problem solving and decision making skills training

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Problem solving and decision making.

Leadership is about taking control of situations that arise. They may be problems, threats or opportunities. Which is which?

Learn about the nature of problem-solving and patterns of thinking, assess your options, make rational choices and address potential threats.

Become a more decisive leader. With Guthrie-Jensen’s Problem Solving and Decision Making , you will:

• Face problems and make decisions with renewed confidence
• Reinforce your authority and credibility with proven problem solving and decision making techniques
• Analyze situations more comprehensively to arrive at the best solution
• Anticipate potential problems, assess risks, and weigh alternatives to come up with the best decisions
• Tackle problems more systematically and logically
• Harness support mechanisms that will give rise to better solutions and decisions
• Communicate decisions to team members to reinforce your power, authority and credibility
• Consistently implement and follow-through on decisions
• Overcome obstacles and resistance to “unpopular” decisions

Available as In-Person and Live Virtual Training

• Public Seminar  (check latest schedules now!)
• In-House/Customized Program for your organization (How does Guthrie-Jensen customize its programs?)

This program is for supervisors and managers who wish to improve their problem solving and decision making skills.

Testimonials

“I found this training very relevant and practical for the workplace and personal life. I highly recommend this training for others who wish for self development.” Chamroen Ouch – Asian Development Bank “If there is a definition of excellence it is this. Master trainers, outstanding management wizards and a learning experience that truly moves beyond learning to action. Truly enriching, and enlightening.” Sujatha Viswanathan – Sr. Social Officer, Asian Development Bank “Very useful and easy to relate methodologies for ‘Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making’.” Francis Emmanuel – Sr. Financial Control Spec., Asian Development Bank “Of all seminars I’ve gone, this is the best seminar ever. The training was not just on theories but it is more on its application in real situations. I thank Guthrie-Jensen for such a great experience. I would surely put to practice what I’ve learned from you.” Don Ysmael Solijon – Process & Eng’g Services, Atlas Fertilizer Corporation “Spectacular approach. Very useful and practical lecture approach/methodology. Excellent facilitator.” Alex Carbilledo – Asst. Manager, Fujitsu Computer Products Corporation of the Philippines

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• Team training

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving for Effective Decision-Making

Personal effectiveness.

An Essential Competency In Today’s Workplace

Mastering critical thinking and problem-solving skills can help you make better decisions or recommendations- an essential competency in today’s knowledge workplaces. Critical thinking helps you to examine and improve thought processes, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and consider varying viewpoints. Effective problem-solving helps you to properly identify and systematically work through a problem in a comprehensive manner, ensuring clarity when it comes time to make decisions or recommendations.

This course will demonstrate how critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making work optimally together, and will provide hands-on practice with tools that you can apply to your everyday workday tasks, big or small.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Define critical thinking and identify your critical thinking styles
• Work through the critical thinking process to build, analyze and evaluate varying viewpoints
• Improve key critical thinking skills, including active listening and questioning
• Analyze context and information to clearly understand and identify a problem
• Apply problem solving steps and tools
• Identify appropriate solutions using specific approaches
• Select the best technique for making decisions
• Avoid common decision-making mistakes

Workshop topics

Maximizing the Power of Your Brain

• Critical thinking and problem-solving the key to effective decision making
• The Iceberg Principle and the Understanding-Resolution Ration

Critical Thinking

• Definition of a Critical Thinker
• Critical thinking behaviours: active listening, probing, Empty Your Bucket
• Identify and evaluate issues and viewpoints
• The 3 C’s: context, credibility, and consistency
• Critical thinking worksheet- practice it!
• Problem Solving
• The problem-solving process- various models
• Obstacles and counterproductive approaches
• Problem-solving techniques for groups and individuals
• Applying a problem-solving model to a workplace scenario

Decision Making

• Individual and collective decision-making traps
• How to choose: criteria, goals and vision-based decision-making
• Individual and group decision-making tools and techniques
• Decision-making – practical application to a workplace scenario

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course

Who should attend this course?

Anyone who is required to problem solve on the job or make important project, department or organizational decisions or recommendations

Does this course address your competency development needs?

This workshop addresses:

• Achievement and Results Oriented
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Analytical Thinking
• Change Management and Leadership
• Creative Thinking
• Decision Making and Decisiveness
• Engagement and Motivation
• Impact and Influence
• Innovation and Initiative
• Self Confidence and Self Esteem
• Strategic Thinking
• Teamwork and Cooperation
• Working with Others

To learn more about core competencies, click here .

$ 595 plus tax

Choose my session

• Instructor: Barbara Odenwald

The advantages of team sessions

• Learn and grow together as a team
• Location and time of your choice
• Sessions can be customized to fit your objectives
• Surprisingly cost effective

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Participant reviews.

“Awesome course, very happy my supervisor signed me up. I look forward to implementing knowledge gained wherever possible in my current role. It will be beneficial in the future as well, should I move to a different role. Thank you!” –Past participant

“I enjoyed how this course was not a large group of people, so discussions and activities were easier and we can hear from everyone in the group. The instructor provided reasonable break periods throughout the course.” –Past participant

“This course really helps bring your sense of awareness and the way you will look at a situation, and how critical thinking can help you make better decisions.” –Past participant

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training problem solving & decision making

• You can find causes of complex problems
• You will use all the knowledge and experience of your team
• You make well-founded decisions and set clear priorities
• You use analysis tools to support your conclusions
• You analyze risks’s and take targeted countermeasures
• You are able to produce a concrete action plan couples
• You are able to draw up a concrete action plan

Contents training Problem Solving & Decision Making

Structure of the 4-day training, also choose our ratio approach, why co think.

• More direction, more structure, more results
• Learn from highly experienced facilitators
• Proven method, directly applicable

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Location The training takes place at our own training location, Marienhoef 9a, 3851 ST Ermelo.

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Problem-solving and Decision-making Skills

The ability to identify, analyse and solve problems is a key workplace skill. Expert problem-solvers are an essential part of any high-performing team and are often first in line when it comes to promotion.

This workshop introduces you to a range of tools to solve problems more effectively and make better decisions. You will discover your problem-solving style and how to work more successfully with colleagues who have a different style to you.

Throughout the workshop you will work on a case study from your workplace where you can immediately put your new skills into practice.

After taking this workshop, you should be able to:

• anticipate and identify problems more effectively
• use a range of tools to help solve problems
• make the right decisions and take responsibility for them.

Workshop outline

Problem solving fundamentals.

• Problem solving and decision-making styles
• Identifying your style
• Working with the different styles
• The PSI framework

P – The problem

• Recognising the problem
• Defining the problem
• Identifying root causes

S – The solution

• Generating creative solutions to a problem
• Using decision-making tools
• Identifying the best solution
• Assessing and managing risk

I – Implementing decisions

• Building consensus 
• Managing conflict
• Planning your implementation approach
• Communicating your decision 
• Reviewing the success of your solution

Who should attend?

• Developing level course: Take your skills to the next level
• Experience: Strong establishing level skills
• Minimum CEFR Advanced (C1) level English 

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability.  Track your progress . 

Why choose us?

Find out  why you should choose us  and how we deliver our workshops  face-to-face or online . 

Full-day workshop schedule

• Length:  14 hours
• Workshop fee:  S$900.00 (subject to prevailing GST)
• Venue:  Toa Payoh Centre

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Why Problem-Solving Skills Are Essential for Leaders in Any Industry

• 17 Jan 2023

Any organization offering a product or service is in the business of solving problems.

Whether providing medical care to address health issues or quick convenience to those hungry for dinner, a business’s purpose is to satisfy customer needs .

In addition to solving customers’ problems, you’ll undoubtedly encounter challenges within your organization as it evolves to meet customer needs. You’re likely to experience growing pains in the form of missed targets, unattained goals, and team disagreements.

Yet, the ubiquity of problems doesn’t have to be discouraging; with the right frameworks and tools, you can build the skills to solve consumers' and your organization’s most challenging issues.

Here’s a primer on problem-solving in business, why it’s important, the skills you need, and how to build them.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Problem-Solving in Business?

Problem-solving is the process of systematically removing barriers that prevent you or others from reaching goals.

Your business removes obstacles in customers’ lives through its products or services, just as you can remove obstacles that keep your team from achieving business goals.

Design Thinking

Design thinking , as described by Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar in the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , is a human-centered , solutions-based approach to problem-solving and innovation. Originally created for product design, design thinking’s use case has evolved . It’s now used to solve internal business problems, too.

The design thinking process has four stages :

• Clarify: Clarify a problem through research and feedback from those impacted.
• Ideate: Armed with new insights, generate as many solutions as possible.
• Develop: Combine and cull your ideas into a short list of viable, feasible, and desirable options before building prototypes (if making physical products) and creating a plan of action (if solving an intangible problem).
• Implement: Execute the strongest idea, ensuring clear communication with all stakeholders about its potential value and deliberate reasoning.

Using this framework, you can generate innovative ideas that wouldn’t have surfaced otherwise.

Creative Problem-Solving

Another, less structured approach to challenges is creative problem-solving , which employs a series of exercises to explore open-ended solutions and develop new perspectives. This is especially useful when a problem’s root cause has yet to be defined.

You can use creative problem-solving tools in design thinking’s “ideate” stage, which include:

• Brainstorming: Instruct everyone to develop as many ideas as possible in an allotted time frame without passing judgment.
• Divergent thinking exercises: Rather than arriving at the same conclusion (convergent thinking), instruct everyone to come up with a unique idea for a given prompt (divergent thinking). This type of exercise helps avoid the tendency to agree with others’ ideas without considering alternatives.
• Alternate worlds: Ask your team to consider how various personas would manage the problem. For instance, how would a pilot approach it? What about a young child? What about a seasoned engineer?

It can be tempting to fall back on how problems have been solved before, especially if they worked well. However, if you’re striving for innovation, relying on existing systems can stunt your company’s growth.

Related: How to Be a More Creative Problem-Solver at Work: 8 Tips

Why Is Problem-Solving Important for Leaders?

While obstacles’ specifics vary between industries, strong problem-solving skills are crucial for leaders in any field.

Whether building a new product or dealing with internal issues, you’re bound to come up against challenges. Having frameworks and tools at your disposal when they arise can turn issues into opportunities.

As a leader, it’s rarely your responsibility to solve a problem single-handedly, so it’s crucial to know how to empower employees to work together to find the best solution.

Your job is to guide them through each step of the framework and set the parameters and prompts within which they can be creative. Then, you can develop a list of ideas together, test the best ones, and implement the chosen solution.

Related: 5 Design Thinking Skills for Business Professionals

4 Problem-Solving Skills All Leaders Need

1. problem framing.

One key skill for any leader is framing problems in a way that makes sense for their organization. Problem framing is defined in Design Thinking and Innovation as determining the scope, context, and perspective of the problem you’re trying to solve.

“Before you begin to generate solutions for your problem, you must always think hard about how you’re going to frame that problem,” Datar says in the course.

For instance, imagine you work for a company that sells children’s sneakers, and sales have plummeted. When framing the problem, consider:

• What is the children’s sneaker market like right now?
• Should we improve the quality of our sneakers?
• Should we assess all children’s footwear?
• Is this a marketing issue for children’s sneakers specifically?
• Is this a bigger issue that impacts how we should market or produce all footwear?

While there’s no one right way to frame a problem, how you do can impact the solutions you generate. It’s imperative to accurately frame problems to align with organizational priorities and ensure your team generates useful ideas for your firm.

To solve a problem, you need to empathize with those impacted by it. Empathy is the ability to understand others’ emotions and experiences. While many believe empathy is a fixed trait, it’s a skill you can strengthen through practice.

When confronted with a problem, consider whom it impacts. Returning to the children’s sneaker example, think of who’s affected:

• Your organization’s employees, because sales are down
• The customers who typically buy your sneakers
• The children who typically wear your sneakers

Empathy is required to get to the problem’s root and consider each group’s perspective. Assuming someone’s perspective often isn’t accurate, so the best way to get that information is by collecting user feedback.

For instance, if you asked customers who typically buy your children’s sneakers why they’ve stopped, they could say, “A new brand of children’s sneakers came onto the market that have soles with more traction. I want my child to be as safe as possible, so I bought those instead.”

When someone shares their feelings and experiences, you have an opportunity to empathize with them. This can yield solutions to their problem that directly address its root and shows you care. In this case, you may design a new line of children’s sneakers with extremely grippy soles for added safety, knowing that’s what your customers care most about.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

3. Breaking Cognitive Fixedness

Cognitive fixedness is a state of mind in which you examine situations through the lens of past experiences. This locks you into one mindset rather than allowing you to consider alternative possibilities.

For instance, your cognitive fixedness may make you think rubber is the only material for sneaker treads. What else could you use? Is there a grippier alternative you haven’t considered?

Problem-solving is all about overcoming cognitive fixedness. You not only need to foster this skill in yourself but among your team.

4. Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment

As a leader, it’s your job to create an environment conducive to problem-solving. In a psychologically safe environment, all team members feel comfortable bringing ideas to the table, which are likely influenced by their personal opinions and experiences.

If employees are penalized for “bad” ideas or chastised for questioning long-held procedures and systems, innovation has no place to take root.

By employing the design thinking framework and creative problem-solving exercises, you can foster a setting in which your team feels comfortable sharing ideas and new, innovative solutions can grow.

How to Build Problem-Solving Skills

The most obvious answer to how to build your problem-solving skills is perhaps the most intimidating: You must practice.

Again and again, you’ll encounter challenges, use creative problem-solving tools and design thinking frameworks, and assess results to learn what to do differently next time.

While most of your practice will occur within your organization, you can learn in a lower-stakes setting by taking an online course, such as Design Thinking and Innovation . Datar guides you through each tool and framework, presenting real-world business examples to help you envision how you would approach the same types of problems in your organization.

Are you interested in uncovering innovative solutions for your organization’s business problems? Explore Design Thinking and Innovation —one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses —to learn how to leverage proven frameworks and tools to solve challenges. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart .

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