SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS 3.5: The Thinking Model

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS

(SHORT NOTES FROM PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

Problem-Solving Approaches at http://www.mindtools.com)

Hurson's Productive Thinking Model

Solving Problems Creatively

Be creative at every stage of the problem-solving process.

Creativity is incredibly important in problem-solving.

Hurson's Productive Thinking Model helps you do this.  This framework encourages you to use creativity and critical thinking at each stage of the problem-solving process.  This means that you get a better understanding of the problems you face, and you come up with better ideas and solutions.

About the Model

The Productive Thinking Model was developed by author and creativity theorist, Tim Hurson, and was published in his 2007 book, "Think Better."  The model presents a structured framework for solving problems creatively.

The model consists of six steps, as follows:

    Ask "What is going on?"

    Ask "What is success?"

    Ask "What is the question?"

    Generate answers.

    Forge the solution.

    Align resources.

(From "Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking" by Tim Hurson. © 2008. Reproduced with permission from The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.)

The advantage of this model over other problem-solving approaches (like Simplex or Plan-Do-Check-Act) is that it encourages you to use creative and critical thinking skills at each stage of the problem-solving process.  This means that you can take a well-rounded look at a problem, and you can come up with better potential solutions.

Step 1: Ask "What is Going On?"

First, you need to get a good understanding of the problem that you want to deal with.  This is often the most involved part of the process.  To do this, explore the following four questions:

a. What is the Problem?

First, brainstorm all of the problems and issues – a tool such as CATWOE  will help.

List as many issues as possible, even if you already have a good idea of what your main problem is.

Then, use an Affinity Diagram to organize the issues:

·       identified into common themes, and

·       identify the most important problem or group of problems to deal with.

o   use techniques like Pareto Analysis or Paired Comparison Analysis to decide.

b. What is the Impact?

Next, brainstorm how the problem impacts you and your organization, and how it affects other stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and competitors.

Make a list of all of your stakeholders, and identify the positive and negative impact that the problem has on each of them.

Role storming is also useful here, as it helps you look at problems from other people's perspectives.

c. What is the Information?

Now, gather information about the problem.  Make sure that you have evidence that the problem really does exist.

It helps to use tools such as

·       Cause and Effect Analysis,

·       Root Cause Analysis, and

·       Interrelationship Diagrams

to identify the actual causes of your problem.

d. What is the Vision?

Finally in this step, identify your vision for the future once you've solved the problem – Hurson calls this the "Target Future."

Begin by writing down as many Target Futures as possible, and then narrow these down to something that is achievable and that is important to you.

Step 2: Ask "What is Success?"

In this step, develop your Target Future by defining what success is once you've implemented a solution to your problem.  A good way to do this is to use the "DRIVE" acronym.  This stands for:

    Do                                What do you want the solution to do?

    Restrictions                  What must the solution not do?

    Investment                  What resources are available?

What are you able to invest in a solution?

How much time do you have?

    Values                          What values must this solution respect?

    Essential outcomes       What defines success?

How will you measure this?

Step 3: Ask "What is the Question?"

The aim in this step is to generate a list of questions that, if answered well, will solve your problem.

• To do this, look at all of the information that you gathered in the first two steps.
• Then brainstorm the questions that you will need to answer to achieve your Target Future.

If you generate a long list of questions, narrow these down to the questions that are most relevant for solving your problem.

Step 4: Generate Answers

In this step, you generate solutions to your problem by coming up with answers to the questions that you developed in the previous step.

Again, brainstorm as many possible solutions as possible, and don't criticize – just concentrate on coming up with lots of ideas. If you're struggling to come up with solutions, use techniques like

• Reverse Brainstorming,
• Random Input, and
• Provocation.

Step 5: Forge the Solution

You're now going to develop your ideas into a fully formed solution.

1. Evaluate the most promising ideas by comparing them with the success criteria that you identified in step 2. Pick the solution that best meets those criteria. (Decision Matrix Analysis is helpful here.)

2. Then develop your best idea further. What else could make this idea better? How could you refine the solution to fit your success criteria better?

3. If you're working on a complex problem or project, don't underestimate the effort needed to develop and refine your solution.

Step 6: Align Resources

In this last step, you identify the people and other resources that you need in order to implement your solution.

For small projects, Action Plans  are useful for this. However, if you're implementing a large-scale project, you'll need to use a more formal project management approach.

Tip:  At this point, you may still decide not to move ahead with your solution.

Key Points

1. Tim Hurson developed the Productive Thinking Model and published it in his 2007 book "Think Better." The model provides a structured approach for solving problems creatively.

2. There are six steps in the model:

    Ask "What is going on?"

    Ask "What is success?"

    Ask "What is the question?"

    Generate answers.

    Forge the solution.

    Align resources.

3. The advantage of the model is that it encourages you to use creative and critical thinking skills at each step of the problem-solving process. This means that you can take a well-rounded look at a problem, and you can come up with better solutions.

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS 3.4: The Straw Man Concept

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS

(SHORT NOTES FROM PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

Problem-Solving Approaches at http://www.mindtools.com)

The Straw Man Concept

Build it Up, Knock it Down, and Create a Solid Final Solution

A straw man is a rough prototype.  If you build something out of straw, you expect it to collapse or be blown away in the long run!  A straw man proposal similarly lacks solid foundation, and it too may be blown away under scrutiny.

So is a straw man proposal to be avoided?

A "straw man" can be very useful, as long as people know that what stands before them is indeed a straw man.  When beginning a project or start looking into a problem, you often have incomplete information to work with.  So you can spend time gathering facts and data until you are ready to build a really strong argument or plan, or, you can get going straight away and jump in with a not-so-complete solution, with the intention of finding a much better one, as you learn more and more.

That's the premise behind building a straw man – creating a first draft for criticism and testing, and then using the feedback you receive to develop a final outcome that is rock solid.

In a culture that values being right, the notion of constructing a straw man is difficult to embrace.  If you can get past this perception you will be surprised at how useful the technique can be.  One of its main advantages is that it forces you to do something.  Taking too long to deliberate the merits of an idea or hypothesis can be costly, as you risk never making a decision at all.  With a straw man, you force an early, if incomplete, decision.  This ensures that a final decision will be reached because doing nothing means accepting a poor plan by default.

Tip:  Be very careful when you're using a Straw Man approach that people understand           what you're doing:  The last thing you want is to develop a reputation for "coming           up with half-baked ideas."  Make sure that your document is clearly labelled as               such, and that the people receive it understand what it is.

For this reason, you may only want to use this approach when you can control the paper's circulation and manage the way it is received.

A straw man is also useful in ensuring that everyone involved has a tangible concept to work from.  Otherwise, there is a risk that people are working with different pieces of the whole, different perceptions, and different, unstated assumptions, as they continue to research and discuss aspects of the idea or solution.

The risk of using a straw man proposal is that, by definition, you are jumping to conclusions.  Providing you are aware of this risk, you'll challenge, test, and retest the real solution and so use "jumping to a conclusion" as a vehicle to find a better conclusion.

Technique for checking your solution and assumptions

1. The Ladder of Inference. Use it to make sure that your final assumptions are valid, rather than "straw man" assumptions that won't stand up to the reality of your working solution.

2. Impact Analysis.  Look at the consequences of the proposed action, you are able to see the weak points and create a better plan.

Key Points

A straw man is a prototype solution to a problem, built on incomplete information and on ideas that have not been fully thought through.  Even in this rough state, though, it helps ensure everyone involved has a common understanding of the initial concept.

The point of building the straw man is to knock it down and rebuild something much better.  How you do that will depend on circumstances, and on the resources available to you. It is a good place to start, and it is often the push you need to get past decision-making paralysis, which plagues many projects, problems and decisions. By putting together a straw man, you take action and gain momentum to get moving towards a winning solution.

Don't be afraid to throw your ideas out there. Do be prepared, however, to use well developed problem solving and decision making skills and techniques to fine-tune your man made of straw into a strong and resilient creature, capable of withstanding the many pressure that real life will subject him to.

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS 3.3: Look At What's Going Right

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS

(SHORT NOTES FROM PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

Problem-Solving Approaches at http://www.mindtools.com)

Appreciative Inquiry

Solving Problems by Looking at What's Going Right

Focus on the things that aren't working, and think about how you can fix them. This is the conventional approach to problem-solving.  Another approach is to shift to a positive perspective, look at the things that are working, and build on them. In some situations this can be very powerful because, by focusing on positives, you can build the unique strengths which bring real success.

This is the premise behind "Appreciative Inquiry", a method of problem solving that was pioneered by David Cooperrider of Case Western Reserve University in the mid 1980s.  To understand the basis of Appreciative Inquiry it is useful to look at the meaning of the two words in context.

    Appreciation means to recognize and value the contributions or attributes of things                               and people around us.

    Inquiry means to explore and discover, in the spirit of seeking to better understand,                     and being open to new possibilities.

When combined, this means that by appreciating what is good and valuable in the present situation, we can discover and learn about ways to effect positive change for the future.

Using Appreciative Inquiry: The 5D Approach

To apply Appreciative Inquiry to a problem solving situation, it's important to focus on positives. A positive energy approach helps you build on your strengths, just as conventional problem-solving can help you manage or eliminate your weaknesses.

The first step of the process is to identify and describe the problem you're trying to solve. From there you go on to look at the issue in four phases: Discovery, Dream, Design and Deliver. This approach is described in the 5 steps below.

Tip 1:  Appreciative Inquiry is often explained using four Ds: "Discovery", "Dream",                    "Design" and "Deliver"/"Destiny". We like to put a fifth D ("Define") in as the                    first step.

Step 1. "Define" the Problem

Before you can analyze a situation, you need to define what it is you are looking at.

And, just as the decision to look at the positives will move you in a positive direction, defining the topic positively will help you look at its positive aspects.  So, rather than seeking "Ways to Fix Recruitment Problems", for example, choose "Ways to Accelerate Recruitment." This subtle change in wording can have huge implications for what is focus on.

Also, make sure that the topic does not unduly constrain you: explore as many possibilities and avenues for change.

Step 2. "Discovery" Phase

Look for the best of what has happened in the past, and what is currently working well. Involve as many people as sensibly possible, and design questions to get people talking and telling stories about what they find is most valuable (or appreciated), and what works particularly well.

Another approach to solving this problem could be to look at the different approaches  used to recruit people, and identify the ones that bring the greatest volume of good recruits.

When enough raw information is gathered, you need to analyze the data and identify the factors that most contributed to the team or organization's past successes. What is most valued? What did people find most motivating or fun? What instills the greatest pride? And so on.

Step 3. "Dream" Phase

You and your team dream of "what might be". Think about how to take the positives you identified in the Discovery phase, and reinforce them to build real strengths.

A useful approach is to bring a diverse group of stakeholders together and

brainstorm creative and innovative ideas of what the organization and team could accomplish.

You might choose to enhance and build the good points that everyone likes about the organization, and use this as a strong message to attract potential candidates during the recruitment process. You may also stop doing the things that aren't working, and use the money saved to reinforce the things that are.

Once you have agreed upon your dream or vision, you can take it to the Design phase.

Step 4. "Design" Phase

Building on the Dream, this phase looks at the practicalities needed to support the vision. Here you start to drill down the types of systems, processes, and strategies that will enable the dream to be realized.

Step 5. "Deliver" Phase

Sometimes called the Destiny phase, the last of the Ds is the implementation phase and it requires a great deal of planning and preparation. The key to successful delivery is ensuring that the Dream (vision) is the focal point. While the various parts of the team will typically have their own processes to complete, the overall result is a raft of changes that occur simultaneously throughout the organization, that all serve to support and sustain the dream.

Tip 2:  The real strength of this technique comes from steps 1 and 2. Steps 3 to 5 are                   just standard implementation steps. If you have your own preferred approach                 for implementation, use this.

Tip 3:  We're looking at Appreciative Inquiry as a problem-solving technique. You can                also use it powerfully either as an organizational strategy tool or for personal                  development. In these contexts, you can simply focus on what you do well, and                divert your efforts towards this, and away from the things you're not good at.

Key Points

When faced with your next challenge or problem, take a step back and look at if from the standpoint of what is good and is currently working well. This positive perspective brings about a whole new set of positive solutions you and your team may not have previously discovered. Use this process to get your organization looking at itself in unique and positive ways.

The Deliver phase of the cycle is not so much an end but a place to start to re-evaluate and continue the process of Appreciative Inquiry to continuously improve. Once you embrace the idea of positive change you can apply the cycle over and over again to various aspects of your team or organization, and enjoy the positive outcomes that positive thinking brings.

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS 3.2: The 8 Disciplines

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS

(SHORT NOTES FROM PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

Problem-Solving Approaches at http://www.mindtools.com)

Solving Major Problems in a Disciplined Way

The eight disciplines are shown in figure 1, below:

Figure 1: The 8D Problem-Solving Process

The 8D Process works best in solving a complex problem with identifiable symptoms.

8D Process

Discipline 0: Plan - plan your approach: team members, time frame, and resources

Discipline 1: Build the Team - put together a team that has the skills needed, has time and energy to commit - a diverse team is more likely to find a creative solution - Create a team charter that outlines the team's goal and identifies each person's role - get everyone involved in the process - beginning with team-building activities

Discipline 2: Describe the Problem - describe the problem in detail - Specify the who, what, when, where, why, how, and how many - focus on the right problem - doing a Risk Analysis - help team members understand how the process works - think about how best to fix it - the goal is to look at what's going wrong - make sure that your team understands the full extent of the problem

Discipline 3: Implement a Temporary Fix - understands the problem and come up with a temporary fix - Harness the knowledge of everyone on the team - address issues such as cost, implementation time, and relevancy - The short-term solution should be quick, easy to implement, and worth the effort

Discipline 4: Identify and Eliminate the Root Cause - discover the root cause - develop several permanent solutions

Discipline 5: Verify the Solution - test it - spot any potential problems - make sure no unexpected future consequences - examine from several different emotional perspectives - confirm haven't overlooked a key factor, or made an incorrect assumption

Discipline 6: Implement a Permanent Solution - roll your fix out - Monitor this new solution closely - ensure that there are no unexpected side effects

Discipline 7: Prevent the Problem From Recurring - identify how you'll prevent the problem from recurring in the future - update your organization's standards, policies, procedures, or training manual to reflect the new fix - need to train others on the new process or standard - need to consider whether to change your management practices or procedures to prevent recurrence

Discipline 8: Celebrate Team Success

The last step in the process is to celebrate and reward your team's success  . Say "thank you" to everyone involved, and be specific about how each person's hard work has made a difference. If appropriate, plan a party or celebration to communicate your appreciation.

Before the team disbands, conduct a Post-Implementation Review   to analyze whether your solution is working as you thought, and to improve the way that you solve problems in the future.

Key Points

In the late 1980s, Ford Motor Company developed the 8D (8 Disciplines) Problem-Solving Process to help manufacturing and engineering teams diagnose, treat, and eliminate quality problems. However, teams in any industry can use this problem-solving process.

The eight disciplines are:

    Plan.

    Build the Team.

    Describe the Problem.

    Implement a Temporary Fix.

    Identify and Eliminate the Root Cause.

    Verify the Solution.

    Implement a Permanent Solution.

    Prevent the Problem From Recurring.

    Celebrate Team Success.

The 8D Problem-Solving Process is best used with a team solving complex problems; however, individuals can also use it to solve problems on their own.

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS 3.1: PDCA Cycle

SPEAK TO THE PROBLEMS

(SHORT NOTES FROM PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS:

Problem-Solving Approaches at http://www.mindtools.com)

Implementing New Ideas in a Controlled Way

Also known as the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Cycle, or Deming Cycle

Something needs to change.  Where the consequences of getting things wrong are significant, it often makes sense to run a well-crafted pilot project.  That way things get to be fixed and improved before fully committing your reputation and resources.

A popular tool for doing just this is the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle.  This is often referred to as the Deming Cycle or the Deming Wheel after its proponent, W Edwards Deming.  It is also sometimes called the Shewhart Cycle.

The four phases in the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle involve:

·       Plan:            Identifying and analyzing the problem.

·       Do:               Developing and testing a potential solution.

·       Check:          Measuring how effective the test solution was, and analyzing whether it could be improved in any way.

·       Act:              Implementing the improved solution fully.

These are shown in Figure 1 below.

The PDCA Cycle encourages to be methodical in the approach to problem solving and implementing solutions.

Step 1: Plan

·       First, identify exactly the problem.

·       useful to use tools:

o   Drill Down

o   Cause and Effect Diagrams

o   5 Whys

Step 2: Do

·       phases involves:

o   Generate possible solutions.

o   Select the best solutions, using techniques like Impact Analysis to scrutinize them.

o   Implement a pilot project on a small scale basis.

Step 3: Check

·       measure how effective the pilot solution has been

·       gather together any learnings from it that could make it even better

Step 4: Act

·       implement solution fully.

·       seek out further areas for improvement.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle provides a simple but effective approach for problem solving and managing change, where the ideas are appropriately tested before committing to full implementation. PDCA can be used in all sorts of environments.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP – THE DUBAI MODEL

 

 (PROFESSOR DR. BASSEM YOUNES)

 

There is no finishing line in the race for excellence.  Transformational leadership is the kind of leadership which is the process of engaging with others, to create a connection that increases motivation and morality.  A very important part that could allow for Transformational Leadership is the emotional engagement.  The simplest way to look at Transformational Leadership is the transferring of vision into reality.

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it’s the only means. Being an example is the only way you can influence other people.  Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Transformational is an ongoing function.  Transformational Leadership is that which facilitate a redefinition of people’s mission and vision, a renewal of their commitment and the restructuring of their systems.  It’s a relationship of mutual simulation, and elevation, that converts followers into leaders, and many convert leaders into moral agents.  Hence, Transformational Leadership must be grounded in moral foundations.

There is no leadership without follow-ship.  Setting an example is the only means of influencing them.  Influence involves an exceptional form of influence that moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected.  The core elements in leadership is concerned with emotions, liaise, ethics, standards, and long-term goals.

There’s a wide range of leadership influence where followers and leaders are bound together in the transformational process.  You need to be able to work together and to facilitate the transformation.

 

Dubai Government’s Model

Government’s role is to make people happy

Smart government need to be smart, understanding people’s needs and responding to these needs

We don’t want people to go to government anymore; we want the government to go to people

We don’t want to have times and hours when people can go to the government; we want the government to be with the people anytime they want (government on call; government unlimited)

 

Good characteristics

Self-awareness.  Engaged and involved.  Social awareness.  Creative thinker.  Trust in followers.  Ethical with moral conduct.  Assures the values of justice, fairness and equity.  Loyal.  Open minded.  Welcomes new beneficial things, keep updated with new practices.  Investing in people.  Utilising communication technology.  Empathy.  Accepting, listening and hearing.

 

Leadership- works through a strategy that is dynamic and can be modified as needed, improved as necessary.  Partnerships are very important.  Sharing with people, sharing with others, extending the benefits, the exchange, processes.

Customer results and customer satisfaction is very important. Assurance is done through mystery shoppers.  People results are very good, and corporate results is very rewarding and very encouraging.

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.  The leaders of tomorrow are the focus, and are the foundation of the future.  Transformational leadership really comes from the vision and abilities of a leader who is able to engage his followers through different tiers of leadership.