Harish. “Four Approaches to Problem Solving:” Harish's Notebook - My Notes... Lean, Cybernetics, Quality & Data Science., 25 Sept. 2016, https://harishsnotebook.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/four-approaches-to-problem-solving/

This post by Harish discusses four methods of problem-solving or "problem treatments" as described by the late systems thinker Russell Ackoff. These are:

See: Four Systems Thinking Strategies to Address Problems

1. Absolution: Ignoring a problem in the hope it will resolve on its own.
2. Resolution: Employing a "good enough" approach that relies on past experience and common sense.
3. Solution: Finding the best outcome through research, experimentation, and uncommon sense.
4. Dissolution: Redesigning the system or its environment to eliminate the problem entirely.

Harish illustrates these approaches with a story from Ackoff's book "The Democratic Corporation" about addressing conflicts between bus drivers and conductors in a European city. Management initially ignored the problem (absolution), attempted unsuccessfully to remove incentives (resolution), proposed sharing incentives (solution), and ultimately Ackoff suggested a process redesign during peak hours that resolved the issue (dissolution).

The final takeaways from Harish's post are the importance of managing system interactions rather than individual parts and to identify which approach you are using to tackle a problem. The story ends with an anecdote about a Zen master and butcher who demonstrates his expertise by not having to sharpen his knife, emphasizing the knowledge of interactions.