Characteristics of Difficult Problems
As elucidated by Dietrich Dörner and later expanded upon by Joachim Funke, difficult problems have some typical characteristics that can be summarized as follows:
- Intransparency (lack of clarity of the situation)
- commencement opacity
- continuation opacity
- Polytely (multiple goals)
- inexpressiveness
- opposition
- transience
- Complexity (large numbers of items, interrelations and decisions)
- enumerability
- connectivity (hierarchy relation, communication relation, allocation relation)
- heterogeneity
- Dynamics (time considerations)
- temporal constraints
- temporal sensitivity
- phase effects
- dynamic unpredictability
The resolution of difficult problems requires a direct attack on each of these characteristics that are encountered.
Read more about this topic: Problem Solving
Famous quotes containing the words characteristics of, difficult and/or problems:
“Movements born in hatred very quickly take on the characteristics of the thing they oppose.”
—J.S. Habgood (b. 1927)
“It is easy at any moment to surrender a large fortune; to build one up is a difficult and an arduous task.”
—Titus Livius (Livy)
“Sustained unemployment not only denies parents the opportunity to meet the food, clothing, and shelter needs of their children but also denies them the sense of adequacy, belonging, and worth which being able to do so provides. This increases the likelihood of family problems and decreases the chances of many children to be adequately prepared for school.”
—James P. Comer (20th century)