Summary

Two strategies for solving problems and making decisions were presented earlier. During the completion of the on-line exercises you may have developed strategies of your own. Some of the strategies presented e.g. drawing a diagram, making a list, and starting at the end and working backwards can be sufficient to solve some problems. The biggest enemy to problem-solving is complexity because that leads to confusion. That is why all strategies suggest ways of breaking the problem down into parts and solving one part at a time. In this way you can simplify and clarify the problem and it becomes easier to see possible solutions.

Decision making strategies

There is, however, almost always an element of compromise as choices have to be made. There are a number of techniques that you can use at the decision-making phase to help you to make better decisions. Two such strategies are presented hereunder.

1. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis.

This technique allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses and to examine the opportunities and threats presented by each of the choices you make. Simply evaluate possible options under each of the headings: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This may help you to reach a decision in relation to your options.

2. Six Thinking Hats

This tool was developed by Edward de Bono in his book ‘Six Thinking Hats’ (1985). It advocates looking at important decisions from six different perspectives, each represented by a hat of a different colour, as described below.

This technique looks at the effects of a decision from a number of different viewpoints and allows necessary emotion, creativity and scepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions.