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PROBLEM SOLVING AND JUDGEMENT

Problem Solving and Judgement is the ability to analyze problems systematically,
organize information, identify key factors, identify underlying causes and generate
solutions.

This Means... This Doesn’t Mean...

• resolving a problem in a systematic, • attempting to solve a problem by
step-by-step way quickly trying whatever comes to mind,
responding to the urgency of the
situation
• prioritizing required information to help • waiting for all the information to clear
you determine when you can make a before evaluating options
sufficiently informed decision
• breaking down complex problems to • addressing only the surface issue,
identify root cause(s) ignoring other possible deeper causes
• when problems occur, thinking about • explaining problems in a vague,
the chain of events that led to it general way, e.g., “that department
never knows what they want”
• forecasting cause and effect to predict • doing work as it comes without
longer term issues thinking through the longer term
impact
• thinking through the problem before • jumping to a conclusion without
offering a solution thinking through the facts
• identifying causes and resolving a • attempting to resolve a problem with
problem that is not obvious to others whatever comes to mind
• integrating and applying different ideas • trying to force-fit standard approaches
and approaches to accomplish a goal in order to maintain consistency

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Developmental Level 1-2 Activities

Activities
Play games that require Problem Solving and Judgement.
• The card game “bridge” is good for developing Problem Solving and Judgement.
• The computer game “Lemmings” is a simple game that requires increasingly higher
levels of Problem Solving and Judgement.
Keep a log of situations at work for which you did not have a solution.
• Write down in detail the nature of the situation and your thoughts about it.
• Review the log, consider what you thought at the time, and what you think now as you
reconsider the situation. What are the similarities, differences in your thought pattern?
• Write down alternative courses of action that could have benefited the situation.
• Make use of these actions in similar circumstances.
Reflection Tip:
∗ Are there any commonalties to the types of situations that you’ve described? If so, ask
for input from someone who handles these types of situations well.

Ask for feedback.

• Ask your peers to identify specific times where you either showed or did not show
effective Problem Solving and Judgement skills.
• Ask them to specify what it was about your behaviour which made a particular
impression on them.
• Ask them to talk through how they would have tackled the issue.
• Take note of these suggestions and try to apply them in future circumstances.
Reflection Tip:
∗ Is there a pattern to situations where you avoid using analytical skills?
Incorporate several perspectives into your problem-solving approach.
• Identify individuals who are most affected by a current problem.
• Ask them for information about the nature of the problem and for suggestions about
possible solutions.
• Imagine that you have no constraints to solve this issue or problem – what would you
do? Why would you do it? What prevents you from acting on the thoughts you have?
• Talk to people who are not familiar with the issue you are grappling with. This may
include those from totally different areas of expertise or disciplines than you are used
to – what kinds of things do people come up with?

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• Try to picture what you are trying to achieve. What does it look like? Is there anything
you would like to change? What one thing would you like to change in that picture?
Will the courses of action that you have generated allow you to achieve your goals?
• Take the results of these approaches and try to come up with some novel solutions to
your problem.
• Share your ideas with, and gather input from trusted colleagues and the individuals
affected.
• Try to learn from and incorporate the comments you have collected. Make some notes
to yourself regarding some of the things that have helped you to more effectively
problem solve.
Reflection Tip:
∗ Understanding the background to a persistent problem is often critical to effectively
resolving it. Be sure to gather enough information that you understand the
background to the problem.

Identify objectives.
• Look ahead over the next three months. Considering each of the projects you are
working on or plan to work on, with which project do you anticipate encountering the
most difficulties? Why?
• Make a list of the major obstacles that you believe you will encounter that will deter
you from achieving your goals.
• Analyze the root cause of each obstacle and identify what actions you can take to
lessen or overcome the problem before you encounter it.
Reflection Tips:
∗ Discuss with your peers how they identify obstacles. Remember to keep a proactive
approach rather than a reactive one.
∗ Have you encountered any of these obstacles before? If so, review the methods you
used before, and the resulting outcome.

Have someone model their decision-making process for you.

• Be sure to explore and question the factors they consider in this type of a decision.
• For this particular type of decision, what particular areas of knowledge and resources
do they generally use?
Reflection Tip:
∗ Ask others what they think about this person’s decision-making. What are their weak
areas? What are their strengths? How did they accrue this knowledge?

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Level 3-4 Activities

Identify a persistent problem that has resisted solution.
• Set aside sufficient time so that you can really focus on the problem. If the problem is
truly difficult, it will not be resolved in a couple of minutes between meetings.
• Work on a plan that goes to the root of the problem.
⇒ Consider the background to the problem.
⇒ Try breaking the problem down into pieces, and examining each separately.
⇒ Consider similar problems from the past. Is any information that you’ve gathered
previously relevant in this situation?
• Carefully think through the consequences of your plan. Why will it succeed when the
others have failed?
• Fine tune your plan until you are confident that you have addressed the fundamental
issues causing the problem.
Reflection Tips:
∗ Gather information about how your peers break down problems.
∗ Use diagrams to show the relationships of each of the pieces within the problem.
Shadow a decision with someone whose Problem Solving and
Judgement you value.
• After generally discussing the decision to be made, take some time on your own to
consider the factors involved in the decision.
• Determine whether there are any causal links or relationships between factors.
• Develop your own response to the decision, addressing all the factors you’ve just
identified.
• Present your response to the individual. Be prepared to explain all elements of your
response.
• Discuss what the differences are between your approach and the approach the
individual took. What are the similarities?
Reflection Tip:
∗ Ask the individual about the things you came up with that he/she didn’t. Ask why they
would/ wouldn’t use these additional techniques.

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When you are faced by new, difficult or expansive problems, think

through the chain of events leading to the problem.
• The next time an important problem occurs, stop yourself from jumping to a conclusion
as to what caused the problem. Instead, decide to spend some time analyzing the
problem.
• Write down the chain of events leading to the problem (e.g., “A” occurred because of
“B”, “B” occurred because of “C”). It is important to actually write it down or draw a
diagram. Most people cannot keep all the details of a complex situation in their heads.
• Consider each of the components, and think about what could have been done to
address them at the time, and what can be done now.
• Work together with your peers to implement the solution in a feasible manner.
Reflection Tip:
∗ Have you or your peers come up against this problem before? If so, what aspects of it
have changed?

Analyze customer issues.

• During the next two weeks make a list of unexpected customer/client problems or
issues that come up.
• Examine the list and ask yourself the following questions:
⇒ What may be the root cause of the problem?
⇒ Is there anything that could have prevented the problem from occurring? If yes,
what action could have prevented it?
⇒ What are the short, medium and longer term repercussions of not solving the
problem?
⇒ Is there anything you could have done to have hastened your understanding of the
problem?
• Consider multiple actions that could be taken to address the issues:
⇒ What would the impact of each action be?
⇒ Would the impact be different if multiple action were taken?
Reflection Tip:
∗ Take a moment to think “bigger picture”. Do these themes have any impact on, or
relationship to broader business unit, or organizational issues?

Talk to others to get their ideas on issues, situations, problems, and

potential opportunities.
• Choose a current organizational issue.

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• Discuss the issue with several peers.

• Take some time to reflect on your peer’s input to the issue. Using this input, break the
issue down into key components.
• Discuss the key components you have identified with several other peers. Do they
agree with your analysis? Have you missed any components? Would they have
broken the issue down differently? Are there any components that you have identified
that they feel aren’t important?
• Take some time to reflect on the input you have just gathered. Is it necessary to
revise your analysis?
• Use this analysis as a starting point to developing an action plan.
Reflection Tips:
∗ Why might you have missed some of the details that your peers are bringing up?
∗ Do your peers have a different perspective regarding the issue than you do? What can
you learn from this perspective?

Develop alternative ways of looking at an issue.

• Select a business issue within your area that you are genuinely interested in
understanding or resolving. The problem should be reasonable in scope and you
should be familiar with its past history (i.e., what has led up to the problems and
previous attempts, if any, at resolving it).
• Describe the problem in a brief statement.
⇒ For example, you might state the problem as “The staff turnover in my particular
business unit has steadily increased over the past two years.”
• Identify the key factors in the problem from your perspective.
• Now, shift your focus, and pretend you are going to tell someone a story about the
problem. What are the three or four key characteristics or details that define the issue
that you would want to convey?
• Identify the key factors in the problem from the perspective of others. Ask yourself the
following questions:
⇒ How would management in other areas view this problem? What factors would
they see from their perspective?
⇒ How would customers view this problem? What factors would they see?
• Prepare a summary of your findings. Identify any immediate steps you could take on
your own to help resolve the problem. Take the first steps.

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Reflection Tip:
∗ Check with others to ensure that you have identified all key factors. Which ones might
you have missed? Why?

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