Have you had this occur to you? You are faced with a problem. Either your boss or your client approached you with it. For some reason they picked you. So you do what you usually do with a problem: If its well-structured you give it to your computer to solve. That might take a little while. It might turn out that you run into a new problem, say the exponential explosion. That means you cannot present a solution in finite instant. In this case as well as when the problem is not well-structured, you can initial discussing it with your colleagues. They are all well versed in the field you are working in and have often given you great advice. This measure however, nobody seems to know anything about your problem at hand. With all your knowledge this is not the finish of the world. So you turn to literature, books that treat the matter in dazzling detail. However, even after extended and diligent search, you do not have a clue. Next come the journals. You call the publisher to find out which issues did treat your problem. There arent any. You are even asked if youd write such an article. Could it be that you are the first human in the world with this problem? Are you the new Thomas Edison so to speak? So you work hard and try different approaches. Nones been the breakthrough so far. If you could tweak the margin of one just a little more, that could be it. But somehow you cant tweak it enough. So measure goes by and the solution is not at hand.
Since nobody apparently has heard about it, you might think about telling them: There is no solution. They trust you. You are an expert. Your record is immaculate. Other experts call on you when they get stuck. Your reputation is long established. Theyll accept you quote: There is no solution. How are you supposed to find one if there is none? What could be more apparent? Really?
Well, lets back up just a little. Do publishers not select before publishing a book or article? Does many people ponder publishing a solution he found? So could there be a chance that youre not the first and only person with the problem? Or is there perhaps a patent out there that solves my problem? Did you look there? Or if you had more instant, wouldnt that help?
There is the other side of the coin too: If you say, there is no solution, wouldnt it be reasonable to expect to have to prove it? And wouldnt that create an even bigger problem? And even if you didnt have to prove it. Facts are that you absolutely need more time. Why not say so? You wouldnt lie to your best friend, would you? Thats you, right? And what would it do to your problem-solving ability getting the effortless way out?
One of the more obvious consequences of there is no solution are the developments that took place some months ago. A giant had no solution. Yet a then nobody had. Turns out that the former giant shrinks and the former nobody becomes a megagiant. You guessed it: IBM and Bill Gates.
There is no solution then is more of a personal decision than a fact. It could have adverse effects on your image. So why not go for solutions? You might be building legacies for generations to enjoy and build upon - just like Thomas Edison. Joerg Rauh is actively researching ways to thinking clearly.