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Problem Solving Capacity

The implications of problem solving capacity on individual, corporate and societal scales

By

M.Tinaz TitizJune 25th, 2011 – Rev 6

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My Definitions for the Conference• Problem: Either an undesired situation or desired situation

with obstacles against it. (i.e. a project in any complexity is a bundle of problems)

• Problem solving (PS): Reducing the negative effects of a problem to an manageable level.

• PS Tools: Methods used to solve the problems.

• Span of Life: Each PS tool’s effectiveness defines one of the boundaries of a space of the life in which we live in.

• Chemistry of Problems: Problems are not independent from each other. Millions of problems with different nature are made up of the few root problems.

• Liebig’s Law of Minimum: Amongst the PS tools there are some that are so critical, that without them, the entire PSC will fail.

Liebig’s Barrel

All life is problem solving!

Karl Popper

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Three goals of the conference

• Common goal for individuals, corporations and societies is to sustain their existences.

– This could only be done with the aid of “values”,

– The value either is tangible (i.e. oil, ore, land, workforce etc.) or intangible (i.e. knowledge, skill, leverage etc.). The value could be anything provided that someone is to ready to pay its cost,

– The value either is produced and/or transferred from which has a lower Problem Solving Capacity (PSC),

– Both the production and transferring are made by Problem Solving (PS) using proper (PS) tools,

– The more the tools are effectively used, the more (PSC) increases and VV.

• Thus, three goals of this presentation are:

1. To show, that PSC is the essential surviving parameter, not just a label.

2. To show, that weaker systems will lose their values to stronger systems.

3. And finally, to show that systems with low-functioning PSC cannot survive; this is not an injustice but nature’s basic rule.

• The book titled “Revenge of problems; either you solve them or you are dissolved” elaborates these.

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PSC is intangible; its components are tangible.

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Interrelations of individualistic, corporate and societal PSCs.

Individualmemories

IndividualPSC

Societalmemory

SocietalPSC

Corporate memories

CorporatePSC

External effects

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An Important Feature of the PSC!

• Initially; there is no independent role of the PSC- it will just serve as a label.

• Later- a real input to the system will emerge and will act independently,

• PSC becomes the input of every component of itself,

• It seems like a dilemma: Components of PSC are also fed by the PSC!

• This is a vicious circle of the weakness that feeds itself or VV.

• This is also a tragedy of underdeveloped societies.

Low propagates signals for its

weakness

Interactions Among High & Low PSC Systems

The low performancesystem is exposed to be

exploited.

The high performancesystem is eager to exploit.

High appreciates the signals and

then exploits the weakness

v a l u e

Inte

ract

ion

s A

mo

ng

Hi&

Lo

PS

C S

yste

ms

is sys B capable?

System A System B

help from other components?

receives support from others

Sys B

becomes more powerful

Sys B

Y

Y

N

NN

transfers value from Sys A

Sys B

transfers value to Sys B

Sys A

becomesmore powerful

Sys B

becomes weaker

Sys A

1

1

this is an indication of weaknessfor Sys B

is sys A capable?

help from other components?

receives support

from others

Sys AY

becomes more powerful

Sys A

END

transfers value from Sys B

Sys A

transfers value to Sys A

Sys B

becomesmore powerful

Sys A

becomesweaker

Sys BY

Hi PSCKeen to exploit

weakness

Lo PSCPropagatesweakness

signal

Hi PSCKeen to exploit

weakness

Lo PSCPropagatesweakness

signal2

2

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• Each component’s success also makes the PSC stronger.

• The stronger PSC supports its weaker components via others,

• The weaker component thus becomes stronger, and it makes the PSC stronger in turn,

• The independent character of the PSC originates from this “solidarity”.

The heart of the vicious circle

• Two group of causes: Case specific and common.

• Three examples for case specifics.

• This shows that why there is no single set of explanation of low PSCs.

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The Reasons for a Low PSC

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The Reasons for a low PSC may differ for each caseThree cases:

1. The Roman Empire: In the third century A.D., a prolonged period of constant crisis forced the emperors to double the size of the army and increase both the size and complexity of the government.

– The empire came to sustain itself by consuming its capital

resources; the productive lands and peasant population.

– The Roman Empire provides history’s best-documented

example of how increasing complexity to resolve problems leads

to higher costs, diminishing returns, alienation of the supporting

population, economic weakness, and collapse.

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The Reasons for a low PSC may differ for each caseThree cases (Cont’d)

2. The U.S. Health Care System: The declining productivity of the system clearly illustrates the historical development of a PS field.

– Once all of the findings at a given state-of-the-art level of

investigative technology have been realized, the system must

move to a more expensive level.

– And as each increasingly expensive disease is conquered, the

increment to average life expectancy becomes ever smaller.

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The Reasons for a low PSC may differ for each caseThree cases (Cont’d)

3.Kurdish Conflict in Turkey (KC):

–Over 100 yrs of background,

–Conflict revolves around the ethnic rights of Turkish people with Kurdish

origin,

–Many stakeholders (Kurds in Turkey, Kurds in Northern Iraq, Iran and

Syria, PKK, people who identify themselves as Turkish with 27 different

ethnic origin but mainly as Turks, The Constitution, The Government,

political parties including a Kurdish Party and Kurds within other parties),

–Each stakeholder has their own definition of the KC, but not an agreed

upon definition.

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Kurdish Conflict (Cont’d)

• A trilogy pattern of traditions has been established; obedience-

allegiance-acceptance by heart . Cultural followers accept these

traditions without question.

• The results within the last 30 yrs are 40,000 deaths and $400 bn. in

losses.

• This is a clear indication of a low level of PSC.

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Major common causes of a Low PSC

• Vicious circle of low PSC,

• Unawareness about the “exposed to exploitation” concept,

• Not to be able to be the individual instead of one’s dependents,

• Tradition of unquestionability (acceptance of the tradition by heart),

• Not having a critical mass of HR capital,

• Not having a shared vision with the community.

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A personal experience for the low PSC!

• One of the components of a society with high PSC is the “capability to properly define the problems”,

• One of my portfolio items was “combating the unemployment problem”,

• “Unemployment” is a standard term defined by the ILO,

• When the problem is defined in this way, the only remedy possible is simply is to create jobs,

• Defining the problem more correctly would expand the solution domain.

• The following example illustrates the difference.

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A personal experience for the low PSC! (cont’d)

Family AUnemployment: %75

Income: Only one has $10,000/mo.Result: No problem

Family BUnemployment: %0Income: $100/mo.eachResult: Lack of income

Conclusion: Income is more important than employment.

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A personal experience for the low PSC! (cont’d)

• If the problem is defined as a “lack of income”, then the following measures become possible:

– Creating jobs,

– Protection of existing at-risk jobs,

– Supporting entrepreneurship,

– Job sharing schemes,

– Other ways of producing income, jobs and/or sustainability of

existing jobs.

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What the WPDF® Stands for?

• White Point Development Foundation– Founded at 1994,

– Mission: To strengthen the Problem Solving Capacity of Turkish society,

– Vision: To attain a level of PSC, where no societal savior is needed,

– Independent, NGO,

– Financial resources: Founders’ initial & montly donations, fees for seminars and conferences, project sponsors’ contributions.

• Projects– No to unquestionability! (Education based on questionability)

– Learning houses (Every one satisfies his /her own learning needs through learning rather than teaching. It is also called self-paced learning.)

– Fast Transformation Camps (University graduates acquire skills to ask the right questions, recognize their PSCs, and prepare individual learning plans to strengthen themselves)

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What the WPDF® Stands for? – Cont’d

• Projects (Cont’d)– Networks of model attitudes (among “the drivers who promise to abstain from aggressive driving”,

among “the members of parliaments who promise to abstain from conflicts of interest”, etc),

– Scenario integrations (embedding WPDF messages into TV shows),

– New concepts to strengthen the PSCs (i.e. chemistry of problems, mind viruses, etc),

– Neighborhood solidarity (preparing for future earthquakes in Istanbul),

– Many others which could support mission and vision.

• Her efforts– To understand -and be understood by society- the nature of low PSC,

– To cure the low performance components of PSC projects launched; some successful some not.

• Achievements– Unquestionability / questionability concepts are in circulation among educational class,

– Strong relationship among creativity – competitiveness – PSC – unquestionability is going to be understood,

– Strong relationship between unquestioning attitudes and bribery problems shown (next slide),

– Supporting concepts to PSC is going to be integral parts of mind-sets.

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Bribery – Unquestionability Relation

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What the WPDF® Stands for? – Cont’d

• Major failure

– Required threshold of public awareness is not being reached.

• Barriers

1. “All problems are due to external influences; not at all the low PSC”,

2. The self-confidence of the educated class is worn down due to the everlasting

low PSC,

3. Unquestionability culture might be caused to accept the low PSC as their fate.

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Conclusions

1. Check the major components of the PSC of either individual,

corporate or societal scales, against the deficiencies; you will

absolutely find some issues whose corrections would provide

benefits.

2. PS and PM should be considered identical concepts. PM should not

be reduced to a bunch of PM tools; priority is PSC.

3. The sustainability of your career, success of your corporation or your

society are strictly related to PSC. Try to improve it continually!

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2+3 Suggestions

Two sine-qua-nons:

1. Understand the machinery of PSC first, before attempting to solve any problem,

2. Battle with unquestioning attitudes.

And three more:

3. Low PSC and “dummy compensational attitudes” are twins. Pay attention to arrogant behaviours.

4. Problems due to a low PSC increase with the “Chemistry of Problems”; consider it.

5. Each PS tool corresponds to a side of the span-of-life polygon. The more the tools are effectively used, the more PS Capacity (PSC) increases. It also means enlargement of the area in which we live.

Thank You.