
"Eureka!" Oh, what a wonderful moment...
I can only tell you that, to me, the instant reward I get from just knowing that I found a SOLUTION to a REAL-WORLD PROBLEM is... well, pure dopamine!
Imagine, just for a moment, that you were about to become a true problem solver.
And not only on the subjects you know about, but on any given subject.
Imagine that you are about to become the "go-to" person at work or in your private life.
Someone that can provide justified answers and point the people on the right direction.
Imagine that you have all the building blocks to provoke not one, but countless "Eureka!" moments.
And you are able to do so, consistently, on your own or as part of a team.
Wouldn't that be awesome?
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Enroll on this course and let's make a true problem solver out of you.
Check out the next lecture, and find out what is a Complex Problem. See you there!
Energy sustainability, the immune system, space exploration, climate change.
What do these topics have in common?
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These problems have a global impact and affect us all. But we also find complex problems within nations, organisations, businesses and even families. Complex problem solving (CPS) at any level, rises more and more professional and academic interest, and it therefore requires special attention. Moreover, this skill is intrinsically human and unlikely to be replaced by machines.
Do you agree?
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Complex problem solving (CPS) at any level, rises more and more professional and academic interest, and it therefore requires special attention. Moreover, this skill is intrinsically human and unlikely to be replaced by machines.
Nevertheless, all complex problem solving strategies found in the extensive literature, training and resources available (including this platform), may be summarised in three steps:
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This linear approach seems to underestimate the extreme difficulty involved in solution generation.
And for those avid learners seeking a specific focus on solution generation,
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For all these reasons, I have decided to create the Complex Problem Solving Body of Knowledge (CPSBOK), focused on solution generation, and covering all the main KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS for solution generation in Complex Problem Solving.
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Hi! I'm Rafael Navarro, your Udemy instructor on this course.
My academic background has been evolving since the late 90's until today. My higher education includes 3 Masters in subjects such as:
[...].
From my scientific research, my journal papers are available through very popular scientific journals and they are still referenced today on current research topics. I have also given several lectures to Master students and presented at international conferences
[...].
In parallel, my industrial experience begins over 15 years ago in
[...] as technical consultant
[...] and later on as
[...].
In 2016, I created The Playmakers Club, whose focus is to help SME company owners to draw and move through the quickest and safest path towards their professional goals. And as part of that, we have also developed a training course on the Complex Problem Solving Body of Knowledge (CPSBOK).
So far, I have worked hand by hand with over 150 companies in six different countries, enough to understand that each company is unique in its configuration, its geographical, economical and sectorial environments and in their challenges faced by their owners.
I also speak
[...].
As of Novembre 2022, I'm based in Madrid, available worldwide.
Feel free to reach out, if you want to know more.
Check out the next lecture, and find out who is this course for. See you there!
At this point, you may still be wondering whether this course is for you.
Welcome to Section no. 2.
At the end of this section, you will be able to:
Understand who is this course created for, which are its main advantages and the overall course outline.
In this course you will learn to:
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And improve your Complex Problem Solving skills effectively.
All prerequisites are implied. Therefore no additional requirements for taking this course.
You do not need to have any previous knowledge in problem solving. However,
[...].
This course is designed for leaders, from the present and the future who wish
[...].
This course is a must for all those people who face complex problems, particularly in their professional lives, and they want to approach them in an exhaustive, structured and overall effective manner.
And most definitely, this course is designed for professionals who wish to enlarge their
[...].
Do you belong to any of these groups? If that so, then this course is for you.
Check out the next lecture, and find out what is the value of this course. See you there!
Hello again, and welcome back!
You may have found that this course is for you. But so are many others.
Then what makes this course stand out from all the others?
This course offers four unique advantages:
It provides an exhaustive review of the main knowledge domains, strategies, methods and tools which participate in solution generation in Complex Problem Solving. This is an all-in-one course, together with user guidelines and specific recommendations depending on the problem type.
The course content follows a modular structure. Each section covers a particular domain. As such, it is time saving if you wish to inquire certain domains in depth and fly over others on which you believe to have enough knowledge.
On top of that, this course starts and ends with practical assignments, which will help you achieve this course's objectives.
Last, but perhaps the most valuable benefit is the free and unlimited course hotline with the course creators until end of 2023 (offer only applicable to students enrolling the course before 31/12/2022).
As of end of 2022, I guarantee you will not find any other problem solving course more exhaustive, compact and inspiring than this one here.
Check out the next lecture, and find out what are the remaining 8 sections of this course about. See you there!
So, what are the sections of this intro course about?
Sections 1 and 2, the one you are into right now, are introductory sections that help us setting the context.
From Sections 3 to 8, we introduce the 8 main knowledge domains. Within each section, we identify concepts, terminology, strategies, methods, tools and techniques and real-world Complex Problem Solving applications.
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In Section 9, we introduce you 4 additional knowledge domains:
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In Section 10, we prepare you for what's next. You will:
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And we will do that through tests and assignments.
How does it sound? Ready to take the challenge?
Check out one last available lecture, and find out what this course is NOT. See you there!
I have been repeating over and over how wonderful, relevant and unique this course is, and you may have found yourself interested in wanting to know more, maybe even thinking about joining the full course.
As much as I would like everyone to join in, change the world together and win the nobel prize, before jumping in, I want to make sure I delivered as promised, and not less!
Therefore, let me share some bullet points with you on what this course is or does NOT:
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Now that you have learnt about the why, what, who and what not... the question is when would you like to spend about 45 minutes developing your Complex Problem Solving skills? Let's do it now!
Click on ENROLL ON THIS COURSE and see you on the next Section!
Logic constitutes a fundamental part of reason, intelligence and rethoric. That is why learning and applying logic, transdisciplinary domain on its own nature, must be part of any exhaustive review in Complex Problem Solving, from now on, CPS.
The study of logic implies the study of the notions of
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There are many concepts and terminology which are required to dive in the domain of logic, such as
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There are four main logic reasoning styles:
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There are three main thinking strategies:
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And of course, let's not forget ten of the most relevant logic sub-domains in CPS:
[...]
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are only a couple of the many real-world applications of Logic in CPS.
What is your skill level on the application of Logic in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying Logic to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about the next Knowledge Domain in the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
Systems thinking is a way of understanding the complexity of the universe by analyzing it as a whole and its relationships within, instead of doing it in isolation. Furthermore, systems theory promotes dialogue between autonomous areas of study as well as with systems science itself. That is why the learning and application of systemic thinking, of transdisciplinary nature, must be part of all comprehensive training in complex problem solving.
The many schools of systems thinking propose different taxonomies,
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There are required concepts to delve into this field such as:
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And based on their direct application, these are five of the most valuable environments and methodologies:
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Finally, we must also include
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And of course, systems thinking has applications across multiple disciplines, as well as in business environments. Examples of that are
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What is your skill level on the application of Systems in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying Systems to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about the next Knowledge Domain in the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
Creativity and innovation have the goal, among others, of solving complex problems through the generation of ideas that can be used as possible solutions. Interest in understanding the origin and development of creativity and innovation spans across all fundamental disciplines of human knowledge. That is why creativity and innovation must be part of any comprehensive training in complex problem solving.
On one hand, theories of the creative process and studies in creative thinking, synectics, heuristics, and neuroscience have generated numerous strategies and techniques to facilitate and accelerate the production of quality ideas that are candidates for solving complex problems:
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On the other, innovation sustains a greater emphasis on implementation and has been the subject of study in technological and economic fields for decades.
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What is your skill level on the application of Creativity and Innovation in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying Creativity to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about the next Knowledge Domain in the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
There is currently a consensus, since the 1990s, that establishes that science, technology and design are interrelated but different disciplines, where each one offers its own approach to the observation and interpretation of reality. However, they all pursue the same goal: complex problem solving. That is why science, technology and design must be part of any comprehensive CPS training.
The constitutive characteristics of these three fundamental areas in which the generation of solutions to complex problems occurs, obey the following five criteria, formulated as questions:
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From the realm of scientific, technical and design applications, there are numerous strategies available, such as
[...]
most of them backed up by the scientific method.
What is your skill level on the application of Science, Technology and Design in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying these knowledge domains to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about the next Knowledge Domain in the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
How do we qualify a solution as "accepted"? In many cases, solutions to complex problems are determined by qualitative or subjective criteria, that is, they are validated by the relevant stakeholders. In some cases, the perception of validity of said stakeholders is likely to evolve. In others, the disagreements between various stakeholders on the same complex issue can be resolved through negotiation. That is why negotiation should be part of any comprehensive training in complex problem solving.
Negotiation strategies can be grouped according to modalities or styles:
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However, there are also barriers to negotiation that can be identified and treated in a timely manner to ensure the success of the negotiation:
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As far as negotiation tactics are concerned, these are commonly used in both positive and negative impact scenarios:
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Negotiations culminate in decisions that can be affected by cognitive biases.
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What is your skill level on the application of Negotiation in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying Negotiation to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about the next Knowledge Domain in the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
Let's remember that complex problems are transdisciplinary, dynamic and unique. Regarding the latter, we know that the uniqueness of a problem can be partial. That is, a problem can be unique for its stakeholders, in the context in which it occurs, or in some of its areas, but not absolutely unique. Having access to similar experiences increases the chances of finding possible solutions. That is why knowledge management must be part of any comprehensive training in complex problem solving.
Knowledge management deals with
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Effective knowledge management implies
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However, there are strategies that can be adopted on a smaller scale, without necessarily having such an infrastructure. To do this, we must go through the knowledge management life cycle, and its systems, grouped according to
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In addition, for cases in which the transfer of knowledge takes place synchronously, meaning, during the resolution of the problem, we must address the figures of the interviewer, the mediator and the facilitator, with their most outstanding techniques.
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What is your skill level on the application of Knowledge Management in CPS?
Do you feel the need for additional training in understanding and applying Knowledge Management to CPS?
Check out the next lecture, and find out about other knowledge domains and practice questions on the CPS Body of Knowledge.
See you there!
Complex Problem Solving is a vast field. In this course we have
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The quest for knowledge in understanding the universe push humankind to keep searching for additional ways to solving Complex Problems.
Here we evoque four emerging disciplines:
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In which circumstances do we apply the content reviewed on this course?
Or in other words, which complex problem is worth solving?
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Imagine walking through a very long corridor with many doors on each side and you need to find a certain room. You could open doors randomly as you walk through, or check one by one. How many doors do you need to open unsuccesfully to start thinking that you might have missed the right one?
How do we choose the right CPS knowledge domain?
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In which cases is it recommended to have a facilitator?
Having a trained facilitator brings always value to the process. It will bring conformity, exhaustivity and efficiency. On top of that, he or she will be experienced in avoiding the inherent threats and weaknesses of unsupervised group dynamics.
I'm guessing this is NOT the first time you check out a Problem Solving training course, is it?
Just like you, I am also passionate about problem solving. I spent years learning all there is to know about it. And the extend of it is huge! Terrifying!
Improving your problem solving skills is a never ending effort, but time however, well, we always run out of it!
So, what is your metacognition on problem solving?
What I mean is: you may know some of what you know and some of what you don't know about problem solving, but you are certainly missing things you forgot you know, or things you simply don't know they exist.
Some other domains, such as Project Management, Business Analysis or Systems Engineering have their own "Body of Knowledge" (BoK). A Body of Knowledge is the complete set of concepts, terms and activities that make up a professional domain.
But, where is the Problem Solving Body of Knowledge?
Let's start by refining our ambitious scope going from Mission Impossible to The Matrix.
We will start by limiting the type of problems we are planning to solve using the problem solving skillset.
Problem solving focus in fact in problems with three common features:
They are unique, because of their novelty, or because they have never been solved.
They are multidisciplinary, or in some cases transdisciplinary.
They are dynamic. They evolve with time, generally towards chaos, according to the laws of our universe.
We've come across with the right term for these type of problems. They are COMPLEX.
So, what do you know about Complex Problem Solving? And what do you not know?
How do you assess your Complex Problem Solving skills level?
How can you improve your Complex Problem Solving skills effectively?
In this course, we will help you answer these questions and more!
If you are passionate about problem solving and want to keep improving your problem solving skills effectively, enrol on this course now!