Do you have the attributes of an effective problem solver?
I have read that the ideal problem-solving individual would look something like this:
‘This person will be an effective team worker, original thinker, someone who can work independently, a flexible person and a divergent and convergent thinker who can effectively verbally elaborate and who possesses clarity of written expression. This person also needs to be able to concentrate, be persistent, be willing to be held accountable, posses an innate ability to understand cause and effect relationships, be able to evaluate the quality of ideas and have an appreciation of complexity. He or she must also be able to conduct research, organize and focus on the tasks at hand whilst respecting the limitations on the abilities of others and be highly convincing when presenting his or her point of view or offering up arguments.’
Lets be honest this theoretical individual is unlikely to exist so how do we creatively find and utilize the prerequisite attributes required for effective problem solving?
Before we answer this consider the following “current state of play”:
As business by worldwide technology advances to evolve quickly from locally efficiently managing ‘things, processes and money’, to effectively utilizing innovation and change based on better ‘relationships, knowledge and more flexible systems’, problem solving takes on a whole new dimension. Sure problem solving has always been a major task for business and managers however if we look at the above list of the attributes required for a modern problem solver it becomes obvious that problems will need to be addressed, even on a basic level, by teams selected from mere mortals rather than impossible to find “super individuals”.
The following basic team problem solving process (can’t remember where it came from) can perhaps give us a place to start.
Problem Solving For Teams – Basic Process
1. Define and document the problem. Check that the understanding of the problem is complete and shared by the team. Don’t look for a solution at this stage. Laborious perhaps however if the problem is only verbalized true understanding may be missed i.e. we work like lightening can mean fast to some and inaccurate (never strikes twice in the same place) to others. Leverage on each members perspectives to effectively decide what the key factors are in the situation. Allocate individuals to actively search for the information necessary to really understand the problem.
2. Write down everything known about the situation. Begin with the information contained in the problem scenario (developed in 1 above) and add knowledge that individual members bring. A list of ‘unknowns’ or ‘maybes’ can also be helpful here. The fact that you prepare a list stops any over assertive self-appointed ‘expert’ taking over and dominating the exploration’s direction.
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