Bringing the “Wall of the Unknown” Down
Bringing the “Wall of the Unknown”
Down:
Reframing Complex Problems
by Adrian Wolfberg and
Katherine C. Stewart
Download the full article: Bringing the “Wall of the Unknown” Down
Occasionally, intelligence problems – new and existing – defy existing
methods and techniques and become stubbornly persistent. Examples of analytic
challenges include changing methodology in the face of new global factors;
finding a methodological approach for a new topic when no methodology has
existed before; creating a network of professionals to solve a cross-discipline
and cross-functional problem when no network exists; and exploring the impact of
a not-quite-yet-understood threat. These challenges require analysts to do
something different than what they normally do because if they do not, nothing
different will happen. The first step to ensure something different happens is
to frame or reframe the problem in a new way. Only then can existing or new
technical methods and techniques be used to begin solving the problem.
Download the full article: Bringing the “Wall of the Unknown” Down
Adrian (Zeke) Wolfberg directs the Knowledge Laboratory, a
command sponsored enterprisewide resource for change within the Defense
Intelligence Agency.
Katie Stewart is a consultant with Toffler Associates. She leads
the Full Spectrum program for the DIA Knowledge Lab which focuses on increasing
analytic rigor and collaboration against agency hard problems.
