Managing problems and making decisions is part and parcel of any management role. While they can both be used in separate situations, the terms are often interchanged, as the methods employed in problem solving and decision-making are quite similar.

Essentially, problem solving is the process we use to overcome some obstacle to get from the current state to a desired state (goal). Decision-making is a selection process where one of two or more possible solutions is chosen to reach a desired goal.

We encounter problems on a daily basis – and unfortunately, we don’t always respond in productive ways, as these examples illustrate:

Fixer: sees the problem and fixes it immediately. Often the problem reappears because the root cause was not addressed

Head in the sand: hopes the problem will resolve in its own time. Takes no action to review the problem

Blamer: seeks someone to blame rather than address the problem. This creates conflicts

Perfectionist: searches endlessly for the right answer, using costly resources and ignoring earlier effective solutions.

What these approaches have in common is a failure to recognise the problem and come up with a structured approach to solving it.

While problem solving should help us, our quick fixes often exacerbate a problem, as these examples show:

• The problem has to be corrected and managers may not know how to find the best solution
• The best solution can create conflicts and most people are conflict averse
• Identifying the solution right away puts the solution at the start of the process rather than the end. This is one of the most common mistakes.

A better way?

Effective problem resolution involves:

1. Stating the problem
2. Involving interested parties
3. Researching the problem
4. Listing possible solutions
5. Evaluating and making a decision
6. Implementing (include monitoring and contingencies) and evaluating the solution.

Let’s look at each of these stages in turn.