Companies often claim to be great problem solvers. But the reality is that most of them rarely look for new problems to solve.

In the rush to hit targets and deliver quick wins, the crucial skill of problem finding gets ignored. The ability to identify unmet needs, unseen gaps, and emerging challenges is what separates industry leaders from those who fall behind.

What is Problem Finding (and Why Most Teams Skip It)

Problem solving is about fixing what’s already broken. Problem finding is different. It asks questions like:

• What isn’t working, even if no one’s said it out loud?
• What could be better, even if it looks fine today?
• What are we blind to, because we’re too close to it?

It feels messy. It feels uncertain. That’s why most teams avoid it. But when they do, they often end up solving the wrong things, or worse, missing the big opportunities.

Why Teams Avoid Problem Finding

Two forces usually hold teams back.

a.) The Comfort of the Known. The mindset that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” keeps teams stuck in old patterns.

b.) The Tyranny of the Urgent. Daily firefighting leaves no space for exploration. Discovery is sacrificed in the name of productivity.

That’s why leaders need to protect time for exploration. If they don’t, curiosity will always lose to deadlines.

The Innovation Trap: We Might be Solving the Wrong Problems

Think about this. You spend months building the perfect solution. But later, you realize the real issue was somewhere else.

This happens more often than people admit. Solvers love clarity. Finders live with ambiguity. Both matter.

Without discovery, problem solving becomes reactive, not innovative. When problem finding is skipped, companies:

• Waste resources fixing surface issues.
• Miss chances for long-term growth.
• Build products no one truly needs.

The Power of Better Questions

Breakthroughs don’t come from better answers. They come from better problems.

Uber didn’t set out to make taxis better. It asked, “How can technology simplify urban travel?” That one shift created an entirely new way of moving through cities.

Netflix didn’t stop at mailing DVDs. It asked, “How can people access entertainment instantly?” That single question reshaped how the world spends its evenings.

Apple didn’t just want to make phones smaller. It asked, “How can a phone become the center of someone’s life?” The iPhone was born, and it changed not just communication, but music, photography, and work itself.

Airbnb didn’t look at hotels and think, “How can we build more rooms?” It reframed it as, “How can anyone, anywhere, open their home to travelers?” That turned unused spaces into a global hospitality industry.

Spotify didn’t ask, “How can we sell more albums?” It asked, “How can people listen to any song, anytime, without owning it?” The answer rewrote the music business.

Tesla didn’t just ask, “How do we make electric cars?” It asked, “How do we make people want electric cars more than gas ones?” That question pushed EVs into the mainstream.

These companies didn’t succeed because they solved obvious problems. They succeeded because they asked different questions. Questions that felt bigger, bolder, and slightly uncomfortable.

Look at Creativity as a Habit, Not as a Talent or Personality Trait

Problem finding isn’t a gift. It’s a habit. It grows when people train themselves to observe, to stay curious, and to ask better questions daily.

Forward-looking companies turn this into routine. 

They:

• Let engineers shadow customers to see hidden frustrations.
• Run short “discovery sprints” focused only on finding gaps.
• Debrief after every project to surface what was overlooked.

When this happens, creativity stops being a one-off brainstorm. It becomes a daily practice.

How to Build a Culture of Curiosity

Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It grows in teams that treat problem finding as a daily habit, not a side project. Curiosity has to be protected, practiced, and rewarded.

Start by making space for discovery. Block time that isn’t about delivery, but about looking deeper.

Create rituals that keep teams close to real needs. Shadow customers, observe users, or sit in on other departments.

Celebrate the act of asking the right question, not just delivering the fastest answer. Train people to think in new ways, through divergent thinking, framing, and reframing challenges.

Curiosity can also be measured. When it’s tracked, it gets stronger. Log new problems identified each quarter. Run cross-department exploration sessions. Keep a scoreboard for discovery contributions.

Always Prioritize Finding Before Solving

Innovation doesn’t start with answers. It starts with questions.

The right question can open doors that no solution ever could. That’s why problem finding must be a habit, not a once-a-year workshop. The companies that thrive are not the ones that rush to patch up the noticeable cracks, but the ones willing to slow down, look deeper, and ask the questions no one else dares to. 

Problem finding is not about adding more work; it’s about uncovering the work that truly matters. It shifts teams from reactive mode to visionary mode, from chasing short-term fixes to creating long-term impact. By making curiosity a discipline and embedding discovery into daily routines, organizations open doors to breakthroughs that answers alone could never reveal. 

The future belongs to the leaders and teams who cultivate the courage to explore the unknown, who prioritize finding before solving, and who recognize that every great innovation begins not with the right answer, but with the right question.

So ask yourself: What’s the problem no one is solving yet?Turn curiosity into a daily habit.

Contact Basadur Applied Innovation to build a future-ready strategy rooted in problem finding and creative thinking.

In the noise of constant disruption, innovation has become a buzzword. But for most organizations, it still feels out of reach. The issue isn’t always a lack of ideas. It’s a lack of process. While many businesses strive to innovate, few know how to make it repeatable, collaborative, and sustainable.

The Basadur Innovation Process, a structured framework developed by Dr. Min Basadur, offers a way forward. It’s a thinking and problem solving system rooted in applied creativity, behavioral science, and cognitive psychology. More importantly, it reconnects people with the how of innovation, making it something teams can practice, not just talk about.

What Does It Mean to Build Better Processes in Innovation?

Better processes don’t mean tighter control. They mean deeper clarity. They aren’t about telling people what to do. They’re about creating systems where people think better, together.

To build better processes is to shift from isolated problem-solving to integrated thinking. This means designing workflows that make space for complexity and encourage diverse inputs. It’s not just about fixing broken steps in a project. It’s about transforming how teams define challenges, make sense of them, and move forward with confidence.

At a technical level, this involves tools like process mapping, decision matrices, stakeholder interviews, and systems thinking. These tools help identify friction points, reveal unseen patterns, and bring teams into alignment. The result is a process that’s not only functional but also human-centered.

Why Do Traditional Problem-Solving Methods Often Fall Short?

Traditional problem-solving frameworks tend to fall into one of two traps. They either rely too heavily on analysis or swing toward unstructured creativity. The balance is missing.

In practice, this shows up as endless brainstorming with no direction. Or rigid project plans that leave no space for new insights. Teams get stuck. Problems are misdiagnosed. And even the best ideas fail to gain traction.

There are also psychological barriers. People hesitate to speak up. Power dynamics silence the quieter voices. Teams default to safe solutions because failure feels too risky.

Many classic tools like root cause analysis or SWOT work in a straight line. But real innovation doesn’t move in a straight line. It loops. It wanders. It demands both structure and flexibility.

Simplexity understands this. It offers a model that mirrors how innovation actually works, in cycles, in conversation, in constant motion.

How Does the Basadur Innovation Process Support Sustainable Innovation?

The Basadur Innovation Process is a recursive, adaptable framework that supports innovation from ideation to implementation. At its heart, it is a way to think through problems by integrating both divergent and convergent thinking. It starts not with ideas, but with curiosity. It asks, what’s really going on here?

This framework supports sustainable innovation because it gives teams more than direction. It gives them a shared language. It helps them stay aligned even when problems shift or solutions change. And it brings creativity and analysis into the same room, allowing them to work side by side.

Key elements that make this possible include:

• Problem framing algorithms that help surface deeper needs beneath initial symptoms

• Cycles of divergence and convergence that support idea generation without losing focus

• Looping mechanisms to revisit earlier steps when new insights emerge

• Cognitive style mapping that allows each team member, whether generator, optimizer, or implementer, to contribute where they’re strongest

What Are the Key Steps in the Basadur Simplexity Model?

The Basadur Innovation Process includes eight distinct but fluid steps, grouped into four overarching stages. 

Stage 1: Generating Opportunities

• Problem Generation encourages the exploration of all potential opportunities or challenges. This stage requires curiosity, not judgment.
• Fact Finding digs deeper with both quantitative and qualitative research.

Stage 2: Problem Definition

• Problem Definition refines that exploration into a focused challenge using tools like data gathering, reframing techniques, and input from diverse stakeholders.
• Challenge Mapping reframes the challenge again, often revealing new angles.

Stage 3: Solution Development

• Idea Finding creates space for open creativity using ideation techniques like SCAMPER, analogies, or TRIZ.
• Evaluation and Selection grounds creativity with impact-feasibility analysis, structured decision models, and prioritization tools.

Stage 4: Implementation and Buy-In

• Planning turns ideas into action, with project timelines, milestones, and role definitions.
• Acceptance Finding focuses on emotional and social readiness. It addresses resistance, builds trust, and ensures commitment.

How Can Leaders Use Simplexity to Drive Change and Creativity?

Leadership today is less about commanding and more about cultivating. Simplexity gives leaders a way to create cultures of innovation without overwhelming their teams.

With this model, leaders learn to:

• Facilitate group thinking that invites every voice into the room
• Use visual frameworks to map ideas, barriers, and pathways clearly
  Recognize different cognitive contributions and create space for all of them
• Encourage psychological safety, which is essential for risk-taking and creative thought

Leaders who use Simplexity are not just solving problems. They are nurturing the conditions for innovation to become the norm.

What Makes Basadur Different from Other Innovation Frameworks?

Many innovation models rush to solution mode. The Basadur Process pauses. It teaches teams to understand the problem fully before jumping ahead. That alone changes everything.

It’s also one of the few models that integrates analytical tools with human dynamics. Emotional intelligence is built into the process. Team dynamics are mapped and honored.

Simplexity adapts across industries and scales. It works for frontline teams as much as it does for executive groups. It moves smoothly between strategy and execution. And it doesn’t depend on a visionary leader. It thrives on a shared process.

How Do Better Processes Lead to Real-World Business Impact?

Better processes create better outcomes. That sounds obvious, but in practice, it’s rare. Most teams operate with partial clarity and scattered effort. When they align under a strong, adaptable framework like Basadur, things shift.

Teams move faster. Ideas improve. People engage more fully. Problems get solved, not just patched. The data backs this up. But the real impact is harder to measure. It’s in the energy of meetings. The confidence in decisions. The quiet belief that the team can handle what comes next.

The Invitation to Innovation

Innovation is a mindset. It starts not with a breakthrough but with a commitment to see clearly, think together, and move forward with purpose. The Basadur Innovation Process offers a path, a grounded, flexible, deeply human process to help teams do just that.

For organizations ready to evolve, the process begins now. To explore how Basadur’s Simplexity Thinking can help your organization build better processes and spark meaningful change, visit www.basadur.com.

Drive innovation and adaptability in your organization. CONTACT Basadur Applied Innovation to discover how we can help you build a future-proof strategy for sustained success.