Innovation is a proven, time-tested methodology for solving problems. In fact, it is the most effective tool for problem-solving in human history. It is so powerful because it enables people to do something that is very difficult: focus intensively on solutions while systematically eliminating error and bias. That may not sound like an immense challenge, but it requires that we look at the same old problems in new ways.
The good news is that we have been quite successful in using innovative problem-solving to transform and improve virtually every aspect of the modern world around us. Fundamentally, we are all linear thinkers living in a complex world. This enables us to solve problems that are directly in front of us extremely well and we all do this multiple times every day.
At the same time, the greater the distance, variability, and complexity in any problem we confront, the less innately well-equipped we are to handle the challenge. Our emotional and instinctual responses leave us susceptible to becoming imprisoned by our own predispositions. The more removed a problem is, the more errors, biases, false narratives and misguided analogies seep into our analysis. Patterns and ideas that just “pop” into our heads from emotional and instinctual reactions may offer some illumination, but they are just as likely to be seriously misguided.
To improve our political process, we must be able to systematically differentiate between fact and fiction, error and truth. Moreover, all of the social, economic, and financial challenges we confront through our political process are perfect examples of complex systems. Therefore, if we truly want to reform and improve our political decisions, we must confront this disconnection directly.
Consider how well we have been able to solve extremely complex problems in the fields of science, medicine, technology, agriculture, and industry. We have achieved exponential success in these areas through the effective focus and methodological discipline of innovative problem-solving. Two aspects of human nature have to be addressed to replicate that success:
- The propensity to make mistakes (to err is human)
- The bias that clouds our judgment (confirmation bias)
Innovative problem-solving is both a mentality and a methodology.
The mentality is a relentless focus on finding better ways to do things and solving problems. That may sound simple, but the focus is extremely important to keep front and center, especially as political debate becomes impassioned. When our assumptions are challenged, it is quite common to revert to our instinctual and emotional responses rather than maintaining our attention on solving the problem. When focused on solutions, every other consideration—dogma, ideology, partisanship, and cultural divisions—becomes secondary. These substantial barriers to effective solutions contribute greatly to the division and dysfunction in our current political process.
The mentality of innovation is guided by a few principles. The first step is recognizing that error is our enemy, not each other. We all begin political engagement with a host of assumptions about the way the world works based on our innate outlook and collection of experiences. This is perfectly natural, but also in conflict with the most effective ways of solving problems. In every area of human endeavor in which we have embraced a method of significantly reducing the errors and bias from our initial emotional and instinctual reactions, we have immediately witnessed substantial advancement. Current research from psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and the objective historical record is quite conclusive on this point.
The second principle of mentality is to use reality—facts and evidence—as our frame of reference, not the divisions of dogma, ideology, partisanship and cultural differences. It is far too easy to give in to those alluring temptations which poison the process.
Lastly, we need to remain committed to systematically differentiating between what works and what does not. More specifically, this means experiment and test our results, just as in other fields. Using propaganda to support policies that do not work is a sure-fire formula for disaster.
The second part of innovative problem-solving is the methodology. This is essential. Without a systematic way to remove error and bias, we will continue to generate dysfunctional results, similar to what we witness every day in Washington. Just as we have seen in many other areas such as science, medicine, and technology, embracing a methodology to bridge the disconnect between our emotional/instinctual reactions and consistently discovering real solutions will produce far better results.
Innovation is a proven methodology—we know it works. As history demonstrates, it will transform any pursuit to which it is applied. The RESET (Reality, Experience, Solution, Experiment & Testing) model of innovative problem-solving relies on the insights and successes of the most dynamic innovators in history.
Reality: Reality begins when we shed our assumptions and refuse to limit our thinking to the tired, old, failed ideas of the past. This allows us to view each problem in completely new ways. Reality does not care, nor is it contingent on what you believe or perceive to be true—only what is actually true. This fact is completely ignored in our current political process, which is why the RESET model is such a revolutionary idea in today’s political environment.
Some people look at politics through the lens of ideology, some use dogma, some moral intuition and others partisanship and cultural differences. Each of these perspectives carry with them considerable distortions from error and bias. Defining our political process in this way ensures that every attempt to solve a problem will be mortally wounded before it even begins.
In a recent survey, 88 percent of Americans indicated they would like to use facts and evidence to make policy decisions; but 89 percent of Americans also indicated that they understand that we tend to believe only data that confirms our existing viewpoint. The latter point completely negates the potential benefits of the first one. By forcing ourselves to look objectively at the facts and evidence, we begin the process from an entirely different perspective than any other group in American politics.
Both sides of our current debate are heavily biased and rely on an endless supply of jaundiced narratives to perpetuate the illusion that they are free of distortions and the other side is not. It is only by stripping away these false narratives that we can view facts and evidence as useful inputs for solving problems. As many great thinkers have observed, the illusion of knowledge is a far greater impediment to discovering truth than is ignorance. Both sides of our current debate are defined by their illusions, not solutions.
Facts and evidence are the foundation of innovative problem-solving. This requires that we jettison our predispositions and assumptions of dogma, ideology, partisanship, and cultural factors, and to deal only with the world as it is—aka reality.
Experience: Social sciences are more challenging in many ways than the sciences of physics and astronomy. Claims and assertions in those fields can be directly tested for their validity.
Further complicating the situation is the tendency of the human mind to conjure up analogies to help make sense of our complex, dynamic world. The challenge in this stage is to be rigorous in applying the examples in apples-to-apples comparisons.
In most cases, we can find examples that feed our existing narrative, because they come to mind easily and readily. However, we must be vigilant against the availability bias creating neat and tidy examples; we must challenge our assumptions and allegiance to tired, old, failed ideas. Each complex problem we encounter will have multiple causes and variables that influence its impact on changing circumstances. We need to be cautious in looking at experiences carefully to determine what has truly worked and what has not in a given situation and historical context. Again, facts and evidence provide the essential building blocks in this stage.
Solutions: If we have performed steps one and two correctly, then the solution phase is well-positioned for success. A strong foundation of facts, evidence and applicable examples provide ingredients for a viable solution. In most cases, we should generate a number of possible solutions which can be critically analyzed and debated for the probability of success in implementation. After ranking these proposed solutions and analyzing their potential for success, the difficulty of implementation, and the unintended consequences of their adoption, we will choose the best option with the greatest upside and smallest downside.
Experiment and Testing: Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and other Founding Fathers referred to America as “The Great Experiment.” They knew that we would prosper only if we closely linked our actions and policies to their outcomes. This is the RESET method step that we are ignoring the most. By declaring the success of a policy before its outcome is known, we are dooming ourselves to live with ideas that do not work and perpetuating actions that fail to achieve their intended effect.
We must adopt the approach of carefully observing the impact of policies to see what aspects worked, which ones did not, and what can be tweaked to improve the overall approach. This is the heart of America’s innovative spirit—the drive to always find better ways to do things and improve the world around us. Only by critically analyzing the success and failures of every policy can we have the information necessary to improve the overall solution.
The RESET policy is not a one-time shot. It is a continuous process that empowers us to constantly look for new ways to improve and strengthen our society and our nation.