What is A “Problem”?

In the previous section, you learned how problem structuring can help identify the underlying aspects that contribute to a problem situation. Keep in mind that a problem contributes to a situation that you want to change. Think of the situation as a set of symptoms and the problem as what is causing those symptoms to occur. Just like a nasty case of the flu, when most people think that they are looking at a problem, what they’re really looking at are the visible symptoms, or the situation. Structuring a problem is how you diagnose its potential causes. 

Here are three questions to ask when you use problem structuring to identify the problems at the root of a problem situation: 

  • What gave rise to this particular situation?
  • What are the underlying factors contributing to the situation?
  • What are potential interventions?

Let’s return to the example of the spread of VL in India to examine why these questions are valuable. This problem situation could include multiple economic, political, social, and scientific factors. Click on each of the doors in the image below for descriptions of how it might shape one way to enter the problem situation of VL.

Entering the Problem Space

    1. Increased Mortality Rate
      • VL has a mortality rate of over 95% if left untreated
      • Particularly in areas with limited access to health services, mortality rate skyrockets
    2. Health System Challenges
      • Overwhelmed health facilities, limited capacity to diagnose and treat VL
      • VL impacts geographically vast and sparsely populated locations
    3. Political Instability
      • Civil unrest – poor harmonization of central and local government
      • Increased rates of migration and population displacement
      • VL tends to impact immunologically naïve migrants
    4. Declining Household Income
      • High treatment costs couples with loss of earnings
      • Median number workdays lost 51, median loss of income $101
      • Caretakers of patients experience similar losses – median 39 workdays and $95 in income
    5. Mental Health Epidemics
      • The economic and physical stress of VL can cause deteriorated mental health and quality of life

Click on the icons to discover more information about these aspects.

Each of the underlying problems in a problem situation can be either practical or theoretical. 

Practical problems usually stem from observations of social life or bureaucratic functions. They tend to involve the everyday practices that people participate in.

 Practical problems could take the form of (McCombes and George, 2022):

  • Issues with performance or efficiency.
  • Processes that could be improved.
  • Areas of concern among practitioners.
  • Difficulties faced by specific groups of people.

Theoretical problems arise from gaps in what is currently known about an issue. They are usually identified by reviewing existing research. These problems often seem somewhat abstracted from the immediate context of a problem situation but can contribute to it in very real ways.

Theoretical problems can include:

  • A phenomenon or context that has not been closely studied.
  • A contradiction between two or more perspectives.
  • A situation or relationship that is not well understood.
  • A troubling question that has yet to be resolved.

Personal Project Application 1.2 

In the brainstorming document you’ve created, list as many potential answers to the questions we’ve outlined above: 

  • What gave rise to this particular situation?
  • What are its underlying problem factors?
  • What are potential gateways towards interventions? 

 

Now that you’ve brainstormed around potential problem factors, take a look at each one and determine if they can be categorized as either practical or theoretical: 

1. What gave rise to ________________?

               a. Factor 1:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

               b. Factor 2:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

  2. What are its underlying problem factors?

               a. Factor 1:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

               b. Factor 2:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

3. What are potential gateways towards interventions? 

               a. Factor 1:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

               b. Factor 2:____________

                       i.       Practical

                       ii.      Theoretical

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