Recently several of your fellow park professionals jumped on a free training opportunity that was sent out from the training division. Along with extended on-line courses, http://www.matteam.org/ occasionally offers free webinars. Click on the link to learn more about this organization.
Ranger Beth Heller is your guest blogger and she agreed to share some of the information we learned during these webinars.
The first webinar was called Problem Solving and Decision Making and the second webinar was all about Critical Thinking.
Welcome Beth and thanks for putting this together!
Management Assistance Team’s
“Problem Solving and Decision Making” and “Creative and Critical Thinking”
online trainings
“If you stop learning, you stop growing. If you stop growing, you wither.” – Marlee Shafer
This quote was one of my mother’s favorite sayings, and I believe it to be true. That is why, when given the opportunity to take the free online courses by Management Assistance Team, I jumped at the chance. It’s not always true that “you get what you pay for.” These classes covered information that is helpful in my work experience and in my personal life.
Problem Solving and Decision Making:
This course covered the topic as it related to working together in a group setting. We covered the seven steps to PS and DM as well as the three phases of the process. The seven steps are:
1. Problem Recognition and Acceptance – If you can’t recognize that there’s a problem, you can’t work to fix it.
2. Defining the Problem – This is similar to framing a house; you have to understand what is determining the look of the problem. Sometimes the problem looks different depending on your perspective, and people tend to see a problem through the lens that is closest to their own interests.
3. Identify the Cause – if you only fix what’s on the surface, the problem will reappear. During this step, use the “Five Whys” process: define the symptom, and then ask “why?” Next, ask “why?” to the answer you gave to the first “why”. Repeat this step until you’ve asked “why?” five times. At this point, you’re most likely at the real root cause. It’s important to identify the cause, rather than jumping to solutions…and it’s human nature to jump to solutions…
5. Evaluate Alternatives and Choose a Solution – There are several ways to decide which solution to adopt, and these run the gamut from a consensus to a dictatorial method. No matter which method is used, a “Disagree and Commit Contract” is helpful in this. The contract is signed by those members of the group who are not completely supportive of the decision. It explains the rationale of the dissenters, aligns the resources 100%, and helps to seek contrary evidence without sabotaging the outcome.
There are a myriad of tools that the group (or, in a dictatorial method, the leader) can use to decide the solution. These include matrices, cost/benefit analyses, decision trees, etc. Using common criteria, identify the merits of each alternative that has been generated. The criteria may include the cost/benefit of each, its feasibility, effectiveness, consequences, time frame, legalities and ethicality.
Problem areas with group decision-making (MAT refers to these as “Decision Making Traps”) include:
- Groupthink – a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment.”
- Anchoring Trap – a group gives disproportionate weight to the first information it receives.
- Status Quo Trap – a group makes a decision that best defends the status quo; they decide to take no action or maintain the current course.
- Sunk Cost Trap – the group is reluctant to call it quits when something fails; they want to continue forward and try to make it work.
- Confirming Evidence Trap – the group seeks out evidence that confirms their point of view rather than collecting information first, then making a decision based upon impartial data.
6. Implementation Plan – During this step, you create your action plan. The action plan should include the main steps/tasks and their desired outcomes, clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each step, designated milestones, lists of resources needed for each step, plans for reporting and verification, and a timeframe for checkpoints.
7. Evaluate the Results – In order to do this effectively, one must make sure to keep records throughout the process, then ask “Did we solve the problem?” After all, the final results are what you were working for in the first place.
Another way to look at this is to think of it in three phases :
1. Problem Analysis (Steps 1-3)
2. Decision Making (Steps 4-6)
3. Follow-up and Follow-through (Step 7)
And remember, when you are in the role of leader, be sure to remember these two things:
“Leaders allow for and create an environment where problems are addressed in an open manner.”
“Leaders allow for and create an environment where problems are addressed in an open manner.”
“Open dialogue where a myriad of viewpoints are encouraged and considered is critical.”
Creative and Critical Thinking:
What is the difference between critical and creative thinking?
· Creative Thinking involves the process we use to develop ideas that are unique, useful and worthy of further elaboration. It considers rejecting standardized formulas for problem solving (going outside the box) and takes multiple perspectives on a problem. It is open to trial-and-error methods of experimentation, looks to the future and creates self-confidence and trust in one’s own judgment.
· Critical Thinking involves the processes we use to reflect on, assess, and judge the assumption(s) underlying our own and other’s ideas and efforts. It recognizes underlying assumptions, scrutinizes the arguments and judges ideas. It judges the rationality of justifications by comparing them to a range of varying interpretations and perspectives. It also provides positive and negative appraisals.
The creative process helps us to seek out new alternatives and options while the critical process helps us to verify the efficacy of the alternatives.
Did you know that there are ten mental locks (I call them stumbling blocks) to being creative? The descriptions are long and rather drawn out, but I found a website that breaks them down…http://www.copyblogger.com/mental-blocks-creative-thinking/. I encourage you to take a look at them and see how they fit in your own life.
In order to become fair minded, it is important to realize that we all have assumptions(beliefs, usually taken for granted, that are based on experiences, observations or desires), and biases(inclinations to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of [possibly equally valid] alternatives), and tend to make inferences/observations (statements about the unknown based on the known). Realizing that we all have different perspectives based on these will lead to a common understanding and respect. When we are unable to do this, we have “Perception Blindness.” Creative and critical thinkers actively look to overcome barriers like this.
Brainstorming plays an important role in creative thinking, as it helps generate creative solutions to problems. (The “rules” of true brainstorming are listed above.) Another brilliant technique to use to generate solutions is reverse brainstorming, which turns the problem/issue/challenge into the desiredresult. Use brainstorming to create solutions to end up with this new result…and then flip the new solutions to solve the original problem. Reverse brainstorming is a way to clarify through contrast.
Yet another version of brainstorming is Silent Brainstorming, also called “Brainwriting.” Through this, everyone in the group has a blank piece of paper with the issue at the top of the paper. Give a few minutes for clarification of the topic. A timekeeper is selected. Everyone has three minutes to jot down three thoughts or ideas on the subject; this is a free form, stream of consciousness experience. After the three minutes are up, the papers are collected and then randomly redistributed. Each person writes down three additional thoughts, either building on what’s already written or recording new ideas. This process is done several times. At an appropriate point, all the papers are collected and all ideas are written on a board for open discussion.
A rather fun way to do an individual brainstorm is a technique called mind mapping. This is a free-flowing, fluid, visual representation of an issue. It can be based on any situation. To create this thinking tool, begin by writing the main subject in a circle in the middle of a piece of paper. From that, create branches of important thoughts, and build on those. Include colors, flowing lines, pictures, whatever comes up. Here’s an example:
F
This helps to show a comprehensive overview of any subject. And it is fun!
There are roles that people assume when working in a group. Those four roles show how the creative and the critical can work together:
Title | Creative or Critical? | Defined |
Explorer | Creative | This is the searcher. They have an outlook that is very insightful. They are open to the possibilities. Their paradigm is “there’s a lot of good information all around you, all you have to do is find it.” |
Artist | Creative | This is the transformer. They have strategies for transforming information and materials using adaptation, reversals, connections, comparison, elimination, and incubation. |
Judge | Critical | This is the evaluator. They evaluate, question, make assumptions, make decisions. They need to be critical, but not hypercritical. Striving for perfection can be a problem. |
Warrior | Critical/Some Creative | This is the one who carries decisions into action. They have a “can do” attitude, champion the process, embody persistence and perseverance. They are the ones who actually accomplish the goal. |
According to Edward DeBono, there are six thinking hats – all different colors – that represent different ways to look at an issue. A really excellent breakdown of these is found at http://www.sustainablecommunities.vic.gov.au/files/6thinkinghatshandout.pdf. It is vital to take a look at which hat you’re wearing when you’re in the midst of a group, and occasionally to attempt to figure out what colors others in the group have on. Why not stretch yourself and try on one of those other hats? It might give you the opportunity to see things from a different perspective.
I know. Now you’re saying, “So what? How’s this changed your thinking?”
One of the topics that was emphasized in both trainings, albeit in a subtle way, was the importance of teamwork. I’m sure that we’ve all heard the phrase “The definition for TEAM is Together Everyone Achieves More.” This is definitely the case, whether you are working in a small group or department-wide. With a common goal in mind, the focus brings the group together.
And I’d be willing to bet that some of you are thinking…”We are such a policy-driven, chain-of-command organization; how can this free thinking work in an agency like ours?” The answers are quite clear: (1) let the creativity flow, and before acting on them, check thoughts/ideas/plans/decisions against our policies, and (2) maintain the chain of command by communicating clearly and in a goal-focused manner.
So…there’s always more to learn…nobody knows it all. Enjoy the learning journey, and maybe I’ll see you online during the next go-round.
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