Managerial Problem Solving: Frameworks, Tools and Techniques was written to provide students and practitioners with a summary of useful ideas and frameworks that will enhance effectiveness in problem solving. The motivation for writing the book is to help students in courses and executive programs who seem to know the content but have difficulty organising their ideas and information into coherent analyses of the problems and assignments they are working on, particularly when working in teams.

Many of the difficulties that students and managers have in problem solving are understandable in light of the findings from research in cognitive psychology, behavioural decision theory and organisational behaviour, which have identified a number of human tendencies that work against effective problem solving.

These include tendencies to:

• jump to providing solutions before we have a clear idea of the problem;
• over-rely on ideas and solutions that we have used in the past or those that are most readily available;
• be less critical and more attentive to information that supports what we believe and positions that we feel committed to, and more critical of information that challenges our beliefs or positions;
• be heavily influenced by the way in which a problem is presented—even when the context should have no effect on the solutions we generate;
• identify causes and choose solutions that appear similar to the problems, even though this similarity may be irrelevant;
• evaluate rather than generate ideas, frequently leading to narrowing down the field of ideas too early;
• mistake confidence for quality of judgment, particularly in uncertain situations where judgments are difficult and require a great deal of effort.

These human tendencies, as well as others that impact on your problem solving effectiveness, are discussed in more detail in this book. The limitations and biases due to these human tendencies have been shown to constrain the effectiveness of problem solvers. Regular use of the ideas, frameworks, tools and techniques presented here will make you and your team less susceptible to these limitations and biases as you tackle problems. In teams, tools can be used to manage group processes and to help maintain a common understanding of the issues and progress made on a problem.

The ideas, frameworks, tools and techniques presented are just a selection from what could have been written if our objective had been to present a full picture of the available knowledge about problem solving. Our aim is more circumscribed and practical. We want to give students  and managers ideas, frameworks, tools and techniques that they can learn quickly and apply to wide range of problems. Our selection and presentation of the ideas, frameworks, tools and techniques was based on three criteria.

• First, they can be learnt quickly and applied to problems after an hour (or often less) of reading and practice
• Second, once learnt, they can be applied across a wide range of different problems and in different settings.
• Third, they can be used individually or in teams.

Chapter 1 introduces you to a selection of important and useful ideas about the problem-solving process, types of problems, thinking processes, and emotions. It provides a matrix of the tools that are discussed, as well as listing at what stage of the problem-solving process they are best used.

Chapters 2 to 5 introduce you to the tools that can be used for problem identification, solution generation, solution evaluation and implementation planning. The examples used throughout these chapters demonstrate both individual application and group applications. In addition, we have attempted to identify which tools are more suitable to particular problems as well as the limitations of each tool. To enhance learning, examples and activities for you to complete accompany most of the tools.

Chapter 6 presents several ideas about problem solving in teams, including roles, processes and culture, and a set of tools and techniques for managing the team problem-solving process.

Chapter 7 goes beyond the frameworks, tools and techniques presented in earlier chapters to describe the competencies of an effective problem solver. Examples of organisational competency frameworks and the graduate attributes that university students are expected to develop are presented.

Chapter 8 contains suggested solutions to the exercises and activities presented in the book. Problem solving is a complex and well-researched area—we can only go ‘so far’ in this book, introducing you to a highly selective but hopefully useful set of ideas, frameworks, tools and techniques for improving your problem-solving capabilities. The recommended reading list at the end of the text will help you to take your skills much further.

Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann