Subject: Leadership Problem Solving Memo
As you might all have known, the last few months have been quite challenging for this company. Reducing sales have become the primary issue, which influenced the subject challenge. Unfortunately, the design department has been listed as the primary driver behind the significant difficulties recorded in the organization. Poor designs and software malfunctions are the primary cause of declining sales. As one of the vital departments in the organization, the executives have raised the issue, precisely creating a sense of urgency. Thus, as your departmental leader, I believe that each team member has a critical role to play in minimizing the adverse effects of this problem. In this case, the memo will address the creative problem-solving process, precisely focusing on the Osborne-Parnes innovative problem-solving model.
According to Dostál (2015), problem-solving is a non-routine procedure, which is oriented towards altering an unfavorable organizational situation. Notably, Shen and Tzeng (2018) state that with the complexity of regulatory challenges in matters of sustainability, the need for advanced modern computational methods to support decision-making is inevitable. In times of need, employees are encouraged to embrace a disruptive approach, which disrupts the status quo, and focuses on identifying the problems within their workplace and across the firm’s products and services (Basadur, Gelade & Basadur, 2014). In other words, to cope with stressful situations, it is advisable to implement a thought process that facilitates the generation of ideas via which organizations can successfully remove undesired obstructions. Besides, the willingness to solve a problem is a crucial factor that enables organizations to alienate the challenges at hand. Thus, by comprehending the relevant phases of the problem-solving approach, organizational teams can strategically overcome the problem at hand.
As suggested in the Osborne-Parnes model, the ideal problem-solving strategy should implement a six-stage procedure. The team will realize that each of the essential steps plays a significant role in facilitating organizational development. As a consequence, the team will be implementing this six-phased approach to minimize the adverse effects of deteriorating sales. The first phase that the team will embrace is forecasting and perceiving the threats affecting the department. The significance of this phase is to increase sensitivity and create a sense of urgency regarding the subject problem (Dostál, 2015). Next, the team will proceed by gathering critical data regarding the identified threats in phase one above. In this step, the team should comprehend the problems linked to the unfavorable situation, evaluate the origin, and recommend options to minimize the challenge. Consequently, this step will be crucial for understanding the factors characterizing the threat; hence, identifying and categorizing them accurately.
Next, we shall define the issue and expound on all the aspects affecting the organization. As suggested by Bardach and Patashnik (2019), this step should be used to assemble some evidence from the collected data in the second phase above. Thus, for this team, the third step will embrace critical thinking to define the issue at hand, and all the attributes are characterizing this problem. Also, we must create opinions through a brainstorming phase, thereby suggesting relevant alternatives to solve the challenge. Walton and Toniolo (2016) note that alternative solutions are discussed and arguments brought forward before reaching the ideal intervention. Therefore, from the available options, the team can proceed to the negotiation phase in which they identify the complete responsibility for the situation at hand.
Lastly, once the problem and ideal solutions are identified, the team can proceed to the implementation phase. This stage requires the unit to zone in on a specific action plan to eliminate the unfavorable status quo (Van Aken, & Berends, 2018). Notably, we are expected to evaluate the results of this action plan, thereby establish a control cycle to prevent the problem from recurring in the future. Overall, I believe in this creative approach because it provides a step-by-step methodology for analyzing the problematic situation. Consequently, it is justifiable to implement the Osbarne-Parnes problem-solving theory since it challenges conventional thinking and adopts innovative solutions suitable for organizational development. In conclusion, we will be reviewing the steps discussed above during the next meeting. For all questions and clarifications, I will be addressing them when the team converges to discuss the problem.