1. A Problem Solving Framework
AFA Advisor Institute
Kim Novak: Kim@NovakTalks.com
Justin Angotti: jangotti@pikapp.org
Program Description:
This professional development program is designed to help you meet those challenges of finding solutions and addressing
problems on campus or within organizations. The model taught will have useful application for task forces, work teams,
standing committees, departments, and individuals faced with addressing behaviors, social concerns, and shifting campus
cultures. Using a strategic problem solving model based on the social science/public health models developed by the Higher
Education Center for Alcohol/Other Drug and Violence Prevention participants will actively engage in designing strategic change
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initiatives that will address the REAL problem.
Have you ever wondered if the action you are taking is actually making a difference or changing
behaviors?
Change the Approach:
Instead of asking: What are we going to do?
Explore and act upon: What are we trying to change…
Challenges: Limitations of Traditional Problem Solving Efforts
Driven by a single individual or group
Limited in scope with a focus on consequence or short term change
Fragmented by type of incident/concern/violation
Do not use information readily available to us to conduct a needs assessment or evaluation
Based on “what others have done” rather than research on effectiveness
Activity based rather than strategy based
Biggest Problem Solving Mistakes
Failure to articulate:
What is the problem we are trying to solve?
How do we envision proposed efforts will solve those problems?
What evidence exists that these efforts might work?
Notes
Proven Principles
Prevention-focused - the goal is to change and/or prevent behavior
Comprehensive - addressing the totality of the behavior(s) and with consideration of types of similar
problems, engaging the right constituents
Planned, using a systemic planning process to design, implement, and evaluate
Strategic & Targeted, to address priorities within the fraternity/sorority community
Research-based, drawing from current research and theory
Multi-component, using multiple strategies
Coordinated & Synergistic, efforts need to compliment and reinforce one another

2. Supported by infrastructure, resources and systems
Evaluated, establishing clear goals and objectives and measuring whether they were achieved
A central feature of the Center's work is the promotion of multiple prevention strategies that affect the campus
environment as a whole and can, thereby, have a large-scale effect on the entire campus community. This approach
represents a shift in thinking about prevention and suggests new leadership roles that postsecondary
administrators, faculty, other campus officials, and students can play to reduce problem behaviors and to promote
academic achievement
Public health suggests:
1. Define & understand the problems ( a.k.a. behaviors)
2. Identify causes and contributing factors that:
a. Increase the likelihood of the problem (“risk factors”)
b. Increase the likelihood of being impacted by the problem (“vulnerability factors”)
c. Reduce the likelihood of the problem (“protective factors”)
3. Envision the “chain of events” that resulted in the problem
4. Institute measures to intervene in that chain of events and prevent similar behavior in the
future
5. Evaluate: did the behavior change id problem solved?
What do we know about the “Problem?”
Describe the problem (What?)
 What behaviors? How much (frequency, extent)?
 Who is involved? Who facilitates?
 Where/when/under what circumstances are the problems more likely to be present, or
more severe?
What causes and contributes to the problem? (Why?)
 What factors are associated with behavior?
 What facilitates, or fails to impede behavior?
 What protective factors or positive norms exist?
Contributing Factors
Risk factors are things present in the environment that increase likelihood of behavior
Protective factors are things present in the environment that reduce likelihood of behavior
Vulnerability factors are things present in the environment that increase likelihood of victimization
Consider
 Intrapersonal (Individual) factors
 Interpersonal (Group/Peer/Family) factors
 Institutional factors
 Community factors
 Public policy/societal influence factors
What contributed to this problem? (Risk~ Protective ~ Vulnerability factors)
What needs to change?
Then we can ask:
Which factors can be modified? What can we influence?
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3. What Needs to Change?
What do you want to change, exactly?
Increase knowledge of sanctions for rioting
Increase skills for negotiating sexual consent
Increase motivation to intervene in hate/bias incidents
Among whom?
How will that change lead to a decrease of the problem?
Make sure your activity can make that change.
Often need to explore specific changes and options for making change before creating a plan.
 Where/when to focus efforts
 What needs to change
 Which factors are modifiable?
 What works to modify these factors?
Consider “Proximal causes” as well as “Deep causes”
Addressing proximal causes (e.g., raising the cost of bad behavior) may yield quicker results than
targeting deeper causes (attitudes, personality)
Notes
Strategies are designed to lead changes in people or in the environment.
Strategy is what has to change
Increasing knowledge
Building skills
Developing procedures
Enforcing policy
Changing social norms
Tactics/Activities are used to carry out and support strategic changes
Educational workshops
Draft a new way of doing things
Stakeholder involvement
Training sessions for members
Creating response protocols
Officer Training
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4. How to develop successful education efforts
 KADNAB ~ Knowledge Alone Does Not Alter Behavior”
 Build skills need practice, role playing
 Scare tactics mostly ineffective, easy to do wrong ~ Promote benefits of desired behaviors
instead
 “Myths & Facts” myths may be misremembered as facts
 One-time programs change doesn’t last ~multiple, reinforcing components work best
Design your efforts:
Specify:
What changes in individual, group, or environmental factors would contribute to a decrease in ????
What program content is needed to make those changes?
What mode or channel (activity) would be most effective for delivering that content or making that
change?
 Education/training programs
 Change in policies/procedures/interactions
 Increased enforcement
 Redesign the physical environment
Notes
The Reconceptualized Meeting Agenda:
 What do we know about the problem – how does this inform where we need to focus our
efforts
 What contributed to this problem?
 What needs to change
 Which factors can be modified? What can we influence?
 What will make this happen?
 What should the outcome of the process look like?
Resources:
http://www.higheredcenter.org/services/training/webinars/thinking-strategically
http://www.higheredcenter.org/prevention
http://www.higheredcenter.org/prevention/prevention-101-series
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Framework for session adapted from materials developed by Dr. Linda Langford, U.S. Department of Education’s Higher
Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention
http://www.higheredcenter.org/
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