Assnmt on Team Problem Solving

8/7/2019 Assnmt on Team Problem Solving

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TEAM PROBLEM SOLVING

Problem solving, the ability of team members to develop creative solutionsto pressing organizational challenges, is at the core of a teams activities.Our research shows that a teams problem-solving abilitiesits ability to

identify the right problem, generate many ideas, build on those ideas, testthem out, and implement the feasible onesis one of themost important predictors of team success. Simply put, when teams usesystematic processes and skills to enhance the quality of their thinking, theyincrease their team IQ.Team Problem Solving.

Team Decisions:When problems arise in your organization they need to be dealt withimmediately and with a collectively developed problem solving process.Those affected by both the problem and its solution need to be a part of theteam that goes through the process and develops solutions to resolve theunderlying issues that cause it. The following are ten components of anysuch problem solving process that, if observed, will lead to effective andlasting solutions to the problems you face.

1. Team members readily contribute from their experience and listen to thecontributions of others.

2. Disagreements arising from different points of view are considered helpful;they are seen as the crucible out of which unambiguous and honest solutionscan flow.

3. Team members challenge suggestions they believe are unsupported byfacts or logic but avoid arguing just to have their way or to be noticed fortheir own individual input.

4. Poor solutions are not supported just for the sake of harmony oragreement.

5. Differences of opinion are discussed and resolved. Coin tossing, averaging,straw-drawing, majority vote and similar cop-outs are avoided when makinga decision.

6. Every team member strives to make the problem solving process efficientand is careful to facilitate rather than hinder discussion; each memberstrives to encourage and applaud individual efforts to contribute as well asthe contributions themselves.

7. Team members encourage and support co-workers who are reluctant tooffer ideas or to offer differing views from those already expressed.

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8. Team members understand the value of time and work to eliminateextraneous and/or repetitious discussion.

9. Team decisions are not arbitrarily overruled by the leader simply becausehe/she doesn't agree with them; each member is committed to respecting

each other's views and to honoring the sources of these views as beinglegitimate and sincere.

10. The team understands that the leader will make the best decision he orshe can if a satisfactory team solution is not forthcoming; they each agree tosupport and promote the decision that results from the problem solvingprocess whether it is made collectively by the team or individually by theleader of the team.

A PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

The tremendous value of a problem-solving process is that it helps to alignour thinking and action around a common approach to the following actions.

Nine Steps: Tips and techniques for winning team problem-solving versionof the problem-solving process incorporates many of the techniques suitteams needs.

Step 1: Select the ProblemTo select a problem, follow these steps:

Begin with teams mission and vision.

Identify the gaps between desired future state and current reality.

List all barriers to achieving future state; these are your problems.

Collect data from customers and stakeholders.

Choose problem using relevant criteria (payoff, speed, bee in thebonnet issue, etc.).

Step 2: Explore the ProblemAssess possible causes and interpretations of the problem:

Collect the facts.

Examine all sides.

Define stakeholder interests. Surface assumptions.

Step 3: Establish Success CriteriaSet objective standards for evaluating possible solutions:

Review the stakeholder interests that must be met.

Identify the boundaries that must be respected (e.g., legislation, timeFrames, policies).



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Challenge all boundaries to reduce blocks to creativity.

Connect the success criteria back to the mission and vision.

Step 4: Develop a Problem-Solving Statement or Goal

Write a problem or goal statement that all members are committed

to solving. Review and gain agreement on the expectations of the team to

Decide , recommend, or simply generate options.

Gain agreement on the method of decision making: vote, consensus,etc.

Step 5: Generate Many OptionsExpand the thinking to create many options:

Brainstorm.

Dialogue.

Combine ideas.

Do not evaluate.

Step 6: Assess OptionsEvaluate options against the previously established success criteria:

Ask which options best meet our needs.

Develop a matrix of options and criteria and rank each option.

Eliminate options with flaws.

Step 7: Select Preferred SolutionIdentify and select the option(s) that best meet success criteria.

Consider the consequences of preferred options. Consider the pluses, minuses, and so whats of each option.

Ask how options can be combined or modified to create superiorsolutions.

Review the agreed-upon solution and test for consensus.

Step 8: Develop an Action Plan

Create goals and action plans specifying individual and teamaccountabilities.

Step 9: Test and ModifyEvaluate the success of your efforts:

Assess metrics to determine if the solution is achieving the intendedgoal.

Assess whether stakeholders are pleased with the solution.



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CASE STUDY

Problem solving technique helps industry Leader Deliver SuperiorQuality.

The Company is a leading provider of high-performance semiconductorproducts in the global marketplace. They needed their engineers to have anexceptional ability to quickly identify the root cause of production problemsand implement flawless solutions. This challenge was compounded by twofactors: First, semiconductor manufacturing is an extremely comprocess, where years of interrelated factors must be considered in order toresolve even the simplest production problem Second, the semiconductorindustry is highly competitive and fast-paced When problems encountered, engineers must use a rapid, accurate process to correctly

identify the root cause of problems, or risk losing business.

The SolutionAction Management Associates, Inc. (AMAIs) objective was to providerepeatable processes that would enable trained employees to more quicklyand accurately isolate the root cause of problems and developimplement new solutions with less rework and fire-fighting. The solution wasto introduce a suite of results-oriented, practical Problem Solving and

Decision making (PSDM) tools and techniques to the company.

The Action Management Wheel illustrates the dynamic nature of all thePSDM workshop

processes and the critical and creative thinking components the Companyused. Teamwork is the hub and the Wheel rolls logically from quality ofsolution to quality of implementation.

The Company certified two internal instructors to deliver A



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Management PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION MAKING workshops and theirunique Sustain the Impact system to follow up and recognize workshopparticipants.

The ResultWith an investment of just over $100,000, the Company reported over$40,000,000 in positive bottom-line impact from using PSDM processes toresolve nearly 100 product and process-related issues.


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Assnmt on Team Problem Solving