 Small groups are often gathered and tasked with solving a problem. They bring a variety of people together and so they take advantage of those multiple perspectives and experiences and backgrounds to apply those things to solving some sort of problems. So let's talk a little bit about how we can engage in the group problem-solving process then. The problem-solving process very simply is thoughts, discussions, actions, and decisions that occur from the first consideration of a problematic situation to the goal. So anything involved with solving a problem is part of the problem-solving process then. It's wide-ranging. So we start with some common components, though, of a problem. Adam's and Galane's in 2009 identified what they see as most problems are going to have at least these three components. The first is an undesirable situation, so something that needs fixing. That's where the problem comes in. And then there is, on the other side of that, then a desired solution, a desired situation, what we would like to see happen. And then in between there is that we have obstacles, obviously, that keep us from our slowing us or keeping us from getting from that undesirable situation to the desired situation. So we have these obstacles in between. So obviously, it's not hard to see that most problems are going to have at least those three components. Then additionally, we could have some other components and characteristics of a problem, such as task difficulty, the number of possible solutions, a group member of interest in the problem, group familiarity with the problem, and a need for solution acceptance. So when we look at these things that are problems have things that are difficult to do, tasks that are difficult to accomplish, the fact that there are a number of possible solutions when we have to identify if it's only one thing to do, it would be easy in some ways to move forward with that. We would need a group of people, we would need a lot of thought in how to proceed because we would know it's just one way to do it. The group member of interest in the problem, maybe people who are even in that group may not have an interest in solving that problem or may not be driven to do so. And group familiarity with the problem, maybe they don't know anything about the problem, maybe they're not aware that it is a problem. And then the need for solution acceptance, what is the need that's there, right? So we see these in all kinds of problems ranging from things like immigration. It's something that's really challenging. There are a variety of things that we can and maybe should do to solve this problem. There's a question of whether or not people really want to solve the problem or how familiar they are with the problem. And then what's the need for that acceptance? Is it important that people accept that solution or not? Same thing with social security, we can apply to that type of issue or even things like, you know, pet overpopulation and the shelter situation and things for pets. All of these we can see that there are additional characteristics then that make it even more challenging to solve these things. With that in mind, let's take a look at one common sort of variation of a problem-solving process and just take a look at the steps that are involved in this type of process. So first of all, the first step to any problem-solving process really is to define the problem. So we want to identify and analyze the problem, making sure that we separate the root problem from the symptoms, for example. So we want to define what exactly is this problem that we're trying to solve? We're not going to solve everything. We really need to narrow down and ideally quantify what it is we're trying to solve and analyze what that problem is so that we can separate the root from the symptoms. So for example, if we take homelessness for an example, there are lots of things that we can do to get people off the street, we can provide housing and do things. But what's the root of homelessness? We wanted to find not only the problem, are we trying to stop people from becoming homeless or are we trying to just remove the unhoused from the streets and get them into housing and shelters? And so we need to find what it is exactly we're trying to look at and analyze that problem, define what that problem is and separate it then from the symptoms of that problem. We don't just want to treat the symptoms. We want to treat the problem itself, the root problem then. So after we've defined and analyzed that problem, then we can start to brainstorm a little bit. We can generate possible solutions. And in this phase, it's important that you just kind of have an open mind and no idea is too silly, no idea is off the table. If your solution involves, let's build a rocket ship out of coconuts and fly it to Mars, then you write that on the board. You're just brainstorming. Now you're gonna, in the next step, you're gonna eliminate that particular one probably, but at this stage, you're just coming up with any idea, generating any possible solution that you can amongst the group. And just, if somebody has an idea, you write it on the board. So brainstorm, come up with as many possible ideas as you can. Then in the next stage, in this example, you're gonna pick. You're gonna pick one of those possible solutions. You're gonna evaluate those possible solutions that you came up with. And then you're gonna choose which one you're going to implement. So you're gonna just pick one. And not just pick one, but you're gonna evaluate and determine. We think, you don't know for certain, but we think this is the one that has the best possibility of success. So we're gonna try it. After we evaluate all these things, that's when you're gonna take the coconut rocket ship off the board and say, well, you know, that's probably not gonna be the best option. There's some other things we should try before that. So, but we're gonna evaluate and assess the possible solutions that we brainstormed. And then we're gonna choose which one to implement, which then is the next stage is to implement. We're gonna implement our chosen solution. We're gonna put it into practice, try and make it a reality. And use that to solve the problem. We're gonna implement whatever solution it is we've come up with. And we're gonna see how that works. And then in the end, it's important though, that we, after we have it implemented as best we can, that we then review that. We're gonna assess the outcomes. We're gonna determine the next steps then. And those next steps could be, okay, this is working. What can we do to strengthen this and make it even better? Or it could be that review could, and determining the next steps could be a matter of, look, this isn't working as well. And so let's go back to those brainstorming ideas and let's try maybe one of the others that we thought might work. And sometimes it's a bit of trial and error, right? So you wanna be sure that you are reviewing and assessing these things and assessing the outcomes and determining is this solution that we picked and implemented, is this solving the problem that we thought it would and in the way that we want it to without creating more problems and so forth. But so we got to review and go back to whatever step is necessary or continue to strengthen that particular solution if it's working for us. So as simple as it sounds, it's obviously more complicated when you get a group of people together and try and get through all these steps. But problem solving really does come down to these different steps. So we need to define the problem, brainstorm some ideas, come up with possible solutions, then pick one, implement it, and then review and determine, is it working, is it not, and go from there. One example of a model of the problem solving process that gained popularity in the late 1980s was developed by Edward De Bono in 1985. It's called the Six Thinking Hats Method. So just to give you an idea of what a type of problem solving model might look like, the Six Thinking Hats Method basically says group members should be intentional about putting on different hats in different ways of viewing an issue or a problem. So you have the yellow hat, which is where everybody looks at things. What are the positive aspects of this and the positive potentials of this method and this solution? Green has to do with creativity. So let's be creative and look at all the different creative angles here. Red is our emotional response to this possible solution. Blue has to do with the process of how we implement things and what it would look like to go through this. Black is where we try and poke holes in things. It's the negativity. We bring up the devil's advocates stuff and we poke holes and try and talk about what could go wrong here? What are the potential consequences? And then white has to do with data and rationality. So for example, just to put this in a practice real quick, what this might look like, one potential way that you could use this would be the leader says, okay, this is the process we're going to use. We're gonna use the Six Thinking Hats Method and I'm gonna direct this and we're gonna walk through each of these. And so you have the group buys into this and says, okay, let's do this. And then the leader walks them through each of these steps. So you look at the white where you look at all the data and all the facts you can gather about that particular problem. And so you spend some time on that identifying those types of things. Then you ask the group intentionally, okay, let's shift from the white hat and let's put on our yellow hats, for example, and look at the potential positive aspects of this and the ways that this could go right and the benefits that this could produce. Then we're gonna flip that and be intentional about putting on our black hat and saying, okay, what are the potential issues here that could come up? What are the difficulties, the challenges that we may face in implementing all of this and the potential consequences of what could this create more problems than it solves and so forth? So we're gonna put on our black hats and look at that. Then we're gonna take off our black hat and put on our red hat and see how does this impact us emotionally? What are our gut instincts about this potential solution and about the problem and how do we respond to this emotionally? Then we're gonna look at green. How can we possibly be creative with examining this problem and implementing the solution and just any way that we can incorporate creativity into the process? And then finally blue, what does this process look like? How do we implement this? What's the timeframe, all of this? And remember, all of this is being directed, this process is being directed then by the group leader who's walking the members through each of these hats, so to speak, in each of these perspectives, each of these lenses. So you can see it's a model for how one might, a group might go about examining a problem and implementing a solution through a problem solving and just a different way of considering the problem and how to do that. You know, whatever potential model you use for engaging in problem solving, groups are a fantastic way to engage in problem solving, again, because they bring in different perspectives, different frameworks, different ideas, and also many hands make light work, right as we talked about before, that you have more people to help implement this and it doesn't place a burden on one person necessarily. So groups have all kinds of problem solving potential. It's just a matter of identifying the method that's going to work best for your group and then working through those different steps, defining the problem, brainstorming, picking a problem, picking a solution, sorry, implementing it and then reviewing and assessing and so forth and then going back and seeing what you can do to then improve that situation. So, but you know, I want you to be realistic about the way that groups operate in these situations but also understand that problem solving in a group can yield many, many benefits. If you have questions about problem solving in groups or anything related to the small group process and communication, please feel free to email me. I'd love to hear from you there. In the meantime, I hope that this gives you new perspective on the potential that problem solving can hold in groups and also new information about how we might best go about engaging in problem solving in small groups.