August, 2007

Problem Solving the Wright Way
By David Salzwedal

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” noted Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society of London in 1885.

The New York Times reported in 1903, “A man-carrying airplane will eventually be built, but only if mathematicians and engineers work steadily for the next one to ten million years.”

How then, did Wilbur and Orville Wright, two bicycle makers from Ohio, solve a problem of such enormous complexity.  How did they successfully tackle what was viewed by many as one of the greatest feats in human history?

Author Mark Eppler, in his 2004 book, The Wright Way, attempts to explain.
“They solved an ‘unsolvable’ problem, one which the greatest minds of the world over the centuries had not been able to solve…”

Wilbur and Orville Wright used seven key principles to solve the problem of heavier-than-air manned flight:

The Principle of Constructive Conflict – The analogy of this principle is forging, not the kind done with checks, but with heating and hammering of metal into a desired shape.  The Wright Brothers had “heated” discussions which allowed them to debate, challenge and then use remaining facts to form an idea.

The Principle of Worst Things First – Or, as Eppler put it, to “tackle the tyrant.” In every problem, a subset of related problems must be solved, and one “worst” subset exists – the tyrant.  Resolving the tyrant first may clear the way for all other subsets of the problem.

The Principle of Inveterate Tinkering – We all know what “tinkering” is, just fiddling around.  This problem-solving principle finds new ideas and approaches can be created by tinkering with portions of a problem in order to understand and resolve it.  Look for connections or contrasts that may lead to solutions.

The Principle of Rigid Flexibility – This is the old tried-and-true, “think out of the box” without abandoning the box.  The brothers from Ohio used this principle to approach a problem logically, while very seriously considering illogical options. This principle helped them solve the problem of flexible yet rigid flight control.

The Principle of Forever Learning – When Michelangelo, then 13 years of age, applied for an art apprenticeship in his native Florence, he was asked if he could draw.  “I have the capacity to learn,” he said.  A lifelong passion for learning and relentless preparation for the future will prepare you like nothing else to keep your mental “reservoir” full of ideas critical to effective problem solving.

The Principle of Methodical Meticulousness – Wilbur and Orville divided their problem-solving process into four component parts: planning and preparation, attention to details, subsetting and detailed recordkeeping.  Most of these are self-explanatory.  Subsetting is breaking the problem down into its smallest parts and performing analysis of the parts to solve the whole problem.

The Principle of Team Equity – The output of a group of people with a common purpose significantly increases with the seamless interdependence of that team.  The managed outcome of vision, purpose and execution are powerful problem-solving tools.  Mutual inspiration and discussion between members is priceless.

So, what can we learn from the Wright Brothers?  Have a well-defined vision, picture the desired outcome with intense imagination and remain focused.

Comment on this article