Problem solving & Decision making

2. Program Director of Training & Human Development at AADP
Diploma of Psychology, Alison, 2012
Sales Management & Marketing Diploma, Cambridge International College, 2011
B. Sc. Pharmacy, Alexandria University, 2006
Neuro Linguistic Programming “NLP” Diploma, American Board of NLP
Neuro Conditioning Dynamics “NCD” Diploma, Canadian Training Center
Certified Trainer, Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia
Certified Professional Trainer in Thinking skills, Ibdaa’a Center, Saudi Arabia
Certified International Trainer “CORT 1-6” Thinking Program, Edward Debono
Certified Trainer, TRIZ “Theory of Inventive Problem solving”, XAAB, Saudi Arabia
Member at “TRIZ Association of Asia”
Member at The “Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies”
Ideal Student Award, Alexandria, 1998
Hobbies: Reading - Ping Pong - Travelling- Internet

5. What is Problem?
What is Solution?
Problem Solving Approaches
Thinking outside the box
Lateral thinking & Problem Solving
Osborn-Parnes (Creative Problem Solving)

6. You’re the train captain and you saw group of
people on your way while they don’t respond to
the train horn voice. You know that there’s
another way you can go through it and avoid the
expected crash which may kill such innocent
people; but the problem is the other way is old
and you are not sure about its safety. Moreover,
there’s a child playing there. What will you do?
Why? Decide Now, you don’t have a lot of time.

8. A problem is an opportunity for improvement.
A problem is the difference between your current state and
your goal state.
A problem results from the recognition of a present
imperfect and the belief in the possibility of a better future

9. The management of a problem in a way that successfully
meets the goals established for treating it.
Sometimes the goal will be to eliminate the problem
entirely; sometimes the goal will be only to treat the effects of
the problem.
The possibilities inherent in the problem, together with the
ambition, resources, and values of the problem solver, will
help in shaping the goals.

10. There are two basic approaches to solving problems :
(1) Stop it approach : where the cause or source of the
problem is attacked. It is designed to cure a problem.
(2) Mop it approach : where the effects or symptoms of
the problem are attacked. It focuses on the effects of a
problem.
Each of these approaches has three basic forms.
We will detail these approaches and their forms, using the
problem of a leaking water tank to illustrate each one.

11. • By preventing a problem from occurring (or recurring) we have perhaps the
ideal solution.
Prevent It • The prevention approach is often a difficult one to apply because it
requires predictive foresight and it is often costly.
• In our water heater example, we would build a very high quality water
heater, perhaps with a copper tank, so that it would never leak.
• Eliminating a problem once and for all is also an excellent way of attacking
a problem.
• Elimination solutions should be considered in nearly every problem
situation.
Eliminate It • Elimination solutions can be expensive and politically unpopular, however,
so that they are not always feasible.
• In our leaking water heater example, an elimination solution would be to
plug or seal or otherwise repair the leak, the cause of the problem.
• Some problems, like trash production, cannot be eliminated entirely. In
such cases, a strategy of reduction can be highly effective. Almost any
problem can be made less of one by reducing its size.
• In our water heater example, suppose we couldn't perform a repair (an
Reduce It elimination solution) until a day or two later. We could reduce the
problem by turning off the incoming water. Without line pressure on the
tank, the leak would slow down; that would be better that a full force
leak.

12. • Here the damage caused by the problem is repaired or treated.
• Note two things: (1) by itself a treat-it solution is not going to be nearly as
Treat It effective as some form of stop-it solution & (2) treat-it solutions are often
needed in addition to an elimination or reduction form of solution.
• In our water heater example, we mop up the water, fix the damaged floor,
hang the rugs out to dry.
• In this form of mop-it approach, the effects of the problem are put up
with.
Tolerate It • The effects are taken for granted and measures are taken to endure them.
• In our leaky water heater example, we might install a drain in the floor, or
waterproof the floor.
• Here the problem is deflected. Sometimes the problem will simply be
redefined as not a problem.
• It's hard to think of a legitimate redirection for our leaking water heater
Redirect It problem, but suppose that the leak is small and the floor is not being
damaged. We might say, "Well, we need the humidity; the leak is actually
a good thing." Remember that a problem is a problem only when
someone defines it as such.

13. connect up the dots by four straight consecutive lines (that is,
without taking your pen or pencil off the paper). You should
be able to complete this task within three minutes.

14. ‘The nine dots’ problem introduced by John Adair in 1969, in
a book called Training for Decisions.

15. As the exercise ‘The nine dots’ illustrates, thinking outside the box means
being able to spot assumptions, habits or customary ways of thinking that
are widely and uncritically accepted but have no basis in reality. Many of
these we breathe in by virtue of the society in which we live. They are
among the everyday conventions we accept as truths without too much
examination.
The phrase thinking outside the box ties in with the concept of lateral
thinking, introduced by the well-known thinker and writer Edward de
Bono in The Five Day Course in Thinking (1968).
A person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to creating
new ideas.

16. Vertical thinking Lateral thinking
Chooses Changes
Looks for what is right Looks for what is different
One thing must follow Makes deliberate jumps
directly from another
Concentrates on relevance Welcomes chance
intrusions
Moves in the most likely Explores the least likely
directions directions
Always be willing to challenge widely accepted assumptions.

17. Can you remove three lines to get three squares ?

18. 1 2

20. How Many persons do you see?

21. What do you see in this photo?

23. What is Decision Making?
Decision Making Types
Decision Making Styles
Decision Making Approaches
Decision Making Strategies
Decision Makers Styles
CORT 1 Approach in Decision Making
Tips In Decision Making

24. The selection of an option over others (which include no
action), under conditions that are uncertain and expose you
to a risk and consequence, In order to reach an objective.
The study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on
the values and preferences of the decision maker.
The process of sufficiently reducing uncertainty and doubt
about alternatives to allow a reasonable choice to be made
from among them.

25. Decisions • This is the yes/no, either/or decision that must be made before
we proceed with the selection of an alternative.
whether • Decisions whether are made by weighing reasons pro and con.
• These decisions involve a choice of one or more alternatives
Decisions from among a set of possibilities, the choice being based on
which how well each alternative measures up to a set of predefined
criteria.
• These are decisions that have been made but put on hold until
Contingent some condition is met.
• The best contingent and opportunistic decisions are made by
decisions the prepared mind (one that has thought about criteria and
alternatives in the past).
Most people have a set of already made, contingent decisions, just
waiting for the right conditions or opportunity to arise.
Time, energy, price, availability, opportunity, encouragement, etc. , all
these factors can figure into the necessary conditions that need to be met
before we can act on our decision.

26. • These decisions are permanent. Once taken, they can't be
undone.
Irreversible • The effects of these decisions can be felt for a long time to
come. Such decisions are taken when there is no other
option.
• Reversible decisions are not final and binding. In fact, they
can be changed entirely at any point of time.
Reversible • It allows one to acknowledge mistakes and fresh decisions
can be taken depending upon the new circumstances.
• Such decisions are put on hold until the decision maker thinks
that the right time has come.
• The wait might make one miss the right opportunity that can
Delayed cause some loss, specially in the case of businesses.
• However, such decisions give one, enough time to collect all
information required and to organize all the factors in the
correct way.

27. • These decisions enable one to make maximum of the
opportunity available at hand.
Quick • However, only a good decision maker can take decisions
that are instantaneous as well as correct.
Decisions • In order to be able to take the right decision within a
short span of time, one should also take the long-term
results into consideration.
• One of the ways of decision making is the experimental
type in which the final decision cannot be taken until the
Experimental preliminary results appear and are positive.
• This approach is used when one is sure of the final
destination but is not convinced of the course to be taken.

28. •This approach involves trying out a certain course of
action. If the result is positive it is followed further, if not,
then a fresh course is adopted.
Trial and •Such a trial and error method is continued until the
Error decision maker finally arrives at a course of action that
convinces him of success.
•This allows a manager to change and adjust his plans until
the final commitment is made.
•Conditional decisions allow an individual to keep all his
options open. He sticks to one decision as long as the
circumstances remain the same.
Conditional •Once the competitor makes a new move, conditional
decisions allow a person to take up a different course of
action.

29. • when the leader maintains total control and ownership of the
decision. The leader is also completely responsible for the good or
bad outcome as a result of the decision.
Autocratic • The leader does not ask for any suggestions or ideas from outside
sources and decides from his or her own internal information and
perception of the situation.
• when the leader gives up total control of the decision. The complete group
is totally involved in the decision. The leader is not individually responsible
for the outcome.
Consensus • The complete organization or group is now responsible for the outcome.
This is not a democratic style because everyone must agree and "buy in"
on the decision. If total commitment and agreement by everyone is not
obtained the decision becomes democratic.

30. • when the leader gives up ownership and control of a decision and
Democratic allows the group to vote.
• Majority vote will decide the action.
• when the leader involves the members of the organization. Other
perspectives of the situation are discovered because the leader
deliberately asks and encourages others to participate by giving
their ideas, perceptions, knowledge, and information concerning
Collective - the decision.
Participative • The leader maintains total control of the decision because,
although outside information is considered, the leader alone
decides.
• The leader is also completely responsible for the good or bad
outcome as a result of the decision.

31. Authoritarian Group
The manager makes the decision The group shares ideas
based on the knowledge he can and analyses, and agrees
Method gather. He then must explain the upon a decision to
decision to the group and gain implement.
their acceptance of it
Make decision 5 min 30 min
Explain decision 30 min 0 min
Gain acceptance 30 min 0 min
Studies show that the group often has values, feelings, and reactions quite different
from those the manager supposes they have.
No one knows the group and its tastes and preferences as well as the group itself.
Clearly, just from an efficiency standpoint, group decision making is better.
More than this, it has been shown many times that people prefer to implement the
ideas they themselves think of.

32. Free discussion Developmental or structured discussion
The problem is simply put The problem is broken down into steps,
Concept on the table for the group smaller parts with specific goals.
to talk about.
Abdallah has been offered Instead of asking generally whether Abdallah
a job change from sales to should take the job, the group works on sub
training. Should he take questions: What are his skills? What skills does
Example the job? the new job require? How does he rate on
each of the skills required?
Notice that these questions seek specific
information rather than more general
impressionistic opinions.
Developmental discussion:
insures systematic coverage of a topic.
insures that all members of the group are talking about the same aspect of
the problem at the same time.

33. • This is the strategy of choosing the best possible solution to the
Optimizing problem, discovering as many alternatives as possible and choosing the
very best.
• In this strategy, the first satisfactory alternative is chosen rather than the
best alternative. It’s perfect for many small decisions.
Satisficing • The word satisficing was coined by combining satisfactory and sufficient.
• This stands for "maximize the maximums." This strategy focuses on
evaluating and then choosing the alternatives based on their maximum
Maximax possible payoff. (sometimes described as the strategy of the optimist)
• It is a good strategy for use when risk taking is most acceptable.
• This stands for "maximize the minimums." In this strategy, that of the pessimist,
the worst possible outcome of each decision is considered and the decision with
the highest minimum is chosen.
Maximin • The Maximin orientation is good when the consequences of a failed decision are
particularly harmful or undesirable.
• Maximin concentrates on the salvage value of a decision, or of the guaranteed
return of the decision. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

35. • (Aim-Goal-Objective)
AGO • Identify the decision to be made together with the goals it
should achieve
CAF • Consider all factors (You – Others – Community)
• Widen your scope and get all facts, information, data, etc.
FIP • Find Important Priorities
APC • Alternatives- Possibilities – Choices.
• Develop and generate alternatives.
• Consequences & Subsequent
C&S • (Immediate , Short-term , Med-term, Long-term)
• Rate each alternative
PMI • Plus – Minus- Interest
• Make the decision

36. Do not make decision that are not yours to make
The collection of complete information and the
consideration of all alternatives is seldom possible for most
major decisions, so that limitations must be placed on
alternatives.
Keep your ideas visible {write on paper (Mind map)}
Write down pros and cons of your decided action(s).
involve those affected by your decision to get their
commitment.
In group decision, try to have the four Herman thinking
styles in the group & get the best of them

37. What is Problem?
What is Solution?
Problem Solving Approaches
Thinking outside the box
Lateral thinking & Problem Solving
Osborn-Parnes (Creative Problem Solving)
What is Decision Making?
Decision Making Types
Decision Making Styles
Decision Making Approaches
Decision Making Strategies
Decision Makers Styles
CORT 1 Approach in Decision Making
Tips In Decision Making

39. www.buzzle.com
www.virtualsalt.com
http://www.cpsb.com
http://www.leadershipmanagement.com
Decision Making and Problem Solving Strategies, John Adair.
Creative Problem Solving , William E. Mitchell and Thomas F. Kowalik.
Harvard Business Review - January 2006 - Special Issue - Decision Making.
HBR-The Seasoned Executive's Decision Making Style.
Problem Solving And Decision Making Handbook.
Osborn-Parnes Creative problem Solving (CPS).
Edward De Bono - Lateral Thinking.
Cognitive research trust (CORT 1) Edward De Bono.

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