Problem finding and defining for Innovation

When a company is concentrating on continuously improving its products and services, this is called problem solving. When a company is trying to innovate, coming up with new products and services, this is called problem finding. In our uncertain, volatile, and competitive world, innovating is becoming increasingly important. Our research shows that innovating is difficult for many organizations because most employees at all levels prefer evaluating (optimizing) and implementing, rather than problem finding and defining (generating and conceptualizing). As a result, many organizations look for quick fixes by buying programs or hiring experts, hoping they will somehow produce a bolt from the blue. This almost never works. Instead, innovation is hard work and requires employees, starting with leadership, to think differently, find valuable new problems, define them, solve them, and implement the new solutions. This has to become a way of life for true innovation to occur.

By way of example, an employee of an automobile manufacturer, who has made innovative thinking a way of life, seeks problems facing the industry and finds the problem that many people feel drowsy when driving long distances. Problem definition would lead to challenges such as: How might we prevent people from falling asleep at the wheel? Divergent and convergent thinking on that challenge might lead to a solution of some kind, perhaps a feature in new cars that AI can sense when a driver is losing concentration and triggers a response to keep them awake. Implementing this new idea would create a competitive advantage over all other automobile manufacturers.