Fresh Ideas at Work » Redefine the Problem

To Win Against Women, Win Against Men

freshideasatwork — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:43:53 +0000

A recent Businessweek article provided a winning example of the Fresh Ideas strategy ‘Redefine the Problem.’ Picture this:

“ It’s into hour three of a University of Connecticut women’s basketball practice in Storrs, Conn. Coach Geno Auriemma is not happy. One of his 15 practice squad players, an unheralded sophomore, keeps hitting jump shots over Maya Moore, the three-time All-American senior. “How the hell does that happen?” Auriemma asks. “Show us exactly what happened,” he demands. “How did he get a jumper?”

That’s right, he. The top-ranked Connecticut team is among the two-thirds of Division I women’s basketball programs that practice against male players, according to a 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Assn. survey.

… Because men, at least those who gravitate to competitive round ball, are generally built bigger, stronger, and faster than women, teams use them as a form of overload training. It’s like wearing ankle weights when running.

… (One of the benefits) the practice guys get: rare insight into the gender gap. It can be an eye-opening experience. “Everybody thinks, guys vs. girls, we’re automatically going to win,” says Mahier, “which is completely not the case, because I get my ass kicked day in and day out.” For Auriemma, it’s one more reason to have the men around. “They help spread the gospel to all the guys out there.”

How could you play a bigger game by ‘training’ with a bigger competitor?

Powered By Dog Waste

freshideasatwork — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:46:51 +0000

Here’s an example of the Fresh Ideas strategy ‘Redefine the Problem‘ at play:

- Age-old problem: how to get rid of dog poop at the park?
- Redefined problem: how to optimize the dog poop at the park?
- Solution to the redefined problem: the Park Spark Project

Pet waste is placed in biodegradable bags, which are then placed into ‘methane digesters. The methane digesters produce energy used to fuel park lamps and other gas burning objects.

It almost makes pet waste seem like a good thing!

Shift in Perspective Produces Shifting Spaces

freshideasatwork — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:22:11 +0000

Architect Gary Chang changed his perspective from “How to live in a very small space?” to “How to make a very small space more livable?” This shift resulted in a tiny apartment (330 square feet) with 24 usable rooms. Take a four minute tour here:

Subscribers to Fresh Ideas will recognize this as an example of “Redefine the Problem.”

When the Problem is a Solution?

freshideasatwork — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:49:07 +0000

Before you throw in the towel on an intractable problem, ask yourself “How could this be a good thing?”

Still stuck? Ask someone else to help you see how this disadvantage could be an advantage.

“If you’re not careful, it can glue your fingers together!” was a problem when Super Glue was introduced.

How could this be a good thing?

Well, who/what/when/where/why/how would want to glue skin together?

Here’s one solution: during the Vietnam War, surgeons and medics began using Super Glue on wounds.