What to expect

There is a category of problem that resists the usual approach. It is messy, badly defined and often not even the problem everyone thinks it is. Meetings circle it. Good ideas get killed before they are properly heard. The team eventually settles on something workable rather than something right.

Problems like this do not respond to the methods that work in finance, marketing or sales. There is no existing playbook to follow. That does not make complex problem solving a talent some people happen to have. It is a capability, and it can be learned.

Simplexity Thinking is a systematic process for exactly these situations. Developed by Professor Min Basadur and delivered through CEMI by Emeritus Professor Tim Mazzarol, it breaks complex problem solving into eight clear steps that move a team from a fuzzy situation to a solution people will actually act on. Judgment is deferred at every step, so options are generated before they are narrowed and every voice is heard before the group commits. The process has been used by organisations across North America, and Professor Tim has applied it within the Alcoa Leadership Fundamentals Program on complex problems of real strategic importance.

Over two days you will run the full process on a real problem as part of a team. You will complete the Basadur Profile to identify your own Innovator Style, see how it fits alongside the very different styles that make a team work, and practise each step with hands on exercises, team problem solving and case discussion.

You will leave with a method you can use again next week.

Is this course for you

This program is ideal for professionals, managers, and team members from organisations of any size who want to apply a systematic approach to complex problem solving.

This program is suited to individuals who:

work in environments where problems are complex, ill-defined, or difficult to resolve with existing approaches
lead or contribute to teams responsible for generating and implementing new ideas or solutions
want to understand their own problem-solving style and how it complements others in a team
apply structured creative thinking processes to real organisational challenges
support innovation, change, or strategic problem solving across for-profit or not-for-profit contexts

What you will explore

During this program, you will develop a systematic approach to solving complex, ill-defined problems in the workplace. The program focuses on problem finding, idea generation, solution evaluation and implementation planning, helping participants apply a repeatable process to challenges that resist conventional management approaches.

By the end of this program, you should be able to:

Apply the eight-step Simplexity Thinking process to complex or "fuzzy" workplace problems
Identify your individual Innovator Style and use it effectively within a team problem-solving context
Gather and analyse information from multiple viewpoints to define problems with clarity
Generate, evaluate and select solutions using structured divergent and convergent thinking techniques
Develop and implement action plans that build team ownership and minimise resistance to change
Work through a real, complex problem from problem finding through to action planning as part of a team

Where this course can take you

During this program, you will explore Simplexity Thinking, a systematic eight-step approach to solving complex, ill-defined problems. Building on the Basadur Profile, the program moves through problem finding, fact finding, problem definition, idea finding, evaluation and selection, action planning, acceptance and action. You will identify your own Innovator Style, understand how the four working styles (Generator, Conceptualizer, Optimizer and Implementer) complement one another, and apply the principle of deferring judgment as teams diverge to generate options before converging to select the strongest.

Delivered in partnership with CEMI (Centre for Entrepreneurial Management & Innovation) and the Basadur Applied Creativity Academy, the two-day program combines a pre-program online CPSP profile and Problem Solver exercise with two days of applied teamwork on a real, complex problem.

You will gain practical tools and techniques for generating, evaluating and implementing solutions, and leave with experience working a problem through from problem finding to action planning. The program is suited to participants from organisations of any size and sector, for-profit and not-for-profit.

A longer bespoke program is also available for organisations wanting to embed the process more deeply.