Problem Solving

Problem solving is the ability to deal with emerging obstacles and challenges. It can be dealing with a new and unexpected problem, or with a known problem for which we even have a scheme of action. Companies often implement solutions from the Lean Management concept. This concept assumes that we solve problems by improving the process. This also indicates that we can search for problems and fix them, and not just react to them once they occur.

Among the many tools that have emerged and support the process of solving problems, the most common are:

Pareto principle

The Pareto principle, is commonly called 80/20 rule. This could mean, for example, that 20% of people are responsible for 80% of the results. Or that 80% of revenue is generated by 20% of customers. The author of this principle is Joseph Juran (and not, as it is commonly believed, Vilfredo Pareto), an American management theorist (Juran, 1992).

The Pareto diagram is there to help solve problems. It helps to identify the issues that generate the biggest problems. This analysis will not help you to solve the problems alone, but you will be able to identify which ones you should solve first and which one generates biggest stress.

The Pareto principle can be very useful in solving problems and challenges that arise when working with trainees. This principle can inspire an assessment of which of the problems that have arisen are the most important to be solved. By following this principle you can manage your work with trainees much better, not least because you will be able to determine which knowledge they need most. The Pareto principle saves time by prioritising what may be necessary to reconcile professional duties.

5xWhy

Another problem-solving tool is the so-called 5xWhy method. It is a very simple tool, which is based on the question ‘Why?’, thanks to which we solve real problems and not the ones we think we have.

How does this method look in practice?

Imagine that there is a problem in your company:

PROBLEM: „Specialists do not want to work in our company”

1. Why don’t they want to work in our company?

Because our company has poor ratings from former employees

2. Why does our company get bad reviews?

Because we have large employee rotations

3. Why are we having large employee rotations?

Because they cannot cope with the work.

4. Why they can’t cope with work?

Because they are too stressed.

5. Why are they too stressed?

Because they are too overloaded with work

This sample analysis shows how we can get to the heart of the problem and see where we really need to take corrective action.

This problem-solving tool may become essential in your work as a tutor. This is because it allows you to present your knowledge much more easily and, more importantly, it makes it much simpler to understand the problems faced by your trainees. Asking the right questions will help you understand their real problems and where their problems have it source. It may turn out, for example, that the essence of the problem is different from what you can see at first glance in a trainee. For example, an apparent problem may look like this.

An intern is notoriously late for work.

The first thought of a tutor may be to consider such an intern to be simply unpunctual / lazy. After a short interview with him/her using the “Why?” method it may turn out that the source of the problem is quite different. For example, the trainee may not have a convenient transport connection and his bus is notoriously late due to traffic jams. It may also be that due to a disturbed biological clock he is unable to fall asleep earlier and get up at the scheduled time, which makes him late for the bus, and is less concentrated and has less successful internships. The solution would be, for example, to make him/her work on a second shift, etc.

Such ways of solving problems are very simple and sometimes require more commitment from the tutor. However, the result of using these methods may be an increase in the trainees’ involvement and the overall success of the company at the economic level, but also, for example, at the social and marketing level (more satisfied employees, better working atmosphere, fewer redundancies).

Ishikawa diagram (also sometimes called fish bone diagram)

This is a tool to find the source of the problem.

The above example of Ishikawa diagram in this case is the so-called 5M+E. It is a slightly modified version of the most classic 5M diagram (without environment).

Popular variations of Ishikawa diagrams are:

• 8M (Product, Price, Promotion, Place, Process, People, Psychical evidence and Performance)
• 4S (Surroundings, Suppliers, System, Skills)
• 5M + 3M (Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, Mother nature, Management, Maintenance) (Mydlarz, 2017).

Let’s go back to the 5M + E diagram. This diagram shows the categories of causes that may affect the occurrence of the problem. In this case they are:

• Man – it mainly concerns employees. Among the reasons that can be found here are the employees’ knowledge, their work habits, motivation to work, etc.
• Machinery – here you list the causes related to the machines, such as their performance, technical possibilities, etc.
• Materials – here you list the reasons relating to materials, the quality of raw materials or semi-finished products, their characteristics, etc.
• Methods – here you list the production process and its features, company processes, operating standards, etc.
• Management – here, you list the causes of problems related to management, work organisation or communication and organisational culture.
• Environment – here you list the causes resulting from the work and organisational environment (Kowalik, 2018).

But the Ishikawa diagram is not limited to finding production-related problems, it can also be used to solve team/group disputes or other problems that arise during work. It is needed and good because it reduces our emotional and personal obstacles and focuses on the problem itself. (Mydlarz, 2018).

Knowing the different tools will allow you to better manage relationships and solve problems more easily, reaching to their real causes and putting aside emotions.

Exercise.

Based on the case study, try to come up with solutions to the problems using 5 x WHY method.

Although the company pays its employees a lot of money, it quite often makes changes in the composition of its employees. It starts from the assumption that it is looking for the best possible employees for its positions and such structural changes allow it to find the best employees. Unfortunately, the company is experiencing a crisis when it comes to trainees who want to continue working for this company. Only 1 in 5 is ready to stay in the company. The morale of permanent employees is decreasing and there is a growing discussion about the strike. Although the company is paying more and more to its employees and is considered one of the leaders in terms of wages, it is receiving very unfavourable reviews from both current and past employees.

The problem is that in the company where you work only 1 in 5 trainees want to stay. Try to find possible reasons for this by using the 5 x WHY method and try to find all possible answers.

	WHY	ANSWER
Why – 1
Why – 2
Why – 3
Why – 4
Why – 5

Discussion topic:

How do you think you can combine these methods (Pareto, 5x WHY and Ishikawa) to better analyse team problems? Or maybe combining them does not make much sense?