Problem Solving and Decision Making Essay

Much of what managers and supervisors do is solve worrys and make terminations. New managers and supervisors, in particular, often make solve problems and decisions by reacting to them. They ar under the gun, stressed and very short for time. Consequently, when they encounter a new problem or decision they must make, they react with a decision that seemed to work before. Its easy with this approach to get stuck in a circle of solving the same problem over and over again.Therefore, as a new manager or supervisor, get used to an organized approach to problem solving and decision making. Not all problems can be work out and decisions made by the future(a), rather rational approach. However, the following basic guidelines forget get you scooped. Dont be intimidated by the length of the enumerate of guidelines. After youve practiced them a few times, theyll become second nature to you enough that you can deepen and enrich them to suit your own needs and nature. (Note that it maj or power be much your nature to view a problem as an opportunity. Therefore, you powerfulness substitute problem for opportunity in the following guidelines.) 1. percolate the problemThis is often where people scramble. They react to what they think the problem is. Instead, seek to understand more about why you think theres a problem. Defining the problem (with input from yourself and other(a)s)Ask yourself and others, the following questionsa. What can you see that causes you to think theres a problem?b. Where is it hap?c. How is it happening?d. When is it happening?e. With whom is it happening? (HINT Dont jump to Who is causing the problem? When were stressed, blaming is often one of our first reactions. To be an effective manager, you need to address issues more than people.) f. Why is it happening?g. economize down a five-sentence description of the problem in terms of The following should be happening, but isnt or The following is happening and should be As much as po ssible, be specific in your description, including what is happening, where, how, with whom and why. (It may be helpful at this point to use a variety of research methods. Also see . Defining complex problemsa. If the problem still seems overwhelming, break it down by repeating steps a-f until you have descriptions of several(prenominal) related problems. Verifying your understanding of the problemsa. It helps a great deal to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer or someone else. Prioritize the problemsa. If you secure that you argon looking at several related problems, and then prioritize which ones you should address first. b. Note the difference between important and urgent problems. Often, what we consider to be important problems to consider are really just urgent problems. Important problems deserve more attention. For example, if youre continually answering urgent phone calls, then youve probably got a more important problem and thats to design a system t hat screens and prioritizes your phone calls. Understand your persona in the problema. Your role in the problem can greatly influence how you perceive the role of others. For example, if youre very stressed out, itll probably look like others are, too, or, you may restore too quickly to blaming and reprimanding others. Or, you are feel very guilty about your role in the problem, you may ignore the accountabilities of others. 2. Look at potential causes for the problema. Its amazing how much you dont notice about what you dont know. Therefore, in this phase, its critical to get input from other people who notice the problem and who are effected by it. b. Its often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time (at least at first). Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about offering their impressions of the real causes of problems. c. Write down what your opinions and what youve heard from others. d. Regarding what you think might be performance problems associated with an employee, its often useful to seek advice from a peer or your supervisor in order to verify your impression of the problem. e. Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why.3. Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem a. At this point, its useful to keep others tangled (unless youre facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, then screening them to find the best idea. Its critical when collecting the ideas to not pass any judgment on the ideas just write them down as you hear them. (A wonderful set of skills used to identify the underlying cause of issues is Systems Thinking.) 4. Select an approach to resolve the problemWhen selecting the best approach, considera. Which approach is the roughly likely to solve the problem for the long term? b. Which approa ch is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the approach? c. What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative? (The nature of this step, in particular, in the problem solving transit is why problem solving and decision making are highly integrated.) 5. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan) a. Carefully consider What go out the situation look like when the problem is solved? b. What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for example, a new policy or procedure? Dont resort to solutions where someone is just going to try harder.c. How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the success of your plan) d. What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities? e. How much time will you ne ed to implement the solution? Write a schedule that includes the separate and stop times, and when you dribble to see certain indicators of success. f. Who will primarily be trusty for ensuring implementation of the plan? g. Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this as your action plan. h. Communicate the plan to those who will involved in implementing it and, at least, to your conterminous supervisor. (An important aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continually observation and feedback.) 6. Monitor implementation of the planMonitor the indicators of successa. Are you seeing what you would expect from the indicators? b. Will the plan be done according to schedule? c. If the plan is not being followed as expected, then consider Was the plan realistic? Are there sufficient resources to accomplish the plan on schedule? Should more priority be placed on various aspects of the plan? Should the plan be changed? 7. Verify if the problem has been resolved or notOne of the best ways to verify if a problem has been solved or not is to tally normal operations in the organization. Still, you should consider a. What changes should be made to avoid this type of problem in the future? Consider changes to policies and procedures, training, etc. b. Lastly, consider What did you learn from this problem solving? Consider new knowledge, understanding and/or skills. c. Consider writing a brief memo that highlights the success of the problem solving effort, and what you wise(p) as a result. Share it with your supervisor, peers and subordinates. Decision making is a key role for any manager or leader. Surprisingly many people struggle when it comes to taking decisions. This might be due to o Fear of failureo neediness of a structured approacho Procrastinatingo Lack of clarityWhatever the barriers, there are 6 steps that you can follow when taking any decision.1. Problem DefinitionBefore you can start to take any decisions, you need to b e absolutely release the problem you are trying to reach a decision on. One simple proficiency is just to write out in a sentence what the problem is that you need to take a decision on.2. Assess the implicationsAll decisions have implications. If it is a decision at work, it has implications for you, your peers, your team and your superiors. Depending on the decision (e.g. a promotion at work) it may even have implications for your family, especially if it involves relocation. 3. Explore different perspectivesPerspectives are simply different lenses through which you look at the problem. By exploring different perspectives you start to get a feel for those that you are most attracted to. 4. Get undetermined on your ideal outcomeWhen you are faced with a big decision, it is easy to get lost in the detail and circumstances. An alternative is to get clear on your ideal outcome and use this ideal outcome to inform your choices. Imagine you aspire to be a CFO of a Top century company. By having clarity on your outcome, you can make choices on promotions and experience linked to this ideal outcome. 5. Weigh up pros and consAnother way of looking at a decision is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options open to you. Simply listing the advantages and disadvantages of each option is a powerful way of moving forward on decisions. 6. Decide and actOnce you have gone through the previous 5 steps, commit to a choice or course of action and start to make it happen. To avoid procrastination, give yourself permission to be okay with any failings that might arise. At the end of the day there is no magic approach pattern for decision making. Following some simple steps and acting can however move you into the realm of effective decision maker.