RealityCharting e-book .pdf - SERC Home Page

Step Six: Identify Effective Solutions
returns to the problem, the solution often just appears out of nowhere. As
adults, you have probably experienced the same thing. Play is important
to the natural problem-solving process, so we need to incorporate it into
our problem-solving plan.
Yes-Anding
“Yes-anding” is a creative strategy that helps us avoid negative
judgments throughout the solutions stage. It works like this. Avoid using
the word “but.” When a fellow team member says something you disagree
with, try to empathize and then agree with it. Follow your profound
agreement with the statement, “Yes, and we could add to that with [insert
your idea.]” “Yes-anding” can be used to brainstorm by asking every person
to build on the expressed solution. It moves very quickly, like the rapid
response method, so we do not want to slow down the process with logic
or analysis at this point. Be enthusiastic about the previous solution even if
it is totally off the wall, such as, “Oh, yes! Wesley, that is the most incredible
solution I have ever heard and we could build a miniature mousetrap from
your new tennis racket by adding a spring at the bottom.”
The “yes-and” strategy is based on what children do when they
play. Young children have not yet learned to put each other down. They
have no experience on which to judge, so they accept what is stated as
being really cool and then build on the thought until they have turned a
cardboard box into a castle complete with kitchen and cannons.
Identifying Effective Solutions
Effective solutions mean we must prevent the defined problem
from happening again. If you are experiencing repeat events in your
life or organization, you have missed the fundamental tenet of effective
problem solving. Effective solutions are ones that work for you or your
organization, not for someone else. A solution will work if it meets the
criteria of preventing recurrence, is within your control, meets your goals
and objectives, and doesn’t cause other unacceptable problems.
The difference between conventional wisdom and the Reality-
Charting problem-solving process is the belief in a right solution. As
we have learned so far in this book, there is no such thing as one right
answer to event-based problems, only good, better, and best. The best
solutions not only meet the solution criteria, but they are the ones you or
your organization choose. By involving key stakeholders in the problemsolving
process, you will create a common reality from which effective
126