can help you make the statement more abstract.
Initial statement:
How can I lose weight?
What is the real problem?
I’m worried about my health.
Possible statement:
How can I live a healthier lifestyle?
If you ask again, What is the real problem, your answer might be:
I don’t have time to go to the gym, or study nutrition.
Chunking down:
How can I improve my work/life balance so that I have more time to go to the gym?
Chunking even further down might give you:
How can I be more active in my daily life, without spending much of time on it?
More about abstraction
Ward, T. B., Finke, R. A., & Smith, S. M. (1995). Creativity and the mind: Discovering the genius within. New York and London: Plenum Press.
Ward, T.B., Patterson, M.J., & Sifonis, C.M. (2004). The role of specificity and abstraction in creative idea generation. Creativity Research Journal, 16(1), 1-9.
Welling, H. (2007). Four mental operations in creative cognition: The importance of abstraction. Creativity Research Journal, 19(2-3), 163-177.
Comments