Assignment 2: Problem Solving Due Week 9 and worth 150 points When faced with a problem, what do you do to solve it? This assignment asks you to apply a six-step to problem solving process to a specific problem scenario. You will write a paper that presents a synthesis of your ideas about solving the problem using this systematic approach. As Voltaire said, “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” Choose one (1) of the problem scenarios as a topic choice for your paper (Note: Your professor must approve your topic choice before you begin work on the assignment.) Scenario 1: You have worked at your company for eleven (11) years. You have returned to college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to increase your chances for a promotion. You are nearly finished with your degree, when a supervisor’s position in a competing company becomes available in another state. The start date is in two (2) weeks, during your final exam period for your courses. The position offers a $15,000 per year salary increase, a car allowance, and relocation expenses. Your former supervisor works for the company and is recommending you for the position based on your outstanding job performance; if you want the job, it’s yours. All of the other supervisors at this level in the company have Master’s degrees, so you know that you would be expected to earn your Bachelor’s degree and continue on to a Master’s degree. Your present company offers tuition reimbursement, but the new company does not. Scenario 2: Your child comes home from school with an assignment sheet for a school project. He / she is very excited about the project and begins work immediately, doing research on the Internet and gathering materials. You read over the assignment sheet and notice that your child is not including all of the required items in the project, and you have some ideas for how to improve the quality of the presentation. You recently read an article in a parenting magazine about the importance of a child developing responsibility for his/ her own learning. You recall the many ways in which your parents took over your school projects. You, on the other hand, want to encourage your child’s confidence in his / her ability to complete a project independently. The next day, you are at the grocery store when you see a parent of a student in your child’s class. That parent has spent over $30 in supplies for the science project and is taking a day off of work to put the pieces of the project together. Scenario 3: You have two jobs—one during the week from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and one on Saturday from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. You are taking two classes—one that meets from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, and one class online. You have two kids—one who plays soccer, and one who is in band. You have two elderly parents who no longer drive. You have two siblings—one who lives two (2) miles away, and one who lives in another state. You have two (2) papers due in your classes the same week that one (1) of your children has a soccer tournament, and the other child has a band concert. You are coaching the soccer team, and you are in charge of fundraising for the band. You have a goal to complete your degree in two (2) years. Your doctor tells you that your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your weight are too high and recommends several medications that cost you nearly $200 per month after your insurance co-pay. Scenario 4: You are a sales representative for a company that encourages staff to log time in the field and away from the office. You are expected to begin and end your day at the office. You notice that each day when you arrive and return another co-worker is already there, and you wonder whether this person spends most of his / her time at the office. At your weekly sales meeting, you are informed of your co-workers’ outstanding sales performance. You suspect that this co-worker is spending more time flattering the boss instead of working leads in the field, and as a result is getting the best client referrals. Your own sales numbers have steadily decreased since this other sales representative was hired. Scenario 5: Professor’s Choice – problem scenario presented by your professor. Scenario 6: Student’s Choice – Problem scenario presented by you. Review the six-step problem solving process outlined in the webtext, based on the article “The Problem Solving Process” located at http://www.gdrc.org/decision/problem-solve.html: Step One: Define the problem Step Two: Analyze the problem Step Three: Generate options Step Four: Evaluate options Step Five: Make your decision Step Six: Implement and reflect Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you: 1. Define the problem in the scenario that you have chosen. 2. Analyze the problem in the scenario. 3. Generate options for solving the problem in the scenario. 4. Evaluate the options for solving the problem. 5. Decide on the best option for solving the problem. 6. Explain how you will implement the decision made and reflect on whether this option was the most effective. The paper should follow guidelines for clear and organized writing: Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph. Address main ideas in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA Style format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 

Problem Solving Scenario #4

Name:

Instructor:

Institution:

Date:

 

Introduction

In the contemporary world of business, organizations are commonly faced with the challenge of handling difficult employees. It is a common phenomenon for personnel in an organization to struggle for favoritism and competition. It is the responsibility of management to create a work environment that fosters equality to all to ensure that motivation is optimal and that productivity of business is maintained both in the short-run and in the long-run (Ford, & Richardson, 2013).

Step one: problem definition

For the purpose of this assignment, the problem selected presented in the form of a scenario is scenario four. The problem entails who to identify solutions to co-workers that works in a competitive environment that is ever changing.

Step two: Problem Analysis

The breakdown of the problem involves one of my co-workers who is termed to be spending a significant amount of time at the workstation. From the weekly meeting held recently in sales, I learned about the co-worker exceptional performance from the sales figure he recorded which ended up generating outstanding growth for our organization. My conscious convinces me that he might be spending a significant amount of time flattering the organization’s boss rather than working leads in the fields thus he can get access to the best client from the referrals possibly from the boss. The result of this is that sales recorded declines significantly.  After much, though, I came to understand that this had only surfaced upon hiring this co-worker.

Step three: Generating possible solutions

In analyzing the scenario and thus the problem as a whole, the initial step I would take is that I would get him while aiming at realizing a win-win stand for both of us instead of him winning alone. I would incorporate approaches such as motivating him adequately and in the right manner by linking incentives and recognition to foster our teamwork and receive bonuses grounded on accomplishments realized.

Next, I would consult widely with colleagues, managers as well as other departments for support and advice on the various modalities to be pursued whenever faced with such scenarios. By doing so, I would have communicated to the various stakeholders on the commitment I have to implement so that an effective service delivery is attained that enhance optimal utilization (Saaty, 2000). Also, will try to be creative in incorporating the solutions that will trigger a positive response. I would press myself to the limit for my efforts to be recognized by my immediate boss. In addition to this p will apply technology so as to reclaim the lost confidence in my delivery of service, my reporting frequency will increase to my immediate supervisor am required to report to without assumption of his her satisfaction with my work delivery. My co-worker are also important in my effort of reclaiming the confidence and thus all the time I will maintain an open dialogue with them in a private setup and investigate of the views of any internal, external or any other factor based on their opinion and observation to his positive performance and appraisal requesting that he share diverse skills and experiences that are deemed relevant to sales. Since I understand co-worker is a people pleaser and concoct novel means to receive praises, enhance his motivation to client rapport and subsequent increase sales, I will take a step further by seeking assistance concerning his previous work relations and current skills from some of its customers considered instrumental to the entity. In the final step, I would research out on the critical basics in a sale proposal to be beneficial by increasing the opportunities to the business and thus add value to my professional career at an individual level.

Step Four: Analyzing the Solutions.

On assessing alternatives, I will press myself to realize the best of my capability and be pleasing to my immediate supervisor.  I will also assume all is well and that nothing happened between my co-worker and I. my approach of this strategy is to prevent the co-worker from observing me as a shirker. The outcome of this approach is that my co-worker will be uncomfortable to work within my environment. This will end up affecting the net sales made by the organization at large. Also, I make use of the incentives, analytics, and conspiracies approach to develop a working environment that is considered appropriate for work. To execute this plan, I will generate novel standards that will foster value addition that will enhance an increase in the sales recorded, enhanced marketing planning and strategies and foster a good rapport for the entity. Such incorporation of a diversified plans and approach will ensure that client’s loyalty is maintained regarding consumption pattern.  Maintaining an open communication and dialogue with the co-workers would help in ensuring the potential sources of underlying factors and conflicts are identified and worked to ensure co-worker’s success is maintained. Once this strategy is attained, I will integrate the skills ramification and experience obtained from real life situations to foster business productivity vis effective sale delivery.

Extensive consultation with fellow staffs and managers will offer the critical knowledge necessary for transmuting a replaceable staff member to be the most valuable resource of the entity. I will use the advice and knowledge acquired from consultation to make sure that the co-worker remains focused and ensure that a win-win situation is attained for customer referrals and the purpose of present and future trust. In the long-run, teamwork will be maintained, and the result of this is that better performance would be guaranteed. The provision of a bonus as gifts from sales increase will be a motivating factor both of us. Integration of advanced technology. Witty and intense competition would lead to improved sales recorded both in the short term and long term standing; a conscientious recognition and a resilient challenge that may surface if any will be solved immediately and thus referrals would be achieved from the recognizable increase in sales levels of the company.

Step 5: Selecting the best of option for solving the problem

All the above-mentioned alternatives may or may not be practical for decision making due to some reasons. The use of open communication with other staffs may benefit by exposing any scheme that mounts staffs are pursuing to win favors from the management of the day. The alternative used by the co-worker to coerce a majority of clients to gain their trust as the best approach is also critical to the growth of the entity. When information is shared, contributing factors to exceptional sales of entity’s product are discovered because it has no monetary issues to accompany. Therefore this alternative gives the most the most efficient alternative for problem-solving.

Use of modern technology is strongly recommended for better development of sales and subsequent productivity. It fosters competition among staffs as this would enhance efforts of individual staff which will be an asset than a liability to the firm. It generates better innovations and inventions at the market level thus expansion of product is made possible. Generating battle is not always advisable even if the immediate supervisor ignores your concerns and responses to do with productivity rather you can opt to take up the matter with the co-worker in a more confrontational manner to obtain the information that is deemed reliable. Motivational approach as a way of influencing concerns and thus generating novel standards helps the entity in defining problems and ensuring that efficient decision are reached with a lot of ease (Shepherd, & Rudd, 2014).

Step six planning the next course of action.

While executing the problem, I will make sure that goals that are measurable are pursued; that is few number of qualified sales leads to be generated on a weekly basis in a style that s alternating such that each co-worker has a different working day of attending to specified clients to shun away from elements of favoritism. These will be the most effective approach that will result in improving sales and upholds a productive level of stress and tension thus relieving stress.

I would recommend to the management and stakeholders that times frame should be created for staffs login while in the office and field.  All staffs should be at the office for a stated period before leaving the field.

For a firm to succeed, managers have a role of providing a working environment that is conducive all of its staffs for the set objectives to achieve. Also, management has a solemn responsibility to enact change in the organization. Policies that are well defined ensures there is increased productivity and more, compliance and reduced favoritism.

 

References

Ford, R. C., & Richardson, W. D. (2013). Ethical decision making: A review of the empirical     literature. In Citation classics from the Journal of Business Ethics (pp. 19-44). Springer     Netherlands.

Renn, O., Webler, T., Rakel, H., Dienel, P., & Johnson, B. (1993). Public participation in     decision making: A three-step procedure. Policy sciences, 26(3), 189-214.

Saaty, T. L. (2000). Fundamentals of decision making and priority theory with the analytic     hierarchy process (Vol. 6). Rws Publications.

Shepherd, N. G., & Rudd, J. M. (2014). The influence of context on the strategic decision‐    making process: A review of the literature. International Journal of Management     Reviews, 16(3), 340-364.