Why is problem solving important?

Problem-solving enables us to identify and exploit opportunities in the

environment and exert (some level of) control over the future. Problem
solving skills and the problem-solving process are a critical part of daily life
both as individuals and organization

Problem solving is the act of defining a problem; determining the cause of the
problem; identifying, prioritizing, and selecting alternatives for a solution;
and implementing a solutionProblem solving

Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a

frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from
simple personal tasks to complex issues in business and technical fields

7 steps for Effective Problem Solving. ...

Step 1: Identifying the Problem. ...

Step 2: Defining Goals. ...

Step 3: Brainstorming. ...

Step 4: Assessing Alternatives. ...

Step 5: Choosing the Solution. ...

Step 6: Active Execution of the Chosen Solution. ...

. Precisely Identify Problems

As obvious as it seems, identifying the problem is the first step in the

problem-solving process. Pinpointing a problem at the beginning of the
process will guide your research, collaboration, and solutions in the right
direction.

At this stage, your task is to identify the scope and substance of the
problem. Ask yourself a series of questions:

What’s the problem?

How many subsets of issues are underneath this problem?

What subject areas, departments of work, or functions of business can
best define this problem?

2. Collect Information and Plan

The second step is to collect information and plan the brainstorming

process. This is another foundational step to road mapping your
problem-solving process. Data, after all, is useful in identifying the scope
and substance of your problems.

Collecting information on the exact details of the problem, however, is

done to narrow the brainstorming portion to help you evaluate the
outcomes later. Don’t overwhelm yourself with unnecessary information
— use the problem statements that you identified in step one as a north
star in your research process.

3. Brainstorm Solutions

Brainstorming solutions is the bread and butter of the problem-solving

process. At this stage, focus on generating creative ideas. As long as
the solution directly addresses the problem statements and achieves
your goals, don’t immediately rule it out.

4. Decide and Implement

The most critical stage is selecting a solution. Easier said than done.
Consider the criteria that has arisen in previous steps as you decide on a
solution that meets your needs.

Once you select a course of action, implement it.

5. Evaluate

Exercise humility and evaluate your solution honestly. Did you achieve
the results you hoped for? What would you do differently next time?

Decision making
Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering
information, and assessing alternative resolutions

7 steps of the decision-making process

1. Identify the decision.
2. Gather relevant info.
3. Identify the alternatives.
4. Weigh the evidence.
5. Choose among the alternatives.
6. Take action.
7. Review your decision.

1. Identify the decision

To make a decision, you must first identify the problem you need to solve
or the question you need to answer. Clearly define your decision. If you
misidentify the problem to solve, or if the problem you’ve chosen is too
broad, you’ll knock the decision train off the track before it even leaves
the station.

If you need to achieve a specific goal from your decision, make it

measurable and timely.

2. Gather relevant information

Once you have identified your decision, it’s time to gather the information
relevant to that choice. Do an internal assessment, seeing where your
organization has succeeded and failed in areas related to your decision.
Also, seek information from external sources, including studies, market
research, and, in some cases, evaluation from paid consultants.

3. Identify the alternatives

With relevant information now at your fingertips, identify possible

solutions to your problem. There is usually more than one option to
consider when trying to meet a goal

4. Weigh the evidence

Once you have identified multiple alternatives, weigh the evidence for or
against said alternatives. See what companies have done in the past to
succeed in these areas, and take a good look at your organization’s own
wins and losses. Identify potential pitfalls for each of your alternatives,
and weigh those against the possible rewards.

5. Choose among alternatives

Here is the part of the decision-making process where you actually make
the decision. Hopefully, you’ve identified and clarified what decision
needs to be made, gathered all relevant information, and developed and
considered the potential paths to take. You should be prepared to choose.

6. Take action

Once you’ve made your decision, act on it! Develop a plan to make your
decision tangible and achievable. Develop a project plan related to your
decision, and then assign tasks to your team.

7. Review your decision

After a predetermined amount of time—which you defined in step one of

the decision-making process—take an honest look back at your decision.
Did you solve the problem? Did you answer the question? Did you meet
your goals?

If so, take note of what worked for future reference. If not, learn from your
mistakes as you begin the decision-making process again.

DECISION MAKING STYLES

analytical, directive,
The four decision-making styles,

conceptual, and behavioral, are strategies

leaders and individuals employ to make choices. Different styles work
better in different situations or environments, and understanding
decision-making leads to productive, cooperative, and engaged work
environments.

The Four Decision-Making Styles?

Directive decision-makers.

Analytic decision-makers.

Conceptual decision-makers.

Behavioral decision-makers.

What Is the Directive Decision-Making Style?

People who usually engage in directive decision-making

process tend to rely on their past experiences and own
knowledge when it comes to making decisions. They also base
their decisions on standard operating procedures and rules.

If there’s a usual way to solve a problem, that's what they'll

follow. They trust in tried and tested methods.

Their strengths usually include:

makes decisions quickly

persistent in moving forward

doesn’t waste time

task-oriented

Their weaknesses usually include:

doesn’t normally seek advice

doesn’t tolerate unclear or abstract ideas

discomfort in accepting other opinions

isn’t used to thinking outside of the box to create new plans

may seem impulsive

Many directive decision-makers are no-nonsense kinds of

people who can make great short-term decisions. They work
well in situations that are stable and predictable—especially
when there are already best practices established.

The directive style may be less suited for more complex

situations with a lot of moving parts.

A company's mission is to streamline its customer service

process. The directive decision-maker in this scenario would be
more likely to come up with a plan that includes standardizing
the scripts that customer service representatives use.

What Is the Analytical Decision-Making Style?

People who engage in analytic decision-making can only decide

once they're sure they’ve considered all the possible options.
People who use this style need a lot of data before they can
move forward with a decision.

Their strengths usually include:

complies available data

pays attention to details

considers and reviews all options

adapts to the information presented

Their weaknesses usually include:

at risk for over-thinking

requires a lot of time when making decisions

uncomfortable with risks

People who use the analytical style shine in situations that are
not time-sensitive and don’t have an obvious “right” answer.
These situations benefit from exploring all of the possible
solutions.

A company is trying to decide whether to outsource its

production or keep it in-house. In this scenario, a leader who
uses the analytic decision style would want to compare the cost
of production, the quality of the product, and the delivery time.
They would also consider the impact on the company’s
reputation.

What Is the Conceptual Decision-Making Style?

Individuals who engage in the conceptual style decision-making

are big picture thinkers and naturally collaborative. They aren’t
satisfied with bandaid solutions. Instead, they look for holistic
and long-lasting solutions.

Their strengths usually include:

recognizes underlying problems

integrates different options

uses creative problem-solving

makes unique connections

willing to take risks

Their weaknesses usually include:

translating ideas into concrete actions

planning and implementing ideas

Vague situations involving unknown or evolving factors that

require complex or multi-layer decisions can benefit from this
decision-making style. These unpredictable situations often
require long-term and collaborative planning.

The conceptual decision-making style is not suited for

situations that require clear and immediate answers and
solutions.

A company is trying to decide how to restructure its sales team.

The conceptual decision-maker in this scenario would want to
consider the long-term goal of the company and integrate that
with the current needs of the sales team. They would also look
at how other teams in the company are structured and see if
there are any best practices that could be applied to the sales
team.

What Is the Behavioral Decision-Making Style?

Leaders who are group-oriented often use behavioral decision-

making. Their goal is usually to maintain harmony and find a
solution that makes everyone happy.

Their strengths usually include:

considerate of others

seeks advice from other people

engages in the consultation process

allows stakeholders to feel included in the process

Their weaknesses usually include:

discomfort with conflict

can be seen as “people pleasers”

The behavioral style is very beneficial in situations where

success depends on stakeholder buy-in.
BRAINSTROMING

The fi rst step in the brainstorming session is describing the situation at hand in
as much detail

as necessary so that the group members have a complete understanding of the

issue or problem.

This gives the members an overall idea of the problem.

The group leader or facilitator facilitates the generation of as many ideas as

possible from all

members of the group and the generated ideas are recorded and presented on
a fl ip chart or

marker board.

The fi nal stage is the evaluation phase where the group members begin the
process of evaluating

the utility of the different suggestions presented.

Brainstorming is a useful means by which to generate alternatives. However, it

does not offer much in

the way of a process for the evaluation of alternatives or the selection of a

proposed course of action.

Limitation

The main problem with brainstorming is that despite the prohibition against
judging ideas until all

the group members have had their say, some individuals are hesitant to
propose ideas because they
fear the judgement or ridicule of other group members. This can be overcome
by utilizing electronic

brainstorming, which allows group members to propose alternatives by e-mail

or other electronic means

such as an online posting board or discussion room. Members could offer ideas
anonymously, which

may increase the likelihood that individuals will offer unique and creative ideas
without fear of harsh

judgement by others.

Avoiding Group Think

Group think is the result of individual desires for self-expression (especially

when it is not popular)

and questioning becomes subservient to group consensus. Anxiety about

group cohesion becomes

detrimental to sound decision-making and problem-solving. Group think occurs

and is sustained in the

presence of:

A charismatic and infl uential leader

A high-level of group cohesion or desire for it

External pressure for quick and/or sound decisions

202 Managing Soft Skills for Personality Development

Dialectical Inquiry

Dialectical inquiry is another group decision-making technique that focuses on

ensuring full consideration

of alternatives.

Steps involved:
1. The fi rst step here is dividing the group into opposing sides.

2. The two groups then debate the advantages and disadvantages of the
proposed solutions or

decisions.

Devil’s advocacy is a similar group decision-making method, which requires

that one member of the

group highlight the potential problems with a proposed decision. Both these
techniques are designed to

try and make sure that the group considers all possible ramifi cations of its
decision.

Nominal Group Technique

The nominal group technique is a structured decision-making process in which

group members are

required to compose a comprehensive list of their ideas or proposed

alternatives in writing.

Steps Involved:

1. The problem at hand is presented before the group members.

2. The group members are requested to record their decisions and their ideas
privately.

3. Each group member is asked to provide one item from his or her list until all
ideas or alternatives

have been publicly recorded on a fl ip chart or marker board.

4. The next stage permits the members to make requests for clarifi cation. No
evaluation or criticism

of the listed ideas is permitted in this method.

5. After all proposals are listed publicly, the group engages in a discussion of
the listed alternatives,
which ends in some form of ranking or rating in order of preference.

This method is found to be an effective method because it succeeds in

generating a greater number

of decision alternatives that are of relatively high quality.

Delphi Technique

This technique is very useful in situations where the individual members are in
different physical

locations. The technique was developed at the Rand Corporation. The

individuals in the Delphi ‘group’

are usually selected because of the specifi c knowledge or expertise of the

problem they possess.

Steps involved:

1. The problem is given to each member of the group.

2. Each group member is then asked to independently provide ideas, inputs

and/or alternative

solutions to the problem in successive stages.

3. These inputs may be provided in a variety of ways, such as e-mail, fax or

online in a discussion

room or electronic bulletin board.

Decision-Making 203

4. After each stage in the process, other group members ask questions and the
alternatives are

ranked or rated in some fashion.

5. After an indefi nite number of rounds, the group eventually arrives at a

consensus on the best

course of action
The 4 R’s make all the difference in good
decisions
Every positive decision a leader makes includes four steps:

1. Recognize what you and others are experiencing.

2. Reflect on the big picture, principles and values.
3. Reframe your thinking as needed.
4. Respond by deciding to do something — or not.

One of the most powerful features of The 4 R’s process is that it interrupts your brain’s
default responses to external situations. Think of this effect as hitting the pause button on
your brain’s automatic program for decision-making. You may not always be able to prevent
your brain from kicking up an emotional storm in the face of a significant leadership
challenge. But you can, by practicing The 4 R’s, keep your emotions from hijacking your
rational thinking. And, thanks to the brain’s plasticity, when you hit the play button again,
whatever you did during the pause begins to develop new mental pathways that improve your
response the next time you make a decision.

Recognize
Recognizing depends mainly on self-awareness, the emotional competence that research
shows has the largest positive impact on leadership performance. Recognizing includes:

 Recognizing what’s happening to you.

 Recognizing what’s happening to those around you.
 Recognizing what is stimulating you and those around you.

Recognizing is the critical first step in which you can survey your own experiential triangle
of thoughts, feelings and actions, and as needed, gather information about the experiential
triangles of those you want to influence, such as your teams or families. By consistently
practicing recognition, you will transform yourself from a reflexive responder to a reflective
recognizer.

Reflect
The second R, reflecting, is the process of focusing on what matters most to you. The primary
purpose of reflecting is to shift the things that influence your decisions and actions from
external to internal stimuli. External stimuli might include a wide range of frightening or
upsetting situations, such as needing to lay off a group of employees, discovering that your
teenager is a drug abuser or being reprimanded for a personal ethical lapse. Internal stimuli
come from within you. The three primary sources of internal stimuli are:

 The big picture of your life

 Principles
 Values
On the surface, The 4 R’s may look like an orderly, step-by-step process. In reality, The 4 R’s
weave in and out throughout the decision process. Recognition and reflection often seem to
happen simultaneously. Once you make a conscious choice to pause to recognize your
experiential triangle, things move very quickly. As soon as you recognize thoughts, feelings
and actions, you’ll probably find you’re also beginning to reflect on what matters most to
you. That’s a good thing, because the sooner you can get into a calm, reflective state, the less
likely you are to make a premature, ill-considered decision.

Reframe
The third R, reframing, begins by taking the results of your reflections and considering
whether or not you need to change how you interpret the factors affecting a required decision.
More often than not, reflecting flows into a realization that you need to change how you think
about the situation.

Reframing contributes to effective decisions even if you discover you don’t need to change
your perspective about the situation at hand. That’s because this third R acts like a spotlight
on the most effective option or options for action, inspired by the previous two Rs. Whether
you literally reframe a situation (as in most instances) or validate your existing frame
(occasionally), the thoughtful process of the third R helps ensure that the decision you
ultimately make is wise.

As you move through the reframing phase, you may notice a feeling of relief, as though you
can breathe more easily. That’s because reframing, though a cognitive process, is also
emotionally freeing. When we reframe, we can see more possible choices. We feel lighter.
Whether or not we change our frame in some fundamental way, we can be confident that the
decision we are about to make is measured and values-based. Armed with a realistically
positive frame, we can now make a wise decision.

Respond
The fourth R, responding, might appear to be the easiest of The 4 R’s to master. At its
simplest, responding is about making a decision. It’s about doing something or choosing not
to do something.

Finally, having moved through the first three R’s, you can now take advantage of those
conventional decision-making models, applying quantitative methods to identify and evaluate
options when the leadership or organizational challenges are complex and would benefit from
data science applications.