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Problem Solving and Decision Making

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The main points of the KS workshop titled "Problem Solving and Decision Making” was to determine your personality factor profile then understand the differences in behavior styles, beliefs, etc for each. Also, problem solving techniques were introduced to help identify possible root cause(s) and how to decide on a solution. Below are some key points:

Personality Factor Profile (Individuals fall into one of the below profiles)

  1. Dominant (Active and Decisive)
  2. Influencing (Optimistic and Sociable)
  3. Steady (Sincere and Friendly)
  4. Cautious (Disciplined and Systematic)

Identifying the Problem (find the root cause)

  1. Identify a problem, issue or concern that you are facing (the effect).
  2. Ask the question “Why is this happening?”
  3. For each answer, re-ask the “Why” question to surface deeper reasons for the existence of the problem, issue or concern. For each “why” question, one or more answers may arise.
  4. Ask “Why” until you get to the core or root causes. “Why” must be asked until you get no more answers. The last answers you end up with are your identified “root causes.”

Generate Alternative Solutions

  1. For each of the identified “root causes,” conduct a discussion to determine the alternatives that may lead to resolving the “root cause.”
  2. Look at the suggestions and begin to question the practicality of each.
  3. Discard the alternatives that have been determined impractical, unfeasible, or unrealistic. Where possible, consolidate and combine the suggestions.

Decide on a Solution

  1. Decisions can be made through imposition, consensus, majority vote, minority rule or unanimity.

Exercises were also given to see your flexibility in thinking. Below is one of those exercises. See if you can spot the star.

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