Technical Problem Solving: Technology Innovation Means Cracking Hard Nuts

Or: How to solve any technical problem in no time at all

Lars Lindner* is an engineer and technician. With heart and soul. Since his studies, he has been fascinated by technical products, pioneering new processes and the desire to actively drive progress. Recognizing challenges and eliminating them through technical problem solving. Simply because it works. He has seen and worked on everything from cooling systems to power plants, paper machines, ventilation systems and supplier parts for the automotive industry. “Satisfied people have not moved the world forward” is his motto. Lars Lindner knows that there is always room for improvement. And that is what drives him.

Lars Lindner wants to drive technological progress and innovation

Today, Lars Lindner is a team leader in the research and pre-development department of an industrial supplier. Mainly filters, pumps, separators and everything where gases and liquids are moved, cleaned or separated from each other. As a team leader, he faces new challenges. He can no longer solve every problem himself and work out all the details. Team members and colleagues from other departments must be enabled to make technical progress. Lars Lindner knows that it can be done. Getting the others on board and convincing them to get involved is his challenge.

Innovation in a technical environment usually means: technical problem solving

Innovation or technological innovation is a big word for Lars Lindner. Of course, it’s about inspiring customers in new ways. In his company, the focus is clearly on a single corner of innovation. Customer relationships have existed for a long time and are not in question. As long as you can keep up with the market in terms of technology and price. The customer’s problem is also known. No downtimes, no stoppages, best of all: the customer doesn’t even notice that pumps, filters & co. exist at all in their systems. But this is far from the case. Maintenance, breakdowns and the replacement of consumables are still a reality. For Lars Lindner, innovation in day-to-day business therefore consists of overcoming technical hurdles: Making the impossible possible and engaging in technological or technical problem-solving. Inventing, questioning established technologies and thinking beyond one’s own horizons.

Engineers lack the courage to think bigger

A very special project is an expression of what Lars Lindner is struggling with. It involves a complex filter solution. Expensive and complicated to manufacture. Difficult to handle and maintain. And therefore expensive to purchase and use. This solution was certainly justified at the time it was developed. But by today’s standards, it is no longer up to date. Far too expensive. Far too complex! “But there’s no other way!” – “It just has to end somewhere!” – “We’ve already had so many ideas” – “We’ve tried everything!” The developers lack courage and self-confidence, the management lacks the confidence to release resources. Lars Lindner feels powerless.

Everyone should think outside the box and know that the seemingly impossible is possible

Lars Lindner is tempted to go to the drawing board himself and create facts. He discusses his dilemma with the team from innovation consultancy TOM SPIKE. TOM SPIKE understands that more is possible than anyone thinks. And that Lars Lindner has to create successes in order to move the team. Even though he feels powerless and misunderstood. Or precisely because of this! The experience of hundreds of technological innovations shows that innovation is always possible.

The more complex the technology, the more important interdisciplinary teams are

A specific technical challenge needs to be solved. Something that many lone fighters have already cut their teeth on. And even teams. But there is more to it than this individual problem. The development departments should dare to think outside the box and learn. Until it becomes second nature to them. It is actually quite clear what needs to be done:

1. Bringing together a handful of experts and getting the problem off the table within two days. Clearly structured and led by experienced innovators.
2. Communicating success. To the other teams, to management and, of course, to the customer.
3. The team and management know that targeted technology innovation works and that Lars Lindner is their man. Utilize this energy and establish the proven approach for the future.

In order to convince for innovation, you have to be convinced yourself

In principle, Lars Lindner knows that this approach works. He has already experienced it many times in the past. In many companies. But now he is the prophet in his own country. Lars Lindner has his doubts. After all, he is a technician. He knows his way around technology. But he is not a missionary. He didn’t learn that. And his colleagues are cautious. They think there can’t be a solution because no one has come up with one yet. Will the team get through a workshop lasting several days? Or will the skepticism capsize the whole ship and leave a pile of broken pieces in its wake? The specific concerns are:

• The team won’t have any new ideas. They are simply not open to them.
• The boss won’t be thrilled because it will be “just ideas again”. And in any case, nobody really knows what makes the boss tick.
• If there are any results, then the ideas will be too abstract and have no relation to the specific problem. We know this from many brainstorming sessions.

Innovation is a team sport, not an individual battle

Your own comfort zone is a major obstacle to successful innovation. Trying things you’ve never done before. Get people on board who have never been there before. Going down paths that no one has gone before. TOM SPIKE helps you overcome the feeling of uncertainty. The clear advice from the experienced innovation consultants to Lars Lindner is: “Bring all stakeholders together. The sympathetic and the critical. The experts and the decision-makers. Together, we can convince them and answer their questions.” His concerns are of course real. And they need answers.

• Is it possible that the team won’t have any new ideas? TOM SPIKE has never had this experience. With the right approach, there are always new ideas. And the team is not alone. In technology innovation, we can draw on the knowledge of hundreds of thousands of innovators and inventors; on inventive principles; on solution patterns; and on the intellectual power of experts. This power is always there. TOM SPIKE is an expert in unleashing it.
• Will the boss be disappointed? The boss is an important participant. Understanding what he wants is crucial. Only if he is convinced that the problem is worth solving will he support the subsequent implementation with arguments and resources. The team cannot do without this support. Once it is understood what the boss wants, it will be achieved.
• Is it a real risk to generate a huge pile of abstract, useless ideas? If the only answer to the question “How do we create ideas” is “brainstorming”, then the risk is certainly great. With proven tools and methods, there is no risk. The scope is clearly defined. The breadth of the intellectual horizon is focused on a clearly defined challenge. And in case of doubt, a clear guarantee of success is agreed.

The stakes are high for Lars Lindner

If he doesn’t tackle the issue of technology innovation, no one in his company will do so any time soon. More and more projects threaten to fall victim to the day-to-day business of optimization and efficiency issues. And even more projects will fail because no one tries the impossible and therefore no one can achieve the possible. Moreover, these are turbulent times for industrial companies. Competitors from Asian countries must be underestimated less and less. The weakening domestic market in Asia is bringing competitors onto the scene in Europe that did not previously exist. And the changes in the automotive industry are leading to more and more automotive suppliers entering the industrial market. For Lars Lindner, the danger is that his company will slip further into the commodity business. Where customers can only be won over by offering the lowest price. A price war that cannot be won in the long term. And a price war that Lars Lindner doesn’t enjoy anyway. And neither does anyone else in his company.

Technology innovation for long-term success and increased self-confidence

Enough pessimism! Where would successful technological innovation take Lars Lindner and his company? Examples from all industries show what is possible. Together with his team, Lars Lindner will develop an outstanding technical solution. This can secure a few years’ lead over the competition. Be it through patents and property rights, or simply through the time advantage. It takes at least one to two years for good solutions to be copied. In addition, the team will gain new self-confidence that it is possible to gain a technological edge. Purposefully. And for Lars Lindner, it is confirmation of what he has always known. That great things are possible if you believe in them and the entire company pulls together.

He will have initiated a movement that can transform the company from an efficiency optimizer to an innovator. He will be the one that the company management turns to in order to lead technical products into the future. The great doubts and lethargy will come to an end. The company will be better than ever before. The products will have a truly unique position on the market. With solutions that no one had thought of before.

The team cracks the toughest nuts in two days: Technical problem solving par excellence

Cracking tough nuts. This is exactly what the two-day workshop with the team of developers, production employees and other functional areas is all about. Exactly the tough nuts that the experts had been working on for over six months. Beyond vague brainstorming sessions, the team works its way step by step towards the technical challenges.

What has already been tried? Why didn’t it work? What has already been discussed but never really tried? The knowledge in the team is like a puzzle. Everyone knows something different and there is initially no common view of which nut needs to be cracked. The one-day kick-off had already structured the challenge well. Nevertheless, the direct exchange of experiences is a decisive step. This was followed by in-depth technical considerations, analyses and the collection of ideas. Technical problem solving and in-depth analyses quickly create blinkers. It was therefore necessary to open minds and horizons again in the meantime. A real challenge for the moderators.

But it works: After two days, an incredible variety of promising solutions emerged. In the final phase of the two-day workshop, the results were brought together, bundled, evaluated and prioritized. Three promising solution concepts remained. A small portfolio of different degrees of innovation and implementation times were selected. Short, medium and long-term concepts. All will now be implemented as prototypes to confirm technical feasibility, customer acceptance and cost-effectiveness. The product should be on the market in a year’s time. Experts, managers and Lars Lindner are equally relieved, convinced and euphoric.

From timid lone fighter to respected pioneer

Directly implementable solutions and commitment from experts and managers. Lars Lindner’s doubts have vanished. The proof that technology innovation can be fueled with targeted leadership and methodology has been provided. With their self-confidence boosted, he and the team set about implementing the developed solution. And the next topics are already waiting. Technical problem solving is turning from a myth into a craft. More and more tough nuts are waiting to be cracked. And as of today, it is clear who will take care of it: Lars Lindner.

TOM SPIKE accompanies technology innovation

The supposed laws of physics are not an obstacle. They are the nut to crack. Together with your engineers, developers and experts, we create technological innovation for a unique position in your industry. In a compact workshop, in individual team coaching or as an overall project.

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