The Disney approach to problem-solving

When was the last time you saw a 3D movie?

On a recent family trip I watched a 3D movie for the first time in years. I was struck by the difference the third dimension made. The picture was so much more visceral, tangible, touchable. And it occurred to me that this third dimension also has an impact on another area of my life – problem solving.

I believe, the best way to solve problems is in 3D. That is, the most effective solutions to problems can be found when another dimension is added to the problem solving dynamic.

Take a typical problem in a business context:

Dimension 1: you / your business

Dimension 2: the customer / alternate perspective

Clean and simple. Two perspectives. Two sides to a coin. Two dimensions.

The risk with a 2D situation is that you end up with an average solution to a problem. Henry Ford famously said – “if I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”. Had he taken a 2D approach, he may have achieved marginal gains but certainly not innovative breakthroughs.

So what does the third dimension involve? It involves disruption, mess, active disconfirmation of your solution. Tim Harford describes the third dimension in action in his TED Talk - ‘How frustration can make us more creative’:

1. In cognitive psychology: Daniel Oppenheimer ran a simple experiment that involved University Tutors re-formatting their handouts for students. Some handouts were formatted with the standard Arial font, some used the complex Hattenschweiler font, and others used the peppy comic sans. At the end of the year student performance was compared. The students with handouts formatted with ugly fonts performed better. They were forced to work harder.
2. In Social Psychology – research was conducted in group problem solving situations. In each case groups of four people were given problems to solve. Some were made up of four friends. The comparison groups comprised three friends and one stranger. The groups of four friends felt they did well and enjoyed the experience, but they were only 50% effective at solving the problem. The groups with one stranger didn’t enjoy the experience at all. It was difficult, the group dynamic was awkward and they doubted their capability. But they were 75% effective at solving the problem. 
3. In complexity science - research into solving really complex problems compared typical prototyping approaches, with a process that involved an injection of mess or randomness. While prototyping was a good approach, those teams made only marginal gains and in some cases were progressing towards a dead end. In contrast, the problem-solving in the messy cases was much more robust.

All three examples found that introducing the third dimension led to a better result.

What does that mean for us and for organisations in general? It means we need to be willing to invite and embrace the third dimension. That means being willing to find thinking partners who aren’t echo chambers. It means actively seeking disconfirmation. It means being that person ourselves and daring to disagree.

So, my challenge to you is to try 3D problem-solving - seek disconfirmation, embrace the ugly font, invite the awkward stranger to join the debate. Next time you face a business problem – solve it in 3D.