ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen " Episode 39: Part 6 of the 12 point philosophy: “A good solution is a hard to vary explanation”"
Episode Synopsis
Today point #6 of our 12 point filosophy
Start from a question/ problem, not from an answer or half answer.
Most problems are unique, requiring new knowledge, they cannot be optimally solved with old knowledge
The main task for an organisation is to continuously grow it’s problem solving capacity (being able to solve more problems, more optimally, with more real cooperation)
The best solutions “emerge” in a process, they cannot be known/ controlled in advance, they are the ones that eventually resist criticism better than their alternatives
Knowledge cannot be poured into people, they need to work themselves on understanding it, through own ideas and criticism (and you “staying in the question”)
A good solution to a business problem needs to be a “hard to vary” explanation
A solution is an answer to a problem
The typical problem that is solved in organisations:
So the solution = all the things (knowledge, decisions, actions) that will get you as an organisation to the desired improvement ?
Why does the solution needs to be an explanation?
Because that may be complex and may result in unwanted outcomes if you don’t understand why some things will happen and not others
What is the criterion of “hard to vary”?
Why does it need to be hard to vary ?
The solution (explanation) you build is never infallible, can not be justified but only (continuously) error-corrected
Engagement is primarily driven by being able to solve relevant problems, with enough of your own input in the solution
Solving a relevant problem together ties people more closely together than their shared place in the organization or shared opinions
Real cooperation is when everyone (i) contributes beyond their role to a shared explanation for why& how to solve a problem and (ii) finds maximum alignment in the how and why of the explanation
Good solutions (evolved ideas), developed in cooperation, extend across& over roles/ functions/ layers. They cannot be clearly separated and reduced to the sum of distinctly separate inputs
Good knowledge/ engagement/ cooperation … all develop in a specific process of “learning in the action”. The process has 5 key drivers for the learning: real communication, transparency, autonomy, flow and group flow
For feedback/ comments/ criticism: reach out to me at [email protected]
Start from a question/ problem, not from an answer or half answer.
Most problems are unique, requiring new knowledge, they cannot be optimally solved with old knowledge
The main task for an organisation is to continuously grow it’s problem solving capacity (being able to solve more problems, more optimally, with more real cooperation)
The best solutions “emerge” in a process, they cannot be known/ controlled in advance, they are the ones that eventually resist criticism better than their alternatives
Knowledge cannot be poured into people, they need to work themselves on understanding it, through own ideas and criticism (and you “staying in the question”)
A good solution to a business problem needs to be a “hard to vary” explanation
A solution is an answer to a problem
The typical problem that is solved in organisations:
So the solution = all the things (knowledge, decisions, actions) that will get you as an organisation to the desired improvement ?
Why does the solution needs to be an explanation?
Because that may be complex and may result in unwanted outcomes if you don’t understand why some things will happen and not others
What is the criterion of “hard to vary”?
Why does it need to be hard to vary ?
The solution (explanation) you build is never infallible, can not be justified but only (continuously) error-corrected
Engagement is primarily driven by being able to solve relevant problems, with enough of your own input in the solution
Solving a relevant problem together ties people more closely together than their shared place in the organization or shared opinions
Real cooperation is when everyone (i) contributes beyond their role to a shared explanation for why& how to solve a problem and (ii) finds maximum alignment in the how and why of the explanation
Good solutions (evolved ideas), developed in cooperation, extend across& over roles/ functions/ layers. They cannot be clearly separated and reduced to the sum of distinctly separate inputs
Good knowledge/ engagement/ cooperation … all develop in a specific process of “learning in the action”. The process has 5 key drivers for the learning: real communication, transparency, autonomy, flow and group flow
For feedback/ comments/ criticism: reach out to me at [email protected]
In God we trust