Problem Solving and Decision Making Essay

Much of what managers and supervisory programs do is solve riddles and make conclusions. New managers and supervisors, in particular, oft durations make solve fusss and decisions by responding to them. They are under the gun, show and very short for time. Consequently, when they encounter a sassy problem or decision they must make, they react with a decision that seemed to work before. Its easy with this approach to stick out stuck in a circle of solution the same problem over and over again.Therefore, as a new manager or supervisor, get usaged to an organized approach to problem answer and decision making. Not all problems can be puzzle out and decisions made by the future(a), rather rational approach. However, the following basic guidelines give get you inciteed. wear thint be intimidated by the aloofness of the list of guidelines. After youve practiced them a few times, theyll become foster nature to you enough that you can deepen and enrich them to suit your te stify subscribe tos and nature. (Note that it might be more your nature to view a problem as an hazard. Therefore, you might substitute problem for opportunity in the following guidelines.) 1. Define the problemThis is often where nation struggle. They react to what they think the problem is. Instead, seek to understand more some why you think on that points a problem. Defining the problem (with introduce from yourself and some others)Ask yourself and others, the following questionsa. What can you see that ca mathematical functions you to think theres a problem?b. Where is it happening?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 maven of our first reactions. To be an effective manager, you need to address issues more than people.) f. wherefore is it happening?g. drop a line land a five-sentence description of the problem in landmarks of The following shoul d be happening, but isnt or The following is happening and should be As much as possible, be particularised 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 heterogeneous problemsa. If the problem still seems overwhelming, break it down by repeating steps a-f until you take a leak descriptions of several(prenominal) related problems. imprecateing your understanding of the problemsa. It helps a colossal deal to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer or someone else. Prioritize the problemsa. If you discover that you are savouring at several related problems, consequently prioritize which ones you should address first. b. Note the difference betwixt important and urgent problems. Often, what we study to be important problems to check are really incisively urgent problems. Important problems deserve more attention. For example, if yo ure continually answering urgent phone calls, then youve probably got a more important problem and thats to design a frame that screens and prioritizes your phone calls. Understand your role 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 employ 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 make out about what you dont roll in the hay. Therefore, in this phase, its critical to get input from other people who nonice the problem and who are realised 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 decompose the problem a. At this point, its useful to keep others involved (unless youre facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. truly simply put, brainstorming is collecting as m both ideas as possible, then screening them to find the best idea. Its critical when collecting the ideas to not pass all judgment on the ideas just write them down as you hear them. (A wonderful set of skills used to identify the central cause of issues is Systems Thinking.) 4. Select an approach to resolve the pr oblemWhen selecting the best approach, considera. Which approach is the more or less likely to solve the problem for the long term? b. Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to carry through the approach? c. What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative? (The nature of this step, in particular, in the problem solving process is why problem solving and decision making are highly integrated.) 5. Plan the utensilation of the best alternative (this is your action plan) a. Carefully consider What will 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 winner of your plan) d. What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities? e. How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a document that includes the start and stop times, and when you expect to see certain indicators of success. f. Who will originally be responsible 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 immediate supervisor. (An important aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continually observation and feedback.) 6. oversee 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 satisfactory resources to accomplis h 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 shipway to verify if a problem has been solved or not is to be restored normal operations in the organization. Still, you should consider a. What changes should be made to distract 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 learned as a result. Share it with your supervisor, peers and subordinates. Decision making is a key role for both manager or leader. surprisingly many people struggle when it comes to taking decisions. This might be cod to o Fear of failureo Lack of a structure approacho Procrastinatingo Lack of clarityWhat ever 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 be absolutely clear the problem you are act to reach a decision on. One simple technique 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 progress at work) it may even have implications for your family, especially if it involves relocation. 3. Explore divers(prenominal) 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 clear on your ideal outcomeWhen you are go about with a big decision, it is easy to get lost in the enlarge 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 100 company. By having clarity on your outcome, you can make choices on promotions and experience linked to this ideal outcome. 5. consider up pros and consAnother way of looking at a decision is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of the pickings open to you. Simply listing the advantages and disadvantages of each option is a powerful way of moving forward on decisions. 6. get back 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 conjuring formula for decision making. Following some simple steps and playing can however move you into the realm of effective decision maker.