Every time people interact, conflicts are likely to arise.
Even though disagreements will inevitably arise, it is important to find a solution to keep the peace and make sure everyone is able to coexist peacefully. A approach for finding better ways to handle a situation or a relationship is problem resolution. People respond to challenges in different ways, for example, some opt to keep their troubles to themselves while others search for someone to blame. People frequently experience fear, discomfort, and a desire for the issue to disappear when they are faced with a challenge (Hicks, n.d.). Problems will always arise for as long as a person is alive. An appropriate way to get to a solution is to adopt the seven-steps to effective problem-solving.
The steps to effective problem-solving
The steps should be followed systematically to ensure an effective solution is achieved. The success of one step contributes to the success of the next stage. It is true that part of the reasons why problems exist is because of the uncertainty of the best solution and the fact that the solution selected can result in another conflict (Hicks, n.d.). Therefore, the problem-solving process begins by identifying the real issue; the reason why the conflict exists. It is human to focus more on what was not done or what ought to have been done but the bottom line is that problem identification is the foundation of a problem-solving process and this explains why problem identification is the first step to problem-solving.
Understanding the interest of others
The second step involves understanding the interest of others. The author emphasizes on this stage by stating that the solution to be arrived at should satisfy the interest of every person, otherwise, a problem will still exist. Listening is a key factor in this step and every person should be given an opportunity to speak out what they think the problem is.
Coming up with possible solutions
The third step involves coming up with possible solutions. As stated earlier, these stages have to be systematically followed that is, a success in stage two will contribute to the success in stage three. Once people air their interest they can come up with possible solutions such that every interest is catered for.
Evaluation of options
The fourth step involves evaluation of options. Through brainstorming, possible solutions are arrived at and then they are evaluated to arrive at the best solution for the lingering problem. Honesty is an important virtue in the fourth step. That is through evaluations; the most viable options are determined since not all the possible solutions can be implemented, and this leads to the fifth step which involves the selection of the best option.
Selection of the best option
The best solution can either be a single solution form step four or it can be a combination of some of the proposed solutions. The sixth step involves documenting the agreements. Documentation helps in record keeping for future reference and this explains the importance of the step. Finally, the seven-step process ends with agreements on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluations. The solution arrived at has to be implemented to observe whether it solves the problem identified in step one.
Limitations of the problem-solving process
Though the steps are said to be effective, the author has also pointed out the limitations of employing the process. It is a timely procedure and this can result in the staling of some projects. The steps have to be followed systematically failure to which the process will not be effective. Also, it is possible for people to cycle back to a previous step to try and rectify and rethink through some of the decisions made in the previous steps.
Reference
Hicks, T. (n.d.). Seven steps for effective problem solving in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.mediate.com/articles/thicks.cfm
