problem solving

The Problem Solving Process

The Problem Solving Process

Indeed, No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. Problems are inevitable, because they often find their way in our daily endeavors, whether at school, in the work place, at home and anywhere else. It therefore calls for one to have strong skills in problem solving, since these are skills that can make a whole load of difference in a person’s career as well as in his/her personal life (Robertson 2001). Whether one is solving a personal problem, or for a client, the standard procedure is always necessary to follow, since they are a guide to effective problem solving. With this process, one is assured of quick and effective solutions to problems, otherwise one might end up making messy decisions that have dire consequences.

To expound on the process, I will use scenario 1, which takes a situation where I have worked at a company for eleven years, and I’ve returned to college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to increase my chances for a promotion. When I am nearly finished with my degree, a supervisor’s position in a competing company becomes available in another state. The start date is in two weeks, during my final exam period for my courses. The position offers a $15,000 per year salary increase, a car allowance, and relocation expenses. My former supervisor works for the company and is recommending me for the position based on my outstanding job performance; if I want the job, it’s mine. All of the other supervisors at this level in the company have Master’s degrees, so I know that I would be expected to earn my Bachelor’s degree and continue on to a Master’s degree. My present company offers tuition reimbursement, but the new company does not.

First, I have to identify and define the problem that faces me. The problem that faces me here is the problem of identifying what career path to follow. This is a scenario that leaves someone in a dilemma, where I am faced with several possible decisions to make, where both of them are consequential. I went to school to study, with the vision of improving my career. When I’m almost done, another lucrative offer comes in, which I have to abandon my exams to take it up. I’m faced with the problem of waiting for a promotion in my company at the expense of a ready supervisory role in a competing organization, albeit in a different state. This kind of problem is always faced by so many career people, when you don’t know what to do, in a situational dilemma.

The second step in solving my problem would be to carefully analyze the problem. This involves checking where you are at the present moment, and what the current is like, as well as what is involved in making the situation a problem. In this scenario, what makes it a problem is the fact that this dilemma seems to be one that challenges the status quo. In the organization where I am, I’ve worked there, but decided to go back to college so as to increase the chances of being promoted. In the organization where I am, there is no opportunity yet, but I took a bachelor’s degree in anticipation. There is an opportunity that however presents itself, an opportunity that I could easily get if I so wished, because my former supervisor who works there is recommending me to take up this position. This opportunity is lucrative, because of It’s definitely a better job, and it has more privileges. On one hand, staying on my current job will mean that I’ll miss out on the opportunity, but continue my bachelor’s degree, and on the other hand, taking up the new job will mean more privileges such as pay rise, but will mean discontinuing my education.

The following step to solving my problem is to generate possible options/solutions. Here, the person faced with the problem develops courses of action that are most likely to solve the problem at hand. Given the scenario, I have only two options presented to me.

These are the only possible courses of action that I could take, give the situation

• The first option is to take up the job being offered in another state. After all, isn’t this what I went back to college for? A better job with better allowances and an increased salary?
• The second option presented to me by the situation is to remain in my present organization, where I have worked for over ten years.

Closer to solving my problem, I now need to analyze and evaluate the possible solutions. This is the section of the whole process where an in depth investigation of the various factors that affect each potential solution is done (Proctor, 2005). The pros and cons of all the options are analyzed carefully. The first option, of taking up the job seems to be the most convenient one at the moment. After working hard for eleven years in my present organization, I have never been presented with such an opportunity. If I take up the job,it will mean a lot of good things including a pay rise, a car allowance, and to sum it up, it won’t cost me a dime to relocate to the state where the job is, because the organization will take care of the expenses. However, I will have to discontinue my studies, because I have to report on the examinations week, since I have to relocate to another state, away from the college. I won’t be assured of job security in that organization, simply because I don’t match the other supervisors in this organization, academic wise. Option two has its fair share of advantages as well as disadvantages. Although I went to further my education, I’m not assured of a job promotion in the organization. I still hope that I will be considered for any upcoming promotion based on the fact that I’ve worked hard for so many years, and the only hindrance to my promotion is my education.

With all that in mind, what’s left is to choose the best option of the two. In consideration of what is at stake, the best option would be to remain at the current job. This is because at the job, I’ll have the opportunity to rise through the career ladder without the education costing me anything, since the company takes care of the education through reimbursements. The first option has too much baggage, compared to the other one, because taking up the other job means putting my education on halt. Since all of the other supervisors at this level in the company have Master’s degrees, that means that the new position won’t have the required job security, because anyone who is well educated can easily replace me.

Now that I know what to do, what is left is to implement the solution I think is best, according to the previous step. I already decided on remaining in the job where I am, instead of taking up a new job, which is full of uncertainties. I would therefore ignore the opportunity in the other organization, and politely turn down the recommendation by my former supervisor, having in mind that he wants the best for me. I would then focus on my forthcoming exams, which are an important aspect in my career life where my career life hangs on it.

In conclusion, I would say that everybody can benefit a lot from having very good problem solving skills, because we all encounter problems that put these skills to the test on a daily basis. Evidently, some of the problems that we face are more severe and complex than others, hence the importance of being ready with these skills. This process is a well laid down process of making sure that we face these problems boldly and effectively finding a lasting solution to them, without regretting.

References

Proctor, T. (2005). Creative problem solving for managers: Developing skills for decision

making and innovation (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Robertson, S. (2001). Problem solving. Hove [England: Psychology Press.