SkillsYouNeed

  • INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
  • Decision-Making and Problem Solving

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Interpersonal Skills:

  • A - Z List of Interpersonal Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment
  • Communication Skills
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills
  • Customer Service Skills
  • Team-Working, Groups and Meetings

Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

  • Effective Decision Making
  • Decision-Making Framework
  • Introduction to Problem Solving

Identifying and Structuring Problems

Investigating Ideas and Solutions

Implementing a Solution and Feedback

  • Creative Problem-Solving

Social Problem-Solving

  • Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
  • Personal and Romantic Relationship Skills

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.

You'll get our 5 free 'One Minute Life Skills' and our weekly newsletter.

We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Introduction to Communication Skills - The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Making decisions and solving problems are two key areas in life, whether you are at home or at work. Whatever you’re doing, and wherever you are, you are faced with countless decisions and problems, both small and large, every day.

Many decisions and problems are so small that we may not even notice them. Even small decisions, however, can be overwhelming to some people. They may come to a halt as they consider their dilemma and try to decide what to do.

Small and Large Decisions

In your day-to-day life you're likely to encounter numerous 'small decisions', including, for example:

Tea or coffee?

What shall I have in my sandwich? Or should I have a salad instead today?

What shall I wear today?

Larger decisions may occur less frequently but may include:

Should we repaint the kitchen? If so, what colour?

Should we relocate?

Should I propose to my partner? Do I really want to spend the rest of my life with him/her?

These decisions, and others like them, may take considerable time and effort to make.

The relationship between decision-making and problem-solving is complex. Decision-making is perhaps best thought of as a key part of problem-solving: one part of the overall process.

Our approach at Skills You Need is to set out a framework to help guide you through the decision-making process. You won’t always need to use the whole framework, or even use it at all, but you may find it useful if you are a bit ‘stuck’ and need something to help you make a difficult decision.

Decision Making

Effective Decision-Making

This page provides information about ways of making a decision, including basing it on logic or emotion (‘gut feeling’). It also explains what can stop you making an effective decision, including too much or too little information, and not really caring about the outcome.

A Decision-Making Framework

This page sets out one possible framework for decision-making.

The framework described is quite extensive, and may seem quite formal. But it is also a helpful process to run through in a briefer form, for smaller problems, as it will help you to make sure that you really do have all the information that you need.

Problem Solving

Introduction to Problem-Solving

This page provides a general introduction to the idea of problem-solving. It explores the idea of goals (things that you want to achieve) and barriers (things that may prevent you from achieving your goals), and explains the problem-solving process at a broad level.

The first stage in solving any problem is to identify it, and then break it down into its component parts. Even the biggest, most intractable-seeming problems, can become much more manageable if they are broken down into smaller parts. This page provides some advice about techniques you can use to do so.

Sometimes, the possible options to address your problem are obvious. At other times, you may need to involve others, or think more laterally to find alternatives. This page explains some principles, and some tools and techniques to help you do so.

Having generated solutions, you need to decide which one to take, which is where decision-making meets problem-solving. But once decided, there is another step: to deliver on your decision, and then see if your chosen solution works. This page helps you through this process.

‘Social’ problems are those that we encounter in everyday life, including money trouble, problems with other people, health problems and crime. These problems, like any others, are best solved using a framework to identify the problem, work out the options for addressing it, and then deciding which option to use.

This page provides more information about the key skills needed for practical problem-solving in real life.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills eBooks.

The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Develop your interpersonal skills with our series of eBooks. Learn about and improve your communication skills, tackle conflict resolution, mediate in difficult situations, and develop your emotional intelligence.

Guiding you through the key skills needed in life

As always at Skills You Need, our approach to these key skills is to provide practical ways to manage the process, and to develop your skills.

Neither problem-solving nor decision-making is an intrinsically difficult process and we hope you will find our pages useful in developing your skills.

Start with: Decision Making Problem Solving

See also: Improving Communication Interpersonal Communication Skills Building Confidence

The Resolve Blog Logo

Problem Solving and Decision Making - Two Essential Skills of a Good Leader

Darren Matthews

Problem solving and decision making are two fascinating skillsets. We call them out as two separate skills – and they are – but they also make use of the same core attributes.

They feed on a need to communicate well, both through questioning and listening, and be patient and not rushing both processes through. Thus, the greatest challenge any leader faces when it comes to solving problems and decision making is when the pressure of time comes into play. But as Robert Schuller highlights in his quote, allowing problem-solving to become the decision means you’ll never break free from the problem.

“Never bring the problem-solving stage into the decision-making stage. Otherwise, you surrender yourself to the problem rather than the solution.”—Robert H. Schuller

So how does a leader avoid this trap? How do they ensure the problem solving doesn’t become the be-all and end-all?

The 7 steps of Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making

A vital hurdle every leader must overcome is to avoid the impulsive urge to make quick decisions . Often when confronted with a problem, leaders or managers fall back in past behaviours. Urgency creates pressure to act quickly as a result, the problem still exists, just side-lined until it rears its ugly head again.

Good problem solving opens opportunity. A notable example of this is the first principles thinking executed by the likes of Elon Musk and others. Understanding the fundamentals blocks of a process and the problem it’s creating can lead to not just the problem but accelerate beyond it.

So, to avoid the trap, and use problem solving and decision making effectively , you should embody yourself with the following seven steps.

1.      What is the problem?

Often, especially in time-critical situations, people don’t define the problem. Some label themselves as fire-fighters, just content with dowsing out the flames. It is a reactionary behaviour and one commonplace with under-trained leaders. As great as some fire-fighters are, they can only put out so many fires at one time, often becoming a little industry.

The better approach is to define the problem, and this means asking the following questions:

  • What is happening? ( What makes you think there is a problem?)
  • Where is it taking place?
  • How is it happening?
  • When is it happening?
  • Why is it happening?
  • With whom is it happening? (This isn’t a blame game…all you want to do is isolate the problem to a granular level.)
  • Define what you understand to be the problem in writing by using as few sentences as possible. (Look at the answers to your what, where, why, when, and how questions.)

2.      What are the potential causes?

Having defined the problem it is now time to find out what might be causing the problem. Your leadership skills: your communication skills need to be strong, as you look to gather input from your team and those involved in the problem.

Key points:

  • Talk to those involved individually. Groupthink is a common cause of blindness to the problem, especially if there is blame culture within the business.
  • Document what you’ve heard and what you think is the root cause is.
  • Be inquisitive. You don’t know what you don’t know, so get the input of others and open yourself up to the feedback you’ll need to solve this problem.

3.      What other ways can you overcome the problem?

 Sometimes, getting to the root cause can take time. Of course, you can’t ignore it, but it is important to produce a plan to temporarily fix the problem. In business, a problem will be costing the business money, whether it be sales or profit. So, a temporary fix allows the business to move forward, providing it neutralises the downside of the original problem.

4.      How will you resolve the problem?

At this stage, you still don’t know what the actual problem is. All you have is a definition of the problem which is a diagnosis of the issue. You will have the team’s input, as well as your opinions as to what the next steps should be.

If you don’t, then at this stage you should think about reassessing the problem. One way forward could be to become more granular and adopt a first-principles approach.

  • Break the problem down into its core parts
  • What forms the foundational blocks of the system in operation?
  • Ask powerful questions to get to the truth of the problem
  • How do the parts fit together?
  • What was the original purpose of the system working in this way?
  • Name and separate your assumptions from the facts
  • Remind yourself of the goal and create a new solution

Solve hard problems with inversion

Another way is to invert the problem using the following technique:

1. Understand the problem

Every solution starts with developing a clear understanding of what the problem is. In this instance, some clarity of the issue is vital.

2. Ask the opposite question

Convention wisdom means we see the world logically. But what if you turned the logical outcome on its head. Asking the opposite questions brings an unfamiliar perspective.

3. Answer the opposite question

It seems a simple logic, but you can’t just ask the opposite question and not answer it. You must think through the dynamics that come from asking the question. You're looking for alternative viewpoints and thoughts you've not had before.

4. Join your answers up with your original problem

This is where solutions are born. You’re taking your conventional wisdom and aligning it with the opposite perspective. So often the blockers seen in the original problem become part of the solution.

5.      Define a plan to either fix the problem permanently or temporarily

You now know the problem. You understand the fix, and you are a position to assess the risks involved.

Assessing the risks means considering the worst-case scenarios and ensuring you avoid them. Your plan should take into the following points:

  • Is there any downtime to implementing the solution? If so, how long, and how much will it cost? Do you have backup systems in place to minimise the impact?
  • If the risk is too great, consider a temporary fix which keeps current operations in place and gives you time to further prepare for a permanent fix.
  • Document the plan and share it with all the relevant stakeholders. Communication is key.

Here we see the two skills of problem solving and decision making coming together. The two skills are vital to managing business risks as well as solving the problem.

6.      Monitor and measure the plan

Having evolved through the five steps to this stage, you mustn’t take your eye off the ball as it were.

  • Define timelines and assess progress
  • Report to the stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aware of progress or any delays.
  • If the plan doesn’t deliver, ask why? Learn from failure.

7.      Have you fixed the problem?

Don’t forget the problem you started with. Have you fixed it? You might find it wasn’t a problem at all. You will have learnt a lot about the part of the business where the problem occurred, and improvements will have taken place.

Use the opportunity to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what would have helped. These are three good questions to give you some perspective on the process you’ve undertaken.

Problem solving and decision making in unison

Throughout the process of problem solving, you’re making decisions. Right from the beginning when the problem first becomes clear, you have a choice to either react – firefight or to investigate. This progresses as move onto risk assessing the problem and then defining the solutions to overcome the issue.

Throughout the process, the critical element is to make decisions with the correct information to hand. Finding out the facts, as well as defeating your assumptions are all part of the process of making the right decision.

Problem solving and decision making – a process 

Problem solving isn’t easy. It becomes even more challenging when you have decisions to make. The seven steps I’ve outlined will give you the ability to investigate and diagnose the problem correctly.

  • What is the problem?
  • What are the potential causes?
  • What other ways can you overcome the problem?
  • How will you resolve the problem?
  • Define a plan to either fix the problem permanently or temporarily.
  • Monitor and measure the plan.
  • Have you fixed the problem?

Of course, this logical step by step process might not enable you to diagnose the issue at hand. Some problems can be extremely hard, and an alternative approach might help. In this instance, first principles thinking or using the power of inversion are excellent ways to dig into hard problems. Problem solving and decision making are two skills every good leader needs. Using them together is an effective way to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is webflow and why is it the best website builder.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit id venenatis pretium risus euismod dictum egestas orci netus feugiat ut egestas ut sagittis tincidunt phasellus elit etiam cursus orci in. Id sed montes.

What is your favorite template from BRIX Templates?

How do you clone a webflow template, why is brix templates the best webflow agency.

A boy posing to thinnk before making a decision.

Get your Free Decision Growth Starter Pack

• Decision-making basics • Real-world examples to guide you • The best of   Decision Growth • Get the 7-day pack in one (free) downloadable file • Practical frameworks to improve your thinking

Two types of decision journal are on the desk waiting to be used.

Why Using a Decision Journal Is a Power Move No One Talks About

A young professional woman thinking about her cognitive biases.

Cognitive Biases Explained: How Our Mind Fools Us

Accordion v3.

University of Bradford Logo

Problem solving and decision making

 "This has shown increasing demand as employers are acknowledging that graduates are expected to think for themselves and perhaps find different ways of working and thinking creatively"

Carl Gilleard, Former Chief Executive, Association of Graduate Recruiters

How to be an effective problem solver

We all use our initiative and creativity to solve problems every day. For example, you might have to change your route due to traffic congestion, solve an IT issue, or work out what to make for dinner with the ingredients left in the fridge. The challenges you may face in your professional career are likely to be a bit more complicated than these examples, however the skills and processes you use to come up with solutions are largely the same, as they rely on your ability to analyse a situation and decide on a course of action.

Problem solving and decision making  are likely to be essential aspects of a graduate-level job, so it is important to show a recruiter that you have the personal resilience and the right skills to see problems as challenges, make the right choices and learn and develop from your experiences.

You are likely to have to apply techniques of problem solving on a daily basis in a range of working situations, for example:

  • using your degree subject knowledge to resolve technical or practical issues
  • diagnosing and rectifying obstacles relating to processes or systems
  • thinking of new or different ways of doing your job
  • dealing with emergencies involving systems or people.

You may have to use a logical, methodical approach in some circumstances, or be prepared to use creativity or lateral thinking in others; you will need to be able to draw on your academic or subject knowledge to identify solutions of a practical or technical nature; you will need to use other skills such as communication and planning and organising to influence change.

Whatever issue you are faced with, some steps are fundamental:

I - Identify the problem

D - Define the problem

E - Examine alternatives

A - Act on a plan

L - Look at the consequences

This is the  IDEAL  model of problem-solving. There are other, more complex methods, but the steps are broadly similar.

What do recruiters want?

Problem solving, decision making and initiative can be asked for in a variety of ways. Many adverts will simply ask for candidates who can “ take the initiative to get a job done " or " have the ability to resolve problems "; others, however, may not make it so obvious. Phrases such as those below also indicate that initiative and problem solving are key requirements of the role:

  • “We need people who can set goals and surpass them; people who have ideas, flexibility, imagination and resilience…”
  • “Take responsibility and like to use their initiative; Have the confidence and the credibility to challenge and come up with new ways of working…”
  •  “An enquiring mind and the ability to understand and solve complex challenges are necessary…”
  • “We are looking for fresh, innovative minds and creative spirits...”
  • “Ambitious graduates who can respond with pace and energy to every issue they face…”

These quotations are all taken from graduate job adverts and they are all asking for more or less the same two things:

  • The ability to use your own initiative, to think for yourself, to be creative and pro-active.
  • The ability to resolve problems, to think logically or laterally, to use ingenuity to overcome difficulties and to research and implement solutions.

These are important skills which recruiters look for. They want staff who will take the personal responsibility to make sure targets are met; who can see that there might be a better way of doing something and are prepared to research and implement change; who react positively, not negatively, when things go wrong.

Gaining and developing problem solving and decision making skills

Below are some examples of how you may already have gained decision making and problem solving skills at the University of Bradford and beyond. There may also be some useful suggestions here if you are looking to develop your skills further:

  • dissertation - researching and analysing a specific issue and providing recommendations
  • group projects  - overcoming challenges e.g. a change of circumstances, technical problems, etc.
  • part-time jobs, internships and work experience*  - dealing with challenging customers, identifying and solving issues in your role, completing projects, etc.
  • organising events - deciding on date, venue, marketing; solving logistical issues, etc.
  • travel -  organising trips, planning and reacting to change, etc.
  • enter competitions - to   provide a solution to a challenge.

*Using your initiative in a work context is about spotting opportunities to develop the business. This can, for example, include learning new technology to make your work more productive and efficient; being willing to look at processes and systems to see if there are things you can suggest to improve workflow; recognising opportunities that will improve the business and being prepared to follow them through; volunteering to learn new tasks so you can be adaptable and help out in emergencies or at peak periods.

How can you prove to a recruiter that you have these skills?

Think of examples of when you have used these skills. See the above section for suggestions, and then to provide a full and satisfying answer you can structure it using the STAR technique:

  • S - Define the Situation
  • T - Identify the Task
  • A - Describe your Action
  • R - Explain the Result

Here is a detailed example:

Define the SITUATION:  (where were you? what was your role? what was the context?) 

I work shifts at a call centre which manages orders for several online companies. One evening I had to deal with a very irate customer who had been promised a delivery a week ago and had still not received it. 

Identify the TASK:  (what was the problem? what was your aim? what had to be achieved?) 

Whilst listening to the customer, I accessed his record. This was no help in solving the problem as it simply reiterated what the customer was saying and did not give any more up-to-date information. I promised the customer that I would do my best to help but I would need to do some research and phone him back. He reluctantly accepted this.

Describe the ACTION you took:  (be clear about what you did) 

I could not check with the office as they were closed and my supervisor had already left for the evening, so I searched for the same product code to see if I could find updated information on other records.  This confirmed that the product was now back in stock and that several deliveries were actually scheduled for the following day. There seemed to have been an error which had resulted in my customer’s record not being updated, so I reserved the item for this customer and then persuaded the Logistics Manager to include him in the schedule.

Highlight the RESULT you achieved:  (what was the outcome? Be specific and, if possible, quantify the benefits)

My shift was over but I telephoned him back and explained what I had done and hoped very much that it was convenient for him to accept delivery the following day. He was delighted with the initiative I had taken and thanked me. Two days later my supervisor told me that I had received excellent feedback from a customer and I would be nominated for Employee of the Month.

To use the STAR technique effectively, remember:

  • You are the STAR of the story, so focus on your own actions.
  • Tell a story and capture the interest of the reader. Include relevant details but don’t waffle.
  • Move from the situation, to the task, to your actions, and finally to the result with a consistent, conversational approach.

A detailed statement like this can be used in online applications, or used at interview. It is also easy to adapt it for use in your CV, for example:

  • My work experience at the call centre required me to develop good problem solving skills when dealing with difficult customers with stock and delivery issues.
  • I have good customer service skills developed through resolving problems relating to stock and deliveries whilst working for a call centre.

Adapting your examples

The example above, for instance, could easily be altered to prove your  communication skills , show that you can  adapt and be flexible , and that you have great  customer service skills .  It is worthwhile spending time writing statements like this about all your experiences and then adapting them to match each recruiters’ specific requirements.

Related key words / skills

  •  Leadership
  • Analytical and logical thinking
  • Recommending
  • Creative thinking
  •  Adaptability and flexibility
  • Time management
  • Researching
  • Applying knowledge

Practical help

We run regular  workshops on employability skills , and you can book an appointment with one of our advisers to discuss how to improve your employability in relation to your career choices.

Further reading

More articles:

  • Problem Solving defined on Skills You Need
  • Mind Tools on Problem Solving Techniques
  • Problem solving: the mark of an independent employee (via TARGETjobs)
  • Problem Solving and Decision Making processes via businessballs.com

You can also check out our Assessement Centre and Psychometric Tests pages for details of the problem-solving exercises recruiters use in their selection processes.

Other relevant websites with general information on skills are:

  • Prospects  – features articles on skills and how to evidence them.
  • TARGETjobs  – has details on essential skills and competencies.
  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • *New* Digital Transformation
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business in Society
  • For Organizations
  • Support Portal
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team

decision making and problem solving competency

  • Harvard Business School →
  • HBS Online →
  • Business Insights →

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Student Profiles
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • Business and Climate Change
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Launching Tech Ventures
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
  • Winning with Digital Platforms

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

Business man leading team in problem-solving exercise with white board

  • 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 :

4 Stages of Design Thinking

  • 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.

Design Thinking and Innovation | Uncover creative solutions to your business problems | Learn More

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 .

decision making and problem solving competency

About the Author

Decision Making Skills: Definition & Competency Examples (2024)

Why Do Employers Value Decision Making Skills?

The decision making process, typical decision-making interview questions, which factors can lead to poor decision making, decision making tests at an assessment centre, examples of workplace scenarios that require decision making, decision making skills: definition & competency examples (2024).

Updated April 20, 2023

Edward Melett

All products and services featured are independently selected by WikiJob. When you register or purchase through links on this page, we may earn a commission.

Decision making is a core skill that every employee will need to use at some stage in their career.

To prove you are good at decision making, you will need to make the best possible choice in the shortest time possible, as well as being able to show reasons that support your decisions. Generally the more senior the role, the more difficult these decisions become.

Many employees are forced to make complex decisions routinely as part of their job description; sometimes these decisions have to be made under intense pressure.

Therefore employers need to know that the people they recruit can take the initiative when required and make good decisions in important situations.

In certain positions (eg management), decision making is a fundamental aspect of the role. Consequently employers need to measure the capability of an individual to make informed decisions.

Skills tests and activities through an interview or assessment centre are a great way to achieve this. Of course, decision making is not just confined to a managerial role; it relates to almost every job at every level. Good decisions are a crucial element of day-to-day business.

Making complex decisions, under pressure, is a key skill in many jobs.

Employers tend to value decision making because it is a skill that is required in many different situations across many business areas – from everyday tasks through to more complex projects or unforeseen situations.

The more important decision making is as a skill for the job you have applied for, the more emphasis it will be given by the employer during the application process.

The technique that employers use to assess decision making skills will vary depending on the activities and tests that they provide, but the majority of them will be time-based, and candidates will be expected to explain the reasoning they used to reach their decision.

decision making and problem solving competency

When decisions have to be made, there are several stages that you should go through to reach a practical solution:

Step 1: Identifying the problem, opportunity or challenge. Step 2: Developing a set of potential responses or viable solutions. Step 3: Evaluating the benefits and any associated costs with the implementation of each solution. Step 4: Selecting the most suitable solution or response to address the issue. Step 5: The implementation stage. Step 6: Reviewing the impact of the decision and amending the course of action as required.

The above steps don’t work for every decision, but this is nevertheless a useful framework when it comes to making tough operational decisions. If a decision has to be made quickly, you probably won’t have the luxury of running through each of these steps.

During the selection process, employers will want to assess a candidate’s decision-making skill by asking a number of specific questions to determine their level of expertise. Typical decision making questions could include:

  • Describe the most difficult decision that you had to make and why was it so difficult.
  • Provide a situation when a decision you made affected others.
  • How do you come to conclusions?
  • Provide an example of a bad decision that you made and explain what made it a poor decision.
  • Do you find making decisions difficult?

Candidates should answer these and similar questions using the STAR technique , examining the situation, task, action and result.

Make sure that the situation that you provide is both relevant and professional for the role that you are applying for. Ensure that your answers are short, succinct and to the point. It may seem tempting to drag on with your answers, but it will only bore an interviewer and potentially cost you the position.

The leadership style and the organisational culture will determine the specific process required for decision making in a particular business.

Some organisations may adopt a consensus approach, while others will rely on management decisions. The majority of businesses will combine centralised and census-based styles, and the way in which an employee participates will be based on the organisational structure.

As you go through the usual preparatory work for your interview, it is important that you carefully review the job description and thoroughly research the business so you understand how your decision making skills will fit in with the wider business. That way you can emphasise your skills more effectively both on your CV and during the interview.

To find out which jobs fit your personality best, visit our partner CareerFitter and take the Career Test for FREE .

Pass the Quiz for FREE

Types of Decision Making

Generally speaking, there are three ways in which you can make a decision:

This is used to describe when you have a ‘gut feeling’ about something.

This type of decision making is handy when you have to make a decision quickly, or you have a considerable amount of experience that enables you to make a snap judgment of the situation.

In comparison to intuition, logic requires the person to come to an informed choice based on all the facts presented to them.

Before making a decision, that person will have been presented with large amounts of information surrounding it, and it will be their job to decide which is the most suitable decision based on all of the disadvantages and advantages of the options that they have available to them.

The ability to use logical reasoning is especially useful within certain types of employment, such as the legal sector and consulting .

Cognitive Bias

Inherent bias can both disrupt and distort the decision-making process. The most common cognitive biases include confirmation, anchoring, the halo effect and over-confidence:

  • Confirmation is when a decision maker will seek out evidence that confirms their previously held belief, while discounting any evidence in support of other conclusions.
  • Anchoring is over-reliance on a single piece of evidence or experience to reach certain judgements.
  • The halo effect is an overall impression of a company, individual, brand or product which has a direct impact on an individual’s feelings and thoughts.
  • Over-confidence occurs when someone overestimates how reliable their judgements are.

There are a number of factors that can negatively impact decision making, including:

  • Inadequate information . If you do not have sufficient information, decisions can be made without considering all of the facts. Take time to collect the necessary data even if you have a particularly short timescale.
  • Information overload . Too much information than you know how to handle can also prove detrimental to the decision-making process. This can be overcome by a department or team coming together and deciding what information is the most important and the reasons for this.
  • Too many people . Reaching a decision by committee can be difficult, as everyone has their own views and values. Although it is important to take these into consideration, it’s usually best to designate someone to make a decision.
  • Vested interest . If any of the decision makers has an incentive to reach one particular result, a fair decision-making process could be compromised.
  • Resistance to change . People are often attached to a business - particularly those in the management team – and for some the prospect of change can be difficult.
  • No attachment . On the other hand, some decisions cannot be made because the decision maker doesn’t mind one way or the other. In this instance, a structured decision-making process can be beneficial.

This framework for the decision-making process can help:

  • Break up more complex decisions into easier-to-manage steps;
  • Identify how decisions are made;
  • Effectively plan decision making.

As well as within an interview, you will often be required to make tough decisions during an assessment centre if you are invited to take part in one. This will range from deciding what information to put within a presentation to deciding what role to play within a group exercie .

One difference with interviews is that decision-making within an assessment centre will typically be more leadership focused. As long as you can make such decisions within a short time-span and give reasons why you made them, you should do well.

Apart from within group exercises , you will also be tested indirectly on your decision-making skills within any aptitude tests that you may be required to take as part of an assessment centre .

Tests such as verbal reasoning will require you to make informed choices based on extracts of information, and so you will need to have a good sense of logic to be successful in them.

Finally, while you can use certain techniques to improve your decision-making as a general competency , the best way to demonstrate it within a professional environment is by either attending mock interviews and assessment centres at your university, or asking family and friends to help you practice.

Within the workplace there are many instances where decision-making skills will need to be applied. Even if you do not occupy a management or supervisory role, decisions will need to be made as a matter of course by any professional.

The scenarios below are examples that may arise:

  • Recognising that there is a problem with the production process and identifying a faulty machine which is causing the issue
  • Creating concepts during a brainstorming session for the launch of a new product
  • Understanding the impact of increasing store opening hours following a staff survey
  • Selecting the best firm to lead a marketing campaign through the completion of a detailed analysis of competing proposals
  • Identifying ways to save costs reviewing multiple business areas

You might also be interested in these other Wikijob articles:

15 Technical Skills Examples Employers Look For in 2024

Or explore the Interview Advice / Competencies sections.

SLO campus power restored at 8:13am

  • Cuesta College Home
  • Current Students
  • Student Success Centers

Study Guides

  • Critical Thinking

Decision-making and Problem-solving

Appreciate the complexities involved in decision-making & problem solving.

Develop evidence to support views

Analyze situations carefully

Discuss subjects in an organized way

Predict the consequences of actions

Weigh alternatives

Generate and organize ideas

Form and apply concepts

Design systematic plans of action

A 5-Step Problem-Solving Strategy

Specify the problem – a first step to solving a problem is to identify it as specifically as possible.  It involves evaluating the present state and determining how it differs from the goal state.

Analyze the problem – analyzing the problem involves learning as much as you can about it.  It may be necessary to look beyond the obvious, surface situation, to stretch your imagination and reach for more creative options.

seek other perspectives

be flexible in your analysis

consider various strands of impact

brainstorm about all possibilities and implications

research problems for which you lack complete information. Get help.

Formulate possible solutions – identify a wide range of possible solutions.

try to think of all possible solutions

be creative

consider similar problems and how you have solved them

Evaluate possible solutions – weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.  Think through each solution and consider how, when, and where you could accomplish each.  Consider both immediate and long-term results.  Mapping your solutions can be helpful at this stage.

Choose a solution – consider 3 factors:

compatibility with your priorities

amount of risk

practicality

Keys to Problem Solving

Think aloud – problem solving is a cognitive, mental process.  Thinking aloud or talking yourself through the steps of problem solving is useful.  Hearing yourself think can facilitate the process.

Allow time for ideas to "gel" or consolidate.  If time permits, give yourself time for solutions to develop.  Distance from a problem can allow you to clear your mind and get a new perspective.

Talk about the problem – describing the problem to someone else and talking about it can often make a problem become more clear and defined so that a new solution will surface.

Decision Making Strategies

Decision making is a process of identifying and evaluating choices.  We make numerous decisions every day and our decisions may range from routine, every-day types of decisions to those decisions which will have far reaching impacts.  The types of decisions we make are routine, impulsive, and reasoned.  Deciding what to eat for breakfast is a routine decision; deciding to do or buy something at the last minute is considered an impulsive decision; and choosing your college major is, hopefully, a reasoned decision.  College coursework often requires you to make the latter, or reasoned decisions.

Decision making has much in common with problem solving.  In problem solving you identify and evaluate solution paths; in decision making you make a similar discovery and evaluation of alternatives.  The crux of decision making, then, is the careful identification and evaluation of alternatives.  As you weigh alternatives, use the following suggestions:

Consider the outcome each is likely to produce, in both the short term and the long term.

Compare alternatives based on how easily you can accomplish each.

Evaluate possible negative side effects each may produce.

Consider the risk involved in each.

Be creative, original; don't eliminate alternatives because you have not heard or used them before.

An important part of decision making is to predict both short-term and long-term outcomes for each alternative.  You may find that while an alternative seems most desirable at the present, it may pose problems or complications over a longer time period.

  • Uses of Critical Thinking
  • Critically Evaluating the Logic and Validity of Information
  • Recognizing Propaganda Techniques and Errors of Faulty Logic
  • Developing the Ability to Analyze Historical and Contemporary Information
  • Recognize and Value Various Viewpoints
  • Appreciating the Complexities Involved in Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
  • Being a Responsible Critical Thinker & Collaborating with Others
  • Suggestions
  • Read the Textbook
  • When to Take Notes
  • 10 Steps to Tests
  • Studying for Exams
  • Test-Taking Errors
  • Test Anxiety
  • Objective Tests
  • Essay Tests
  • The Reading Process
  • Levels of Comprehension
  • Strengthen Your Reading Comprehension
  • Reading Rate
  • How to Read a Textbook
  • Organizational Patterns of a Paragraph
  • Topics, Main Ideas, and Support
  • Inferences and Conclusions
  • Interpreting What You Read
  • Concentrating and Remembering
  • Converting Words into Pictures
  • Spelling and the Dictionary
  • Eight Essential Spelling Rules
  • Exceptions to the Rules
  • Motivation and Goal Setting
  • Effective Studying
  • Time Management
  • Listening and Note-Taking
  • Memory and Learning Styles
  • Textbook Reading Strategies
  • Memory Tips
  • Test-Taking Strategies
  • The First Step
  • Study System
  • Maximize Comprehension
  • Different Reading Modes
  • Paragraph Patterns
  • An Effective Strategy
  • Finding the Main Idea
  • Read a Medical Text
  • Read in the Sciences
  • Read University Level
  • Textbook Study Strategies
  • The Origin of Words
  • Using a Dictionary
  • Interpreting a Dictionary Entry
  • Structure Analysis
  • Common Roots
  • Word Relationships
  • Using Word Relationships
  • Context Clues
  • The Importance of Reading
  • Vocabulary Analogies
  • Guide to Talking with Instructors
  • Writing Help

Art Gallery Presents Cobi Moules Exhibition

Cuesta rn students achieve 100% exam pass rate, #1 national ranking, spring semester starts at cuesta college.

Student in classroom

Spring semester starts Jan. 16. 

Register today

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

  • Publications
  • Account settings
  • Advanced Search
  • Journal List
  • Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci
  • v.6(4); Oct-Dec 2016

Effect of training problem-solving skill on decision-making and critical thinking of personnel at medical emergencies

Mohammad heidari.

Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

Sara Shahbazi

1 Department of Nursing, Borujen Nursing Faculty, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

Background:

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of problem-solving training on decision-making skill and critical thinking in emergency medical personnel.

Materials and Methods:

This study is an experimental study that performed in 95 emergency medical personnel in two groups of control (48) and experimental (47). Then, a short problem-solving course based on 8 sessions of 2 h during the term, was performed for the experimental group. Of data gathering was used demographic and researcher made decision-making and California critical thinking skills questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The finding revealed that decision-making and critical thinking score in emergency medical personnel are low and problem-solving course, positively affected the personnel’ decision-making skill and critical thinking after the educational program ( P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Therefore, this kind of education on problem-solving in various emergency medicine domains such as education, research, and management, is recommended.

INTRODUCTION

Having strong coping skills to reduce stress and satisfaction on the decision-making process to be creative and also having problem-solving skill is necessary in life.[ 1 ] In this way, learning should be defined “meaningful” and problem-solving skill is one of these ways.[ 2 ]

Unfortunately, traditional teaching method in universities transfers a mixture of information and concepts to individuals but leaves them alone in analyzing, prioritizing, and reorganizing emerging knowledge which requires critical thinking and will lead to effective and meaningful learning.[ 3 ] Critical thinking is considered is an essential part of clinical decision-making and professional competence of nursing staff and medical emergencies. Emphasize the need for this skill in these jobs is due to rapid change in the healthcare field and complexities of this current system,[ 4 , 5 ] which face staff working in health–care services with the special situation to render safe, decent, and high–quality services. In general, health–care staff has to use critical thinking in taking important and vital decisions inevitable.[ 6 ]

Education experts agree that critical thinking should be an integral part of any education in every level, because, it is thinking that will lead to make a decision the best possible solution with analyzing, assessing, selecting, and application and this is what is needed in the contemporary world of today.[ 5 ] Interest in the abilities of critical thinking in educational circles is not a new phenomenon, and its origin dates back to Plato's Academy.[ 7 ]

Accordingly, this skill is considered as a priority in training medical specialties.[ 8 ] However, using and expanding it by staff of medical emergencies is a necessity,[ 9 ] which causes delineating comprehensive and purposeful care plan and also increasing the probability of success in the management of victims and the scene.[ 10 , 11 ]

Furthermore, increase the number and scale of natural disasters over the past decade has caused that staff of medical emergencies, working in the field of healthcare and treatment cares in current situation, face with very complicated problems comprehensively as a result of advanced technology, ethical and cultural factors. In this regard, it is necessary that traditional methods should be replaced with decentralized emergency management systems to meet demands and attain considerable success in severe events and catastrophic disasters. Some of these techniques use decision-making skills, creative thinking, and problem-solving skill in today's world.[ 12 , 13 ]

Critical thinking skills in medical education are considered as the ultimate goal of learning and staff and personnel, who think creatively and critically, less commit false judgment and conclusion, rather, they try to concentrate on topics that are relevant to the clinical area and adopt proper decision in this respect, the issue of which can reduce gap between theoretical and clinical education to a great extent.[ 14 ]

However, making a decision is considered the most important and risky part of health–care professions. Therefore, knowing the decision making and applying useful strategies for creating this skill is essential for health–care personnel, particularly, the staff working in medical emergencies.[ 15 ] Triage is just one of complicated decision-making examples which include considering patient and other factors of the treatment system.[ 16 ]

Therefore, knowing decision-making and applying fruitful strategies for the creation of this skill is essential for healthcare workers, especially those working in medical emergencies.[ 17 ] Considering the job sensitivity of medical emergencies’ staff and significance of decision-making power and ability of solving problem in them,[ 18 ] as well as selecting and adopting accurate decision at the time of triage of patients, they (health-care workers) are in dire need of skill more than anything else to adopt proper decision.

On the other hand, moreover all these problems, staff working in medical emergencies will face unique problems which are specific to their job environment such as working with multiple staff and people in treatment team of patients and crisis–hit families, happy and sad moments, life and death, accidents and disaster.[ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]

Therefore, with due observance to the said issues, the effect of training problem-solving skills on decision-making power and critical thinking of staff working in medical emergencies is the main aim of this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is an experimental study with two pre- and post–test stages, in which, effect of teaching problem-solving skill (independent variable) has been studied on decision-making skill and critical thinking of 95 staff working in medical emergencies (dependent variable). This 95 staff was divided into two groups: Experimental ( n = 47) and control ( n = 48). A sample of this study includes all staff working in medical emergencies as many as 95 persons who showed their interest to participate in this study. Purposive sampling method and size in this study were similar to the total population. In Iran, prehospital emergency medical handled by the graduate of an emergency medical technician and a bachelor and only men is graduates in this field. Moreover, there are a number of general physicians in the central dispatch who provide medical consultation for people who call emergency medical services (EMS) and also give medical advice to the technicians who treat victims at the crash scene or on the way to the hospital.[ 23 ]

Then, all personnel filled out a demographic variables’ questionnaire. In this questionnaire, it was tried to control factors affecting decision-making power and critical thinking (such as age, marital status, working experience, education, number of children, mental illness and consumption of psychotropic drugs and experience of participating in classes (emotional intelligence, stress management, yoga, problem-solving and decision-making within 6 months) in each two groups. In this regard, any significant difference was not observed between research units in both groups ( P > 0.05). decision-making and critical thinking skill of personnel was evaluated before and after the intervention.

Decision-making skill was evaluated in twenty questions using decision-making questionnaire. According to Likert Scale, each question was scored in four levels from 0.25 to 1. The minimum and maximum score in this questionnaire stood at 5 and 20, respectively. In other words, the lowest score in this questionnaire was calculated 5, whereas the highest score stood at 20. Translation and preparation stages of questionnaire were conducted.

In the same direction, face and content validity of the questionnaire was approved by five professors. The reliability of this test was obtained at 0.87 and approved using retest method in a 2-week time interval for 30 persons.

California critical thinking skills’ test is not a test only, rather, it includes various editions for measuring critical thinking skills in children, young adults, students in various academic levels and also various health, law and business professions, etc.

Questions of the questionnaire are divided into two forms. In one classification, three cognitive critical thinking skills including analyzing, evaluating, and inference are measured while in the second category, two cognitive skills of inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning are evaluated. In fact, all forms and various editions of this test are measured the five mentioned cognitive skills.[ 24 ]

The questionnaire used in this study consists of 34 four or five option questions with only one option is correct. The timeframe for completing this questionnaire was set about 45 min. Some questions should be answered with thinking and inferring a series of assumptions while some others should be answered with well–grounded assessment of a conclusion.

This questionnaire is appropriate for evaluating students’ critical thinking and also for assessment of those people who are in dire need of solving problem and making a decision.[ 25 ] Scores of questionnaire assess general skills of critical thinking. The range of test scores is between 0 and 34.[ 26 ]

In a study conducted by Khalili et al . on 405 students in Nursing at Tehran, Iran and Shahid Beheshti Universities of Medical Sciences, Persian translation of this form was studied in terms of validity and reliability. The reliability coefficient obtained in the above study, using KR-20 (62%), had a high correlation with the reliability coefficient obtained in the standardization process of this test conducted in the US (68%-70%).

Furthermore, construct validity, which has been translated as the most important validity type in tests, indicates correlation between the structure of this test and its basic theory.[ 27 ]

To control data transfer between personnel of test and control groups, personnel of the experimental group were requested not to talk with the control group at the time of research with regard to the conducted interventions.

Then, training a course of problem-solving skill was held in eight 2-h sessions during 8 weeks in the presence of personnel of experimental group, using group discussion methods, brainstorming and discussion in small four–member groups with the guidance of a pertinent professor, taking advantage of social problem-solving model as practiced by D–zurilla and gold fried. The stages of this model include:

Stage 1: General orientation

  • The ability to identify problem
  • Acknowledging the problem as a changeable potentially natural phenomenon
  • Believed to be effective in dealing with the problem-solving framework
  • High self–efficiency expectations to implement stages of model
  • Accustomed to stop, think, and then making effort to solve a problem.

Stage 2: Defining and formulating the problem

  • Collection of all information available
  • Separation of facts is of the assumptions which require investigation
  • Analysis of the problem
  • Specifying the actual objectives.

Stage 3: Production of alternative solutions

  • To determine wide range of possible solutions
  • Ability to choose the most effective response to replies.

Stage 4: Decision-making

  • Predict probable consequences of each action
  • Paying due attention to the usefulness of these consequences.

Stage 5: Implementation of solution

  • Execute the selected method.

Stage 6: Review

  • Observing the results of execution
  • Evaluation.[ 19 ]

All sessions of the training course were designed in tandem with this pattern, and one stage of this pattern was executed in each session.

In each session, so the presence of all members of the experimental group, the instructor explained the objectives of the meeting and the participants requested that their experiences in dealing with different problems on the job fit the theme of the meeting, express. Then, discuss a case study, and participation in meeting goals, training was provided to them.

To analyze data, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. In this study, data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 16.0 (SPSS Inc. Released 2009. PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 16.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc.) In addition, statistical t -test, Chi–square test, and paired t -test were used.

This study was conducted on 95 personnel of medical emergencies. 100% of participants in this study were men, and all were employed in prehospital emergency centers in Isfahan Province. It should be noted that only men are presently admitted to medical emergencies’ course. The age range of participants was between 23 and 51 years, and their mean age stood at 32.15 ± 5.21.

Of total participants, 29 (30.52%) and 66 (69.47%) persons were single and married, respectively. The minimum and maximum job experience of participants in this study stood at 1 and 29 years, respectively. The mean work experience of all participants stood at 33.6 ± 5.42. Of total participants in this study, 10 participants (10.52%) held a diploma degree, 32 participants (33.68%) with associate's degree, 50 participants (52.63%) with Bachelor's degree and three participants (3.15%) with Master's degree. Of total participants, 48 persons (50.52%) graduated in nursing, 25 persons (26.31%) in medical emergencies, nine persons (9.47%) in anesthesiology, five persons (5.26%) in operating room, and eight persons (8.42%) graduated in other fields of study.

In terms of employment status, 20 of participants (2.10%) were official crew members, whereas 54 participants (56.84%) had been employed in contracting basis, 11 of participants (11.57%) employed in contractual basis, whereas 10 participants (10.52%) had been employed as corporate manpower.

It should be noted that 60 participants (63.15%) were employed in urban emergency bases while 35 of them (36.84%) had been employed in road emergency centers.

Before intervention, mean and standard deviation of decision-making scores in experimental and control groups stood at (12.85 ± 2.57) and (11.79 ± 2.12), respectively, while total score of critical thinking in test and control groups stood at (10.42 ± 1.85) and (10.61 ± 2.12), respectively.

Given the above issue, independent t -test did not show a significant statistical difference between these means. Furthermore, Chi–square statistical test showed that there is not any significant difference between two groups of “experimental” and “control” statistically in terms of demographic variables. None of the groups, that is, “experimental” and “control” showed experience of participating in the following classes such as “yoga,” “problem solving,” “emotional intelligence,” and “stress control and management.”

The average decision-making score in whole samples before intervention stood at 11.84 ± 1.38 while critical thinking score stood at 11.03 ± 1.09, the rate of which is not acceptable.

The mean decision-making score before intervention showed no a significant difference between the two groups statistically ( P > 0.05), but the mean between two groups showed the significant difference after intervention ( P < 0.05) [ Table 1 ]. The mean score of critical thinking did not show any significant difference between the two groups before the intervention ( P > 0.05), but this mean showed a significant difference between the two groups after intervention ( P < 0.05) [ Table 2 ].

Comparing mean change of decision-making skill score before and after intervention

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJCIIS-6-182-g001.jpg

Comparing mean change of critical thinking scores’ difference before and after intervention

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJCIIS-6-182-g002.jpg

Tables ​ Tables3 3 and ​ and4 4 indicate that mean decision-making and critical thinking scores before and after intervention in “experimental” group showed a significant difference ( P < 0.05) and has increased, but it did not show any significant difference in “control” group ( P > 0.05).

Comparing mean difference of decision-making skill scores before and after intervention

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJCIIS-6-182-g003.jpg

Comparing mean difference of critical thinking scores before and after intervention

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJCIIS-6-182-g004.jpg

Any significant relationship was not observed between demographic variables with critical thinking and decision-making power ( P > 0.05).

The results of this study show the weakness of decision-making and critical thinking skill in personnel of medical emergencies and an increase of this skill with training problem-solving skill. Unfortunately, a study has not thus far been conducted with regard to the determination of decision-making skill among personnel of medical emergencies.

In a study which was conducted by Gunnarsson and Stomberg in Sweden, he examined factors affecting decision making among EMS personnel in emergency centers. In his study, he reported that various factors affect decision-making power of these personnel which includes as follows: Factors related to patient, factors related to the environment, factors related to colleagues, factors related to patients’ privacy issues, performance of team leader, staff technical know–how and knowledge and moral contradictions, etc.[ 28 ] It should be noted that these issues make decision making very difficult for these people and sometimes, would lead to unsuccessful decisions.[ 26 ]

In a study conducted by Franklin et al ., they examined the way of decision-making among staff of medical emergency and reported that method of staff's decision-making has high relationship with the mental processes, cognitive abilities, degree of sensitiveness of decision, power of cognition (judgment), solving problem, and organizational situation of their workplace. Therefore, quality decision-making training courses should be organized at higher levels by adopting better decisions. Hence, to make better decision, staff must make an educated decision at higher levels, and education in healthcare environment merely should go step further. Generally speaking, high–level training courses should be disseminated in this regard.[ 29 ]

Furthermore, results of study conducted by Dy and Purnell showed that a variety of factors effect on the complexity of decision-making process among personnel in healthcare and treatment system, the most important of which include as follows: ability and talent of individuals, level of culture, ability of patient, level of knowledge and information, method of establishing relationship, ability of solving problem, etc. To adopt the best decision, personnel should strengthen and improve the aforesaid skills among themselves.[ 30 ]

Pitt et al . also reported that promoting critical thinking skills can increase professional competency and qualifications of nurses to a great extent, the issue of which as of paramount importance for personnel working in special emergency wards.[ 31 ]

Thaiposri and Wannapiroon also studied the impact of conceptual methods in promoting critical thinking skill and enumerated problem-solving method as one of methods of strengthening and improving critical thinking skill which is a solid evidence of the said claim.[ 32 ]

Popil also showed that the critical thinking skill can be promoted using challenge methods such as case study.[ 9 ] The results a study conducted by Roberts et al . and Heidari and Ebrahimi emphasizing on decision-making skill, confirm these results.[ 33 , 34 ]

With due observance to the results of this study and given the significance which is considered for empowering associate's degree personnel of medical emergencies in terms of problem-solving skills, it can be concluded that these skills are weak among them. Hence, to attain the best decisions, providers should receive on-the-job training to foster strong problem-solving and decision-making skills that can be utilized in the field and on the front lines of Iranian emergency medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Finally, despite the significance of decision making and its influence on the way of managing and caring victims, the results of studies conducted in Iran show the insufficient skill of personnel in decision-making and critical thinking process.

Considering the job sensitivity of staff working in medical emergencies and significance of decision-making power and ability of critical thinking in them, it can be said that giant stride can be taken in line with promoting scientific and job level of associate's degree personnel working in medical emergencies.

In general, status of this scientific course can be promoted to a great extent. Considering that this study has been conducted among students in medical emergencies, generalization of results of this study to other students is impossible, so that this study is recommended to be conducted in other academic courses with high number of students.

In other words, results of this study cannot be generalized to other students. For this reason, this study is recommended to be conducted for students of other academic courses.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

The Economic Times

The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Problem-solving and decision-making: skills every leader must have.

Whatsapp Follow Channel

While there are many qualities that go into creating an effective leader, problem-solving and decision-making stand out as key components. An organization, team, or project's success can be determined by a leader's capacity to overcome obstacles and make wise decisions. We will discuss the importance of these abilities in this post, as well as how leaders can develop them to succeed in their positions.

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Skills Every Leader Must Have

Top professional courses on Leadership

The significance of problem-solving, the art of decision-making, developing problem-solving and decision-making skills.

  • Leadership Ethics: Building Trust and Integrity in the Workplace
  • The Psychology of Leadership: Understanding the Minds of Great Leaders
  • Conflict Resolution in Leadership: Turning Challenges into Opportunities
  • The Psychology of Leadership and Its Influence on Employee Behavior
  • Influence Without Authority: Nurturing Persuasive Leadership Skills

Read More News on

PM Suryoday Yojana: Discoms are casting a shadow on Modi’s ambitious solar-rooft:Image

PM Suryoday Yojana: Discoms are casting a shadow on Modi’s ambitious solar-rooftop scheme. Here's why.

The Jimny debacle: What went wrong with Maruti’s Mahindra Thar rival:Image

The Jimny debacle: What went wrong with Maruti’s Mahindra Thar rival

SpiceJet’s Hobson’s choice: Wield the axe or fall deeper into trouble:Image

SpiceJet’s Hobson’s choice: Wield the axe or fall deeper into trouble

An army of 12,000 medical reps: How Rajeev Juneja flexed Mankind to the pharma t:Image

An army of 12,000 medical reps: How Rajeev Juneja flexed Mankind to the pharma top order

Cloudtail sale to Amazon: This is how much Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty made:Image

Cloudtail sale to Amazon: This is how much Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty made

There is more to BFSI than just banks: Financial services stocks with “Buy” rati:Image

There is more to BFSI than just banks: Financial services stocks with “Buy” rating which may deliver 12-30% returns

The Economic Times

Find this comment offensive?

Choose your reason below and click on the Report button. This will alert our moderators to take action

Reason for reporting:

Your Reason has been Reported to the admin.

avatar

To post this comment you must

Log In/Connect with:

Fill in your details:

Will be displayed

Will not be displayed

Share this Comment:

Uh-oh this is an exclusive story available for selected readers only..

Worry not. You’re just a step away.

decision making and problem solving competency

Prime Account Detected!

It seems like you're already an ETPrime member with

Login using your ET Prime credentials to enjoy all member benefits

Log out of your current logged-in account and log in again using your ET Prime credentials to enjoy all member benefits.

To read full story, subscribe to ET Prime

₹34 per week

Billed annually at ₹2499 ₹1749

Super Saver Sale - Flat 30% Off

On ET Prime Membership

decision making and problem solving competency

Sign in to read the full article

You’ve got this prime story as a free gift.

decision making and problem solving competency

Subscribe Now

(Credit card mandatory)

You can cancel your subscription anytime

(Pay Using Netbanking/UPI/Debit Card)

₹399 /month

Monthly PLAN

Billed Amount ₹399

No Trial Period

₹208 /month

Yearly PLAN

Billed Amount ₹2,499

15 Days Trial + Includes DocuBay and TimesPrime Membership.

₹150 /month

2-Year PLAN

Billed Amount ₹3,599

7 Days Trial

(Save 40.0%)

15 Days Trial

Get ET Prime for just ₹2499 ₹1749/yr

Offer Exclusively For You

Save up to Rs. 700/-

ON ET PRIME MEMBERSHIP

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Get Flat 40% Off

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

ET Prime at ₹ 49 for 1 month

Steal Deal on ETPrime

Get Flat 20% Off

To Read the full Story, Subscribe to ET Prime

Access the exclusive Economic Times stories, Editorial and Expert opinion

Unlock this story and enjoy all members-only benefits.

  • 8 insight-rich stories published daily
  • 4000+ in-depth Stock Reports
  • Print Edition, the digital Newspaper
  • 2 Stock Researches everyday

90 Days Prime access worth Rs999 unlocked for you

decision making and problem solving competency

Exclusive Economic Times Stories, Editorials & Expert opinion across 20+ sectors

Stock analysis. Market Research. Industry Trends on 4000+ Stocks

​Get 1 Year Complimentary Subscription of TOI+ worth Rs.799/-​

Stories you might be interested in

Cart

  • SUGGESTED TOPICS
  • The Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Managing Yourself
  • Managing Teams
  • Work-life Balance
  • The Big Idea
  • Data & Visuals
  • Reading Lists
  • Case Selections
  • HBR Learning
  • Topic Feeds
  • Account Settings
  • Email Preferences

The Elements of Good Judgment

  • Sir Andrew Likierman

decision making and problem solving competency

Judgment—the ability to combine personal qualities with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and make decisions—is “the core of exemplary leadership,” according to Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis (the authors of Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls ). It is what enables a sound choice in the absence of clear-cut, relevant data or an obvious path. Likierman believes that a more precise understanding of what exactly gives someone good judgment may make it possible for people to learn and improve on it. He approached CEOs at a range of companies, from some of the world’s largest right down to start-ups, along with leaders in the professions: senior partners at law and accountancy firms, generals, doctors, scientists, priests, and diplomats. He asked them to share their observations of their own and other people’s exercise of judgment so that he could identify the skills and behaviors that collectively create the conditions for fresh insights and enable decision makers to discern patterns that others miss. As a result, he has identified six key elements that collectively constitute good judgment: learning, trust, experience, detachment, options, and delivery. He describes these elements and offers suggestions for improvement in each one.

How to improve your decision-making

Idea in Brief

The objective.

A manager’s core function is to exercise judgment—to form views and interpret ambiguous evidence in a way that will lead to a good decision.

The Challenge

We have no clear framework for learning good judgment or recognizing it in others. To evaluate a leader’s judgment, we often rely on his or her track record, which can be misleading.

The Solution

This article identifies six components that contribute to good judgment: learning, trust, experience, detachment, options, and delivery. By working on each, leaders can improve their ability to make sense of an ambiguous situation.

A decision must be made. The facts have been assembled, and the arguments for and against the options spelled out, but no clear evidence supports any particular one. Now people around the table turn to the CEO. What they’re looking for is good judgment—an interpretation of the evidence that points to the right choice.

  • SL Sir Andrew Likierman is a professor at London Business School and a director of Times Newspapers and the Beazley Group, both also in London. He has served as dean at LBS and is a former director of the Bank of England.

decision making and problem solving competency

Partner Center

Career Sidekick

Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

26 Good Examples of Problem Solving (Interview Answers)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 15, 2023

Employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure. A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers will be more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical in your approach.

But how do they measure this?

They’re going to ask you interview questions about these problem solving skills, and they might also look for examples of problem solving on your resume and cover letter. So coming up, I’m going to share a list of examples of problem solving, whether you’re an experienced job seeker or recent graduate.

Then I’ll share sample interview answers to, “Give an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem?”

Problem-Solving Defined

It is the ability to identify the problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation. 

Problem-solving also involves critical thinking, communication, listening, creativity, research, data gathering, risk assessment, continuous learning, decision-making, and other soft and technical skills.

Solving problems not only prevent losses or damages but also boosts self-confidence and reputation when you successfully execute it. The spotlight shines on you when people see you handle issues with ease and savvy despite the challenges. Your ability and potential to be a future leader that can take on more significant roles and tackle bigger setbacks shine through. Problem-solving is a skill you can master by learning from others and acquiring wisdom from their and your own experiences. 

It takes a village to come up with solutions, but a good problem solver can steer the team towards the best choice and implement it to achieve the desired result.

Watch: 26 Good Examples of Problem Solving

Examples of problem solving scenarios in the workplace.

  • Correcting a mistake at work, whether it was made by you or someone else
  • Overcoming a delay at work through problem solving and communication
  • Resolving an issue with a difficult or upset customer
  • Overcoming issues related to a limited budget, and still delivering good work through the use of creative problem solving
  • Overcoming a scheduling/staffing shortage in the department to still deliver excellent work
  • Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues
  • Handling and resolving a conflict with a coworker
  • Solving any problems related to money, customer billing, accounting and bookkeeping, etc.
  • Taking initiative when another team member overlooked or missed something important
  • Taking initiative to meet with your superior to discuss a problem before it became potentially worse
  • Solving a safety issue at work or reporting the issue to those who could solve it
  • Using problem solving abilities to reduce/eliminate a company expense
  • Finding a way to make the company more profitable through new service or product offerings, new pricing ideas, promotion and sale ideas, etc.
  • Changing how a process, team, or task is organized to make it more efficient
  • Using creative thinking to come up with a solution that the company hasn’t used before
  • Performing research to collect data and information to find a new solution to a problem
  • Boosting a company or team’s performance by improving some aspect of communication among employees
  • Finding a new piece of data that can guide a company’s decisions or strategy better in a certain area

Problem Solving Examples for Recent Grads/Entry Level Job Seekers

  • Coordinating work between team members in a class project
  • Reassigning a missing team member’s work to other group members in a class project
  • Adjusting your workflow on a project to accommodate a tight deadline
  • Speaking to your professor to get help when you were struggling or unsure about a project
  • Asking classmates, peers, or professors for help in an area of struggle
  • Talking to your academic advisor to brainstorm solutions to a problem you were facing
  • Researching solutions to an academic problem online, via Google or other methods
  • Using problem solving and creative thinking to obtain an internship or other work opportunity during school after struggling at first

You can share all of the examples above when you’re asked questions about problem solving in your interview. As you can see, even if you have no professional work experience, it’s possible to think back to problems and unexpected challenges that you faced in your studies and discuss how you solved them.

Interview Answers to “Give an Example of an Occasion When You Used Logic to Solve a Problem”

Now, let’s look at some sample interview answers to, “Give me an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem,” since you’re likely to hear this interview question in all sorts of industries.

Example Answer 1:

At my current job, I recently solved a problem where a client was upset about our software pricing. They had misunderstood the sales representative who explained pricing originally, and when their package renewed for its second month, they called to complain about the invoice. I apologized for the confusion and then spoke to our billing team to see what type of solution we could come up with. We decided that the best course of action was to offer a long-term pricing package that would provide a discount. This not only solved the problem but got the customer to agree to a longer-term contract, which means we’ll keep their business for at least one year now, and they’re happy with the pricing. I feel I got the best possible outcome and the way I chose to solve the problem was effective.

Example Answer 2:

In my last job, I had to do quite a bit of problem solving related to our shift scheduling. We had four people quit within a week and the department was severely understaffed. I coordinated a ramp-up of our hiring efforts, I got approval from the department head to offer bonuses for overtime work, and then I found eight employees who were willing to do overtime this month. I think the key problem solving skills here were taking initiative, communicating clearly, and reacting quickly to solve this problem before it became an even bigger issue.

Example Answer 3:

In my current marketing role, my manager asked me to come up with a solution to our declining social media engagement. I assessed our current strategy and recent results, analyzed what some of our top competitors were doing, and then came up with an exact blueprint we could follow this year to emulate our best competitors but also stand out and develop a unique voice as a brand. I feel this is a good example of using logic to solve a problem because it was based on analysis and observation of competitors, rather than guessing or quickly reacting to the situation without reliable data. I always use logic and data to solve problems when possible. The project turned out to be a success and we increased our social media engagement by an average of 82% by the end of the year.

Answering Questions About Problem Solving with the STAR Method

When you answer interview questions about problem solving scenarios, or if you decide to demonstrate your problem solving skills in a cover letter (which is a good idea any time the job description mention problem solving as a necessary skill), I recommend using the STAR method to tell your story.

STAR stands for:

It’s a simple way of walking the listener or reader through the story in a way that will make sense to them. So before jumping in and talking about the problem that needed solving, make sure to describe the general situation. What job/company were you working at? When was this? Then, you can describe the task at hand and the problem that needed solving. After this, describe the course of action you chose and why. Ideally, show that you evaluated all the information you could given the time you had, and made a decision based on logic and fact.

Finally, describe a positive result you got.

Whether you’re answering interview questions about problem solving or writing a cover letter, you should only choose examples where you got a positive result and successfully solved the issue.

Example answer:

Situation : We had an irate client who was a social media influencer and had impossible delivery time demands we could not meet. She spoke negatively about us in her vlog and asked her followers to boycott our products. (Task : To develop an official statement to explain our company’s side, clarify the issue, and prevent it from getting out of hand). Action : I drafted a statement that balanced empathy, understanding, and utmost customer service with facts, logic, and fairness. It was direct, simple, succinct, and phrased to highlight our brand values while addressing the issue in a logical yet sensitive way.   We also tapped our influencer partners to subtly and indirectly share their positive experiences with our brand so we could counter the negative content being shared online.  Result : We got the results we worked for through proper communication and a positive and strategic campaign. The irate client agreed to have a dialogue with us. She apologized to us, and we reaffirmed our commitment to delivering quality service to all. We assured her that she can reach out to us anytime regarding her purchases and that we’d gladly accommodate her requests whenever possible. She also retracted her negative statements in her vlog and urged her followers to keep supporting our brand.

What Are Good Outcomes of Problem Solving?

Whenever you answer interview questions about problem solving or share examples of problem solving in a cover letter, you want to be sure you’re sharing a positive outcome.

Below are good outcomes of problem solving:

  • Saving the company time or money
  • Making the company money
  • Pleasing/keeping a customer
  • Obtaining new customers
  • Solving a safety issue
  • Solving a staffing/scheduling issue
  • Solving a logistical issue
  • Solving a company hiring issue
  • Solving a technical/software issue
  • Making a process more efficient and faster for the company
  • Creating a new business process to make the company more profitable
  • Improving the company’s brand/image/reputation
  • Getting the company positive reviews from customers/clients

Every employer wants to make more money, save money, and save time. If you can assess your problem solving experience and think about how you’ve helped past employers in those three areas, then that’s a great start. That’s where I recommend you begin looking for stories of times you had to solve problems.

Tips to Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

Throughout your career, you’re going to get hired for better jobs and earn more money if you can show employers that you’re a problem solver. So to improve your problem solving skills, I recommend always analyzing a problem and situation before acting. When discussing problem solving with employers, you never want to sound like you rush or make impulsive decisions. They want to see fact-based or data-based decisions when you solve problems.

Next, to get better at solving problems, analyze the outcomes of past solutions you came up with. You can recognize what works and what doesn’t. Think about how you can get better at researching and analyzing a situation, but also how you can get better at communicating, deciding the right people in the organization to talk to and “pull in” to help you if needed, etc.

Finally, practice staying calm even in stressful situations. Take a few minutes to walk outside if needed. Step away from your phone and computer to clear your head. A work problem is rarely so urgent that you cannot take five minutes to think (with the possible exception of safety problems), and you’ll get better outcomes if you solve problems by acting logically instead of rushing to react in a panic.

You can use all of the ideas above to describe your problem solving skills when asked interview questions about the topic. If you say that you do the things above, employers will be impressed when they assess your problem solving ability.

If you practice the tips above, you’ll be ready to share detailed, impressive stories and problem solving examples that will make hiring managers want to offer you the job. Every employer appreciates a problem solver, whether solving problems is a requirement listed on the job description or not. And you never know which hiring manager or interviewer will ask you about a time you solved a problem, so you should always be ready to discuss this when applying for a job.

Related interview questions & answers:

  • How do you handle stress?
  • How do you handle conflict?
  • Tell me about a time when you failed

Biron Clark

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

Continue Reading

15 Most Common Pharmacist Interview Questions and Answers

15 most common paralegal interview questions and answers, top 30+ funny interview questions and answers, 60 hardest interview questions and answers, 100+ best ice breaker questions to ask candidates, top 20 situational interview questions (& sample answers), 15 most common physical therapist interview questions and answers, 15 most common project manager interview questions and answers, create a professional resume for free.

No-sign up or payment required.

How to Think Differently: 7 Easy Steps to Master Mental Models, Critical Thinking, Decision Making & Problem Solving

Publisher description.

Do you wish you could think differently and develop better problem-solving skills for those crucial moments when you need it most? The ability to think differently is one of the most valuable assets any individual could possess, yet it remains one of our most underdeveloped abilities. If you are ready to be that one person who sees the world from a different perspective, this easy to follow 7-step solution to master mental models to make better decisions is the essential guide you need. YOU WILL LEARN: • How to become the master of your choices. • How to develop your critical thinking abilities. • How to think logically and reasonably. • How to learn to see the bigger picture. • How to become a master strategist by thinking like one. • Understanding the abundance and scarcity mindset. • Why reflection before action matters. 7-Steps is all you need to start bringing about a shift in your mindset for the better. Begin your journey now!

IMAGES

  1. Master Your Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills

    decision making and problem solving competency

  2. Problem Solving Decision Making

    decision making and problem solving competency

  3. Guidelines to Problem Solving and Decision Making

    decision making and problem solving competency

  4. Problem-Solving and Decision Making

    decision making and problem solving competency

  5. Problem-solving and Decision-making

    decision making and problem solving competency

  6. Problem Finding, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Critical Skills

    decision making and problem solving competency

VIDEO

  1. 03 Decision Making

  2. Pareto Analysis

  3. Mastering the Seven New Management and Planning Tools

  4. CHAPTER (4) Decision Making Techniques (Tools). Theoretical part

  5. 1F DECISION MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES

  6. Difference between Problem Solving and Decision Making

COMMENTS

  1. Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: What's the Difference?

    Jamie Birt Updated December 22, 2022 Problem-solving and decision-making are two similar, yet distinct, skills that employers from varying industries search for in candidates. Knowing how to approach and resolve situations in the workplace are skills that can add to your value as an employee and potentially increase your chances of securing a job.

  2. Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

    A Decision-Making Framework This page sets out one possible framework for decision-making. The framework described is quite extensive, and may seem quite formal. But it is also a helpful process to run through in a briefer form, for smaller problems, as it will help you to make sure that you really do have all the information that you need.

  3. The 7 steps of Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making

    ‍ The 7 steps of Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making A vital hurdle every leader must overcome is to avoid the impulsive urge to make quick decisions. Often when confronted with a problem, leaders or managers fall back in past behaviours.

  4. 7 Problem-Solving Skills That Can Help You Be a More ...

    1. Analysis As a manager, you'll solve each problem by assessing the situation first. Then, you'll use analytical skills to distinguish between ineffective and effective solutions. 2. Communication Effective communication plays a significant role in problem-solving, particularly when others are involved.

  5. Problem solving and decision making

    The ability to resolve problems, to think logically or laterally, to use ingenuity to overcome difficulties and to research and implement solutions. These are important skills which recruiters look for.

  6. How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly

    Summary. As a new leader, learning to make good decisions without hesitation and procrastination is a capability that can set you apart from your peers. While others vacillate on tricky choices,...

  7. Decision making and problem solving

    Decision making and problem solving Magazine Article. Andrew McAfee. Erik Brynjolfsson. Exploiting vast new flows of information can radically improve your company's performance. But first you ...

  8. Effective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

    There are 4 modules in this course. Problem-solving and effective decision-making are essential skills in today's fast-paced and ever-changing workplace. Both require a systematic yet creative approach to address today's business concerns. This course will teach an overarching process of how to identify problems to generate potential ...

  9. Tips And Techniques For Problem-Solving And Decision-Making

    There are two main approaches to problem-solving and decision-making: vertical thinking and horizontal thinking. Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses, so understanding the differences ...

  10. PDF PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING competency

    PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING competency Problem Solving and Decision Making Efective performers are able to identify problems, solve them, act decisively and show good judgment. They isolate causes from symptoms, and compile information and alternatives to illuminate problems or issues.

  11. Why Problem-Solving Skills Are Essential for Leaders

    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.

  12. 3 Ways to Improve Your Decision Making

    First, be less certain. We're all more confident about each step of the decision-making process than we ought to be. What else would you think about if you were less sure that A would cause B, or...

  13. Decision Making Skills: Definition & Best Competency Examples

    Step 1: Identifying the problem, opportunity or challenge. Step 2: Developing a set of potential responses or viable solutions. Step 3: Evaluating the benefits and any associated costs with the implementation of each solution. Step 4: Selecting the most suitable solution or response to address the issue.

  14. Decision-making and Problem-solving

    A 5-Step Problem-Solving Strategy. Specify the problem - a first step to solving a problem is to identify it as specifically as possible. It involves evaluating the present state and determining how it differs from the goal state. Analyze the problem - analyzing the problem involves learning as much as you can about it.

  15. Clinical Reasoning, Decisionmaking, and Action: Thinking Critically and

    Learning to provide safe and quality health care requires technical expertise, the ability to think critically, experience, and clinical judgment. The high-performance expectation of nurses is dependent upon the nurses' continual learning, professional accountability, independent and interdependent decisionmaking, and creative problem-solving abilities.

  16. 4. Assessing complex problem-solving skills through the lens of

    Assessing complex problem-solving skills through the lens of decision making by Carl Wieman, Argenta Price. Introduction: Scientific problem solving as a core competency ... It also presents a template for assessment designs that allow for the observation of specific decision-making processes and that address assessment design issues including ...

  17. Effect of training problem-solving skill on decision-making and

    INTRODUCTION. Having strong coping skills to reduce stress and satisfaction on the decision-making process to be creative and also having problem-solving skill is necessary in life.[] In this way, learning should be defined "meaningful" and problem-solving skill is one of these ways.[]Unfortunately, traditional teaching method in universities transfers a mixture of information and concepts ...

  18. Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Skills Every Leader Must Have

    While there are many qualities that go into creating an effective leader, problem-solving and decision-making stand out as key components. An organization, team, or project's success can be determined by a leader's capacity to overcome obstacles and make wise decisions. We will discuss the importance of these abilities in this post, as well as how leaders can develop them to succeed in their ...

  19. Assessing Critical Thinking in Higher Education: Current State and

    Critical thinking is one of the most frequently discussed higher order skills, believed to play a central role in logical thinking, decision making, and problem solving (Butler, 2012; Halpern, 2003).It is also a highly contentious skill in that researchers debate about its definition; its amenability to assessment; its degree of generality or specificity; and the evidence of its practical ...

  20. The Elements of Good Judgment

    Judgment—the ability to combine personal qualities with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and make decisions—is "the core of exemplary leadership," according to Noel Tichy and...

  21. 26 Good Examples of Problem Solving (Interview Answers)

    It is the ability to identify the problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation.

  22. 7 Power Skills That Are in Demand in 2024 and How You Can ...

    Read more: 7 Problem-Solving Skills That Can Help You Be a More Successful Manager. 6. Collaboration and teamwork. ... You also can assign employees to new projects they may be unfamiliar with so they can practice skills like problem-solving and decision-making.

  23. PDF Yurtseven, R., Akkaş Baysal E., Ocak, G. (2021). Analysis of the ...

    As a result, it is seen that students' decision making skills affects problem solving skills moderately and positively. Keywords: problem solving skills, decision making skills, primary school students, relational survey 1. Introduction Problem solving and decision making are critically important skills for an effective

  24. ‎How to Think Differently: 7 Easy Steps to Master Mental Models

    How to Think Differently: 7 Easy Steps to Master Mental Models, Critical Thinking, Decision Making & Problem Solving. Troye Bates. $1.99; Listen $1.99; Listen Publisher Description. Do you wish you could think differently and develop better problem-solving skills for those crucial moments when you need it most?

  25. Dps Jaipur on Instagram: "Orientation for SkillSphere Programs "The

    152 likes, 0 comments - dps_jaipur_official on February 25, 2024: "Orientation for SkillSphere Programs "The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn i..."