CRASH! There was an accident involving two cars. What were the major factors that caused the accident? What were the major issues that were derived from those factors? Effective problem solving should concentrate on those major factors and issues, but it is not always so easy.
Nearly all situations are driven by only a few major factors, those circumstances or conditions that caused something to happen. In our car accident example those could be things like reckless driving, DUI, speeding, mechanical failure, and so on. The major issues are then derived from those factors. With our unfortunate car accident, those could be: Who was driving the car? How fast were they driving? Had they been drinking? Did they violate any laws? And more. As a Critical Thinker, those major factors and issues tell us where our analysis should be headed. They can change as new information comes to light and a deeper understanding of the problem at hand develops. If they become lost from view, then the analytical process can go off track. Often people have a hard time in articulating those major factors in the given situation, but instead focus on the first one that comes to mind or what factors might be important to them instead. If the major factors have not been identified, then too much time could be spent on subtleties or minor issues. By focusing on those instead, they could be given too much importance and weight in the conclusion or solution. Once a subtlety is analyzed to be recognized for what it is, then it can be set aside. We should not be distracted by someone telling us, “but subtleties can be important.” Because, if it were important, then by definition it would be a major factor or issue wouldn’t it? Therefore when analyzing a complex situation, creating a list of those major factors and issues is helpful. It can be maintained, adding or deleting them as required when new information comes to light.
Please give me a “like” and share with others. Thank you for reading.
Comments