Online Class: Problem Solving Strategies

It is essential to thoroughly define a problem before trying to solve it. Because it is such an important topic, this course presents three proven approaches to problem definition.

Putting the Problem into Its Context

After defining the problem, it is necessary to place the problem in context.What is the locus of the problem? Is it fundamentally a personal, group, or organizational (including business, corporate, educational, government, religious, and non-profit) problem? 

Along with placing the problem in a structural context is the issue of the essential nature of the problem. Is it best viewed as personal, social, economic, political, environmental, spiritual, or some other kind of problem?  

Developing a solution to such a complex problem would require considering the problem as multiple kinds of problems, each with a different context. At the personal level, the owners would need to consider their jobs, savings, assets, credit rating, and so on. According to one of our models, what is the borrowers' current reality, versus the ideal?  

The homeowners would also need to consider the situation with regard to their lender. Was their lender, for example, involved in a merger or acquisition and how did that affect the lender's policies and willingness to extend credit? What is the lender's current reality, versus the ideal?

Who Is Involved in the Problem: Stakeholders

Finally, in defining the problem, there is the issue of stakeholders. Who is involved? Who is affected by the problem? Who may be blocking a solution? Who controls the resources necessary for solving the problem? Identifying the stakeholders is essential to defining any problem before trying to solve it. Among those connected to the problem, whose input is useful and/or important? Who will be involved in the problem-solving process? Who will be making the decisions necessary to solving the problem? Who may be blocking a solution and what is their motivation for doing so?

This is, obviously, where the problem-solving process morphs from individual analysis and ideas to group dynamics, corporate culture, political alliances, etc. This leads to more complications, but also to more opportunities for changes that need to happen.