Signs and Signals
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There are usually signs and signals in advance of most problems. If we are trained to see them, they are clear long before someone tells us. The signs and signals, are therefore crucial to problem solving, and they can be seen at the personal level by the way people dress and behave. Simple things like the nod of the head, moving backwards to create distance, or just a smile, are signals that can tell you what people are thinking.
A sign may be in the way an organization looks when you visit, or the state of their advertising, or their service levels. The more obvious signs and signals appear in the financial statements. The investment community spend days assessing the data to see which organizations are on the way up or on the way down.
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Francis Crick
In studying the performance of DNA, Francis Crick needed to make evaluations that were based on the many signs he saw from the models he drew. Each sign was a signal in itself and little did he know that he and his colleague would revolutionize the science of genetics. In developing the DNA model, his work was often questioned, however, he continued to seek out scientific evidence. Based on the signs and signals he received, he continued to research his theories and his belief that genetic information is hereditary.
“To produce a really good biological theory one must try to see through the clutter produced by evolution to the basic mechanisms lying beneath them, realizing that they are likely to be overlaid by other, secondary mechanisms.” – Francis Crick.
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Applications
In terms of communication and problem solving, it is very valuable to have a range of factors to assess. For example, have a checklist of signs and signals, just as a doctor does when examining a patient. Most professions have established such signs and signals checklists, as for example accountants do, when assessing if an organization is solvent.
At the personal level, use the five major problem solving skills to understand, and explain the signs and signals before evaluation and implementation. You can use the following checklist to look at your approach.
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