Decision Making and Problem Solving summary

Introduction

Decision-making and problem-solving by John Adair Effective practical thinking combines analysis, creativity, judgment, and disciplined processes for making decisions and solving problems. We often divide thinkers into neat categories. Some seem analytical while others seem imaginative. Some appear practical while others seem creative.

But useful thinking rarely respects those boundaries. An engineer needs imagination to design something better. An artist needs judgment and technical skill to turn imagination into reality. John Adair presents these abilities as parts of one larger system.

Decision-making helps us choose what to do. Problem-solving helps us overcome obstacles blocking an objective. Creative thinking helps us discover possibilities that were not obvious before. These forms of thinking overlap constantly.

They also depend on mental abilities that can improve through deliberate practice.

the foundations of practical thinking

The Foundations of Practical Thinking. Decision-making, problem-solving, and creative thinking perform different roles. Yet they repeatedly depend on one another. Decision-making concerns choosing a course of action.

Problem-solving begins when something obstructs an objective. Creative thinking produces new ideas, connections, or approaches. A difficult decision may contain several problems. Solving those problems may require creativity.

A creative idea eventually requires judgment about whether to use it. Beneath these activities are three fundamental mental functions. They are analyzing, synthesizing, and valuing. Analyzing means breaking something into parts so you can understand its structure.

Imagine trying to untangle a complicated knot. You examine individual loops and connections to understand how the whole knot holds together. Practical thinking works similarly. You separate facts, assumptions, causes, consequences, and uncertainties.

Then you examine each more carefully. Synthesizing moves in the opposite direction. It brings separate pieces together into a meaningful whole. Several facts may initially seem unrelated.

Synthesis helps reveal the pattern connecting them. This function is especially important for creative thinking. Valuing means judging what those patterns and possibilities mean. You compare alternatives and decide what matters.

You ask whether an idea is useful, realistic, ethical, important, or worth pursuing. Strong practical thinking uses all three functions together. Analyze the situation. Synthesize what you discover.

Then judge the meaning and value of what emerges. But conscious thought is only part of effective thinking. Adair also emphasizes what he calls the depth mind. This describes mental activity continuing outside immediate conscious attention.

You may struggle with a problem for hours without progress. Then you stop working on it. You walk, rest, shower, or sleep. Later, the answer suddenly appears.

The solution may feel spontaneous. Yet your mind has continued processing the problem beyond conscious attention. This explains why relentless concentration is not always productive. Sometimes difficult thinking requires preparation followed by distance.

Study the problem thoroughly. Then give the depth mind room to continue working. A short break may help. A walk may help more.

For an important decision, sleeping on it can be valuable. Effective thinkers know when concentration is useful. They also know when temporary distance can improve thought.