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Creating the problem-solving nexus

Martin Whitlock, the creator of Mindhenge, practices a problem-solving approach to issues of policy and decision-making. While some consultants specialise in marketing, or taxation, or specific areas of policy, Martin specialises in thinking, or the practical skill of working things out.

Martin can provide creative ("plant") and analytical ("monitor-evaluator") functions to supplement a client's existing team. The presence of these two types creates the "problem-solving nexus" in which analysis of a situation is allied with the creative flair necessary to discern solutions.

Problem-solving consultancy, offering help with:

• Decision-making - clear analysis and presentation of arguments; creative scenario building (envisioning the future); situation analysis
• Mentoring - stimulating original thought; finding the right balance between focus and an open mind
• Conflict - looking for the positive; identifying the inevitable and working with it; developing win-win scenarios
• Blue skies thinking - creating imaginative solutions by challenging assumptions
• Ethical assessment - analysing activities or decisions in the round; looking for their impact on other people, communities or the wider world
• Contract negotiations - working out what you really want; working out whether you are going to get it.

Problem-solving consultancy...

• ... works directly with policy formers and decision makers to enhance intellectually and imaginatively the search for solutions;
• ... seeks unexpected and imaginative possibilities by challenging existing assumptions about the outcome that is sought;
• ... develops viable outcome scenarios, then seeks to build consensus towards that objective;
• ... works in partnership with clients, leveraging their own knowledge and experience to explore possibilities as far as they will go.

The object is simple: to increase the intellectual rigour of the decision-making process in order to achieve a better match between intention and result.

Client value: Time spent working out the right thing to do is relatively cheap. Implementing the wrong decision (and then undoing it) is costly in time, resources and lost opportunity.

For more information on problem-solving consultancy contact Martin Whitlock at martin.whitlock(at)mindhenge.co.uk