Posts

The Creative Problem Solving Learner's Model: Why Most Training Gets It Backwards

Three months ago, I walked into a boardroom in Melbourne where twelve senior managers were sitting around arguing about declining customer satisfaction scores. They'd been at it for two hours. Two bloody hours of pointing fingers, rehashing old problems, and suggesting the same tired solutions they'd tried before.

That's when it hit me. After 18 years of running problem-solving workshops across Australia, I realised we've been teaching this stuff completely arse-backwards.

The Traditional Model is Broken (And Always Has Been)

Most business training follows the same predictable formula: identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, evaluate options, implement, review. Rinse and repeat. It sounds logical, doesn't it?

Except it doesn't work.

The creative problem solving learner's model flips this entire approach on its head. Instead of starting with the problem, you start with the learner. Revolutionary? Not really. Common sense? Absolutely.

But here's what gets me fired up: 87% of organisations I've worked with skip this crucial first step. They jump straight into problem identification without understanding who's actually doing the solving.

Why Your Team Keeps Failing at Solutions

I learned this the hard way working with a major Perth-based mining company back in 2019. Their safety incidents were climbing, morale was tanking, and management was throwing money at consultants like confetti at a wedding.

The breakthrough came when we stopped focusing on the incidents and started focusing on how their people actually processed information. Turned out, the experienced miners approached problems completely differently to the graduate engineers. The traditionalists wanted step-by-step processes. The innovators wanted creative freedom.

Same problems. Different brains. Different solutions needed.

This is where the creative problem solving learner's model becomes absolutely critical. It recognises that before you can solve any business problem effectively, you need to understand:

How does this person naturally approach challenges?
What's their preferred learning style when under pressure?
Do they need structure or flexibility to perform at their best?
What past experiences shape their problem-solving instincts?

The Four Stages Nobody Talks About

Traditional problem-solving training gives you six steps, seven techniques, or some other magic number. The learner's model is messier. More human. More effective.

Stage One: The Mess This is where most people actually start, even though trainers pretend problems arrive neatly packaged. Everything's chaotic, emotions are running high, and you're not even sure what the real problem is yet.

Smart organisations embrace this stage instead of rushing through it. They give their people permission to feel overwhelmed before expecting brilliant solutions.

Stage Two: The Learning Here's where it gets interesting. Instead of immediately trying to solve anything, you focus on understanding how you personally handle ambiguity and stress. Some people need data first. Others need to talk it through. Some need quiet thinking time.

I worked with a Brisbane logistics company where the operations manager insisted everyone brainstorm together in meetings. Waste of time for half the team. The introverts needed individual reflection time before group discussions. Simple change, massive improvement in solution quality.

Stage Three: The Creating Now you're ready for actual problem-solving, but with a twist. You tailor the creative process to match how your team naturally works. No more forcing square pegs into round holes.

The extroverts get their brainstorming sessions. The analytical types get their frameworks and data. The creative types get their blue-sky thinking time. Everyone contributes from their strengths instead of struggling against their nature.

Stage Four: The Applying Implementation becomes easier because you've designed solutions that work with your team's natural tendencies rather than against them.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Let me give you a real example from last year. Adelaide-based retail client, customer complaints through the roof, staff turnover climbing.

Traditional approach would've been: analyse complaint data, brainstorm retention strategies, implement changes, measure results.

Instead, we started with the learner's model. Discovered their customer service team included:

Detail-oriented processors who needed clear guidelines
Relationship builders who thrived on personal connections
Problem solvers who got energised by difficult customers
System thinkers who spotted patterns others missed

Rather than one-size-fits-all customer service training, we created four different approaches. The detail people got comprehensive scripts and procedures. The relationship builders got storytelling techniques and emotional intelligence training. The problem solvers became the escalation specialists. The system thinkers became the feedback analysts.

Results? Customer satisfaction up 34% in six months. Staff turnover down 28%.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Innovation

Here's something that might ruffle feathers: most "innovative" companies are actually terrible at creative problem solving because they try to systematise creativity.

You can't. Creativity is personal. It's messy. It doesn't follow your neat little processes.

The learner's model acknowledges this reality. It gives you frameworks flexible enough to accommodate different thinking styles while still providing enough structure to get results.

I've seen too many businesses kill great ideas by forcing them through rigid innovation processes designed by people who've never had an original thought in their lives.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Remote work has made understanding individual problem-solving styles even more critical. You can't rely on reading body language in meetings or grabbing someone for a quick chat by the coffee machine.

The companies thriving in this environment are the ones that understand how their people think and work best. They're not trying to recreate the office experience online – they're creating something better by leveraging individual strengths.

The Implementation Reality Check

Now, before you get too excited and rush off to revolutionise your problem-solving approach, let me share what I got wrong initially.

I used to think you could just explain the learner's model to people and they'd instantly become better problem solvers. Turns out, understanding your natural thinking style takes time and practice. Some people need weeks of reflection before they truly grasp how they work best.

Don't expect overnight transformations. Start small, be patient, and remember that changing how people approach problems is essentially changing how they think. That's not a workshop – that's a journey.

Moving Forward

The creative problem solving learner's model isn't just another business fad. It's recognition that effective problem solving starts with understanding the solver, not just the problem.

Your next team challenge doesn't need another brainstorming session or root cause analysis. It needs you to step back and honestly assess how your people naturally think and work.

Because here's the thing: you've got all the talent you need to solve whatever problems your business faces. You're just not using it effectively yet.

Other Articles of Interest: