Coaching practices for Complex Problem Solving Method

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Complex Problem Solving Method, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• My problem feels like one big tangled blob in my head
• This problem is so knotty and interdependent that every time we brainstorm it, the room just locks onto whoever framed it first, and half the disagreement is really people picturing entirely different versions of the same mess.
• I keep seeing this as one solid thing that either works or doesn’t, and it never occurs to me that I could pull it apart and use just one piece of it differently
• I feel like I’m staring at this from inside my own little field with no fresh ideas, but I have a nagging sense that somebody, somewhere
• I keep feeling like the deep shape of my problem

Practices that may help

1. Decompose the problem into independent parameters
   Identify the key dimensions that fully describe your problem space before generating solutions.
   Morphological Analysis, Made Practical
2. Use morphological analysis for wicked problems with many interdependencies
   The method shines on problems too complex for brainstorming to cover adequately.
   Morphological Analysis, Made Practical
3. Break apart perceptual chunks that may be blocking you
   If a problem object looks like one thing, try perceiving it as separate parts with separate functions.
   Constraint Relaxation: Escaping the Walls You Built Yourself
4. Import a frame from a different domain
   Describe your problem as if it were a challenge in an unrelated field, then steal the solutions from that field.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
5. Ask "what else is this like?" to find the hidden frame
   Identify the deeper structure of your problem and look for problems with the same structure in different domains.
   Combinatorial Creativity, Made Practical
6. Reframe problems using cross-domain language
   Describe your problem in a different field’s vocabulary — then use that vocabulary to search for solutions.
   The Medici Effect: Innovation at the Intersection
7. Climb the why–why ladder
   Ask "why is this a problem?" repeatedly to reveal the higher-level goal your current framing may be missing.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
8. Generate solutions without premature evaluation
   List as many potential solutions as possible before judging any of them.
   Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
9. Concept fan: map the solution space before picking a direction
   Expand from specific solutions to the broader concept behind them, then generate alternatives at the concept level.
   Lateral Thinking, Made Practical
10. Solve problems collaboratively to access your ZPD
    Joint problem-solving with a peer or coach reveals capability you could not reach alone.
    Zone of Proximal Development: Learning at Your Real Edge

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.