logo

Problem Solving Quotes

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. – Albert Einstein

Every problem is a gift – without problems, we would not grow. – Tony Robbins

Don’t find faults, find solutions. – Henry Ford

A problem is only a problem if you think it’s a problem. – John Maxwell

The biggest problem-solving tool we have is our mindset. – Unknown

Success is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to solve them. – Unknown

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. – Robert H. Schuller

The only way to escape the problem is to solve it. – Unknown

When faced with a problem, do not ask ‘Why me?’ Ask ‘Why not me?’ – Unknown

Problems are not obstacles, they are opportunities in disguise. – Unknown

You can’t solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it. – Albert Einstein

If you don’t like where you are, change it. You are not a tree. – Jim Rohn

Every problem has a solution, but it may not be the one you expected. – Unknown

The best problems are the ones we create for ourselves. – Unknown

The difference between a problem and an opportunity is your attitude. – Unknown

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem. – Captain Jack Sparrow

Stop being a part of the problem; start being a part of the solution. – Unknown

You can’t solve all the problems in the world, but you can solve some. – Unknown

The best way to solve a problem is to solve it together. – Unknown

Problems are opportunities in work clothes. – Henry J. Kaiser

The best way to solve a problem is to meet it head-on. – Unknown

The greatest solutions come from understanding the problem deeply. – Unknown

Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. – Jim Rohn

Problems are just puzzles waiting to be solved. – Unknown

When faced with a problem, look for the lesson rather than the blame. – Unknown

Don’t run away from problems; run towards solutions. – Unknown

The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity for growth. – Unknown

The solution is not out there; it’s within you. – Unknown

Problems are a sign of life; they are how we grow. – Unknown

The best way to find a solution is to first understand the problem. – Unknown

Problems are temporary; solutions are permanent. – Unknown

Problems are not obstacles, they are invitations to think creatively. – Unknown

You can’t solve every problem, but you can solve one at a time. – Unknown

The harder the problem, the more rewarding the solution. – Unknown

The solution lies in your ability to ask the right questions. – Unknown

Don’t wait for someone else to solve your problems; take action. – Unknown

Problems are stepping stones to success. – Unknown

Problems are opportunities for creativity and innovation. – Unknown

Problems are not the end of the road; they are a detour. – Unknown

Problems are a part of life; solving them is a part of living. – Unknown

Problems are like puzzles; they require a systematic approach. – Unknown

Problems are not roadblocks; they are redirections. – Unknown

Don’t complain about your problems; create solutions. – Unknown

Every problem has a solution, you just have to find it. – Unknown

Solving problems is not a burden, it’s a privilege. – Unknown

Problems are the raw materials of success. – Unknown

The best solutions are often simple, but not always easy. – Unknown

Problems are temporary, solutions are permanent. – Unknown

Your ability to solve problems is directly related to your level of success. – Unknown

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may like

April ludgate quotes, golda meir quotes, our latest posts.

I don’t really have feelings. At least, I don’t think I do. I secretly enjoy making people uncomfortable. I’m the queen of not caring. I

Don’t be so humble – you’re not that great. I must govern the clock, not be governed by it. A leader who doesn’t hesitate before

Quotes about thoughts

Your thoughts shape your reality. Thoughts are the seeds of action. A positive thought can change your entire day. Your thoughts create your world. Be

365 Short Love Quotes for Him

You are the missing piece of my puzzle. Everyday with you is a blessing. You make my heart skip a beat. Your love is my

Most popular posts

Positive affirmations, rule and inspiring quotes #884.

thatonerule: #884 Never hesitate to smile because a smile is the easiest way to light up somebody’s entire day. ThatOneRule.Com Facebook 0 Pinterest 0 Twitter

complex problem solving quotes

Madara Quotes

In this world, wherever there is light – there are also shadows. To know what is right and choose not to do it is the

Doflamingo Quotes

The only thing I trust in this world is my own power. Strength is not just physical, it’s also mental. In this world, the weak

419003034 2263b763f93443f3d338ddbc07189988

Beautiful and Inspiring Sayings about Daisies

Daisies don’t tell, they show their beauty to the world. Daisies are like sunshine on the ground. Be bright, sunny, and positive like a daisy.

Write for Us

TheThingsWeSay

Personality Quizzes

ILikeToQuote

Unsubscribe

[email protected]

Cart

  • SUGGESTED TOPICS
  • The Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Managing Yourself
  • Managing Teams
  • Work-life Balance
  • The Big Idea
  • Data & Visuals
  • Reading Lists
  • Case Selections
  • HBR Learning
  • Topic Feeds
  • Account Settings
  • Email Preferences

What It Takes to Think Deeply About Complex Problems

  • Tony Schwartz

complex problem solving quotes

Three ways to embrace a more nuanced, spacious perspective.

The problems we’re facing often seem as intractable as they do complex. But as Albert Einstein famously observed, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” So what does it take to increase the complexity of our thinking? To cultivate a more nuanced, spacious perspective, start by challenging your convictions. Ask yourself, “What am I not seeing here?” and “What else might be true?” Second, do your most challenging task first every day, when your mind is fresh and before distractions arise. And third, pay attention to how you’re feeling. Embracing complexity means learning to better manage tough emotions like fear and anger.

The problems we’re facing often seem as complex as they do intractable. And as Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” So what does it take to increase the complexity of our thinking?

complex problem solving quotes

  • Tony Schwartz is the CEO of The Energy Project and the author of The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working . Become a fan of The Energy Project on Facebook .

Partner Center

Connecting Ideas

  • Entertainment & Lifestyle

The Power of Critical Thinking: 56 Critical Thinking Quotes

Critical thinking is an invaluable skill that empowers individuals to assess information, challenge assumptions, and make reasoned judgments. It is a cognitive process that goes beyond memorization and regurgitation of facts, encouraging individuals to explore different perspectives, evaluate evidence, and arrive at independent conclusions.

In today’s fast-paced and information-rich world, the ability to think critically is essential for making informed decisions, solving complex problems, and navigating the complexities of modern society. This article explores the significance of critical thinking, its benefits, and practical strategies to cultivate this skill in our lives.

Read: What Critical Thinking Skills We Require To Win At Our Careers: 5 Major Ones

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking serves as a compass for the mind, enabling individuals to discern between fact and fiction, identify biases, and evaluate the credibility of sources. In an era characterized by the proliferation of misinformation and the manipulation of public opinion, critical thinking provides a powerful tool to navigate through the noise and arrive at well-informed conclusions.

Moreover, critical thinking equips individuals with the ability to analyze complex problems systematically. It fosters creativity, enabling the exploration of innovative solutions by challenging conventional wisdom and exploring alternative perspectives. It also encourages open-mindedness and intellectual humility, as critical thinkers recognize the limits of their knowledge and remain receptive to new information and ideas.

Related: 10 Best Critical Thinking Movies With Interesting Endings

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Developing critical thinking skills has numerous advantages that extend beyond individual decision-making. In educational settings, critical thinking fosters a deep understanding of subjects, encourages active engagement, and prepares students for lifelong learning. It equips them with the ability to ask probing questions, engage in meaningful discussions, and evaluate information critically, rather than accepting it at face value.

In professional contexts, critical thinking is highly valued by employers. It enables employees to analyze complex situations, consider multiple variables, and make informed decisions. Critical thinkers are also more adept at problem-solving, as they approach challenges with a systematic and analytical mindset, breaking down problems into manageable components.

Furthermore, critical thinking plays a vital role in democratic societies. Citizens who think critically are more likely to question authority, hold leaders accountable, and actively participate in public discourse. They are better equipped to analyze political arguments, distinguish between valid reasoning and fallacies, and make informed choices during elections.

Recommended: Interview Questions For Critical Thinking No One Tells About

Critical Thinking Quotes

  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think for yourself and independently evaluate information, rather than simply accepting what you hear or read.” – Diane Halpern
  • “Critical thinking is a survival tool, not just for our species but for our planet.” – Carl Sagan
  • “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” – Richard W. Paul
  • “The first rule of critical thinking is to ask questions. Be willing to wonder.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is seeing things as they are, not as you want them to be.” – Unknown
  • “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
  • “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
  • “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Albert Einstein
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and evaluate information objectively and accurately. It is an essential skill in a world filled with quick opinions, sound bites, and misinformation.” – Edwidge Danticat
  • “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” – Robert Frost
  • “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” – Charles Kettering
  • “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
  • “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.” – Albert Einstein
  • “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
  • “Wisdom is not the product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.” – Peter A. Facione
  • “The value of critical thinking is not only in the answers it produces, but also in the questions it uncovers.” – Unknown
  • “To think critically is to embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, and to be comfortable with asking challenging questions.” – Unknown
  • “A critical thinker is someone who thinks with reason and objectivity, not influenced solely by emotions or personal biases.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating information to reach informed conclusions.” – Unknown
  • “The greatest skill a critical thinker can possess is the ability to change their mind in the face of new evidence and reasoning.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is not about being right; it’s about being open to new perspectives and adjusting our beliefs accordingly.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is a process of continuous learning and improvement, honing our intellectual abilities to make sound judgments.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is like a mental muscle that needs to be exercised regularly to stay strong and agile.” – Unknown
  • “The path of critical thinking is paved with curiosity, skepticism, and a commitment to truth-seeking.” – Unknown
  • “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, solve problems creatively, and make rational decisions based on evidence and logic.” – Unknown
  • “The mark of a well-educated mind is the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
  • “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
  • “The essence of critical thinking is suspended judgment; the essence of this suspense is inquiry to determine whether or not the judgment is well-founded.” – John Dewey
  • “Critical thinking is not just thinking, but thinking which entails self-improvement.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, analyze information objectively, and make rational decisions.” – Unknown
  • “The first rule of critical thinking is to question everything.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is a skill that enables you to analyze and evaluate information objectively and make reasoned judgments.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the key to unlocking the doors of understanding and knowledge.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is a self-directed, self-monitored, and self-disciplined thinking that strives to be fair, clear, and accurate.” – Linda Elder
  • “Critical thinking is the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.” – Unknown
  • “The role of critical thinking is to break down problems into their component parts, analyze them, and develop creative solutions.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is like a compass that guides us through the maze of information and helps us make informed choices.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the art of being able to evaluate and analyze information objectively, rather than accepting it at face value.” – Unknown
  • “The hallmark of a critical thinker is intellectual humility – the willingness to accept that one’s beliefs may be incorrect.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to ask the right questions and challenge the status quo.” – Unknown
  • “The essence of critical thinking is to suspend judgment, seek multiple perspectives, and examine the evidence before arriving at a conclusion.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is not a single skill, but a set of skills that work together to help us navigate the complexities of the world.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is not about being negative; it’s about being discerning and questioning what we are told.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and make reasoned judgments based on evidence and logical reasoning.” – Unknown
  • “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking
  • “Critical thinking is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the intellectual discipline of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information.” – Unknown
  • “The mind is like a parachute; it works best when it’s open.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the foundation of rationality and the cornerstone of progress.” – Unknown
  • “In a world of information overload, critical thinking is the key to sifting through the noise and finding the signal.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is not just about finding flaws in others’ arguments; it’s about critically examining our own beliefs and biases.” – Unknown
  • “The purpose of critical thinking is to empower individuals to think for themselves, question authority, and arrive at their own informed conclusions.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is the art of asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, and seeking evidence to support or refute claims.” – Unknown
  • “Critical thinking is not a destination; it’s a lifelong journey of intellectual growth and development.” – Unknown

Share this:

  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe to our newsletter.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions of Use

Quotekind

Problem-Solving Wisdom: 50 Quotes to Inspire Your Journey

g8d5fe799d5de502dd3346ce01ac031d38a3c0d0c1d41ea767bfca578a8a203e19d9da2fcc0d9133b9fd078944a3f255dc3ebdc7d2b5a919115a2d152c7041286 1280 - Problem-Solving Wisdom: 50 Quotes to Inspire Your Journey

Life is full of challenges, and problem-solving is an essential skill for success. Whether you’re facing a personal or professional obstacle, having a problem-solving mindset can help you overcome it. Here are 50 quotes that offer wisdom and inspiration to help you on your journey.

“If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules.” Paul Arden

Don’t limit yourself to conventional thinking. Sometimes, the best solutions come from thinking outside the box.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln

Don’t wait for the future to happen to you. Take action and create the future you want for yourself.

“If you want to solve a problem, you have to be willing to change.” Aristotle

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the same results. Be willing to change your approach to find a solution.

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Albert Einstein

If you’re stuck in a problem, try to step back and look at it from a different perspective. Sometimes, a fresh approach can lead to a breakthrough.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Theodore Roosevelt

Don’t let indecision hold you back. Sometimes, even if it’s not the perfect solution, taking action is better than doing nothing at all.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs

When you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll be more motivated to tackle challenges and find solutions.

“The best solutions come from the best questions.” Edward de Bono

When you’re trying to solve a problem, ask yourself the right questions. This can help you uncover new insights and find more effective solutions.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Lewis Carroll

Before you start trying to solve a problem, make sure you have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish. This can help you stay focused and avoid wasting time on unproductive solutions.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

Don’t give up when you face obstacles or setbacks. Keep pushing forward and have the courage to continue.

“The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” Captain Jack Sparrow

Don’t let a negative attitude hold you back. Approach problems with a positive and solution-oriented mindset.

“You can’t solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” Albert Einstein

If you’re stuck in a problem, try to think bigger and rise above it to find a better solution.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Nelson Mandela

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from them and keep moving forward.

“The problem contains the solution.” Michael Bierut

Look closely at the problem you’re trying to solve. Sometimes, the solution is hidden within the problem itself.

“If you want to change the world, change yourself.” Mahatma Gandhi

When you’re facing a problem, start by looking within yourself. Changing your own approach or mindset can sometimes be the first step towards finding a solution.

“A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Charles Kettering

Take the time to clearly define the problem you’re trying to solve. This can help you focus your energy on finding a solution that addresses the root cause of the problem.

“Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” Joshua J. Marine

Don’t shy away from challenges. Embrace them as opportunities to grow and learn.

“The best way out is always through.” Robert Frost

When you’re facing a problem, don’t try to avoid it. The only way to solve it is to face it head-on and work through it.

“If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems.” Frank Wilczek

Don’t be afraid to tackle difficult problems, even if it means making mistakes along the way.

“The solution often turns out more beautiful than the puzzle.” Richard Dawkins

Don’t be intimidated by a complex problem. The solution can be just as rewarding as the challenge itself.

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” Duke Ellington

Approach problems as opportunities to showcase your skills and abilities.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

When you’re trying to solve a problem, focus your energy on finding a new solution rather than trying to fix what’s broken.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t let your circumstances define you. You have the power to decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve.

“The best ideas are common property.” Seneca

Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and collaborate with others. Sometimes, the best solutions come from working together.

“When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” Theodore Roosevelt

When you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, don’t give up. Hold on and keep fighting.

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Confucius

Don’t be intimidated by a big problem. Start by taking small steps towards a solution.

“A problem is a chance to do your best.” Duke Ellington

When you’re faced with a problem, see it as an opportunity to show what you’re capable of.

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein

Don’t give up on a problem too quickly. Sometimes, the solution takes time to reveal itself.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

When you’re trying to achieve a goal, make sure you have a clear plan in place to help you get there.

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Don’t let doubt hold you back from achieving your goals. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed.

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Duke Ellington
“A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” Charles Kettering

Related Quotes

Reflecting on Life: 25 Quotes to Inspire Introspection

Reflecting on Life: 25 Quotes to Inspire Introspection

Divine Inspiration: 50 Quotes on the Power and Presence of God

Divine Inspiration: 50 Quotes on the Power and Presence of God

Branching Out: 50 Quotes on Trees and Life

Branching Out: 50 Quotes on Trees and Life

Hope Quotes for a Positive Outlook

Hope Quotes for a Positive Outlook

complexity Quotes

Recommended quote pages.

  • childlike behavior
  • Nate Sutter
  • satisfaction
  • environmental movement
  • interactions
  • information
  • disadvantages
  • understanding
  • right vs. wrong
  • Martin Preston
  • Shiloh (Shiloh)
  • Judd Travers
  • judge of character
  • good vs evil
  • Help Center
  • Gift a Book Club
  • Beautiful Collections
  • Schedule Demo

Book Platform

  • Find a Book
  • Motivate Reading
  • Community Editors

Authors & Illustrators

  • Get Your Book Reviewed
  • Submit Original Work

Follow Bookroo

Motivational And Inspirational Blog

75 Solution Quotes To Help You Deal With Problems Wisely

Ananya Bhatt

  • May 3, 2023
  • Inspirational Quotes

Looking for inspirational quotes about problem solving? We have rounded up the best collection of solution quotes, sayings, captions, status, (with images and pictures) to inspire you to focus on solving your daily life problems, be it in a relationship, business, or career.

We all face problems in our life, either big or small. Taking stress and feeling anxious will not take us anywhere but will make things worse.

There are some quick fixes or long term solutions to the obstacles we encounter in life. But having a positive mindse t and an optimistic approach is the key to solving any issue in our lives.

By staying calm and acting fearlessly we take the first step towards finding a solution. A calm mind will always give you better ideas to resolve an issue. So having a positive approach in life will help you turn your failures into triumphs.

Also See: Encouragement Quotes

Giving time to your relationships, talking out the misunderstandings, being patient and calm with people to think wisely are some of the simple ways of problem solving. Sometimes solutions are very simple, to the most complex problems, only if we are smart enough to see them.

These motivational quotes are divided in these sections:-

Problem Solving Quotes

Inspiring solution to problems quotes.

If you like these quotes about solutions to problems, then also check our collection of rainbow after the storm quotes and fixing relationship quotes to inspire you to give a chance to your troubled relation and repair broken bonds.

  • “The solution is always spiritual.” – Anne Lamott
  • “The problem contains the solution.” – Michael Bierut
  • “There are no problems, only solutions.” – John Lennon

solution quotes

  • “In a world full of problems, be the solution.” – Iris Watts
  • “Do not blame the world. Find a solution.” – Sri Chinmoy
  • “Either I will find a way, or I will make one.” – Philip Sidney
  • “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” – Uri Levine
  • “If the challenge exists, so must the solution.” – Rona Mlnarik

part of the solution quote

  • “To every problem, there is a most simple solution.” – Agatha Christie
  • “Sometimes I just stop talking, and that solves everything.” – Anonymous

solution quotes about problems

  • “If you do not focus on solutions, you will be just lost in problems.” – Sadhguru
  • “Believe me every problem has a solution. Some just take longer to figure out.”
  • “Impossible only means that you haven’t found the solution yet.” – Anonymous

Solution Quotes Images

  • “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.” – African Proverb
  • “Great design is not just a solution, it is the elimination of the problem.” – M. Cobanli

Quotes about solving problems in life

  • “Turn your obstacles into opportunities and your problems into possibilities.” – Roy T. Bennett
  • “Every problem has a solution. You just have to be creative enough to find it.” – Travis Kalanick
  • “Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.” – Anonymous
  • “Always look at the solution, not the problem. Learn to focus on what will give results.” – Anonymous
  • “For every problem there is an answer. Empty your thoughts and allow the solution to visit you.” – Anonymous
  • “There is a creative solution to every problem. Every possibility holds the promise of abundance.” – Deepak Chopra
  • “The fear of being different prevents most people from seeking new ways to solve their problems.” – Robert Kiyosaki
  • “Whatever happens, you getting depressed is not a solution. You getting depressed would be one more problem.” – Sadhguru
  • “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” – Tina Fey

No Solution Quotes

  • “What you focus on expands. Focusing on problems creates more problems. Focusing on outcomes creates solutions.” – David Emerald
  • “The solution to any problem – work, love, money, whatever – is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.” – Anonymous
  • “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.” – Colin Powell
  • “A person who sees a problem is a human being; a person who finds a solution is visionary; the person who goes out and does something about it is an entrepreneur.”
  • “Bottom line, I removed myself from the victim mentality and took control of my life. I’m not just going to take responsibility for the success in my life – I’m going to take responsibility for the failures in my life. When you’re willing to accept that you’re the problem, you immediately become the solution.” – Eric Thomas

Knowing the problem, is half the solution. When you realize that there is a problem, be positive and have control on yourself in the situation.

Have faith that you will be able to tackle the problem. Don’t run away from your problems but learn to live with them. Try to find a solution to it and if you can’t solve it by yourself then take someone’s help.

Also See: Positive Attitude Quotes

When you come across a problem ask yourself these questions. What is the situation? How would I like the situation to be? What obstacles are keeping me away from the desired situation? By answering these questions you will learn what best you can do, to turn around the situation in your favor.

  • “I am my problem but also my solution.”
  • “Music is the best solution to any problem.”
  • “The solutions you seek are within you.” – ATGW
  • “ Compassion is so often the solution.” – Anonymous
  • “Beer is the cause and solution to all of life’s problems.”
  • “Lies are a temporary solution to a permanent problem.”

quotes for problem solving

  • “Focus on finding solutions to problems, not reasons to quit.”
  • “Your success is determined by your ability to find solutions.”
  • “You need to fail in order to find the right solution.” – Kevin Systrom
  • “Stop talking about your problems and start thinking about solutions.”
  • “To the wise, life is a problem; to the fool, a solution.” – Marcus Aurelius
  • “I truly believe there’s always a solution to every problem.” – Maira Kalman
  • “It is a courage which can find the solution to every problem.” – Amit Kalantri
  • “There is always a solution to every challenging situation.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

quotes about problem solving

  • “The solution often turns out more beautiful than the puzzle.” – Richard Dawkins
  • “The problem is not to find the answer, it’s to face the answer.” – Terence McKenna
  • “If your only tool is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.” – Abraham Maslow
  • “The great solution to all human problems is individual transformation.” – Vernon Howard
  • “There are only two ways to solve a problem: stop dwelling, and start doing.” – Emily Uraih
  • “Sometimes, the best way of solving a problem is by letting it unsolved.” – Joe Mari Fadrigalan
  • “There’s no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution.” – Betty Williams
  • “Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to first let go of the idea that there is a problem.”
  • “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” – Theodore Roosevelt
  • “Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.” – Roger Lewin
  • “Every problem has a solution; it may sometimes just need another perspective.” – Katherine Russell
  • “You can increase your problem-solving skills by honing your question-asking ability.” – Michael J. Gelb
  • “God does not create a lock without its key. God doesn’t give you problems without solutions. Trust Him.”
  • “Anyone who cannot solve a problem in this world is not worthy of living in this world.” – Olawale Daniel
  • “Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems.” – Rene Descartes
  • “Creativity is the answer. I always prefer the creative solution to an expensive solution.” – Keenen Ivory Wayans
  • “It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.” – Malcolm Forbes
  • “The important thing about a problem is not the solution, but the strength we gain in finding a solution.” – Seneca
  • “If you spend all your energy on your immediate reaction, you won’t have enough energy left for your long term solution.” – Doe Zantamata
  • “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” – Albert Einstein
  • “If there is no solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it.” – Dalai Lama XIV
  • “Every startup should address a real and demonstrated need in the world – if you build a solution to a problem lost of people have, it’s so easy to sell your product to the world.” – Kevin Systrom
  • “When you have a ‘solution thinking mindset’ – and choose to focus 80% of your thoughts/words on solutions – you will not only be heading more speedily to long-term success, but you will immediately feel better in the moment.” – Karen Salmansohn

Sometimes our reaction to the problem makes it more difficult for us. So we should stay calm when we are in a mess and be optimistic about the situation.

Never let your problems take over your mind or heart. Take it easy and try to find a remedy and if you can’t then let it go. What’s the point of stressing over it, so it’s better to go with the flow. Maybe life has better things to offer you in future.

Also See: Quotes About Life Struggles

Panicking in the situation clouds our mind and drifts us apart from the solution. These quotes will give you ideas about how to solve the troubles that you are going through in life.

If you like these solution quotes, also check our quotes on quotes about relationship struggles and struggling marriage quotes will inspire you and remind you that love is not always easy, but its surely worth it.

Which of these solution sayings resonated with you best? Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add? Tell us in the comment section below.

Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Pinterest, and more to spread some good vibes.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

60 I Can And I Will Quotes To Motivate You To Prove Yourself

60 I Can And I Will Quotes To Motivate You To Prove Yourself

90 Late Night Quotes For Your Deep Thoughts And Sleeplessness

90 Late Night Quotes For Your Deep Thoughts And Sleeplessness

170 Live Your Best Life Quotes About Living Your Greatest Life

170 Live Your Best Life Quotes About Living Your Greatest Life

Trauma Quotes To Help Emotional Healing & Recovery

66 Trauma Quotes To Help Emotional Healing & Recovery

Funny Fish Jokes, Puns And Riddles For Kids And Adults

145 Funny Fish Jokes, Puns And Riddles For Kids And Adults

90 Failure Quotes To Motivate You To Get Back Up

90 Failure Quotes To Motivate You To Get Back Up

  • Search Menu
  • Browse content in Arts and Humanities
  • Browse content in Archaeology
  • Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Archaeology
  • Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
  • Archaeology by Region
  • Archaeology of Religion
  • Archaeology of Trade and Exchange
  • Biblical Archaeology
  • Contemporary and Public Archaeology
  • Environmental Archaeology
  • Historical Archaeology
  • History and Theory of Archaeology
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Landscape Archaeology
  • Mortuary Archaeology
  • Prehistoric Archaeology
  • Underwater Archaeology
  • Zooarchaeology
  • Browse content in Architecture
  • Architectural Structure and Design
  • History of Architecture
  • Residential and Domestic Buildings
  • Theory of Architecture
  • Browse content in Art
  • Art Subjects and Themes
  • History of Art
  • Industrial and Commercial Art
  • Theory of Art
  • Biographical Studies
  • Byzantine Studies
  • Browse content in Classical Studies
  • Classical History
  • Classical Philosophy
  • Classical Mythology
  • Classical Literature
  • Classical Reception
  • Classical Art and Architecture
  • Classical Oratory and Rhetoric
  • Greek and Roman Papyrology
  • Greek and Roman Epigraphy
  • Greek and Roman Law
  • Greek and Roman Archaeology
  • Late Antiquity
  • Religion in the Ancient World
  • Digital Humanities
  • Browse content in History
  • Colonialism and Imperialism
  • Diplomatic History
  • Environmental History
  • Genealogy, Heraldry, Names, and Honours
  • Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
  • Historical Geography
  • History by Period
  • History of Agriculture
  • History of Education
  • History of Gender and Sexuality
  • Industrial History
  • Intellectual History
  • International History
  • Labour History
  • Legal and Constitutional History
  • Local and Family History
  • Maritime History
  • Military History
  • National Liberation and Post-Colonialism
  • Oral History
  • Political History
  • Public History
  • Regional and National History
  • Revolutions and Rebellions
  • Slavery and Abolition of Slavery
  • Social and Cultural History
  • Theory, Methods, and Historiography
  • Urban History
  • World History
  • Browse content in Language Teaching and Learning
  • Language Learning (Specific Skills)
  • Language Teaching Theory and Methods
  • Browse content in Linguistics
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Cognitive Linguistics
  • Computational Linguistics
  • Forensic Linguistics
  • Grammar, Syntax and Morphology
  • Historical and Diachronic Linguistics
  • History of English
  • Language Evolution
  • Language Reference
  • Language Acquisition
  • Language Variation
  • Language Families
  • Lexicography
  • Linguistic Anthropology
  • Linguistic Theories
  • Linguistic Typology
  • Phonetics and Phonology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Translation and Interpretation
  • Writing Systems
  • Browse content in Literature
  • Bibliography
  • Children's Literature Studies
  • Literary Studies (Romanticism)
  • Literary Studies (American)
  • Literary Studies (Asian)
  • Literary Studies (European)
  • Literary Studies (Eco-criticism)
  • Literary Studies (Modernism)
  • Literary Studies - World
  • Literary Studies (1500 to 1800)
  • Literary Studies (19th Century)
  • Literary Studies (20th Century onwards)
  • Literary Studies (African American Literature)
  • Literary Studies (British and Irish)
  • Literary Studies (Early and Medieval)
  • Literary Studies (Fiction, Novelists, and Prose Writers)
  • Literary Studies (Gender Studies)
  • Literary Studies (Graphic Novels)
  • Literary Studies (History of the Book)
  • Literary Studies (Plays and Playwrights)
  • Literary Studies (Poetry and Poets)
  • Literary Studies (Postcolonial Literature)
  • Literary Studies (Queer Studies)
  • Literary Studies (Science Fiction)
  • Literary Studies (Travel Literature)
  • Literary Studies (War Literature)
  • Literary Studies (Women's Writing)
  • Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
  • Mythology and Folklore
  • Shakespeare Studies and Criticism
  • Browse content in Media Studies
  • Browse content in Music
  • Applied Music
  • Dance and Music
  • Ethics in Music
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Gender and Sexuality in Music
  • Medicine and Music
  • Music Cultures
  • Music and Media
  • Music and Religion
  • Music and Culture
  • Music Education and Pedagogy
  • Music Theory and Analysis
  • Musical Scores, Lyrics, and Libretti
  • Musical Structures, Styles, and Techniques
  • Musicology and Music History
  • Performance Practice and Studies
  • Race and Ethnicity in Music
  • Sound Studies
  • Browse content in Performing Arts
  • Browse content in Philosophy
  • Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
  • Epistemology
  • Feminist Philosophy
  • History of Western Philosophy
  • Metaphysics
  • Moral Philosophy
  • Non-Western Philosophy
  • Philosophy of Language
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Philosophy of Perception
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Philosophy of Action
  • Philosophy of Law
  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
  • Practical Ethics
  • Social and Political Philosophy
  • Browse content in Religion
  • Biblical Studies
  • Christianity
  • East Asian Religions
  • History of Religion
  • Judaism and Jewish Studies
  • Qumran Studies
  • Religion and Education
  • Religion and Health
  • Religion and Politics
  • Religion and Science
  • Religion and Law
  • Religion and Art, Literature, and Music
  • Religious Studies
  • Browse content in Society and Culture
  • Cookery, Food, and Drink
  • Cultural Studies
  • Customs and Traditions
  • Ethical Issues and Debates
  • Hobbies, Games, Arts and Crafts
  • Lifestyle, Home, and Garden
  • Natural world, Country Life, and Pets
  • Popular Beliefs and Controversial Knowledge
  • Sports and Outdoor Recreation
  • Technology and Society
  • Travel and Holiday
  • Visual Culture
  • Browse content in Law
  • Arbitration
  • Browse content in Company and Commercial Law
  • Commercial Law
  • Company Law
  • Browse content in Comparative Law
  • Systems of Law
  • Competition Law
  • Browse content in Constitutional and Administrative Law
  • Government Powers
  • Judicial Review
  • Local Government Law
  • Military and Defence Law
  • Parliamentary and Legislative Practice
  • Construction Law
  • Contract Law
  • Browse content in Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Evidence Law
  • Sentencing and Punishment
  • Employment and Labour Law
  • Environment and Energy Law
  • Browse content in Financial Law
  • Banking Law
  • Insolvency Law
  • History of Law
  • Human Rights and Immigration
  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Browse content in International Law
  • Private International Law and Conflict of Laws
  • Public International Law
  • IT and Communications Law
  • Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
  • Law and Politics
  • Law and Society
  • Browse content in Legal System and Practice
  • Courts and Procedure
  • Legal Skills and Practice
  • Primary Sources of Law
  • Regulation of Legal Profession
  • Medical and Healthcare Law
  • Browse content in Policing
  • Criminal Investigation and Detection
  • Police and Security Services
  • Police Procedure and Law
  • Police Regional Planning
  • Browse content in Property Law
  • Personal Property Law
  • Study and Revision
  • Terrorism and National Security Law
  • Browse content in Trusts Law
  • Wills and Probate or Succession
  • Browse content in Medicine and Health
  • Browse content in Allied Health Professions
  • Arts Therapies
  • Clinical Science
  • Dietetics and Nutrition
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Operating Department Practice
  • Physiotherapy
  • Radiography
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Browse content in Anaesthetics
  • General Anaesthesia
  • Neuroanaesthesia
  • Clinical Neuroscience
  • Browse content in Clinical Medicine
  • Acute Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Clinical Genetics
  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology and Diabetes
  • Gastroenterology
  • Genito-urinary Medicine
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Medical Toxicology
  • Medical Oncology
  • Pain Medicine
  • Palliative Medicine
  • Rehabilitation Medicine
  • Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology
  • Rheumatology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Sports and Exercise Medicine
  • Community Medical Services
  • Critical Care
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Forensic Medicine
  • Haematology
  • History of Medicine
  • Browse content in Medical Skills
  • Clinical Skills
  • Communication Skills
  • Nursing Skills
  • Surgical Skills
  • Browse content in Medical Dentistry
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Paediatric Dentistry
  • Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics
  • Surgical Dentistry
  • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Statistics and Methodology
  • Browse content in Neurology
  • Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Neuropathology
  • Nursing Studies
  • Browse content in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Gynaecology
  • Occupational Medicine
  • Ophthalmology
  • Otolaryngology (ENT)
  • Browse content in Paediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Browse content in Pathology
  • Chemical Pathology
  • Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
  • Histopathology
  • Medical Microbiology and Virology
  • Patient Education and Information
  • Browse content in Pharmacology
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Browse content in Popular Health
  • Caring for Others
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Self-help and Personal Development
  • Browse content in Preclinical Medicine
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Reproduction, Growth and Development
  • Primary Care
  • Professional Development in Medicine
  • Browse content in Psychiatry
  • Addiction Medicine
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Forensic Psychiatry
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Old Age Psychiatry
  • Psychotherapy
  • Browse content in Public Health and Epidemiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Browse content in Radiology
  • Clinical Radiology
  • Interventional Radiology
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Browse content in Surgery
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Gastro-intestinal and Colorectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Paediatric Surgery
  • Peri-operative Care
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Surgical Oncology
  • Transplant Surgery
  • Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
  • Browse content in Science and Mathematics
  • Browse content in Biological Sciences
  • Aquatic Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ecology and Conservation
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics and Genomics
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular and Cell Biology
  • Natural History
  • Plant Sciences and Forestry
  • Research Methods in Life Sciences
  • Structural Biology
  • Systems Biology
  • Zoology and Animal Sciences
  • Browse content in Chemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Crystallography
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Industrial Chemistry
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Chemistry
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Mineralogy and Gems
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Study and Communication Skills in Chemistry
  • Theoretical Chemistry
  • Browse content in Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Architecture and Logic Design
  • Game Studies
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Mathematical Theory of Computation
  • Programming Languages
  • Software Engineering
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Virtual Reality
  • Browse content in Computing
  • Business Applications
  • Computer Security
  • Computer Games
  • Computer Networking and Communications
  • Digital Lifestyle
  • Graphical and Digital Media Applications
  • Operating Systems
  • Browse content in Earth Sciences and Geography
  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Environmental Geography
  • Geology and the Lithosphere
  • Maps and Map-making
  • Meteorology and Climatology
  • Oceanography and Hydrology
  • Palaeontology
  • Physical Geography and Topography
  • Regional Geography
  • Soil Science
  • Urban Geography
  • Browse content in Engineering and Technology
  • Agriculture and Farming
  • Biological Engineering
  • Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Building
  • Electronics and Communications Engineering
  • Energy Technology
  • Engineering (General)
  • Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology
  • History of Engineering and Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering and Materials
  • Technology of Industrial Chemistry
  • Transport Technology and Trades
  • Browse content in Environmental Science
  • Applied Ecology (Environmental Science)
  • Conservation of the Environment (Environmental Science)
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Environmental Science)
  • Management of Land and Natural Resources (Environmental Science)
  • Natural Disasters (Environmental Science)
  • Nuclear Issues (Environmental Science)
  • Pollution and Threats to the Environment (Environmental Science)
  • Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Environmental Science)
  • History of Science and Technology
  • Browse content in Materials Science
  • Ceramics and Glasses
  • Composite Materials
  • Metals, Alloying, and Corrosion
  • Nanotechnology
  • Browse content in Mathematics
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Biomathematics and Statistics
  • History of Mathematics
  • Mathematical Education
  • Mathematical Finance
  • Mathematical Analysis
  • Numerical and Computational Mathematics
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Pure Mathematics
  • Browse content in Neuroscience
  • Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience
  • Development of the Nervous System
  • Disorders of the Nervous System
  • History of Neuroscience
  • Invertebrate Neurobiology
  • Molecular and Cellular Systems
  • Neuroendocrinology and Autonomic Nervous System
  • Neuroscientific Techniques
  • Sensory and Motor Systems
  • Browse content in Physics
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
  • Biological and Medical Physics
  • Classical Mechanics
  • Computational Physics
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Electromagnetism, Optics, and Acoustics
  • History of Physics
  • Mathematical and Statistical Physics
  • Measurement Science
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Particles and Fields
  • Plasma Physics
  • Quantum Physics
  • Relativity and Gravitation
  • Semiconductor and Mesoscopic Physics
  • Browse content in Psychology
  • Affective Sciences
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Criminal and Forensic Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • History and Systems in Psychology
  • Music Psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Organizational Psychology
  • Psychological Assessment and Testing
  • Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction
  • Psychology Professional Development and Training
  • Research Methods in Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Browse content in Social Sciences
  • Browse content in Anthropology
  • Anthropology of Religion
  • Human Evolution
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Physical Anthropology
  • Regional Anthropology
  • Social and Cultural Anthropology
  • Theory and Practice of Anthropology
  • Browse content in Business and Management
  • Business Ethics
  • Business Strategy
  • Business History
  • Business and Technology
  • Business and Government
  • Business and the Environment
  • Comparative Management
  • Corporate Governance
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Industrial and Employment Relations
  • Industry Studies
  • Information and Communication Technologies
  • International Business
  • Knowledge Management
  • Management and Management Techniques
  • Operations Management
  • Organizational Theory and Behaviour
  • Pensions and Pension Management
  • Public and Nonprofit Management
  • Strategic Management
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Browse content in Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Criminal Justice
  • Criminology
  • Forms of Crime
  • International and Comparative Criminology
  • Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
  • Development Studies
  • Browse content in Economics
  • Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Resource Economics
  • Asian Economics
  • Behavioural Finance
  • Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics
  • Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
  • Economic History
  • Economic Systems
  • Economic Methodology
  • Economic Development and Growth
  • Financial Markets
  • Financial Institutions and Services
  • General Economics and Teaching
  • Health, Education, and Welfare
  • History of Economic Thought
  • International Economics
  • Labour and Demographic Economics
  • Law and Economics
  • Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
  • Microeconomics
  • Public Economics
  • Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
  • Welfare Economics
  • Browse content in Education
  • Adult Education and Continuous Learning
  • Care and Counselling of Students
  • Early Childhood and Elementary Education
  • Educational Equipment and Technology
  • Educational Strategies and Policy
  • Higher and Further Education
  • Organization and Management of Education
  • Philosophy and Theory of Education
  • Schools Studies
  • Secondary Education
  • Teaching of a Specific Subject
  • Teaching of Specific Groups and Special Educational Needs
  • Teaching Skills and Techniques
  • Browse content in Environment
  • Applied Ecology (Social Science)
  • Climate Change
  • Conservation of the Environment (Social Science)
  • Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Social Science)
  • Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science)
  • Browse content in Human Geography
  • Cultural Geography
  • Economic Geography
  • Political Geography
  • Browse content in Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Communication Studies
  • Museums, Libraries, and Information Sciences
  • Browse content in Politics
  • African Politics
  • Asian Politics
  • Chinese Politics
  • Comparative Politics
  • Conflict Politics
  • Elections and Electoral Studies
  • Environmental Politics
  • European Union
  • Foreign Policy
  • Gender and Politics
  • Human Rights and Politics
  • Indian Politics
  • International Relations
  • International Organization (Politics)
  • International Political Economy
  • Irish Politics
  • Latin American Politics
  • Middle Eastern Politics
  • Political Behaviour
  • Political Economy
  • Political Institutions
  • Political Methodology
  • Political Communication
  • Political Philosophy
  • Political Sociology
  • Political Theory
  • Politics and Law
  • Public Policy
  • Public Administration
  • Quantitative Political Methodology
  • Regional Political Studies
  • Russian Politics
  • Security Studies
  • State and Local Government
  • UK Politics
  • US Politics
  • Browse content in Regional and Area Studies
  • African Studies
  • Asian Studies
  • East Asian Studies
  • Japanese Studies
  • Latin American Studies
  • Middle Eastern Studies
  • Native American Studies
  • Scottish Studies
  • Browse content in Research and Information
  • Research Methods
  • Browse content in Social Work
  • Addictions and Substance Misuse
  • Adoption and Fostering
  • Care of the Elderly
  • Child and Adolescent Social Work
  • Couple and Family Social Work
  • Developmental and Physical Disabilities Social Work
  • Direct Practice and Clinical Social Work
  • Emergency Services
  • Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
  • International and Global Issues in Social Work
  • Mental and Behavioural Health
  • Social Justice and Human Rights
  • Social Policy and Advocacy
  • Social Work and Crime and Justice
  • Social Work Macro Practice
  • Social Work Practice Settings
  • Social Work Research and Evidence-based Practice
  • Welfare and Benefit Systems
  • Browse content in Sociology
  • Childhood Studies
  • Community Development
  • Comparative and Historical Sociology
  • Economic Sociology
  • Gender and Sexuality
  • Gerontology and Ageing
  • Health, Illness, and Medicine
  • Marriage and the Family
  • Migration Studies
  • Occupations, Professions, and Work
  • Organizations
  • Population and Demography
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Social Theory
  • Social Movements and Social Change
  • Social Research and Statistics
  • Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
  • Sociology of Religion
  • Sociology of Education
  • Sport and Leisure
  • Urban and Rural Studies
  • Browse content in Warfare and Defence
  • Defence Strategy, Planning, and Research
  • Land Forces and Warfare
  • Military Administration
  • Military Life and Institutions
  • Naval Forces and Warfare
  • Other Warfare and Defence Issues
  • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
  • Weapons and Equipment

Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving

Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving

Associate Vice Provost

  • Cite Icon Cite
  • Permissions Icon Permissions

Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving provides a framework and practical tools to help the reader solve problems. In our personal and professional lives, we are required to solve problems that are not clearly defined and have moving and interdependent parts. Successful resolution requires us to be T-shaped, having both depth and breadth of knowledge and skills. This book focuses on the latter part, the knowledge and skills that can be beneficial in solving any complex problem. Integrating findings from many disciplines as well as conclusions from practitioners, this book provides concrete guidelines. It breaks the resolution process down into four steps—framing the problem (identifying what needs to be done), diagnosing it (identifying why there is a problem or why it has not been solved yet), identifying and selecting potential solutions (identifying how to solve the problem), and implementing and monitoring the solution (resolving the problem, the do ). For each of these four steps—what, why, how, do—the book explains techniques that can promote success and demonstrates how to apply them on a case study and in additional examples. The case study—that of a lost dog that may have been kidnapped—guides the reader through the resolution process, illustrates how the concepts apply, and creates a concrete image to facilitate the recollection. Relying on theoretical and empirical evidence but using simple, accessible language, it enables the reader to learn not just about problem solving but how to actually solve complex problems.

Signed in as

Institutional accounts.

  • GoogleCrawler [DO NOT DELETE]
  • Google Scholar Indexing

Personal account

  • Sign in with email/username & password
  • Get email alerts
  • Save searches
  • Purchase content
  • Activate your purchase/trial code

Institutional access

  • Sign in with a library card Sign in with username/password Recommend to your librarian
  • Institutional account management
  • Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Sign in through your institution

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

  • Click Sign in through your institution.
  • Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
  • When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
  • Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Sign in with a library card

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

  • Click Sign in through society site.
  • When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

  • View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
  • View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.

  • About Oxford Academic
  • Publish journals with us
  • University press partners
  • What we publish
  • New features  
  • Open access
  • Rights and permissions
  • Accessibility
  • Advertising
  • Media enquiries
  • Oxford University Press
  • Oxford Languages
  • University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

  • Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
  • Cookie settings
  • Cookie policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

  • Quote of the Day
  • Picture Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes About Problem Solving

Standart top banner.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

When the solution is simple, God is answering.

Albert Einstein quote: We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we...

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.

Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.

If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem, and only five minutes finding the solution.

To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.

The formulation of the problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill.

The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.

The mere formulation of a problem is far more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skills. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.

The problems that exist in this world can not be solved by the level of thinking that created them.

last adds STANDART BOTTOM BANNER

Send report.

  • The author didn't say that
  • There is a mistake in the text of this quote
  • The quote belongs to another author
  • Other error

complex problem solving quotes

Related Authors

' class=

Albert Einstein

' src=

  • Born: March 14, 1879
  • Died: April 18, 1955
  • Occupation: Theoretical Physicist
  • Cite this Page: Citation

Get Social with AzQuotes

Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Every day we present the best quotes! Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends

Popular Topics

  • Inspirational
  • Motivational
  • New Quotes (2)
  • Achievement
  • Agnosticism
  • Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Rights
  • Appreciation
  • Art And Science
  • Atomic Bomb
  • Being Alone
  • Being Human
  • Being Yourself
  • Climate Change
  • Common Sense
  • Communication
  • Competition
  • Consciousness
  • Conservation
  • Constitution
  • Contemplation
  • Creative Thinking
  • Daydreaming
  • Determination
  • Determinism
  • Disappointment
  • Encouraging
  • Enlightenment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environment
  • Fairy Tales
  • Falling In Love
  • Fear Of Death
  • Freedom And Liberty
  • Giving Back
  • Helping Others
  • Human Nature
  • Human Rights
  • Imagination
  • Independence
  • Individuality
  • Inspiration
  • Intelligence
  • Jesus Christ
  • Justification
  • Knowing God
  • Law And Order
  • Libertarianism
  • Life And Death
  • Life And Love
  • Making Mistakes
  • Manifestation
  • Mathematics
  • Military Service
  • Mindfulness
  • Moving Forward
  • Nationalism
  • Natural Law
  • Never Giving Up
  • Not Giving Up
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Power
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Opportunity
  • Peace Of Mind
  • Perseverance
  • Persistence
  • Personality
  • Politicians
  • Positive Thinking
  • Preparation
  • Problem Solving
  • Purpose Of Life
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Quantum Physics
  • Questioning
  • Rationality
  • Recognition
  • Relationships
  • Responsibility
  • Science And Religion
  • Science And Technology
  • Self Esteem
  • Selfishness
  • Simple Life
  • Social Justice
  • Speculation
  • Spirituality
  • Stay Strong
  • Success And Failure
  • Time And Space
  • Time Travel
  • Understanding
  • Visualization
  • War Of The Worlds
  • Javascript and RSS feeds
  • WordPress plugin
  • ES Version AZQuotes.ES
  • Submit Quotes
  • Privacy Policy

Login with your account

Create account, find your account.

CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article

Complex problem solving: what it is and what it is not.

\r\nDietrich Drner

  • 1 Department of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
  • 2 Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

Computer-simulated scenarios have been part of psychological research on problem solving for more than 40 years. The shift in emphasis from simple toy problems to complex, more real-life oriented problems has been accompanied by discussions about the best ways to assess the process of solving complex problems. Psychometric issues such as reliable assessments and addressing correlations with other instruments have been in the foreground of these discussions and have left the content validity of complex problem solving in the background. In this paper, we return the focus to content issues and address the important features that define complex problems.

Succeeding in the 21st century requires many competencies, including creativity, life-long learning, and collaboration skills (e.g., National Research Council, 2011 ; Griffin and Care, 2015 ), to name only a few. One competence that seems to be of central importance is the ability to solve complex problems ( Mainzer, 2009 ). Mainzer quotes the Nobel prize winner Simon (1957) who wrote as early as 1957:

The capacity of the human mind for formulating and solving complex problems is very small compared with the size of the problem whose solution is required for objectively rational behavior in the real world or even for a reasonable approximation to such objective rationality. (p. 198)

The shift from well-defined to ill-defined problems came about as a result of a disillusion with the “general problem solver” ( Newell et al., 1959 ): The general problem solver was a computer software intended to solve all kind of problems that can be expressed through well-formed formulas. However, it soon became clear that this procedure was in fact a “special problem solver” that could only solve well-defined problems in a closed space. But real-world problems feature open boundaries and have no well-determined solution. In fact, the world is full of wicked problems and clumsy solutions ( Verweij and Thompson, 2006 ). As a result, solving well-defined problems and solving ill-defined problems requires different cognitive processes ( Schraw et al., 1995 ; but see Funke, 2010 ).

Well-defined problems have a clear set of means for reaching a precisely described goal state. For example: in a match-stick arithmetic problem, a person receives a false arithmetic expression constructed out of matchsticks (e.g., IV = III + III). According to the instructions, moving one of the matchsticks will make the equations true. Here, both the problem (find the appropriate stick to move) and the goal state (true arithmetic expression; solution is: VI = III + III) are defined clearly.

Ill-defined problems have no clear problem definition, their goal state is not defined clearly, and the means of moving towards the (diffusely described) goal state are not clear. For example: The goal state for solving the political conflict in the near-east conflict between Israel and Palestine is not clearly defined (living in peaceful harmony with each other?) and even if the conflict parties would agree on a two-state solution, this goal again leaves many issues unresolved. This type of problem is called a “complex problem” and is of central importance to this paper. All psychological processes that occur within individual persons and deal with the handling of such ill-defined complex problems will be subsumed under the umbrella term “complex problem solving” (CPS).

Systematic research on CPS started in the 1970s with observations of the behavior of participants who were confronted with computer simulated microworlds. For example, in one of those microworlds participants assumed the role of executives who were tasked to manage a company over a certain period of time (see Brehmer and Dörner, 1993 , for a discussion of this methodology). Today, CPS is an established concept and has even influenced large-scale assessments such as PISA (“Programme for International Student Assessment”), organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD, 2014 ). According to the World Economic Forum, CPS is one of the most important competencies required in the future ( World Economic Forum, 2015 ). Numerous articles on the subject have been published in recent years, documenting the increasing research activity relating to this field. In the following collection of papers we list only those published in 2010 and later: theoretical papers ( Blech and Funke, 2010 ; Funke, 2010 ; Knauff and Wolf, 2010 ; Leutner et al., 2012 ; Selten et al., 2012 ; Wüstenberg et al., 2012 ; Greiff et al., 2013b ; Fischer and Neubert, 2015 ; Schoppek and Fischer, 2015 ), papers about measurement issues ( Danner et al., 2011a ; Greiff et al., 2012 , 2015a ; Alison et al., 2013 ; Gobert et al., 2015 ; Greiff and Fischer, 2013 ; Herde et al., 2016 ; Stadler et al., 2016 ), papers about applications ( Fischer and Neubert, 2015 ; Ederer et al., 2016 ; Tremblay et al., 2017 ), papers about differential effects ( Barth and Funke, 2010 ; Danner et al., 2011b ; Beckmann and Goode, 2014 ; Greiff and Neubert, 2014 ; Scherer et al., 2015 ; Meißner et al., 2016 ; Wüstenberg et al., 2016 ), one paper about developmental effects ( Frischkorn et al., 2014 ), one paper with a neuroscience background ( Osman, 2012 ) 1 , papers about cultural differences ( Güss and Dörner, 2011 ; Sonnleitner et al., 2014 ; Güss et al., 2015 ), papers about validity issues ( Goode and Beckmann, 2010 ; Greiff et al., 2013c ; Schweizer et al., 2013 ; Mainert et al., 2015 ; Funke et al., 2017 ; Greiff et al., 2017 , 2015b ; Kretzschmar et al., 2016 ; Kretzschmar, 2017 ), review papers and meta-analyses ( Osman, 2010 ; Stadler et al., 2015 ), and finally books ( Qudrat-Ullah, 2015 ; Csapó and Funke, 2017b ) and book chapters ( Funke, 2012 ; Hotaling et al., 2015 ; Funke and Greiff, 2017 ; Greiff and Funke, 2017 ; Csapó and Funke, 2017a ; Fischer et al., 2017 ; Molnàr et al., 2017 ; Tobinski and Fritz, 2017 ; Viehrig et al., 2017 ). In addition, a new “Journal of Dynamic Decision Making” (JDDM) has been launched ( Fischer et al., 2015 , 2016 ) to give the field an open-access outlet for research and discussion.

This paper aims to clarify aspects of validity: what should be meant by the term CPS and what not? This clarification seems necessary because misunderstandings in recent publications provide – from our point of view – a potentially misleading picture of the construct. We start this article with a historical review before attempting to systematize different positions. We conclude with a working definition.

Historical Review

The concept behind CPS goes back to the German phrase “komplexes Problemlösen” (CPS; the term “komplexes Problemlösen” was used as a book title by Funke, 1986 ). The concept was introduced in Germany by Dörner and colleagues in the mid-1970s (see Dörner et al., 1975 ; Dörner, 1975 ) for the first time. The German phrase was later translated to CPS in the titles of two edited volumes by Sternberg and Frensch (1991) and Frensch and Funke (1995a) that collected papers from different research traditions. Even though it looks as though the term was coined in the 1970s, Edwards (1962) used the term “dynamic decision making” to describe decisions that come in a sequence. He compared static with dynamic decision making, writing:

In dynamic situations, a new complication not found in the static situations arises. The environment in which the decision is set may be changing, either as a function of the sequence of decisions, or independently of them, or both. It is this possibility of an environment which changes while you collect information about it which makes the task of dynamic decision theory so difficult and so much fun. (p. 60)

The ability to solve complex problems is typically measured via dynamic systems that contain several interrelated variables that participants need to alter. Early work (see, e.g., Dörner, 1980 ) used a simulation scenario called “Lohhausen” that contained more than 2000 variables that represented the activities of a small town: Participants had to take over the role of a mayor for a simulated period of 10 years. The simulation condensed these ten years to ten hours in real time. Later, researchers used smaller dynamic systems as scenarios either based on linear equations (see, e.g., Funke, 1993 ) or on finite state automata (see, e.g., Buchner and Funke, 1993 ). In these contexts, CPS consisted of the identification and control of dynamic task environments that were previously unknown to the participants. Different task environments came along with different degrees of fidelity ( Gray, 2002 ).

According to Funke (2012) , the typical attributes of complex systems are (a) complexity of the problem situation which is usually represented by the sheer number of involved variables; (b) connectivity and mutual dependencies between involved variables; (c) dynamics of the situation, which reflects the role of time and developments within a system; (d) intransparency (in part or full) about the involved variables and their current values; and (e) polytely (greek term for “many goals”), representing goal conflicts on different levels of analysis. This mixture of features is similar to what is called VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) in modern approaches to management (e.g., Mack et al., 2016 ).

In his evaluation of the CPS movement, Sternberg (1995) compared (young) European approaches to CPS with (older) American research on expertise. His analysis of the differences between the European and American traditions shows advantages but also potential drawbacks for each side. He states (p. 301): “I believe that although there are problems with the European approach, it deals with some fundamental questions that American research scarcely addresses.” So, even though the echo of the European approach did not enjoy strong resonance in the US at that time, it was valued by scholars like Sternberg and others. Before attending to validity issues, we will first present a short review of different streams.

Different Approaches to CPS

In the short history of CPS research, different approaches can be identified ( Buchner, 1995 ; Fischer et al., 2017 ). To systematize, we differentiate between the following five lines of research:

(a) The search for individual differences comprises studies identifying interindividual differences that affect the ability to solve complex problems. This line of research is reflected, for example, in the early work by Dörner et al. (1983) and their “Lohhausen” study. Here, naïve student participants took over the role of the mayor of a small simulated town named Lohhausen for a simulation period of ten years. According to the results of the authors, it is not intelligence (as measured by conventional IQ tests) that predicts performance, but it is the ability to stay calm in the face of a challenging situation and the ability to switch easily between an analytic mode of processing and a more holistic one.

(b) The search for cognitive processes deals with the processes behind understanding complex dynamic systems. Representative of this line of research is, for example, Berry and Broadbent’s (1984) work on implicit and explicit learning processes when people interact with a dynamic system called “Sugar Production”. They found that those who perform best in controlling a dynamic system can do so implicitly, without explicit knowledge of details regarding the systems’ relations.

(c) The search for system factors seeks to identify the aspects of dynamic systems that determine the difficulty of complex problems and make some problems harder than others. Representative of this line of research is, for example, work by Funke (1985) , who systematically varied the number of causal effects within a dynamic system or the presence/absence of eigendynamics. He found, for example, that solution quality decreases as the number of systems relations increases.

(d) The psychometric approach develops measurement instruments that can be used as an alternative to classical IQ tests, as something that goes “beyond IQ”. The MicroDYN approach ( Wüstenberg et al., 2012 ) is representative for this line of research that presents an alternative to reasoning tests (like Raven matrices). These authors demonstrated that a small improvement in predicting school grade point average beyond reasoning is possible with MicroDYN tests.

(e) The experimental approach explores CPS under different experimental conditions. This approach uses CPS assessment instruments to test hypotheses derived from psychological theories and is sometimes used in research about cognitive processes (see above). Exemplary for this line of research is the work by Rohe et al. (2016) , who test the usefulness of “motto goals” in the context of complex problems compared to more traditional learning and performance goals. Motto goals differ from pure performance goals by activating positive affect and should lead to better goal attainment especially in complex situations (the mentioned study found no effect).

To be clear: these five approaches are not mutually exclusive and do overlap. But the differentiation helps to identify different research communities and different traditions. These communities had different opinions about scaling complexity.

The Race for Complexity: Use of More and More Complex Systems

In the early years of CPS research, microworlds started with systems containing about 20 variables (“Tailorshop”), soon reached 60 variables (“Moro”), and culminated in systems with about 2000 variables (“Lohhausen”). This race for complexity ended with the introduction of the concept of “minimal complex systems” (MCS; Greiff and Funke, 2009 ; Funke and Greiff, 2017 ), which ushered in a search for the lower bound of complexity instead of the higher bound, which could not be defined as easily. The idea behind this concept was that whereas the upper limits of complexity are unbound, the lower limits might be identifiable. Imagine starting with a simple system containing two variables with a simple linear connection between them; then, step by step, increase the number of variables and/or the type of connections. One soon reaches a point where the system can no longer be considered simple and has become a “complex system”. This point represents a minimal complex system. Despite some research having been conducted in this direction, the point of transition from simple to complex has not been identified clearly as of yet.

Some years later, the original “minimal complex systems” approach ( Greiff and Funke, 2009 ) shifted to the “multiple complex systems” approach ( Greiff et al., 2013a ). This shift is more than a slight change in wording: it is important because it taps into the issue of validity directly. Minimal complex systems have been introduced in the context of challenges from large-scale assessments like PISA 2012 that measure new aspects of problem solving, namely interactive problems besides static problem solving ( Greiff and Funke, 2017 ). PISA 2012 required test developers to remain within testing time constraints (given by the school class schedule). Also, test developers needed a large item pool for the construction of a broad class of problem solving items. It was clear from the beginning that MCS deal with simple dynamic situations that require controlled interaction: the exploration and control of simple ticket machines, simple mobile phones, or simple MP3 players (all of these example domains were developed within PISA 2012) – rather than really complex situations like managerial or political decision making.

As a consequence of this subtle but important shift in interpreting the letters MCS, the definition of CPS became a subject of debate recently ( Funke, 2014a ; Greiff and Martin, 2014 ; Funke et al., 2017 ). In the words of Funke (2014b , p. 495):

It is funny that problems that nowadays come under the term ‘CPS’, are less complex (in terms of the previously described attributes of complex situations) than at the beginning of this new research tradition. The emphasis on psychometric qualities has led to a loss of variety. Systems thinking requires more than analyzing models with two or three linear equations – nonlinearity, cyclicity, rebound effects, etc. are inherent features of complex problems and should show up at least in some of the problems used for research and assessment purposes. Minimal complex systems run the danger of becoming minimal valid systems.

Searching for minimal complex systems is not the same as gaining insight into the way how humans deal with complexity and uncertainty. For psychometric purposes, it is appropriate to reduce complexity to a minimum; for understanding problem solving under conditions of overload, intransparency, and dynamics, it is necessary to realize those attributes with reasonable strength. This aspect is illustrated in the next section.

Importance of the Validity Issue

The most important reason for discussing the question of what complex problem solving is and what it is not stems from its phenomenology: if we lose sight of our phenomena, we are no longer doing good psychology. The relevant phenomena in the context of complex problems encompass many important aspects. In this section, we discuss four phenomena that are specific to complex problems. We consider these phenomena as critical for theory development and for the construction of assessment instruments (i.e., microworlds). These phenomena require theories for explaining them and they require assessment instruments eliciting them in a reliable way.

The first phenomenon is the emergency reaction of the intellectual system ( Dörner, 1980 ): When dealing with complex systems, actors tend to (a) reduce their intellectual level by decreasing self-reflections, by decreasing their intentions, by stereotyping, and by reducing their realization of intentions, (b) they show a tendency for fast action with increased readiness for risk, with increased violations of rules, and with increased tendency to escape the situation, and (c) they degenerate their hypotheses formation by construction of more global hypotheses and reduced tests of hypotheses, by increasing entrenchment, and by decontextualizing their goals. This phenomenon illustrates the strong connection between cognition, emotion, and motivation that has been emphasized by Dörner (see, e.g., Dörner and Güss, 2013 ) from the beginning of his research tradition; the emergency reaction reveals a shift in the mode of information processing under the pressure of complexity.

The second phenomenon comprises cross-cultural differences with respect to strategy use ( Strohschneider and Güss, 1999 ; Güss and Wiley, 2007 ; Güss et al., 2015 ). Results from complex task environments illustrate the strong influence of context and background knowledge to an extent that cannot be found for knowledge-poor problems. For example, in a comparison between Brazilian and German participants, it turned out that Brazilians accept the given problem descriptions and are more optimistic about the results of their efforts, whereas Germans tend to inquire more about the background of the problems and take a more active approach but are less optimistic (according to Strohschneider and Güss, 1998 , p. 695).

The third phenomenon relates to failures that occur during the planning and acting stages ( Jansson, 1994 ; Ramnarayan et al., 1997 ), illustrating that rational procedures seem to be unlikely to be used in complex situations. The potential for failures ( Dörner, 1996 ) rises with the complexity of the problem. Jansson (1994) presents seven major areas for failures with complex situations: acting directly on current feedback; insufficient systematization; insufficient control of hypotheses and strategies; lack of self-reflection; selective information gathering; selective decision making; and thematic vagabonding.

The fourth phenomenon describes (a lack of) training and transfer effects ( Kretzschmar and Süß, 2015 ), which again illustrates the context dependency of strategies and knowledge (i.e., there is no strategy that is so universal that it can be used in many different problem situations). In their own experiment, the authors could show training effects only for knowledge acquisition, not for knowledge application. Only with specific feedback, performance in complex environments can be increased ( Engelhart et al., 2017 ).

These four phenomena illustrate why the type of complexity (or degree of simplicity) used in research really matters. Furthermore, they demonstrate effects that are specific for complex problems, but not for toy problems. These phenomena direct the attention to the important question: does the stimulus material used (i.e., the computer-simulated microworld) tap and elicit the manifold of phenomena described above?

Dealing with partly unknown complex systems requires courage, wisdom, knowledge, grit, and creativity. In creativity research, “little c” and “BIG C” are used to differentiate between everyday creativity and eminent creativity ( Beghetto and Kaufman, 2007 ; Kaufman and Beghetto, 2009 ). Everyday creativity is important for solving everyday problems (e.g., finding a clever fix for a broken spoke on my bicycle), eminent creativity changes the world (e.g., inventing solar cells for energy production). Maybe problem solving research should use a similar differentiation between “little p” and “BIG P” to mark toy problems on the one side and big societal challenges on the other. The question then remains: what can we learn about BIG P by studying little p? What phenomena are present in both types, and what phenomena are unique to each of the two extremes?

Discussing research on CPS requires reflecting on the field’s research methods. Even if the experimental approach has been successful for testing hypotheses (for an overview of older work, see Funke, 1995 ), other methods might provide additional and novel insights. Complex phenomena require complex approaches to understand them. The complex nature of complex systems imposes limitations on psychological experiments: The more complex the environments, the more difficult is it to keep conditions under experimental control. And if experiments have to be run in labs one should bring enough complexity into the lab to establish the phenomena mentioned, at least in part.

There are interesting options to be explored (again): think-aloud protocols , which have been discredited for many years ( Nisbett and Wilson, 1977 ) and yet are a valuable source for theory testing ( Ericsson and Simon, 1983 ); introspection ( Jäkel and Schreiber, 2013 ), which seems to be banned from psychological methods but nevertheless offers insights into thought processes; the use of life-streaming ( Wendt, 2017 ), a medium in which streamers generate a video stream of think-aloud data in computer-gaming; political decision-making ( Dhami et al., 2015 ) that demonstrates error-proneness in groups; historical case studies ( Dörner and Güss, 2011 ) that give insights into the thinking styles of political leaders; the use of the critical incident technique ( Reuschenbach, 2008 ) to construct complex scenarios; and simulations with different degrees of fidelity ( Gray, 2002 ).

The methods tool box is full of instruments that have to be explored more carefully before any individual instrument receives a ban or research narrows its focus to only one paradigm for data collection. Brehmer and Dörner (1993) discussed the tensions between “research in the laboratory and research in the field”, optimistically concluding “that the new methodology of computer-simulated microworlds will provide us with the means to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the field” (p. 183). The idea behind this optimism was that computer-simulated scenarios would bring more complexity from the outside world into the controlled lab environment. But this is not true for all simulated scenarios. In his paper on simulated environments, Gray (2002) differentiated computer-simulated environments with respect to three dimensions: (1) tractability (“the more training subjects require before they can use a simulated task environment, the less tractable it is”, p. 211), correspondence (“High correspondence simulated task environments simulate many aspects of one task environment. Low correspondence simulated task environments simulate one aspect of many task environments”, p. 214), and engagement (“A simulated task environment is engaging to the degree to which it involves and occupies the participants; that is, the degree to which they agree to take it seriously”, p. 217). But the mere fact that a task is called a “computer-simulated task environment” does not mean anything specific in terms of these three dimensions. This is one of several reasons why we should differentiate between those studies that do not address the core features of CPS and those that do.

What is not CPS?

Even though a growing number of references claiming to deal with complex problems exist (e.g., Greiff and Wüstenberg, 2015 ; Greiff et al., 2016 ), it would be better to label the requirements within these tasks “dynamic problem solving,” as it has been done adequately in earlier work ( Greiff et al., 2012 ). The dynamics behind on-off-switches ( Thimbleby, 2007 ) are remarkable but not really complex. Small nonlinear systems that exhibit stunningly complex and unstable behavior do exist – but they are not used in psychometric assessments of so-called CPS. There are other small systems (like MicroDYN scenarios: Greiff and Wüstenberg, 2014 ) that exhibit simple forms of system behavior that are completely predictable and stable. This type of simple systems is used frequently. It is even offered commercially as a complex problem-solving test called COMPRO ( Greiff and Wüstenberg, 2015 ) for business applications. But a closer look reveals that the label is not used correctly; within COMPRO, the used linear equations are far from being complex and the system can be handled properly by using only one strategy (see for more details Funke et al., 2017 ).

Why do simple linear systems not fall within CPS? At the surface, nonlinear and linear systems might appear similar because both only include 3–5 variables. But the difference is in terms of systems behavior as well as strategies and learning. If the behavior is simple (as in linear systems where more input is related to more output and vice versa), the system can be easily understood (participants in the MicroDYN world have 3 minutes to explore a complex system). If the behavior is complex (as in systems that contain strange attractors or negative feedback loops), things become more complicated and much more observation is needed to identify the hidden structure of the unknown system ( Berry and Broadbent, 1984 ; Hundertmark et al., 2015 ).

Another issue is learning. If tasks can be solved using a single (and not so complicated) strategy, steep learning curves are to be expected. The shift from problem solving to learned routine behavior occurs rapidly, as was demonstrated by Luchins (1942) . In his water jar experiments, participants quickly acquired a specific strategy (a mental set) for solving certain measurement problems that they later continued applying to problems that would have allowed for easier approaches. In the case of complex systems, learning can occur only on very general, abstract levels because it is difficult for human observers to make specific predictions. Routines dealing with complex systems are quite different from routines relating to linear systems.

What should not be studied under the label of CPS are pure learning effects, multiple-cue probability learning, or tasks that can be solved using a single strategy. This last issue is a problem for MicroDYN tasks that rely strongly on the VOTAT strategy (“vary one thing at a time”; see Tschirgi, 1980 ). In real-life, it is hard to imagine a business manager trying to solve her or his problems by means of VOTAT.

What is CPS?

In the early days of CPS research, planet Earth’s dynamics and complexities gained attention through such books as “The limits to growth” ( Meadows et al., 1972 ) and “Beyond the limits” ( Meadows et al., 1992 ). In the current decade, for example, the World Economic Forum (2016) attempts to identify the complexities and risks of our modern world. In order to understand the meaning of complexity and uncertainty, taking a look at the worlds’ most pressing issues is helpful. Searching for strategies to cope with these problems is a difficult task: surely there is no place for the simple principle of “vary-one-thing-at-a-time” (VOTAT) when it comes to global problems. The VOTAT strategy is helpful in the context of simple problems ( Wüstenberg et al., 2014 ); therefore, whether or not VOTAT is helpful in a given problem situation helps us distinguish simple from complex problems.

Because there exist no clear-cut strategies for complex problems, typical failures occur when dealing with uncertainty ( Dörner, 1996 ; Güss et al., 2015 ). Ramnarayan et al. (1997) put together a list of generic errors (e.g., not developing adequate action plans; lack of background control; learning from experience blocked by stereotype knowledge; reactive instead of proactive action) that are typical of knowledge-rich complex systems but cannot be found in simple problems.

Complex problem solving is not a one-dimensional, low-level construct. On the contrary, CPS is a multi-dimensional bundle of competencies existing at a high level of abstraction, similar to intelligence (but going beyond IQ). As Funke et al. (2018) state: “Assessment of transversal (in educational contexts: cross-curricular) competencies cannot be done with one or two types of assessment. The plurality of skills and competencies requires a plurality of assessment instruments.”

There are at least three different aspects of complex systems that are part of our understanding of a complex system: (1) a complex system can be described at different levels of abstraction; (2) a complex system develops over time, has a history, a current state, and a (potentially unpredictable) future; (3) a complex system is knowledge-rich and activates a large semantic network, together with a broad list of potential strategies (domain-specific as well as domain-general).

Complex problem solving is not only a cognitive process but is also an emotional one ( Spering et al., 2005 ; Barth and Funke, 2010 ) and strongly dependent on motivation (low-stakes versus high-stakes testing; see Hermes and Stelling, 2016 ).

Furthermore, CPS is a dynamic process unfolding over time, with different phases and with more differentiation than simply knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. Ideally, the process should entail identifying problems (see Dillon, 1982 ; Lee and Cho, 2007 ), even if in experimental settings, problems are provided to participants a priori . The more complex and open a given situation, the more options can be generated (T. S. Schweizer et al., 2016 ). In closed problems, these processes do not occur in the same way.

In analogy to the difference between formative (process-oriented) and summative (result-oriented) assessment ( Wiliam and Black, 1996 ; Bennett, 2011 ), CPS should not be reduced to the mere outcome of a solution process. The process leading up to the solution, including detours and errors made along the way, might provide a more differentiated impression of a person’s problem-solving abilities and competencies than the final result of such a process. This is one of the reasons why CPS environments are not, in fact, complex intelligence tests: research on CPS is not only about the outcome of the decision process, but it is also about the problem-solving process itself.

Complex problem solving is part of our daily life: finding the right person to share one’s life with, choosing a career that not only makes money, but that also makes us happy. Of course, CPS is not restricted to personal problems – life on Earth gives us many hard nuts to crack: climate change, population growth, the threat of war, the use and distribution of natural resources. In sum, many societal challenges can be seen as complex problems. To reduce that complexity to a one-hour lab activity on a random Friday afternoon puts it out of context and does not address CPS issues.

Theories about CPS should specify which populations they apply to. Across populations, one thing to consider is prior knowledge. CPS research with experts (e.g., Dew et al., 2009 ) is quite different from problem solving research using tasks that intentionally do not require any specific prior knowledge (see, e.g., Beckmann and Goode, 2014 ).

More than 20 years ago, Frensch and Funke (1995b) defined CPS as follows:

CPS occurs to overcome barriers between a given state and a desired goal state by means of behavioral and/or cognitive, multi-step activities. The given state, goal state, and barriers between given state and goal state are complex, change dynamically during problem solving, and are intransparent. The exact properties of the given state, goal state, and barriers are unknown to the solver at the outset. CPS implies the efficient interaction between a solver and the situational requirements of the task, and involves a solver’s cognitive, emotional, personal, and social abilities and knowledge. (p. 18)

The above definition is rather formal and does not account for content or relations between the simulation and the real world. In a sense, we need a new definition of CPS that addresses these issues. Based on our previous arguments, we propose the following working definition:

Complex problem solving is a collection of self-regulated psychological processes and activities necessary in dynamic environments to achieve ill-defined goals that cannot be reached by routine actions. Creative combinations of knowledge and a broad set of strategies are needed. Solutions are often more bricolage than perfect or optimal. The problem-solving process combines cognitive, emotional, and motivational aspects, particularly in high-stakes situations. Complex problems usually involve knowledge-rich requirements and collaboration among different persons.

The main differences to the older definition lie in the emphasis on (a) the self-regulation of processes, (b) creativity (as opposed to routine behavior), (c) the bricolage type of solution, and (d) the role of high-stakes challenges. Our new definition incorporates some aspects that have been discussed in this review but were not reflected in the 1995 definition, which focused on attributes of complex problems like dynamics or intransparency.

This leads us to the final reflection about the role of CPS for dealing with uncertainty and complexity in real life. We will distinguish thinking from reasoning and introduce the sense of possibility as an important aspect of validity.

CPS as Combining Reasoning and Thinking in an Uncertain Reality

Leading up to the Battle of Borodino in Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky explains the concept of war to his friend Pierre. Pierre expects war to resemble a game of chess: You position the troops and attempt to defeat your opponent by moving them in different directions.

“Far from it!”, Andrei responds. “In chess, you know the knight and his moves, you know the pawn and his combat strength. While in war, a battalion is sometimes stronger than a division and sometimes weaker than a company; it all depends on circumstances that can never be known. In war, you do not know the position of your enemy; some things you might be able to observe, some things you have to divine (but that depends on your ability to do so!) and many things cannot even be guessed at. In chess, you can see all of your opponent’s possible moves. In war, that is impossible. If you decide to attack, you cannot know whether the necessary conditions are met for you to succeed. Many a time, you cannot even know whether your troops will follow your orders…”

In essence, war is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. A good commander (or politician) can add to that what he or she sees, tentatively fill in the blanks – and not just by means of logical deduction but also by intelligently bridging missing links. A bad commander extrapolates from what he sees and thus arrives at improper conclusions.

Many languages differentiate between two modes of mentalizing; for instance, the English language distinguishes between ‘thinking’ and ‘reasoning’. Reasoning denotes acute and exact mentalizing involving logical deductions. Such deductions are usually based on evidence and counterevidence. Thinking, however, is what is required to write novels. It is the construction of an initially unknown reality. But it is not a pipe dream, an unfounded process of fabrication. Rather, thinking asks us to imagine reality (“Wirklichkeitsfantasie”). In other words, a novelist has to possess a “sense of possibility” (“Möglichkeitssinn”, Robert Musil; in German, sense of possibility is often used synonymously with imagination even though imagination is not the same as sense of possibility, for imagination also encapsulates the impossible). This sense of possibility entails knowing the whole (or several wholes) or being able to construe an unknown whole that could accommodate a known part. The whole has to align with sociological and geographical givens, with the mentality of certain peoples or groups, and with the laws of physics and chemistry. Otherwise, the entire venture is ill-founded. A sense of possibility does not aim for the moon but imagines something that might be possible but has not been considered possible or even potentially possible so far.

Thinking is a means to eliminate uncertainty. This process requires both of the modes of thinking we have discussed thus far. Economic, political, or ecological decisions require us to first consider the situation at hand. Though certain situational aspects can be known, but many cannot. In fact, von Clausewitz (1832) posits that only about 25% of the necessary information is available when a military decision needs to be made. Even then, there is no way to guarantee that whatever information is available is also correct: Even if a piece of information was completely accurate yesterday, it might no longer apply today.

Once our sense of possibility has helped grasping a situation, problem solvers need to call on their reasoning skills. Not every situation requires the same action, and we may want to act this way or another to reach this or that goal. This appears logical, but it is a logic based on constantly shifting grounds: We cannot know whether necessary conditions are met, sometimes the assumptions we have made later turn out to be incorrect, and sometimes we have to revise our assumptions or make completely new ones. It is necessary to constantly switch between our sense of possibility and our sense of reality, that is, to switch between thinking and reasoning. It is an arduous process, and some people handle it well, while others do not.

If we are to believe Tuchman’s (1984) book, “The March of Folly”, most politicians and commanders are fools. According to Tuchman, not much has changed in the 3300 years that have elapsed since the misguided Trojans decided to welcome the left-behind wooden horse into their city that would end up dismantling Troy’s defensive walls. The Trojans, too, had been warned, but decided not to heed the warning. Although Laocoön had revealed the horse’s true nature to them by attacking it with a spear, making the weapons inside the horse ring, the Trojans refused to see the forest for the trees. They did not want to listen, they wanted the war to be over, and this desire ended up shaping their perception.

The objective of psychology is to predict and explain human actions and behavior as accurately as possible. However, thinking cannot be investigated by limiting its study to neatly confined fractions of reality such as the realms of propositional logic, chess, Go tasks, the Tower of Hanoi, and so forth. Within these systems, there is little need for a sense of possibility. But a sense of possibility – the ability to divine and construe an unknown reality – is at least as important as logical reasoning skills. Not researching the sense of possibility limits the validity of psychological research. All economic and political decision making draws upon this sense of possibility. By not exploring it, psychological research dedicated to the study of thinking cannot further the understanding of politicians’ competence and the reasons that underlie political mistakes. Christopher Clark identifies European diplomats’, politicians’, and commanders’ inability to form an accurate representation of reality as a reason for the outbreak of World War I. According to Clark’s (2012) book, “The Sleepwalkers”, the politicians of the time lived in their own make-believe world, wrongfully assuming that it was the same world everyone else inhabited. If CPS research wants to make significant contributions to the world, it has to acknowledge complexity and uncertainty as important aspects of it.

For more than 40 years, CPS has been a new subject of psychological research. During this time period, the initial emphasis on analyzing how humans deal with complex, dynamic, and uncertain situations has been lost. What is subsumed under the heading of CPS in modern research has lost the original complexities of real-life problems. From our point of view, the challenges of the 21st century require a return to the origins of this research tradition. We would encourage researchers in the field of problem solving to come back to the original ideas. There is enough complexity and uncertainty in the world to be studied. Improving our understanding of how humans deal with these global and pressing problems would be a worthwhile enterprise.

Author Contributions

JF drafted a first version of the manuscript, DD added further text and commented on the draft. JF finalized the manuscript.

Authors Note

After more than 40 years of controversial discussions between both authors, this is the first joint paper. We are happy to have done this now! We have found common ground!

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the continuous support of their research over many years. Thanks to Daniel Holt for his comments on validity issues, thanks to Julia Nolte who helped us by translating German text excerpts into readable English and helped us, together with Keri Hartman, to improve our style and grammar – thanks for that! We also thank the two reviewers for their helpful critical comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Finally, we acknowledge financial support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg within their funding programme Open Access Publishing .

  • ^ The fMRI-paper from Anderson (2012) uses the term “complex problem solving” for tasks that do not fall in our understanding of CPS and is therefore excluded from this list.

Alison, L., van den Heuvel, C., Waring, S., Power, N., Long, A., O’Hara, T., et al. (2013). Immersive simulated learning environments for researching critical incidents: a knowledge synthesis of the literature and experiences of studying high-risk strategic decision making. J. Cogn. Eng. Deci. Mak. 7, 255–272. doi: 10.1177/1555343412468113

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Anderson, J. R. (2012). Tracking problem solving by multivariate pattern analysis and hidden markov model algorithms. Neuropsychologia 50, 487–498. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.07.025

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Barth, C. M., and Funke, J. (2010). Negative affective environments improve complex solving performance. Cogn. Emot. 24, 1259–1268. doi: 10.1080/02699930903223766

Beckmann, J. F., and Goode, N. (2014). The benefit of being naïve and knowing it: the unfavourable impact of perceived context familiarity on learning in complex problem solving tasks. Instruct. Sci. 42, 271–290. doi: 10.1007/s11251-013-9280-7

Beghetto, R. A., and Kaufman, J. C. (2007). Toward a broader conception of creativity: a case for “mini-c” creativity. Psychol. Aesthetics Creat. Arts 1, 73–79. doi: 10.1037/1931-3896.1.2.73

Bennett, R. E. (2011). Formative assessment: a critical review. Assess. Educ. Princ. Policy Pract. 18, 5–25. doi: 10.1080/0969594X.2010.513678

Berry, D. C., and Broadbent, D. E. (1984). On the relationship between task performance and associated verbalizable knowledge. Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 36, 209–231. doi: 10.1080/14640748408402156

Blech, C., and Funke, J. (2010). You cannot have your cake and eat it, too: how induced goal conflicts affect complex problem solving. Open Psychol. J. 3, 42–53. doi: 10.2174/1874350101003010042

Brehmer, B., and Dörner, D. (1993). Experiments with computer-simulated microworlds: escaping both the narrow straits of the laboratory and the deep blue sea of the field study. Comput. Hum. Behav. 9, 171–184. doi: 10.1016/0747-5632(93)90005-D

Buchner, A. (1995). “Basic topics and approaches to the study of complex problem solving,” in Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective , eds P. A. Frensch and J. Funke (Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum), 27–63.

Google Scholar

Buchner, A., and Funke, J. (1993). Finite state automata: dynamic task environments in problem solving research. Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 46A, 83–118. doi: 10.1080/14640749308401068

Clark, C. (2012). The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 . London: Allen Lane.

Csapó, B., and Funke, J. (2017a). “The development and assessment of problem solving in 21st-century schools,” in The Nature of Problem Solving: Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning , eds B. Csapó and J. Funke (Paris: OECD Publishing), 19–31.

Csapó, B., and Funke, J. (eds) (2017b). The Nature of Problem Solving. Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Danner, D., Hagemann, D., Holt, D. V., Hager, M., Schankin, A., Wüstenberg, S., et al. (2011a). Measuring performance in dynamic decision making. Reliability and validity of the Tailorshop simulation. J. Ind. Differ. 32, 225–233. doi: 10.1027/1614-0001/a000055

CrossRef Full Text

Danner, D., Hagemann, D., Schankin, A., Hager, M., and Funke, J. (2011b). Beyond IQ: a latent state-trait analysis of general intelligence, dynamic decision making, and implicit learning. Intelligence 39, 323–334. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2011.06.004

Dew, N., Read, S., Sarasvathy, S. D., and Wiltbank, R. (2009). Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision-making: differences between experts and novices. J. Bus. Ventur. 24, 287–309. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.02.002

Dhami, M. K., Mandel, D. R., Mellers, B. A., and Tetlock, P. E. (2015). Improving intelligence analysis with decision science. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 10, 753–757. doi: 10.1177/1745691615598511

Dillon, J. T. (1982). Problem finding and solving. J. Creat. Behav. 16, 97–111. doi: 10.1002/j.2162-6057.1982.tb00326.x

Dörner, D. (1975). Wie Menschen eine Welt verbessern wollten [How people wanted to improve a world]. Bild Der Wissenschaft 12, 48–53.

Dörner, D. (1980). On the difficulties people have in dealing with complexity. Simulat. Gam. 11, 87–106. doi: 10.1177/104687818001100108

Dörner, D. (1996). The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Dörner, D., Drewes, U., and Reither, F. (1975). “Über das Problemlösen in sehr komplexen Realitätsbereichen,” in Bericht über den 29. Kongreß der DGfPs in Salzburg 1974, Band 1 , ed. W. H. Tack (Göttingen: Hogrefe), 339–340.

Dörner, D., and Güss, C. D. (2011). A psychological analysis of Adolf Hitler’s decision making as commander in chief: summa confidentia et nimius metus. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 15, 37–49. doi: 10.1037/a0022375

Dörner, D., and Güss, C. D. (2013). PSI: a computational architecture of cognition, motivation, and emotion. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 17, 297–317. doi: 10.1037/a0032947

Dörner, D., Kreuzig, H. W., Reither, F., and Stäudel, T. (1983). Lohhausen. Vom Umgang mit Unbestimmtheit und Komplexität. Bern: Huber.

Ederer, P., Patt, A., and Greiff, S. (2016). Complex problem-solving skills and innovativeness – evidence from occupational testing and regional data. Eur. J. Educ. 51, 244–256. doi: 10.1111/ejed.12176

Edwards, W. (1962). Dynamic decision theory and probabiIistic information processing. Hum. Factors 4, 59–73. doi: 10.1177/001872086200400201

Engelhart, M., Funke, J., and Sager, S. (2017). A web-based feedback study on optimization-based training and analysis of human decision making. J. Dynamic Dec. Mak. 3, 1–23.

Ericsson, K. A., and Simon, H. A. (1983). Protocol Analysis: Verbal Reports As Data. Cambridge, MA: Bradford.

Fischer, A., Greiff, S., and Funke, J. (2017). “The history of complex problem solving,” in The Nature of Problem Solving: Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning , eds B. Csapó and J. Funke (Paris: OECD Publishing), 107–121.

Fischer, A., Holt, D. V., and Funke, J. (2015). Promoting the growing field of dynamic decision making. J. Dynamic Decis. Mak. 1, 1–3. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2015.1.23807

Fischer, A., Holt, D. V., and Funke, J. (2016). The first year of the “journal of dynamic decision making.” J. Dynamic Decis. Mak. 2, 1–2. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2016.1.28995

Fischer, A., and Neubert, J. C. (2015). The multiple faces of complex problems: a model of problem solving competency and its implications for training and assessment. J. Dynamic Decis. Mak. 1, 1–14. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2015.1.23945

Frensch, P. A., and Funke, J. (eds) (1995a). Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Frensch, P. A., and Funke, J. (1995b). “Definitions, traditions, and a general framework for understanding complex problem solving,” in Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective , eds P. A. Frensch and J. Funke (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum), 3–25.

Frischkorn, G. T., Greiff, S., and Wüstenberg, S. (2014). The development of complex problem solving in adolescence: a latent growth curve analysis. J. Educ. Psychol. 106, 1004–1020. doi: 10.1037/a0037114

Funke, J. (1985). Steuerung dynamischer Systeme durch Aufbau und Anwendung subjektiver Kausalmodelle. Z. Psychol. 193, 435–457.

Funke, J. (1986). Komplexes Problemlösen - Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven [Complex Problem Solving: Survey and Perspectives]. Heidelberg: Springer.

Funke, J. (1993). “Microworlds based on linear equation systems: a new approach to complex problem solving and experimental results,” in The Cognitive Psychology of Knowledge , eds G. Strube and K.-F. Wender (Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers), 313–330.

Funke, J. (1995). “Experimental research on complex problem solving,” in Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective , eds P. A. Frensch and J. Funke (Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum), 243–268.

Funke, J. (2010). Complex problem solving: a case for complex cognition? Cogn. Process. 11, 133–142. doi: 10.1007/s10339-009-0345-0

Funke, J. (2012). “Complex problem solving,” in Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning , Vol. 38, ed. N. M. Seel (Heidelberg: Springer), 682–685.

Funke, J. (2014a). Analysis of minimal complex systems and complex problem solving require different forms of causal cognition. Front. Psychol. 5:739. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00739

Funke, J. (2014b). “Problem solving: what are the important questions?,” in Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society , eds P. Bello, M. Guarini, M. McShane, and B. Scassellati (Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society), 493–498.

Funke, J., Fischer, A., and Holt, D. V. (2017). When less is less: solving multiple simple problems is not complex problem solving—A comment on Greiff et al. (2015). J. Intell. 5:5. doi: 10.3390/jintelligence5010005

Funke, J., Fischer, A., and Holt, D. V. (2018). “Competencies for complexity: problem solving in the 21st century,” in Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills , eds E. Care, P. Griffin, and M. Wilson (Dordrecht: Springer), 3.

Funke, J., and Greiff, S. (2017). “Dynamic problem solving: multiple-item testing based on minimally complex systems,” in Competence Assessment in Education. Research, Models and Instruments , eds D. Leutner, J. Fleischer, J. Grünkorn, and E. Klieme (Heidelberg: Springer), 427–443.

Gobert, J. D., Kim, Y. J., Pedro, M. A. S., Kennedy, M., and Betts, C. G. (2015). Using educational data mining to assess students’ skills at designing and conducting experiments within a complex systems microworld. Think. Skills Creat. 18, 81–90. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2015.04.008

Goode, N., and Beckmann, J. F. (2010). You need to know: there is a causal relationship between structural knowledge and control performance in complex problem solving tasks. Intelligence 38, 345–352. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2010.01.001

Gray, W. D. (2002). Simulated task environments: the role of high-fidelity simulations, scaled worlds, synthetic environments, and laboratory tasks in basic and applied cognitive research. Cogn. Sci. Q. 2, 205–227.

Greiff, S., and Fischer, A. (2013). Measuring complex problem solving: an educational application of psychological theories. J. Educ. Res. 5, 38–58.

Greiff, S., Fischer, A., Stadler, M., and Wüstenberg, S. (2015a). Assessing complex problem-solving skills with multiple complex systems. Think. Reason. 21, 356–382. doi: 10.1080/13546783.2014.989263

Greiff, S., Stadler, M., Sonnleitner, P., Wolff, C., and Martin, R. (2015b). Sometimes less is more: comparing the validity of complex problem solving measures. Intelligence 50, 100–113. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2015.02.007

Greiff, S., Fischer, A., Wüstenberg, S., Sonnleitner, P., Brunner, M., and Martin, R. (2013a). A multitrait–multimethod study of assessment instruments for complex problem solving. Intelligence 41, 579–596. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2013.07.012

Greiff, S., Holt, D. V., and Funke, J. (2013b). Perspectives on problem solving in educational assessment: analytical, interactive, and collaborative problem solving. J. Problem Solv. 5, 71–91. doi: 10.7771/1932-6246.1153

Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., Molnár, G., Fischer, A., Funke, J., and Csapó, B. (2013c). Complex problem solving in educational contexts—something beyond g: concept, assessment, measurement invariance, and construct validity. J. Educ. Psychol. 105, 364–379. doi: 10.1037/a0031856

Greiff, S., and Funke, J. (2009). “Measuring complex problem solving: the MicroDYN approach,” in The Transition to Computer-Based Assessment. New Approaches to Skills Assessment and Implications for Large-Scale Testing , eds F. Scheuermann and J. Björnsson (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities), 157–163.

Greiff, S., and Funke, J. (2017). “Interactive problem solving: exploring the potential of minimal complex systems,” in The Nature of Problem Solving: Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning , eds B. Csapó and J. Funke (Paris: OECD Publishing), 93–105.

Greiff, S., and Martin, R. (2014). What you see is what you (don’t) get: a comment on Funke’s (2014) opinion paper. Front. Psychol. 5:1120. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01120

Greiff, S., and Neubert, J. C. (2014). On the relation of complex problem solving, personality, fluid intelligence, and academic achievement. Learn. Ind. Diff. 36, 37–48. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2014.08.003

Greiff, S., Niepel, C., Scherer, R., and Martin, R. (2016). Understanding students’ performance in a computer-based assessment of complex problem solving: an analysis of behavioral data from computer-generated log files. Comput. Hum. Behav. 61, 36–46. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.095

Greiff, S., Stadler, M., Sonnleitner, P., Wolff, C., and Martin, R. (2017). Sometimes more is too much: a rejoinder to the commentaries on Greiff et al. (2015). J. Intell. 5:6. doi: 10.3390/jintelligence5010006

Greiff, S., and Wüstenberg, S. (2014). Assessment with microworlds using MicroDYN: measurement invariance and latent mean comparisons. Eur. J. Psychol. Assess. 1, 1–11. doi: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000194

Greiff, S., and Wüstenberg, S. (2015). Komplexer Problemlösetest COMPRO [Complex Problem-Solving Test COMPRO]. Mödling: Schuhfried.

Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., and Funke, J. (2012). Dynamic problem solving: a new assessment perspective. Appl. Psychol. Measure. 36, 189–213. doi: 10.1177/0146621612439620

Griffin, P., and Care, E. (2015). “The ATC21S method,” in Assessment and Taching of 21st Century Skills , eds P. Griffin and E. Care (Dordrecht, NL: Springer), 3–33.

Güss, C. D., and Dörner, D. (2011). Cultural differences in dynamic decision-making strategies in a non-linear, time-delayed task. Cogn. Syst. Res. 12, 365–376. doi: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2010.12.003

Güss, C. D., Tuason, M. T., and Orduña, L. V. (2015). Strategies, tactics, and errors in dynamic decision making in an Asian sample. J. Dynamic Deci. Mak. 1, 1–14. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2015.1.13131

Güss, C. D., and Wiley, B. (2007). Metacognition of problem-solving strategies in Brazil, India, and the United States. J. Cogn. Cult. 7, 1–25. doi: 10.1163/156853707X171793

Herde, C. N., Wüstenberg, S., and Greiff, S. (2016). Assessment of complex problem solving: what we know and what we don’t know. Appl. Meas. Educ. 29, 265–277. doi: 10.1080/08957347.2016.1209208

Hermes, M., and Stelling, D. (2016). Context matters, but how much? Latent state – trait analysis of cognitive ability assessments. Int. J. Sel. Assess. 24, 285–295. doi: 10.1111/ijsa.12147

Hotaling, J. M., Fakhari, P., and Busemeyer, J. R. (2015). “Dynamic decision making,” in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences , 2nd Edn, eds N. J. Smelser and P. B. Batles (New York, NY: Elsevier), 709–714.

Hundertmark, J., Holt, D. V., Fischer, A., Said, N., and Fischer, H. (2015). System structure and cognitive ability as predictors of performance in dynamic system control tasks. J. Dynamic Deci. Mak. 1, 1–10. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2015.1.26416

Jäkel, F., and Schreiber, C. (2013). Introspection in problem solving. J. Problem Solv. 6, 20–33. doi: 10.7771/1932-6246.1131

Jansson, A. (1994). Pathologies in dynamic decision making: consequences or precursors of failure? Sprache Kogn. 13, 160–173.

Kaufman, J. C., and Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Beyond big and little: the four c model of creativity. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 13, 1–12. doi: 10.1037/a0013688

Knauff, M., and Wolf, A. G. (2010). Complex cognition: the science of human reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Cogn. Process. 11, 99–102. doi: 10.1007/s10339-010-0362-z

Kretzschmar, A. (2017). Sometimes less is not enough: a commentary on Greiff et al. (2015). J. Intell. 5:4. doi: 10.3390/jintelligence5010004

Kretzschmar, A., Neubert, J. C., Wüstenberg, S., and Greiff, S. (2016). Construct validity of complex problem solving: a comprehensive view on different facets of intelligence and school grades. Intelligence 54, 55–69. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2015.11.004

Kretzschmar, A., and Süß, H.-M. (2015). A study on the training of complex problem solving competence. J. Dynamic Deci. Mak. 1, 1–14. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2015.1.15455

Lee, H., and Cho, Y. (2007). Factors affecting problem finding depending on degree of structure of problem situation. J. Educ. Res. 101, 113–123. doi: 10.3200/JOER.101.2.113-125

Leutner, D., Fleischer, J., Wirth, J., Greiff, S., and Funke, J. (2012). Analytische und dynamische Problemlösekompetenz im Lichte internationaler Schulleistungsvergleichsstudien: Untersuchungen zur Dimensionalität. Psychol. Rundschau 63, 34–42. doi: 10.1026/0033-3042/a000108

Luchins, A. S. (1942). Mechanization in problem solving: the effect of einstellung. Psychol. Monogr. 54, 1–95. doi: 10.1037/h0093502

Mack, O., Khare, A., Krämer, A., and Burgartz, T. (eds) (2016). Managing in a VUCA world. Heidelberg: Springer.

Mainert, J., Kretzschmar, A., Neubert, J. C., and Greiff, S. (2015). Linking complex problem solving and general mental ability to career advancement: does a transversal skill reveal incremental predictive validity? Int. J. Lifelong Educ. 34, 393–411. doi: 10.1080/02601370.2015.1060024

Mainzer, K. (2009). Challenges of complexity in the 21st century. An interdisciplinary introduction. Eur. Rev. 17, 219–236. doi: 10.1017/S1062798709000714

Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., and Randers, J. (1992). Beyond the Limits. Vermont, VA: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., and Behrens, W. W. (1972). The Limits to Growth. New York, NY: Universe Books.

Meißner, A., Greiff, S., Frischkorn, G. T., and Steinmayr, R. (2016). Predicting complex problem solving and school grades with working memory and ability self-concept. Learn. Ind. Differ. 49, 323–331. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.04.006

Molnàr, G., Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., and Fischer, A. (2017). “Empirical study of computer-based assessment of domain-general complex problem-solving skills,” in The Nature of Problem Solving: Using research to Inspire 21st Century Learning , eds B. Csapó and J. Funke (Paris: OECD Publishing), 125–141.

National Research Council (2011). Assessing 21st Century Skills: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Newell, A., Shaw, J. C., and Simon, H. A. (1959). A general problem-solving program for a computer. Comput. Automat. 8, 10–16.

Nisbett, R. E., and Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we can know: verbal reports on mental processes. Psychol. Rev. 84, 231–259. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.84.3.231

OECD (2014). “PISA 2012 results,” in Creative Problem Solving: Students’ Skills in Tackling Real-Life problems , Vol. 5 (Paris: OECD Publishing).

Osman, M. (2010). Controlling uncertainty: a review of human behavior in complex dynamic environments. Psychol. Bull. 136, 65–86. doi: 10.1037/a0017815

Osman, M. (2012). The role of reward in dynamic decision making. Front. Neurosci. 6:35. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00035

Qudrat-Ullah, H. (2015). Better Decision Making in Complex, Dynamic Tasks. Training with Human-Facilitated Interactive Learning Environments. Heidelberg: Springer.

Ramnarayan, S., Strohschneider, S., and Schaub, H. (1997). Trappings of expertise and the pursuit of failure. Simulat. Gam. 28, 28–43. doi: 10.1177/1046878197281004

Reuschenbach, B. (2008). Planen und Problemlösen im Komplexen Handlungsfeld Pflege. Berlin: Logos.

Rohe, M., Funke, J., Storch, M., and Weber, J. (2016). Can motto goals outperform learning and performance goals? Influence of goal setting on performance, intrinsic motivation, processing style, and affect in a complex problem solving task. J. Dynamic Deci. Mak. 2, 1–15. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2016.1.28510

Scherer, R., Greiff, S., and Hautamäki, J. (2015). Exploring the relation between time on task and ability in complex problem solving. Intelligence 48, 37–50. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2014.10.003

Schoppek, W., and Fischer, A. (2015). Complex problem solving – single ability or complex phenomenon? Front. Psychol. 6:1669. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01669

Schraw, G., Dunkle, M., and Bendixen, L. D. (1995). Cognitive processes in well-defined and ill-defined problem solving. Appl. Cogn. Psychol. 9, 523–538. doi: 10.1002/acp.2350090605

Schweizer, F., Wüstenberg, S., and Greiff, S. (2013). Validity of the MicroDYN approach: complex problem solving predicts school grades beyond working memory capacity. Learn. Ind. Differ. 24, 42–52. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.011

Schweizer, T. S., Schmalenberger, K. M., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., Mojzisch, A., Kaiser, S., and Funke, J. (2016). Cognitive and affective aspects of creative option generation in everyday life situations. Front. Psychol. 7:1132. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01132

Selten, R., Pittnauer, S., and Hohnisch, M. (2012). Dealing with dynamic decision problems when knowledge of the environment is limited: an approach based on goal systems. J. Behav. Deci. Mak. 25, 443–457. doi: 10.1002/bdm.738

Simon, H. A. (1957). Administrative Behavior: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organizations , 2nd Edn. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Sonnleitner, P., Brunner, M., Keller, U., and Martin, R. (2014). Differential relations between facets of complex problem solving and students’ immigration background. J. Educ. Psychol. 106, 681–695. doi: 10.1037/a0035506

Spering, M., Wagener, D., and Funke, J. (2005). The role of emotions in complex problem solving. Cogn. Emot. 19, 1252–1261. doi: 10.1080/02699930500304886

Stadler, M., Becker, N., Gödker, M., Leutner, D., and Greiff, S. (2015). Complex problem solving and intelligence: a meta-analysis. Intelligence 53, 92–101. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2015.09.005

Stadler, M., Niepel, C., and Greiff, S. (2016). Easily too difficult: estimating item difficulty in computer simulated microworlds. Comput. Hum. Behav. 65, 100–106. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.025

Sternberg, R. J. (1995). “Expertise in complex problem solving: a comparison of alternative conceptions,” in Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective , eds P. A. Frensch and J. Funke (Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum), 295–321.

Sternberg, R. J., and Frensch, P. A. (1991). Complex Problem Solving: Principles and Mechanisms. (eds) R. J. Sternberg and P. A. Frensch. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Strohschneider, S., and Güss, C. D. (1998). Planning and problem solving: differences between brazilian and german students. J. Cross-Cult. Psychol. 29, 695–716. doi: 10.1177/0022022198296002

Strohschneider, S., and Güss, C. D. (1999). The fate of the Moros: a cross-cultural exploration of strategies in complex and dynamic decision making. Int. J. Psychol. 34, 235–252. doi: 10.1080/002075999399873

Thimbleby, H. (2007). Press On. Principles of Interaction. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Tobinski, D. A., and Fritz, A. (2017). “EcoSphere: a new paradigm for problem solving in complex systems,” in The Nature of Problem Solving: Using Research to Inspire 21st Century Learning , eds B. Csapó and J. Funke (Paris: OECD Publishing), 211–222.

Tremblay, S., Gagnon, J.-F., Lafond, D., Hodgetts, H. M., Doiron, M., and Jeuniaux, P. P. J. M. H. (2017). A cognitive prosthesis for complex decision-making. Appl. Ergon. 58, 349–360. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.07.009

Tschirgi, J. E. (1980). Sensible reasoning: a hypothesis about hypotheses. Child Dev. 51, 1–10. doi: 10.2307/1129583

Tuchman, B. W. (1984). The March of Folly. From Troy to Vietnam. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Verweij, M., and Thompson, M. (eds) (2006). Clumsy Solutions for A Complex World. Governance, Politics and Plural Perceptions. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9780230624887

Viehrig, K., Siegmund, A., Funke, J., Wüstenberg, S., and Greiff, S. (2017). “The heidelberg inventory of geographic system competency model,” in Competence Assessment in Education. Research, Models and Instruments , eds D. Leutner, J. Fleischer, J. Grünkorn, and E. Klieme (Heidelberg: Springer), 31–53.

von Clausewitz, C. (1832). Vom Kriege [On war]. Berlin: Dämmler.

Wendt, A. N. (2017). The empirical potential of live streaming beyond cognitive psychology. J. Dynamic Deci. Mak. 3, 1–9. doi: 10.11588/jddm.2017.1.33724

Wiliam, D., and Black, P. (1996). Meanings and consequences: a basis for distinguishing formative and summative functions of assessment? Br. Educ. Res. J. 22, 537–548. doi: 10.1080/0141192960220502

World Economic Forum (2015). New Vsion for Education Unlocking the Potential of Technology. Geneva: World Economic Forum.

World Economic Forum (2016). Global Risks 2016: Insight Report , 11th Edn. Geneva: World Economic Forum.

Wüstenberg, S., Greiff, S., and Funke, J. (2012). Complex problem solving — more than reasoning? Intelligence 40, 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2011.11.003

Wüstenberg, S., Greiff, S., Vainikainen, M.-P., and Murphy, K. (2016). Individual differences in students’ complex problem solving skills: how they evolve and what they imply. J. Educ. Psychol. 108, 1028–1044. doi: 10.1037/edu0000101

Wüstenberg, S., Stadler, M., Hautamäki, J., and Greiff, S. (2014). The role of strategy knowledge for the application of strategies in complex problem solving tasks. Technol. Knowl. Learn. 19, 127–146. doi: 10.1007/s10758-014-9222-8

Keywords : complex problem solving, validity, assessment, definition, MicroDYN

Citation: Dörner D and Funke J (2017) Complex Problem Solving: What It Is and What It Is Not. Front. Psychol. 8:1153. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01153

Received: 14 March 2017; Accepted: 23 June 2017; Published: 11 July 2017.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2017 Dörner and Funke. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Joachim Funke, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Top Historical Fiction from the Past Decade

  • Discussions
  • Reading Challenge
  • Kindle Notes & Highlights
  • Favorite genres
  • Friends’ recommendations
  • Account settings

Facebook

Solutions Quotes

Derek Landy

Browse By Tag

  • Love Quotes 95.5k
  • Life Quotes 76k
  • Inspirational Quotes 71.5k
  • Humor Quotes 43k
  • Philosophy Quotes 29k
  • Inspirational Quotes Quotes 26k
  • God Quotes 26k
  • Truth Quotes 23.5k
  • Wisdom Quotes 23k
  • Romance Quotes 22k
  • Poetry Quotes 21.5k
  • Death Quotes 19.5k
  • Happiness Quotes 18.5k
  • Hope Quotes 17.5k
  • Faith Quotes 17.5k
  • Life Lessons Quotes 17.5k
  • Quotes Quotes 16.5k
  • Inspiration Quotes 16k
  • Spirituality Quotes 14.5k
  • Religion Quotes 14.5k
  • Motivational Quotes 14.5k
  • Writing Quotes 14.5k
  • Relationships Quotes 14k
  • Life Quotes Quotes 13.5k
  • Success Quotes 13.5k
  • Love Quotes Quotes 13k
  • Time Quotes 12.5k
  • Motivation Quotes 11.5k
  • Science Quotes 11.5k
  • Knowledge Quotes 11k

Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.

complex problem solving quotes

  • Get Inspired
  • Announcements

Gemini 1.5: Our next-generation model, now available for Private Preview in Google AI Studio

February 15, 2024

complex problem solving quotes

Last week, we released Gemini 1.0 Ultra in Gemini Advanced. You can try it out now by signing up for a Gemini Advanced subscription . The 1.0 Ultra model, accessible via the Gemini API, has seen a lot of interest and continues to roll out to select developers and partners in Google AI Studio .

Today, we’re also excited to introduce our next-generation Gemini 1.5 model , which uses a new Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) approach to improve efficiency. It routes your request to a group of smaller "expert” neural networks so responses are faster and higher quality.

Developers can sign up for our Private Preview of Gemini 1.5 Pro , our mid-sized multimodal model optimized for scaling across a wide-range of tasks. The model features a new, experimental 1 million token context window, and will be available to try out in  Google AI Studio . Google AI Studio is the fastest way to build with Gemini models and enables developers to easily integrate the Gemini API in their applications. It’s available in 38 languages across 180+ countries and territories .

1,000,000 tokens: Unlocking new use cases for developers

Before today, the largest context window in the world for a publicly available large language model was 200,000 tokens. We’ve been able to significantly increase this — running up to 1 million tokens consistently, achieving the longest context window of any large-scale foundation model. Gemini 1.5 Pro will come with a 128,000 token context window by default, but today’s Private Preview will have access to the experimental 1 million token context window.

We’re excited about the new possibilities that larger context windows enable. You can directly upload large PDFs, code repositories, or even lengthy videos as prompts in Google AI Studio. Gemini 1.5 Pro will then reason across modalities and output text.

Upload multiple files and ask questions We’ve added the ability for developers to upload multiple files, like PDFs, and ask questions in Google AI Studio. The larger context window allows the model to take in more information — making the output more consistent, relevant and useful. With this 1 million token context window, we’ve been able to load in over 700,000 words of text in one go. Gemini 1.5 Pro can find and reason from particular quotes across the Apollo 11 PDF transcript. 
[Video sped up for demo purposes]
Query an entire code repository The large context window also enables a deep analysis of an entire codebase, helping Gemini models grasp complex relationships, patterns, and understanding of code. A developer could upload a new codebase directly from their computer or via Google Drive, and use the model to onboard quickly and gain an understanding of the code. Gemini 1.5 Pro can help developers boost productivity when learning a new codebase.  
Add a full length video Gemini 1.5 Pro can also reason across up to 1 hour of video. When you attach a video, Google AI Studio breaks it down into thousands of frames (without audio), and then you can perform highly sophisticated reasoning and problem-solving tasks since the Gemini models are multimodal. Gemini 1.5 Pro can perform reasoning and problem-solving tasks across video and other visual inputs.  

More ways for developers to build with Gemini models

In addition to bringing you the latest model innovations, we’re also making it easier for you to build with Gemini:

Easy tuning. Provide a set of examples, and you can customize Gemini for your specific needs in minutes from inside Google AI Studio. This feature rolls out in the next few days. 
New developer surfaces . Integrate the Gemini API to build new AI-powered features today with new Firebase Extensions , across your development workspace in Project IDX , or with our newly released Google AI Dart SDK . 
Lower pricing for Gemini 1.0 Pro . We’re also updating the 1.0 Pro model, which offers a good balance of cost and performance for many AI tasks. Today’s stable version is priced 50% less for text inputs and 25% less for outputs than previously announced. The upcoming pay-as-you-go plans for AI Studio are coming soon.

Since December, developers of all sizes have been building with Gemini models, and we’re excited to turn cutting edge research into early developer products in Google AI Studio . Expect some latency in this preview version due to the experimental nature of the large context window feature, but we’re excited to start a phased rollout as we continue to fine-tune the model and get your feedback. We hope you enjoy experimenting with it early on, like we have.

IMAGES

  1. Problem-Solving Quotes. QuotesGram

    complex problem solving quotes

  2. "Complex problems will be solved not by individual contributors but by team contributors

    complex problem solving quotes

  3. √ For Every Complex Problem There Is A Simple Solution

    complex problem solving quotes

  4. Complex Problem Solving

    complex problem solving quotes

  5. Chuck Close Quote: “I always thought problem solving was greatly overrated

    complex problem solving quotes

  6. Quote by Tim Brown: “Design thinking is a human centered and collaborative approach to problem

    complex problem solving quotes

VIDEO

  1. Work on you

  2. "Innovative Thinking for Problem Solving"🙆

  3. Complex Problem

  4. Apply Button Finally Agya #youtubeshorts #youtube #youtubevideo #trend #music #song #love

  5. Solve an example 😊

  6. A wonderful mathematics problem|Olympiad Question|can you solve this problem|x=?,y=?,a=?

COMMENTS

  1. TOP 25 COMPLEX PROBLEMS QUOTES (of 52)

    Albert Einstein Love, Life, Positive 177 Copy quote For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong. H. L. Mencken Freedom, Simple, Ethics 78 Copy quote Every complex problem has a simple solution that doesn't work. H. L. Mencken Simple, Problem, Complexes 3 Copy quote

  2. Problem Solving Quotes (529 quotes)

    "If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be.

  3. The 36 Best Quotes about problem solving

    01 Share "My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.

  4. TOP 25 PROBLEM SOLVING QUOTES (of 398)

    Norman Vincent Peale Motivational, Hope, Spiritual 15 Copy quote Show source If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem, and only five minutes finding the solution. Albert Einstein World, Fifty, Defining 269 Copy quote

  5. Problem Solving Quotes Quotes (77 quotes)

    "Most problems can be solved if you have the will and desire to do so." ― Frank Sonnenberg, Leadership by Example: Be a role model who inspires greatness in others tags: problem-quotations , problem-quotes , problem-solving , problem-solving-quotes , problems , problems-in-life , problems-quotes 1 likes Like "Anything that has a shape can break.

  6. 40 Inspiring Problem Solving Quotes to Help you Overcome Challenges

    The biggest problem-solving tool we have is our mindset. - Unknown Success is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to solve them. - Unknown Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. - Robert H. Schuller The only way to escape the problem is to solve it. - Unknown When faced with a problem, do not ask 'Why me?' Ask 'Why not me?'

  7. Quotes about Problem-Solving

    Quotes about Problem-Solving Search Resources " A problem is a chance for you to do your best." --Duke Ellington "We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them." -- Albert Einstein "A problem well stated is a problem half solved." -- John Dewey

  8. What It Takes to Think Deeply About Complex Problems

    And as Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, "We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them." So what does it take to increase the complexity of our...

  9. Problem-Solving Quotes

    Problem-Solving Quotes - BrainyQuote. As the world we live in is so unpredictable, the ability to learn and to adapt to change is imperative, alongside creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills. Alain Dehaze. Creating something is all about problem-solving. Philip Seymour Hoffman.

  10. 40 Of The Best Quotes About Critical Thinking

    A. A. Milne: "The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. A second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. A first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.". Adrienne Rich: "Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it ...

  11. PDF Complex Problem Solving: What It Is and What It Is Not

    complex problems (Mainzer,2009). Mainzer quotes the Nobel prize winnerSimon(1957)who wrote as early as 1957: The capacity of the human mind for formulating and solving complex problems is very small compared with the size of the problem whose solution is required for objectively rational behavior in the real world

  12. Problem Solving Quotes

    "Never try to solve all the problems at once — make them line up for you one-by-one. — Richard Sloma "Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatver follies I have witnessed in public and private life, have been the consequences of action without thought." — Bernard Baruch

  13. The Power of Critical Thinking: 56 Critical Thinking Quotes

    Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.". - Martin Luther King Jr. "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.". - Daniel J. Boorstin. "The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.". - Albert Einstein.

  14. Problem Solving Skills Quotes (10 quotes)

    Quotes tagged as "problem-solving-skills" Showing 1-9 of 9. "Spaghetti thinking prevents taking action towards solutions. If you are frustrated with a coworker, have a child who can't seem to make a decision or have a friend who seems to have the same set of problems over and over, then they are probably in spaghetti thinking.

  15. Problem-Solving Wisdom: 50 Quotes to Inspire Your Journey

    Albert Einstein If you're stuck in a problem, try to step back and look at it from a different perspective. Sometimes, a fresh approach can lead to a breakthrough. "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt Don't let indecision hold you back.

  16. Six Tips For Solving Complex Problems

    Here are some things you can do to improve your ability to solve complex problems: 1. Always be learning. Prepare your mind to be a bit faster and deal with things in a better way by constantly ...

  17. The 16 Best Quotes about complexity

    16 of the best book quotes about complexity. 01. Share. "When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun.". Benjamin Hoff.

  18. 75 Solution Quotes To Help You Deal With Problems Wisely

    "The problem contains the solution." - Michael Bierut "There are no problems, only solutions." - John Lennon "Focus on the solution, not on the problem." - Jim Rohn solution quotes "In a world full of problems, be the solution." - Iris Watts "Do not blame the world. Find a solution." - Sri Chinmoy "Either I will find a way, or I will make one."

  19. Complicated Problems Quotes (6 quotes)

    Quotes tagged as "complicated-problems" Showing 1-6 of 6. "It is complicated,' they say. I am so sick of this response. Many people use it repeatedly to escape depth and confronting reality. They use it to take solace in the fact that they don't know (or don't wish to know) the ugly truth of what is happening right in front of their eyes.

  20. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving

    Abstract. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving provides a framework and practical tools to help the reader solve problems. In our personal and professional lives, we are required to solve problems that are not clearly defined and have moving and interdependent parts. Successful resolution requires us to be T-shaped, having both depth ...

  21. Albert Einstein Quotes About Problem Solving

    A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. Albert Einstein. Inspirational, Wise, Spiritual. No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. Albert Einstein. Love, Inspirational, Life. It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.

  22. Complex Problem Solving: What It Is and What It Is Not

    One competence that seems to be of central importance is the ability to solve complex problems (Mainzer, 2009). Mainzer quotes the Nobel prize winner Simon ... Complex problem solving is a collection of self-regulated psychological processes and activities necessary in dynamic environments to achieve ill-defined goals that cannot be reached by ...

  23. Solutions Quotes (420 quotes)

    Solutions Quotes. "Every solution to every problem is simple. It's the distance between the two where the mystery lies.". If there is no communication then there is no respect. If there is no respect then there is no caring. If there is no caring then there is no understanding. If there is no understanding then there is no compassion.

  24. Gemini 1.5: Our next-generation model, now available for Private

    Posted by Jaclyn Konzelmann and Wiktor Gworek - Google Labs. Last week, we released Gemini 1.0 Ultra in Gemini Advanced. You can try it out now by signing up for a Gemini Advanced subscription.The 1.0 Ultra model, accessible via the Gemini API, has seen a lot of interest and continues to roll out to select developers and partners in Google AI Studio.