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Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hi, in this set of lectures we are going to talk about problem solving.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.80,0:00:07.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We’re going to talk about individuals and teams go about solving problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.54,0:00:09.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we’re going to focus on a couple of things —
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.15,0:00:12.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're going to talk about the role that diversity plays in problem solving,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.05,0:00:15.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we’re also going to talk about how ideas can get recombined,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.86,0:00:17.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how a lot of innovation actually comes from
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.92,0:00:21.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,somebody having an idea in one place and it being applied someplace else.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.20,0:00:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, those are going to be the two main themes: The role of diversity, and the power of recombination.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.80,0:00:30.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So to get there, think about how we model problem solving: We got to start off by making it more formal,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.96,0:00:32.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,constructing a somewhat formal model.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.96,0:00:37.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here is how we are going to do it: We are going to assume that you take some sort of action (a),
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.05,0:00:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you have some sort of solution we’ll represent by (a),
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.04,0:00:43.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there's a payout function (F), that gives you the value of that particular action.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.66,0:00:47.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that action could be a particular string of code if you are writing computer code,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.77,0:00:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and (F) might be how fast that code runs.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.80,0:00:57.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Alternatively, (a) could be a health care policy and (F) would be how efficient that health care policy is.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.41,0:01:03.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, (a) is the solution that you propose and F(a) (F of a) is how good the solution is.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.02,0:01:05.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we want to do is to have some kind of an understanding [of]
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.64,0:01:09.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how people come up with better solutions — where innovation comes from.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.58,0:01:11.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So to do that we are going to invoke a metaphor.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.87,0:01:18.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we are going to use this 'metaphor of a landscape' as a lens through which to interpret our models.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.22,0:01:20.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, so, think about it in the following way:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.80,0:01:24.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You are trying to come up with some solution to a problem, and each solution has a value.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.11,0:01:27.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the altitude here is the value of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.76,0:01:31.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, B is the best possible solution.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.06,0:01:35.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, along here on the X-axis, these are all the different solutions.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.15,0:01:37.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I might start out by having some Idea (I)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.52,0:01:39.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Let’s just put it right here, and here’s my idea.)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.91,0:01:43.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's an okay idea; but we’d like to think about “How do we find better ideas?”
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.38,0:01:46.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one think we might do is [we] might “try things to the left and the right,”
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.98,0:01:51.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and realize that “climb uphill” here and we get to some point (C);
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.27,0:01:55.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and (C) might be where I get stuck, because if I go to the left I’m lower, and if I go to the right I’m lower,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.57,0:01:58.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I could say “Wait, (C) is the best thing I can come up with.”
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.83,0:02:01.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we want to see is how people come up with these ideas,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.62,0:02:03.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how teams of people come up with better ideas,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.80,0:02:06.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how we can avoid getting stuck on (C),
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.64,0:02:08.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and possibly getting ourselve[s] up to (B).
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.72,0:02:12.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How are we going to do it? Well, here’s what the model is going to look like:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.52,0:02:16.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are going to start out by talking about something I am going to call ‘perspectives’.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.88,0:02:21.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is a perspective? Perspective is how you represent a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.11,0:02:23.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if someone poses some problem to you—
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.22,0:02:25.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,again, whether it is code, health care policy,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.65,0:02:29.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designing a bycicle, or designing an addition to you house—
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.63,0:02:32.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have some way of representing that problem in your head.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.47,0:02:37.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's going to be a perspective — it’s literally how you encode the problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.40,0:02:43.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once you have encoded the problem, what you do is you create—again, this is metaphorically—a ‘landscape’.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.40,0:02:46.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if you can think of your encoding is like that horizontal axis,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.96,0:02:49.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that there is a value for each possible solution,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.50,0:02:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that creates a landscape.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.43,0:02:56.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we are going to talk about how different perspectives give different landscapes.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.34,0:02:57.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is the first part.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.53,0:02:59.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[The] second part is something I’m going to call ‘heuristics’.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.98,0:03:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Heuristics are how you move on the landscape.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.42,0:03:04.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, remember when I drew that landscape,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.06,0:03:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I talked about climbing up the 'hill'.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.06,0:03:08.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, 'Hill Climbing' is one heuristic.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.21,0:03:11.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,'Random Search' would be another heuristic — if you just randomly pick some points
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.83,0:03:15.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then find which one is where the highest value is, that is another heuristic.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.13,0:03:18.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we will talk about how different perspectives and different heruistics
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.59,0:03:22.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,allow people to find a better or improving solutions to problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.39,0:03:24.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that is going to be the focus of our model of problem solving:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.76,0:03:28.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People have perspectives, and people have heuristics.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.62,0:03:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once we finish talking about individuals, then we will talk about teams.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.00,0:03:36.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the interesting things here is if you have groups of people or [a] team of people solving a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.02,0:03:38.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You actually can show that they will be better than the individuals in it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.95,0:03:42.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason why is because they have more tools, and those tools tend to be diverse.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.65,0:03:46.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So they have different perspectives and different heuristics, and all that diversity makes them better
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.67,0:03:50.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming up with new solutions and better solutions to problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.83,0:03:52.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, teams are going to be important.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.68,0:03:54.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After we have talked about teams,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.74,0:04:00.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and after we have talked about the role of how one person can improve upon the solution of another,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.12,0:04:03.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we are going to extend our model a little bit and talk about recombination.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.87,0:04:06.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here is sort of the big idea. The big idea is this:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.12,0:04:10.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have some solution from one problem, you have a solution from a different problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.02,0:04:13.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sometimes I can take your solution and combine it with my solution,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.10,0:04:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and come up with something even better.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.20,0:04:17.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, the thing about sophisticated products—
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.27,0:04:20.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a house, an automobile, or even a computer—
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.80,0:04:24.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that consists of all sorts of solutions to sub-problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.12,0:04:27.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we are going to see how by recombining solutions to sub-problems
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.55,0:04:31.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we get ever better solutions, and that is really a big driver of innovation.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.99,0:04:33.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let us think back for a second — Remember in our previous lecture,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.81,0:04:38.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we talked about how without sustained innovation we no longer get growth,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.14,0:04:40.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that growth depends on sustained innovation.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.40,0:04:44.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we’re going to talk about here is how diversity leads to innovations,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.32,0:04:48.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how recombinations of innovations can lead to even more Innovations.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.23,0:04:50.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that is the big theme — So that is where we are headed:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.94,0:04:54.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are going to start by talking about perspectives. Then we will talk about heuristics.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.83,0:04:59.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then we will talk about how teams of people can leverage their diverse perspectives in heuristics.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.45,0:05:04.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then we’ll talk about recombining ideas can really drive a lot of growth.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.36,0:05:09.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All right, let’s get started. Thank you!