Solve chaotic problems

Hi,

147 new members since last time we met. Welcome!

Today: why are we investing more time in solving problems? What makes a problem interesting? How does that affect managers and the quest for innovation?

Is your job based on a repetitive routine - like working at customs or in a factory? If the answer is “no”, your job is probably based on problem-solving.

As time goes on, more and more people are working in jobs where they have to solve problems: a therapist wants to help the patient solve their mental distress; a project manager must follow the project and overcome human or technical obstacles to ensure that the project moves forward; a marketer must find ways to acquire new clients; and so on.

Granted, some of these problems are organizational politics, or plain bureaucratic issues. Still, we need people who can navigate those as well.

If we continue in this direction, people looking for a simple and secure job will have a problem. I don't think that humans have an advantage over artificial intelligence in repetitive jobs.

The upside? Work will become a space for intellectual growth: less mindless tasks, more cracking tough challenges. Humans will be needed to find exceptionally creative solutions that are less logical than what an AI agent can offer.

Four points to think differently about how we solve problems:

• What makes a problem interesting? Most problems have already been solved by someone at some point. The new ones - those are the interesting ones and they are truly worth the effort.

• We are learning innovation from the wrong people. The case for frugal innovation: not every problem needs to be solved by technology or by progress. Ingenuity and simplicity can be as effective.

• Your manager won’t solve your problems. We love complaining about our managers. The truth is that they often have good reasons for not paying attention to us. We are left with finding ways to self-manage - Irina Stanescu explains how to do it. (This is another great resource for managers)

• ”Finding the solution” is a myth: the same problem can be solved in different ways. Cheryl Strauss Einhorn on the Squiggly Career podcast tackles how decision making can lead to smart problem solving - or push you away from it.

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