Running head: ETHICS AND RESOLUTION FINAL PAPER

Ethics and Resolution Final Paper

Laurence Weinreich
Siena Heights University
Org Culture and Communication
LDR 630
Professor Loughran
April 30, 2016
Ethics and Resolution Final Paper
There are four major conceptual blocks to good problem solving. These blocks are
written about by Whetten & Cameron (2011). The concept of conceptual blocks stems from how
most people view a problem, and work through it to solve the issue.
These conceptual blocks occur because of mental obstacles which we all have in our
everyday thinking process. Everyone has these blocks, some more than others. Most people do
not know they exist until they are confronted with an unsolvable problem. These blocks will
create walls around your thinking, and limit the types and number of solutions a person
will process when looking at a problem (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).

As stated in Whetten & Cameron, a huge part of why this occurs is that we can only
process so much information at any one time. So our brains tend to filter out information that it
believes to be unnecessary. After a while we do not notice that this is occurring as it becomes the
first of the conceptual blocks, a block which goes unnoticed by us.
One would think that these conceptual blocks would lessen as one obtains more
education, but that is not the case. It is also not the case when you have more experience in a
profession. In fact, education and experience both tend to make the conceptual block wall
higher. In both cases you have created a box around yourself, and do not see anything outside of
the walls of that box. This box consists of a set of rules and boundaries which we sometimes
cannot out-think. So people sometimes refer to this as not being able to see the forest for the
trees, the answer is right in front of you, but you do not see it because it does not fit in the mold
that you have created for that problem. One interesting note, people who have less experience in
a certain job, or less education will come up with solutions to solve unsolvable problems,
because they are not restricted by the same boundaries that those with education and experience
have. So very young children are able to solve many problems because they do not have a
language of cant or cannot which will hold adults back from solving the same problems. A
way around this is to train our workers and supervisors to have creative problem-solving abilities
(Whetten & Cameron, 2011). A big part of this block is not listening. In communication and
problem solving, listening is the most time consuming area of the process. More time should be
spent on listening when solving problems (Devine, 1967).
The four Conceptual Blocks are;

Constancy

Commitment

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Compression

Complacency

These blocks are further divided into subsections of two for each block.
The first block, constancy, is doing the same thing over and over. So when you find a
solution for a problem, that solution is used to solve future problems. This is usually a good
thing- except that future problems may not always be solved by the same answer. If you do not
look for a new answer your problem may seem unsolvable (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
Two things happen in constancy;

Vertical thinking

One thinking language

In vertical thinking you always solve a problem the same way, and do not look for any
alternative solutions to the problem. This is the opposite of lateral thinking which looks at all
sides of a problem to find an answer. It is said by Whetten & Cameron (2011), that Vertical
thinking develops an idea, lateral thinking discovers the idea (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p.
186). So a combination of both is needed to be a truly developed thinker or problem solver
(Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
The second part of the constancy block is single thinking language. This occurs when a
person only uses words in their mind to out-think a problem. But use of only one language is
holding yourself back from seeing the entire picture, in fact you should use pictures in your mind
as well as words. Put it this way, the more languages available to problem solvers, the better and
more creative will be their solutions (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 187). Leaders have to be
able to communicate their vision to the people who are working under them to solve the
problem, A clear communicator is a leader whose use of language leads to a common

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understanding of the message being communicated and the implications of that message
(Dewan & Myatt, 2008, p. 352)
Whetten & Cameron (2011), designate commitment as the second conceptual block,
which means that you become very attached to a certain answer to a problem or point of view.
Therefore, refusing to look at the problem in a different way, or that you are so attached to a
particular solution that you follow through, regardless of how that outcome will result.
Commitment is also defined as by Barker & Camarata (1998)
A relational continuity between individuals and parties, implies deferring gratification for
long-term benefits, is displayed in the on-going actions of an organization to its members, is
experienced in positive socialization activities, and enhances the affective attachment to an
organization which produces extra effort (p.450).
Two things occur in the commitment block;

Stereotyping based on past experiences

Ignoring commonalities

Stereotyping because of past experiences will occur with the block, which means, that a
person will view each situation and solution as the same because it has worked in the past. The
next problem, ignoring commonalities is not looking at similar items in a problem. So you do not
see how one situation is different than another, and therefore the solution will not work this time,
which had worked in the earlier situation (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
The conceptual block of compression is the third block. This is when you look closely at
a problem and block out data which could help you solve the problem.
Two things occur in this conceptual block;

Artificial constraints

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Distinguishing figure from ground

When artificial constraints are placed on problems, they are not solved. This occurs when
you assume that a certain thing is not allowed to be used to solve the problem. Such as trying to
make the color orange. You have the color yellow, but assume that using red is off limits. Now
you have placed an artificial constraint on yourself and you will never solve the problem and
make the color orange (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
The next part of compression is distinguishing figure from ground. This is the opposite of
artificial constrain, where you allow too much information to impede the solving of a problem.
An example of this is trying to open a door, but first you look for the name of the company who
built the door, and next call the paint store to ask why it was painted a certain color. When all
you really had to do was read the sign which said pull on the door.
The final conceptual block to creative problem solving is complacency.
Complacency can be described as going to the DMV and watching the government
employees at work. No one is in any real hurry to solve anyones problems, or do more work
than the person sitting next to them.
Two major factors in complacency are;

Noninquisitiveness

Nonthinking

Noninquisitiveness is not asking questions or not caring. Sometimes this is because we

think we know it all, or are afraid to ask questions.
Nonthinking, which is best described as making a decision or conclusion without looking
at all the facts beforehand. Nonthinking can also be an aspect of right-hemisphere thinking,
which is a more emotional way of thinking then left-hemisphere thinking, which is thinking

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based on facts and numbers. The best thinkers combine both left and right hemisphere thinking
to solve a problem. This can be compared to lateral and vertical thinking. So a right-hemisphere,
lateral thinker, would be a more spontaneous, creative thinker- but not always correct (Whetten
& Cameron, 2011).
Conceptual blocks take many years to form and is not easy to overcome. One must want
to change in order for it to happen. Creative thought is one way to overcome conceptual blocks.
But this is a skill you must work with to develop.
Creative thought has four stages;

Preparation

Incubation

Illumination

Verification

The first stage, preparation is obtaining information. In the incubation stage one thinks
about the information one has gathered. The illumination stage is the lightbulb going off in your
head. The final stage is checking the solution to see if it works. It is best to be flexible in your
rules of thought about a particular problem thus more doors to solutions will open up to help you
solve the problem (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).
Buijs, Smulders & van der Meer (2009) have a similar approach to the creative process to
solve problems. Their four basic elements are:
1. Planning your approach- The design of the process.
2. Understanding the challenge- Data will be explored.
3. Generating ideas- Brainstorming.
4. Preparing for action- Ideas are developed into solutions.

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(Buijs, Smulders, & Van der Meer, 2009, p. 287)

While reviewing the four conceptual blocks I was reminded of a situation many years ago
in 1985 that applies. I was new to x-ray, right out of training and new to the hospital as well as
the base. We all had to rotate through the radiology file room, and most people hated doing so.
When my turn came around I found myself surrounded by piles and piles of peoples radiology
file jackets.
When the reports came back from the transcribers we were supposed to file the report in
the jacket and refile the jacket on the shelf. Nothing was in any order, and trying to find the
correct file to match with the report seemed like an unobtainable goal. In fact, most technologists
just put the reports aside and did nothing.
This would match the conceptual block of complacency- no one cared to find a solution
to the problem, and no one thought about it. I decided to fix the issue and gave it some thought.
Since there were so many files laying on the ground, I was able to free up enough space for an
empty shelf. I put the files awaiting reports in order on that shelf. This made finding the patients
file to match it with the report much easier. Our report turnaround time went from three weeks to
three days. No one had addressed this issue before I entered the file room, and my boss told me I
had showed leadership potential by speaking up about this issue, this is why Penley & Hawkins
(1985) says, effective supervisors were more communication-oriented than the ineffective
leader and enjoyed speaking up (p. 311). I spread the word on this new function of the file area
and taught the other Airmen how to use the new system.

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References
Barker, R. T., & Camarata, M. R. (1998, Oct). The Role of Communication in Creating and
Maintaining a Learning Organization: Preconditions, Indicators, and Disciplines
[Supplemental material]. The Journal of Business Communication, 35(4), 443-467.
Buijs, J., Smulders, F., & Van der Meer, H. (2009). Towards a More Realistic Creative Problem
Solving Approach [Supplemental material]. Creativity and Innovation Management,
18(4), 286-298. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2009.00541.x
Devine, T. G. (1967, April). [Listening]. Review of Educational Research, 37(2), 152-158.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1169383
Dewan, T., & Myatt, D. P. (2008, Aug). The Qualities of Leadership: Direction, Communication,
and Obfuscation [Supplemental material]. The American Political Science Review,
102(3), 351-368. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27644525
Penley, L. E., & Hawkins, B. (1985, June). Studying Interpersonal Communication in
Organizations: A Leadership Application [supplemental material]. The academy of
Management Journal, 28(2), 309-326. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/256203
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8 ed.). [Adobe
Digital Edition]. Retrieved from
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/CurrentCourse/Whetten_CH03.pdf