Problem Solving Skill: Most wanted, but not found!

Based on the QS 2019 Global Skills Gap Report Problem Solving is the topmost important skill in employers’ eyes, followed by communication and teamwork. But, it ranks way low in the satisfaction score. It is the 9th skill in satisfaction scores among 15 skills in the list. The gap is huge! Employers want it the most, but can’t quite find what they are looking for. But wait, what is it that they are looking for actually?

For the 3 months between March & June 2020, me and 5 other friends of mine were pretty busy doing research and development. (Believe me, we are normally more social, this was the quarantine time.) We focused on one of the most required but not so much fulfilled skills of 2019: Problem Solving.

p.s. I shared the full our 30-page report at my website. This is the kind of summary.

What is Problem Solving definition?

Problem-solving has so many varied definitions. Wikipedia says “Problem solving consists of using generic or ad hoc methods in an orderly manner to find solutions to problems.”. It is a pretty generic definition, isn’t it? Doesn’t specify what kind of problems or what kind of solutions. A better definition we found is from the University of Waterloo,

“True problem solving is the process of applying a method – not known in advance – to a problem that is subject to a specific set of conditions and that the problem solver has not seen before, in order to obtain a satisfactory solution”.

More clear, in my opinion. It says that the problem solver must not have seen the same problem in advance. This is the most important part because everybody can solve problems that they have encountered before. The real skill comes up when there is a problem nobody has ever seen before. But still, why is it so important?

Why Problem Solving is important?

We didn’t come up with this flowchart(on the right), but seems pretty good… ??

Because we encounter lootss of different problems every single day! Whether at work or at home, on the way to school or with friends there are small and big, visible, and invisible problems all around us, all the time.

Especially when you’re working, your job is to find solutions to the problems. Not just any solution I mean, efficient, effective, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions. You might even need to find better solutions to an already existing solution.

On the other hand, improving your problem solving skill is an most important part of improving yourself. Because as you grow older, your problems grow bigger. Do you remember your biggest problem when you were 10? Dropping the icecream was the nightmare for me. I wish I had the same problems now… ??

So, if we all agree on how important it is to develop this skill, how can we learn it? Can you actually teach someone how to solve problems?

For the answers to

Can Problem Solving be taught?

and

Can Artificial Intelligence help people improve Problem Solving skills?

read more below on my own site: