Flat Tire Story

This story can be used during contradiction analysis to help people articulate problems not in terms of solutions. One day a car was driving down a deserted road out in the middle of no. where, when suddenly it had a flat tire, the passengers got out, opened the trunk, and discovered to their dismay that there were no jacks. They decided they needed a jack to change the tire, so they started off on foot down the road to try and find a gas station in order to borrow a jack. A couple of minutes later, another car came down the deserted road. Suddenly, it too had a flat tire. The passengers got out of the car, opened the trunk, and discovered there was no jack. They thought a while and decided they needed to find a way to lift the car, so that they could change the tire. They looked all around and found a big rock and a log. Using the rock and the log, they lifted up the side of the car and changed the tire. So while the passengers of the first car were still walking down the road looking for a gas station, the second car had already changed its tire and was continuing along to its destination. Why was it that the passengers of the second car resolved the problem of the flat tire first? Answer: - The difference is the way each group named the problem. The first group named it in terms of the solution- no jack. Thus, their only option for a solution was to get a jack. The second group named the problem as having no way to lift the car. They, therefore, had many possible options for finding a way to lift the car, not only one. Moral of the Story: - Solution depends on how you define the problem. Try defining it in different ways to get solution.