One-page summary · 2 min read
What's Your Problem
To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve
by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg
The big idea
How you frame a problem determines the solutions you'll find; most organizations waste effort solving the wrong problem because they never questioned the initial framing.
Wedell-Wedellsborg's core method: first frame the problem as originally presented and check who has a stake in it; then reframe by questioning assumptions, asking what's being left out, looking for exceptions where the problem didn't occur, and examining your own possible contribution to it; then move forward by testing the new frame with others before committing resources. He illustrates it with the slow-elevator case: instead of engineering a faster elevator, building managers added lobby mirrors, reframing the complaint from the elevator is slow to the wait feels boring, and solving it far more cheaply.
The specific reframing checklist is a synthesis drawn from secondary summaries of the book; check the book itself for Wedell-Wedellsborg's exact phrasing.
Key ideas
Rushing to solve
Most people jump straight to solving the first version of a problem presented to them, skipping the step of checking whether it's the right problem at all.
The 85% statistic
Wedell-Wedellsborg cites research suggesting a large majority of organizations spend real time and money addressing a problem that turns out not to be the actual issue.
Bracketing
Before reframing, briefly bracket the problem as first stated so you have a clear baseline to compare later reframes against.
Outside perspectives close blind spots
Because everyone has blind spots about problems they're personally involved in, deliberately pulling in outsiders or people from other functions surfaces reframes insiders can't see themselves.
Look for exceptions
Studying situations where the same unsolvable problem didn't occur, or was already resolved elsewhere, often reveals the real lever to pull.
Reframing as an ongoing habit
Rather than a single upfront phase, effective problem-solvers cycle between framing, acting, and reframing throughout a project as they learn more.
Try it this week
- Before your next meeting about a stuck problem, write down the problem exactly as it was first told to you, then generate two alternative framings.
- Ask someone outside your team or function to describe the problem in their own words, and note where their framing differs from yours.
- List 2-3 places or teams where a similar-looking problem doesn't happen, and ask what's different about their situation.
- In your next project kickoff, spend the first 10 minutes explicitly agreeing on what problem you're actually solving before discussing solutions.
Is it for you?
Best for
- Managers and consultants who lead problem-solving or strategy discussions
- Teams that keep shipping solutions nobody uses
Less useful if
- Readers wanting hard technical or quantitative problem-solving methods, since this is about framing rather than analytical technique
- Those wanting a single quick fix rather than a mindset shift that takes practice to internalize