Problem Framing

How a problem is worded shapes which solutions come to mind. The same situation framed differently can point toward very different fixes.

The idea

A frame is the way a problem is described. “How do we sell more tickets?” and “How do we get more people to attend?” describe a similar goal. The first points toward discounting. The second points toward changing the event format. Framing effects are well documented in decision research. Identical information described as gains or as losses can lead people to different choices, even when the underlying numbers are the same. Trying several frames on the same problem widens the set of solutions you consider before you commit. You might treat it as a cost problem, a capacity problem, or a trust problem.

When to use it

When early solution attempts all feel like variations on the same idea
Before committing a team to a project brief or problem statement
When a decision seems to have an obvious “gain” framing or “loss” framing that might be skewing judgment

How to apply it

Write the problem statement, then rewrite it two or three different ways (a resource problem, a people problem, a timing problem).
Notice which solutions each framing makes obvious versus invisible.
Pick the frame that best matches what actually needs to change. The easiest frame to act on may be the wrong one.

Watch out for

Anchoring on the first frame offered, especially by a senior stakeholder.
Framing a problem in terms of a favored solution, which forecloses alternatives.
Reframing endlessly instead of eventually committing to one and acting.

Problem Definition. Framing shapes the definition that follows.
Problem Solving. Framing is an early step in the process with a large effect.

Sources

Framing effects in decision-making are documented in Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman’s prospect theory research (1979/1981).