Last month, my first column in this series focused on hiring practices for talent — character, technical abilities, and Natural Wiring, in that order. In this column, I focus on how the Idea Generator and the Problem Solver work together hand in glove in front-end innovation.
Two Different Superpowers
The Idea Generator has a natural ability to come up with new ideas and creative ways to solve problems. The Problem Solver’s superpower is to use their vast knowledge and experience to resolve issues within a given product. They combine ideas and bring them into reality. Where the Idea Generator is exploring, the Problem Solver is refining the product through a methodical process.
In my 20-year career, I’ve worked with hundreds of engineers and scientists. My experience is that Idea Generators are rare. When you find one, keep them, but know that you’ll need to spend more effort to harness their creative energy.
I had an Idea Generator on staff and they continually had new product ideas and solution pathways in our market space. For example, on one project we had a formulation that worked well, but we needed improvements to increase the value proposition. The Idea Generator quickly and enthusiastically came up with entirely new product formulations based on earlier exploratory work that yielded interesting results in the lab.
In a brainstorming session, the Idea Generator will produce a variety of approaches; some may be off the wall. Idea Generators are energized by the process of creating new things.
The Problem Solver will come up with ways to make each product even better. The Problem Solver will see the pitfalls with an idea, then come up with approaches to resolve the pitfalls, while the Idea Generator will come up with an entirely new concept to avoid the pitfalls. They will often work together to come up with entirely new ideas because one person’s idea feeds the other’s thinking.
How to Structure the Work
Although each role is different, they are complementary. The Idea Generator’s responsibility is reading literature and designing methods to evaluate their new ideas. They are the core owners of the front-end invention step. The Problem Solver identifies the core issues with each idea, coming up with ways to improve or mitigate each risk. Both are technology experts with different approaches.
For the product reformulation example, the Problem Solver took a single formulation and designed a series of optimization studies. They generated various formulations around a specific concept, then generated the data and analyzed it (with the help of the Doer, whom I will cover in the next column).
It’s not that the Idea Generator cannot solve problems within their own idea; instead, it is about applying their abilities and interests in the most impactful way. What feels like work to the Problem Solver — coming up with new ideas — is easy for the Idea Generator. The Problem Solver sees the pathway by improving on an existing idea.
Where the Friction Shows Up
There is real tension that comes with having an Idea Generator on the team. Their way to solve problems is to come up with a brand-new solution. With each new solution come new problems, however. Their sheer optimism for the new idea creates a blind spot. When issues arise with a new idea, the Idea Generator typically just comes up with a brand-new approach that resolves the issue at hand. The reality is that every product has its own challenges and requires refinement. The Idea Generator easily ignores the pitfalls and breaks new ground. They are undeterred because they see that a potential breakthrough is just around the corner.
The Problem Solver’s challenge is wanting to continually iterate on a design or formula. They see the risks and pitfalls. They see room for improvement and can be deterred from launching the product because they see more refinement ahead. I worked with a veteran chemist who was a classic Problem Solver. There was always one more thing to fix before we launched a new product. This chemist saw the risks and wanted to be completely certain of success with the most recent formulation that they’d developed. Unfortunately, time was not on our side — we needed to launch the product or else lose the business. This meant accepting some risk and moving forward with a product launch.
Spotting Them in An Interview
When recruiting these individuals, use the interview process to explore how these archetypes approach problem solving. Ask the person how they come up with creative solutions. Your goal is to find out if they are an explorer of new ideas. Do they exude creativity by coming up with original solutions and approaches — if yes, then they are probably an Idea Generator.
For the Problem Solver, you’ll identify them by asking questions about how they fix existing solutions. Their approach will tell you how they prefer to work. You can easily differentiate between the two archetypes by asking if the Problem Solver enjoys coming up with original ideas or if they like fixing existing problems with others’ original ideas. Once the idea has been fed to them, they’ll be able to see the solution path to improve and optimize.
Our job as innovation leaders is to help each person identify their Natural Wiring, then define and shape roles that uniquely fit each person. The result will be happy team members who have fulfilling work. They will apply discretionary effort to their work because you aligned their intrinsic motivation with their role.
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