Solving Problems and Making Decisions...
Not to Decide Is to Decide
Creative problem solving involves the ability to think outside tradition.
Expanding one's thoughts allows individuals and teams to consider solutions
that bring new ideas to the situation. The key to creative thinking is
what you do with your knowledge. Manipulating knowledge and experience
leads to discovery: looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking
something different.
Critical problem solving means that the team or individual uses a methodical,
focused approach to plan, implement, and evaluate the changes needed to
solve problems. A combination of efforts to expand one's thoughts and
to focus one's solutions will ensure complete and effective problem solving.
Developing quality solutions is most successful when a systematic process
for solving problems is implemented—a process that provides a road
map to follow, a common language for solving problems, and a set of tools
and techniques. The focus of this session is to help participants learn
and apply problem-solving and decision-making strategies.
By the end of this program, participants will
- Learn strategies to identify work-process problems,
- Identify causes of problems rather than dealing with symptoms,
- Understand when to use the five methods of decision making,
- Learn to identify and handle risks,
- Develop techniques that help to organize and analyze the information
gathered,
- Identify problem-solving tools to understand and decipher the variables
associated with finding solutions,
- Recognize the step-by-step process that addresses the root cause of
a problem,
- Combine insights and expertise with the problem-solving process that
can help bring about the changes needed to achieve the goal, and
- Understand the link between decision making and problem solving.
|