No. 14-0003 Problem Discovery as a Collaborative, Creative, and Method- Guided Search for the “Real Problems” as Raw Diamonds of Innovation by Gerald Steiner, Visiting Scholar, Program on Transatlantic Relations Associate Professor, Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research, University of Graz Working Paper Series 1737 CAMBRIDGE STREET • CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 • TEL 617.495.4420 • FAX 617.495.8292
[email protected] • http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu Problem Discovery as a Collaborative, Creative, and Method-Guided Search for the “Real Problems” as Raw Diamonds of Innovation Gerald Steiner Visiting Scholar, Program on Transatlantic Relations, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University Associate Professor for Systemic and Sustainability Management, Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation, and Sustainability Research, University of Graz, Austria Acknowledgements: This work was conducted as part of Visiting Scholarship at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA) at Harvard University. I would like to thank my colleagues from the WCFIA for their generous support and for helpful discussions and comments on various aspects of this research. Abstract This paper poses that the creative search for frequently hidden “real” problems is critical if innovation aims at comprehensive system improvements and changes in thinking paradigms, rather than simple, incremental changes. These hidden real problems can perhaps best be symbolized by raw diamonds, which one strives to find in order to then grind them into sparkling diamonds, i.e. innovation. Currently, problem solving-related research focuses on the analysis and solution of predefined problems, with little emphasis on problem reframing and systemic discovery; moreover, inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations for problem finding and the application of convoluted methods receive little attention.