Identifying Assumptions

Here's a riddle to illustrate the power of cognitive biases:

"When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?"

Give it a minute...

Keep thinking... try harder...

Give up?

...

Here's the answer: In the dictionary!!

This solution produces the, "oh duh" response because we realize we were thinking in terms of time, trying to bend time sideways, get clever with time, etc...

But the breakthrough comes only if we approach the problem differently. Almost always, this involves challenging an assumption about our approach. When we realize we're thinking chronologically, we are capable of determining other angles of approach, like alphabetically.

This happens all the time in problem solving. Just the other day I was doing the ridiculously simple task of moving a bed for a family member. All we needed to do was slide it into place, but for whatever reason, I couldn't get my teammate to see, let alone execute, the turn / twist / swivel / flop that was so obvious in my mind.

We went back-and-forth for no kidding, 5 or more minutes. With words, hand gestures, etc, painstakingly describing the maneuver. Then the breakthrough came: my family member didn't realize that the frame had legs! (this is NOT a momentous realization, in general, but it was profound in the moment, and the coordination problem was solved in 2.7s)

The point is, I knew that there was some unspoken assumption -- a cognitive bias -- that was creating a disconnect. But if you had asked me to list the 1000 assumptions I was making in that moment, I don't think "the frame has legs" would have been one of them.

And that's a big problem when it comes to problem solving. Assumption reversal is a very powerful tool; but my experience suggests that identifying the operative assumptions driving one's thinking is actually NOT that easy to do.

I've been looking for an expert to speak with about this, but haven't had much luck...

Introductions welcome!

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