Problem Solving

When we stick to what we know and are familiar with, we can be blind to new ways of seeing.
Whether it's the person you've been with for decades, the job that's stressing you out, the life you're frustrated with, or the perplexing technical problem you've been tasked with solving.
In the world of business, science, or the arts, the act of seeing from an "oblique" perspective is a coveted commodity. Why? Because it's a rare skill. Divergent thinkers are adaptive thinkers. Innovative by nature. Creative solution providers from the start.In most schools, however, children are taught to think in a focused, convergent way. This is reinforced in secondary schools through exams that test specific knowledge. And is firmly embedded in the workforce as a "follow-the-system" process that dulls and numbs the mind. So how can you "see" with eyes trained to avoid distractions, like a racehorse aiming for the finish line?
... Should I focus on the problem? Drawn in by the amount of information that needs to be understood, yet limited by tunnel vision? There is an answer: nature. The original source of creative insight."You could look at nature as a catalog of products, and all have benefited from a research and development period of 3.8 billion years. Given that investment, it makes sense to use it.
The development of Japan's 500-series high-speed Shinkansen train (which entered service in 1998 and is now being replaced) was about solving the problem of machines moving at high speed without the associated noise factor. Residents 400 meters away could hear the sonic blasts of earlier models entering underground tunnels. Eiji Nakatsu, engineer and former director of the company that created the rail system, is also a bird lover. During the design phase of the bullet train, he attended a lecture on birds. It made him look at the noise problem from a different perspective.This "creative pause" changed his perspective and he sought inspiration from nature's "stealth machine": the owl.The team discovered that an owl's feathers have rows of sawtooth (serrated) feathers that protrude from the outer layer. These allow for nearly silent flight by altering air turbulence and absorbing noise. Nakatsu applied this design feature to the high-speed train's overhead gears. Today, the concept is in aircraft design and ski equipment.The kingfisher influenced the train's cone-shaped nose. When searching for prey, the kingfisher flies over the water before diving to catch a fish with its elongated beak. It moves quietly and with ease between low pressure (air) and high pressure (water) - a similar problem faced by the bullet train when air pressure changes as it enters a tunnel, creating sonic noise. Nature's design created an elegant solution. The owl and the kingfisher - a perfect combination for smooth speed and muted performance.What do owls, kingfishers and bird-loving engineers have to do with you?
Each was: Fast. Quiet. Clever. Sounds like a trilogy to strive for. Seize fast opportunities.
Quiet as deep thinking and patterns emerge. Intelligently grasping and understanding connections. When dealing with solving problems and frustrations in your life, who do you turn to for inspiration? The past? Friends? Self-help books? While we remain locked in our own deluded view, problems can feel insurmountable.And we can be our own worst enemy. Literally, we dig ourselves into a ditch by walking around the problem until it's impossible to see beyond the dug hole. While you may not be designing the next bullet train, you may be solving a very noisy problem that threatens to run you over.
Noise and speed can be problematic, whether the high-speed train is designed or everyday problems occur. Here's how to integrate the owl and the kingfisher into your problem-solving process. Look at the problem and approach each element simply. Look at your interests or elements of the natural world that you are curious about.What in nature has already solved this problem to survive predators?STEP THREE: Use convergent thinking by refining ideas and looking for patterns - synthesis. Group ideas. Create labels. Remove information. Add in other pieces. Build connections...

Problem solving is about opening your mind to the natural solutions that are right in front of you.
The ones that provide evolutionary shortcuts that help us adapt to our fast-paced world by observing nature's already obvious answers. If you want to solve the unsolvable, go back to nature for a change.