When I was a kid, I had a book filled with facts and trivia about science, nature, humans, inventions and more. It was printed on rough newsprint paper and was as thick as a phonebook. One of the entries that I often recall asked (and answered) the question:
What is a Ghoti?
A small pointed beard on the chin worn by men? Nope. Ghoti is fish. No, not a type of fish. It is an alternate spelling of, and is pronounced the same way as, “fish.”
How can that be? And what does this have to do with solving problems anyway?
First, how is ghoti pronounced fish?
- GH makes the F sound, like it does in the words lauGH or enouGH.
O makes the I sound, like in the word wOmen.
TI makes the SH sound, like in the word naTIon.
Fish.
Neat, huh?
So, what does this have to do with problem solving?
We tend to see problems the way we first approached ghoti. We classify it with familiar, broad rules and swiftly make our pronouncement.
However, when you take ghoti apart and examine the pieces, it says something different.
Bringing it all together…
Look beyond immediate conclusions. Break it down – the problem, your customers, a project – into smaller chunks and examine alternate solutions. It may sound completely different than you expected.
Teach a person to ghoti and you feed them for a lifetime.
Wait. I’m still trying to get my brain around this one. Seriously, though, great article on problem solving. Looking at things in a new, creative and original way is unfortunately rarely associated with business and yet is generally key to its success.
I love this concept! When I read your post, a couple of ideas struck me.
First, the GHOTI concept is very encouraging. It teaches us that anything is possible, and truly open our minds to creative thought. So often, we set up fictional limitations out of fear.
Second, GHOTI is also a testament to the way in which corporate America is so good at using “creative deduction” to arrive at a very bad decision. Often times, business leaders ignore valid data, or skew the data to make it say what they want it to say. When solving problems and identifying root cause, we need to focus on the facts, rather than assumptions that send us down the wrong path.
Great stuff Paul!
@Shawn
@Scott
Thank you both for your comments. I’m glad you get the ghoti tale.
No, Ghoti is the number 23, where the G=2 and a hoti=3, because I say so.
Ok, an awkward example of how Occam’s razor can be easily defeated by whimsy. I appreciate the thought anyway.
George – I wonder what William of Ockham would say if he were alive today?
Yes, they paraphrase his theory as “all things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.”
But simple doesn’t necessarily mean common. To be remarkable, you need to be uncommon. The BEST is simple AND uncommon.
Thanks for your comments.
BTW – 23 is my lucky number. I needed digits to make the GHOTI card look like it was from a deck of Mexican Lotería cards.