Apply problem solving skills questions topic

1. What is creative, innovative practical problem solving?

2. What are the key characteristics of creative, innovative practical problem solving?
 Open-mindedness: Being receptive to new ideas, even those that challenge
conventional thinking.
 Adaptability: Willingness to modify and refine solutions based on feedback or
changing circumstances.
 Critical thinking: Analyzing and evaluating ideas from different angles,
questioning assumptions, and identifying the most effective solutions.
 Curiosity & exploration: Continuously seeking to learn and explore new
possibilities, tools, and methods.
 Sustainability: Ensuring that solutions not only work in the short term but are
sustainable and scalable in the long term.

3. What does creative innovative practical problem solving involve?

 Creativity offers new ideas that break away from traditional methods. It involves
being imaginative and originality. It also involves exploring a variety of possible
solution and generating new ideas without constraints.

 Innovative problem solving involves implementing new ideas, improving on the

 Practicality problem solving involves ensuring the solutions are practical and can
be implemented, are solutions are simple and effective and the solutions are also
sustainable. It ensures the solution is not just theoretical, but practical, feasible,
and realistic given the available resources and constraints.

4. How does creativity, innovation and practicality integrate in problem solving?

Creative and innovative practical problem-solving involves blending these elements

 Creativity offers new ideas that break away from traditional methods.

 Innovation refines those ideas, making them viable and impactful, often by
leveraging new technology, processes, or insights.
  Practicality ensures the solution is not just theoretical, but actionable, feasible, and
realistic given the available resources and constraints.

5. Explain how one can demonstrate independence and initiative in identifying and solving
problems.
Independence and initiative are important aspects in identifying and solving problems.
 Independence:
Independence in problem-solving can be demonstrated by one taking ownership of
the problem and solution, being proactive, and trusting his or her ability to find
solutions.
 Initiative:
Initiative can be demonstrated by one acting without waiting for direction, creating
actionable plans, and following through with determination to ensure the problem is
solved.
By continuously improving these skills and maintaining a solution-oriented mindset,
you can consistently demonstrate independence and initiative in both professional
and personal settings.
6. What are team problems?
 These refer to challenges or issues that arise within a group of people working
together toward a common goal. The problems may stem from various factors
such as poor communication, lack of trust, unclear roles, or conflicting priorities.
These problems can hinder collaboration, reduce productivity, and impact the
overall success of a team.
7. Explain the various common types of team problems
 Communication breakdown/lack of effective communication
 Conflicts and disagreements
 Lack of trust amongst team members
 Unbalanced work distribution
 Unclear or lack of roles and responsibilities
 Unclear goals and objectives
 Lack of motivation
 Poor leadership
 Conflicting interests
8. Explain the various ways the above problems associated with teams can be resolved
 Communication problems- Foster open, transparent communication among all
team members. Hold regular meetings to discuss progress, share feedback, and
clarify any misunderstandings
 Conflicts and disagreements- can be resolved by addressing conflicts early before
they escalate. Also by use of conflict resolution techniques like active listening,
mediation, or finding common ground.
  Lack of trust- can be resolved by building trust among tem members through
being honest, accountable, trustworthy and engaging in activities that help
members bond with each other
 Unbalanced work distribution- By ensuring work is balanced equally among
team members and also according to their strengths/skills/abilities
 Lack of motivation- Can be resolved by ensuring team members are rewarded for
their work. Also by autonomy/freedom to work, providing meaningful work, and
aligning tasks with each member’s strengths and passions.

9. Discuss the various problem solving strategies that may be applied at the workplace
 Brainstorming- This is a creative group problem solving technique which is used
to generate a wide range of ideas or possible solutions without immediate
judgment or filtering.
It involves the following steps
 Gathering a group of individuals (or work individually).
 Generating as many ideas as possible, regardless of feasibility.
 Discussing, combining, and refining ideas or possible solutions.
 Evaluating and selecting the best ideas for further implementation.
 Root cause analysis- A method used to identify the fundamental causes of a
problem, instead of focusing only on the symptoms.
It involves the following steps: Define the problem clearly, collecting data to get
facts about the problem, analyze the data to trace the root cause, develop and
implement solution
 SWOT analysis- A framework used to analyze the strengths, weaknesses
opportunities and threats related to a problem. Steps: Lists the strength and
potential solutions, identify weaknesses to each solution, assess external
opportunities that could enhance solutions, recognize threats that could hinder
success, make decision based on the analysis
 Mind mapping- This is a visual tool that is used to organize information and
generate ideas around a central concept facilitating problem solving.
 Trial and error method
 Scientific method
 Heuristic method