One of the participants in my virtual workshop on better decision making suggested that I stop using the term “problem solving.” In his company, they use the term “problem learning.” I hadn’t heard that expression before, but I really like it.
When we talk about “problem solving,” we’re subtly pushed towards finding an answer, fixing the situation, and moving on. That mindset leads to what I consider one of the biggest problems in business—prematurely jumping to solutions before we really understand the problem. I write about that issue in my book The Conclusion Trap.
By contrast, “problem learning” shifts the focus from doing to learning. It places the emphasis on understanding the situation, not on responding to it.
Of course, it will take more than a little bit of verbal jiu jitsu to counteract the tendency to jump to solutions. Both nature and nurture conspire against us. The push for speed and action began with the gold star you got in grade school for raising your hand, and continues through to your most recent performance evaluation at work when you were complimented for your quick actions. And evolutionary demands have made jumping to conclusions fundamental to human nature. Like Luke Skywalker, you cannot escape your destiny.
But “problem learning,” at least, puts the emphasis in the right place.