One of the most important ideas in Solutions Focus is that the problem is not necessarily related to the solution. And this notion seems odd to many people. They wonder how can you get to a solution if you don't start with a problem.
A first step may be to imagine various issues where there is no problem.
A first step may be to imagine various issues where there is no problem.
Even if things are OK, you may simply want to create something better - such as a more rewarding new business, a better chair, a good party plan for someone’s birthday. In these cases, it makes obvious sense to spend time first on how you’d like these things to be, rather than having lengthy (and probably pointless) discussions on what’s wrong with the current state of affairs. And, if you can get to abetter state of affairs, then whatever was wrong with the original circumstances will now no longer be bothering you. The positive change will have removed the problem (if there was one).
A similar move works just as well, even if there is manifestly a problem. We don’t need to explore that problem if we can swiftly reach a better future – for example, by describing it and then taking steps that show an improvement. If we succeed, then the problem is solved or no longer relevant. It’s still there, perhaps, but no longer affecting us the same way.
Perhaps it's logically more accurate to say that the solution does not have to be related to the cause of the problem. And if that is true, then it’s less of a surprise that it can be a waste of time exploring the cause of problem - especially with complex problems where it is impossible to disentangle a single cause. It is a solution that we want - that’s to say, a desired situation - and the problem that we had in mind that prompted our discussion may not be a useful guide either to what we want or to how to get there.
For example, a friend has been having sleepless nights since the election of Donald Trump as US President. The sleepless night is the problem. The election is the cause of the problem. The solution - the desired state - is a restful night of sleep. The action that creates that solution is for him to have a hot drink in the evening. Yes, from various ideas put forward (evening walk, reading a comic novel, watching sport on TV), it turns out that a hot chocolate is what makes the difference. And we discovered that by quickly getting the conversation onto what's wanted and following that up with some easy experiments – not by having a long moan about Presidents, fun though that may be, or - more likely - further agitating our sleep-deprived friend.
A similar move works just as well, even if there is manifestly a problem. We don’t need to explore that problem if we can swiftly reach a better future – for example, by describing it and then taking steps that show an improvement. If we succeed, then the problem is solved or no longer relevant. It’s still there, perhaps, but no longer affecting us the same way.
Perhaps it's logically more accurate to say that the solution does not have to be related to the cause of the problem. And if that is true, then it’s less of a surprise that it can be a waste of time exploring the cause of problem - especially with complex problems where it is impossible to disentangle a single cause. It is a solution that we want - that’s to say, a desired situation - and the problem that we had in mind that prompted our discussion may not be a useful guide either to what we want or to how to get there.
For example, a friend has been having sleepless nights since the election of Donald Trump as US President. The sleepless night is the problem. The election is the cause of the problem. The solution - the desired state - is a restful night of sleep. The action that creates that solution is for him to have a hot drink in the evening. Yes, from various ideas put forward (evening walk, reading a comic novel, watching sport on TV), it turns out that a hot chocolate is what makes the difference. And we discovered that by quickly getting the conversation onto what's wanted and following that up with some easy experiments – not by having a long moan about Presidents, fun though that may be, or - more likely - further agitating our sleep-deprived friend.
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