BEST Robotics - Meta Skills – Problem Solving Part II

Dr. Jens A. Hartmann, Marty Strong Michael Steiner

We begin part II with the learning principles from the 8200 Mossad group, emphasizing adaptability, innovation, and strategic thinking, closely aligning with the benefits of problem-solving in cognitive development. The group’s approach to training focuses on real-world scenarios that enhance neural connectivity and plasticity, enabling rapid learning and skill acquisition (Draganski et al., 2004). The focus is on uncertainty, not knowing, and embracing feeling uncomfortable. That approach allows us to become creative, find new approaches, and understand the gaps that need to be filled?

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Participants at BEST, develop critical thinking skills by engaging in complex problem-solving tasks, activating the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex for logical reasoning (Bunge et al., 2009). This experience fosters creativity, as team members are encouraged to think outside the box and generate novel solutions - an essential trait for operational success (Buckner et al., 2008).

?Moreover, the emphasis on collaboration within the 8200 group enhances social cognition and communication skills (Mitchell, 2009), mirroring the development of emotional intelligence through empathy and self-awareness (Craig, 2009). The resilience cultivated through high-pressure scenarios improves adaptability, allowing members to thrive in dynamic environments (McEwen, 2007).

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Ultimately, the integration of these principles into a problem-solving framework promotes a lifelong learning mindset, encouraging continuous growth and self-directed learning among team members (Buckner et al., 2008). This holistic approach not only sharpens individual skills but also strengthens collective efficacy, essential for the group's operational success.

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?Michael: Jens, one approach (problem-solving) and such a massive impact all across our capacities? How should we reconcile all of this?

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Jens: Michael, that's precisely the point – problem-solving is a multifaceted approach that uniquely intersects with various cognitive, emotional, and social capacities. To reconcile this breadth of impact, consider the following frameworks.

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The Integrated Information Theory (IIT) suggests that problem-solving integrates information from diverse neural networks, fostering global workspace theory and cognitive coherence. Additionally, neuroplasticity plays a crucial role, as problem-solving drives adaptive reorganization of brain connections, enhancing neural efficiency and cognitive flexibility.

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The Dynamic Systems Theory provides further insight, illustrating how problem-solving operates within complex, dynamic systems, influencing self-organization and emergent properties. Moreover, Embodied Cognition highlights the interplay between cognitive, emotional, and sensorimotor processes.

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As you can see, reconciling these perspectives reveals problem-solving as a fundamental cognitive process that cultivates neural integration and plasticity, enhances cognitive flexibility and adaptability, supports emotional regulation and resilience, fosters creativity, innovation, and critical thinking, and develops metacognitive awareness and self-directed learning. By embracing this holistic understanding, we can leverage problem-solving to optimize cognitive potential, foster lifelong learning, and cultivate adaptive expertise. Marty Strong's research and direct lived experience as a SEAL leader and successful CEO also reflects the importance of contextualizing problem-solving within real-world scenarios, highlighting the interplay between cognitive, emotional, and social factors.

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Marty: Jens, there’s’ a lot in these two frameworks that relates to how high-performance professionals operate. Air traffic controls, fighter pilots, surgeons, race car drivers, bomb disposal experts, and yes, special operators in the Navy SEALs and similar specialized military units. Your two frameworks, in many ways define the elements of behavior and ability the term “high-performance” represents, especially for the examples I cited. Add to this the concept of teams of high performers, using your identifying factors, who all interact and execute as one mind, one body. We know this when we see it. In music, sports, emergency response, and of course, in war.?

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Jens: Marty, that’s why we need to embrace this holistic understanding, why we must leverage problem-solving to optimize cognitive potential, foster lifelong learning, and cultivate adaptive expertise. How do you propose we apply these insights in educational or professional settings? Is it only for extreme performance situations? Perhaps we can explore strategies for integrating problem-solving into curriculum design or workplace training programs, focusing on normal, real-world applications and interdisciplinary collaboration across a wider scope of professionals.

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Marty: Jens, Yes, this is a universal challenge. The professional performance requirements used in my examples are extreme and make sense for a small microcosm of the total population. Understanding and knowing how to problem solve is even more impactful in areas of human activity where active problem solving has been relegated to people with titles. It’s a habit in modern organizations to sidestep solving the problem and instead, turn to the leader, watching how they address the challenge. In practice, this is silly.

Leaders cannot be everywhere all the time and many themselves have not been taught to problem solve adroitly. This often means issues are not corrected in a timely manner and may in fact escalate in scale and urgency that triggers secondary and tertiary cascading effects to the organization. Every professional at every level should be trained and coached in the art and science of effective problem-solving to evolve beyond leader-only analysis and decision-making.???

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Jens: Michael, I agree with Marty that we need to democratize the art of problem solving through effective training programs. In practice, democratizing problem solving could also require developing assessment tools to measure problem-solving efficacy, identifying key performance indicators, and creating feedback mechanisms to refine problem-solving strategies. What are your thoughts?

Conclusion:

Jens and Marty, your comprehensive review of Problem-Solving as a methodology is truly insightful. Your exploration of High Performers' science, practice, and experiences has shed light on the unique features of Problem-Solving that other learning and growth approaches lack.

The adaptability of our capacities, particularly our brains, is crucial in the modern era. Little is straightforward in today's world. Whether tackling new virus strains or resolving sudden corporate crises, these challenges underscore the necessity of Problem-Solving skills.

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Lastly, while we may relate to high performers as singled out, top-tier individuals who clearly must own the impacts of problem-solving should certainly constantly invest in and be invested in to power their deliverables.

There may be or should be another approach to this high-performance impact of problem-solving. Every individual I have had the opportunity to work with and be part of our leadership responsibility needed these abilities.

We may need to realize and recognize that accelerating individuals, young and adults, of any tier is essential for our success.

One experience I remember well was when an assistant of our team saw the way out of a logistical nightmare that suddenly stopped an entire million-dollar project.

Her insight, the plasticity of thinking and action, drove her ahead and enabled us to solve a situation that was a “wall,” a vast and dangerous wall.

Was she a member of a team that was trained and invested in to ensure she and others took the lead and acted, including advising all of us what next steps would move us out of the situation?

Yes, she was. But witnessing how an individual in a team helps us function when a problem surprises us is one of the reasons why everyone must own this set of skills that come together with learning through problem-solving. It's not just about the solution, it's about the learning that comes with it.

Remember, you never really know when you’ll need to pull everything you already know together to address a major problem.

The problems are solved not by giving new information but by arranging what we have always known

?(Ludwig Wittgenstein)