Problem Solving Skills Training & the Workplace

by Tara Duggan, Demand Media

Effective problem solving skills enable employees to analyze problems, identify problem severity and assess the impact of alternative solutions. Workplace training designed to develop problem solving skills helps employees to work more efficiently with co-workers, customers, partners and vendors. Trained participants learn to use available resources to resolve issues in a constructive manner. Additionally, they practice reaching consensus by seeing a problem from a professional, not personal, perspective. Training games, including brainstorming activities and online business simulations, prepare participants for workplace situations.

Identifying the Problem

Professional skill training programs designed to help employees develop better problem solving skills usually start with a lecture or presentation on how to identify a problem. In a workshop setting, a facilitator typically divides the group into pairs and describes a relevant situation for them to solve. The pairs discuss the situation, such as a customer complaint, poor communication between co-workers or a misunderstanding between a supplier and a manager. Using root cause analysis techniques, participants try to identify at least five possible triggers for the current situation. This exercise helps participants isolate the facts. By determining the origin of a problem, participants determine what happened and why it happened and figure out how to prevent it from happening in the future.

Proposing Solutions

After listing all the relevant details about a problem, people generally have the knowledge required to propose possible solutions, based on their experience. Training workshops provide opportunities for less seasoned employees to learn from their more experienced colleagues. To encourage innovative thinking, facilitators typically ask participants to think about creative ways to handle traditional problems. Participants list potential problem resolution strategies along with the risks and benefits associated with each one. They learn to use techniques such as Six Thinking Hats, developed by management consultant Edward de Bono, to develop innovative approaches.

Evaluating Options

Problem solving skills training instructors usually teach participants to evaluate options carefully. By learning how to make decisions effectively, participants work more effectively as a team. To evaluate options, participants read case studies, interview experts and play online business simulation games.

Implementing a Solution

Before implementing a solution, employees need to learn how to assess the impact. By remembering how they solved previous problems, participants resolve current situations more effectively. During training workshops, participants learn how to improve their ability to recall details by dividing information into categories, relying on mnemonic devices to trigger recollection and visualizing an environment to recall and organize data. Participants also recognize the value of evaluating the success of options chosen, sometime in the future, before choosing that strategy again.

About the Author


Suggest an Article Correction

Have Feedback?
