What it takes to be a good Solution Provider?

Dr. K. Kesavasamy
Global Head – Academic Interface Program, TCS
1-Octo-2009

India and China have not had to face the grueling consequences of recession. But the fact remains that we are currently living in a not-so-best economic condition. The economic downturn has affected everyone in this world, small and big businesses, non-profit organizations and even the growth of the Indian IT industry has come down from 40% to 20%. The positive is, even during these turbulent times there is at least 20% growth coupled with India’s annual growth rate of around 6%. The hard part though is, fresh recruitment will be 30% of the last year figures.
Dr. Kesavasamy was of the opinion that IT companies would still be recruiting this year to match the 20% growth rate and the reduced attrition rate, but the offerings would be few and only for the best. Competition is going to be tough and candidates will have to get smarter to achieve success. In such a scenario, Problem solving skills is the most essential skill. A good problem solver will always find a job.

A good problem solver needs to have certain skills or key attributes. These are discussed below.

Application of Knowledge: Whatever is learnt in school or through textbooks, can be applied to provide solutions to real life problems. One needs to keep thinking and reinforcing concepts to be able to apply then as and when required. People who lose learning curiosity will never be able to become a good problem solver.

Abstraction: It is the skill of removing the attributes/characteristics to determine the absolute/ essential characteristics of an object. This skill would help one see similarity in seemingly unrelated situations/ideas, thus making a single solution good for different situations. To explain the concept of abstraction Dr. Kesavasamy used the example of Arjuna & Abhimanyu and Alibaba & Qasim. Both the legends were separated by a huge amount of time and space but at an abstract level the stories had striking similarities - both Abhimanyu and Qasim knew how to get inside in the particular scenario, but neither knew how to get out of it!

Holistic Thinking: A holistic solution would take into account the whole system/situation and not just a part. For any given problem/situation, there will be constraints, which might differ with time and space. Moreover there will be many stakeholders. A good problem solver should be able to provide a solution which is not only appropriate to solve the problem at hand but also be relevant when the constraints change.

Process Mindset: This skill helps to see a complex job as a series of task, which is identifiable, measurable and rectifiable.

Communication: Communication is probably one of the most important requirements for a good problem solver and miscommunication, the biggest enemy. Miscommunication or no-communication can have dire consequences. We have to keep in mind that communication includes oral, written and listening, which are all equally important and support each other.

Working in Teams: Working in teams, creating questioning desire & ability and cultivating reading habits also form an integral part of skills required for a good problem solver. Dr. Kesavasamy cited the example of the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo. When asked why he hasn’t been scoring a lot recently, Ronaldo replied he is not reluctant to give his teammate the chance to score if his teammate has a better chance of scoring than him. This just shows that the team’s goal comes above one’s personal goal. Collective learning and learning from each other will also help a lot while functioning in a team.

Dr. Kesavasamy reiterated the fundamental objective is learning and not getting a job! Job is the end result of learning. As the concluding note, Dr. Kesavasamy advised everyone to keep learning well and be dedicated towards this, as learning does not stop after college, but goes on everyday till the end of our lives.