About
• Does inefficient problem solving or “fire fighting” rob you of valuable time?
• Would you like to be better able to tap into the innovative ideas of your people?
• Would you like to devote more time to business generating activities?
• Could you benefit from evaluating and sharpening your decision making skills?
The ability to decide, act, operate and manage effectively underpins most aspects of management.
With the increasing emphasis on initiative in the workplace, its essential that you know how to recognise, define, and analyse problems and then develop workable solutions to correct them. Cutting edge decision making is critical in today’s business environment to sustain competitive advantage and this requires business managers to be savvy and street smart in their daily management routines.
Key learning objectives:
• Examine widely used decision making techniques
• Evaluate your own problem-solving strengths and weaknesses
• Use problem-solving skills to identify and resolve work-related problems and improve your job performance
• Learn how to design and use frameworks for planning, decision making and problem solving
• Discover how to implement plans and control subsequent progress
• Find out how to unleash the creativity of your team
• Learn how to harness the power of the team for problem solving
• Gain commitment from your team and harness available skills and talents to assist with solution implementation
Who should attend?
Managers, Project Leaders and Team Leaders who could benefit from a better understanding of effective techniques to deal with problems and make decisions, including the application of creative thinking.
Training methodology
This intensive 2-day masterclass will combine tutorial sessions and case studies with interactive learning exercises. All attendees will be provided with a workbook and a certificate of completion.
Agenda
8.30 Registration & Coffee
Day one
An introduction to dynamic decision making and problem solving models
• Diagnosing situations accurately
• Looking for cause and effect patterns
• Using Mind-Storming
• Evaluating choices, alternatives and options
• How to make a decision
• Testing your decision
The decision making process analysed
Analysing the problem or issue
• Finding the boundaries of the problem
• Identifying the problem and defining it as clearly as possible
• Systematically analysing and determining the causes of the problem
• Using cause and effect diagrams in the problem solving process
• “Fishbone” diagrams and “Ishikawa” diagrams
• Using brainstorming to identify causes
• Generating solution options and selecting the best solution
• An overview of processes for generating solution options
• Identifying the steps for selecting the best solution
• What are the characteristics of effective solution criteria?
• Understanding how to isolate the options and select the best possible solutions
• Obtaining management buy-in and commitment to your solution
• Tracking the success of your solution
Examining widely used decision making techniques
• Pareto Analysis
• Paired Comparison Analysis
• Grid Analysis
• Weighing the Pros and Cons
• Force Field Analysis
• Six Thinking Hats
• Cost/Benefit Analysis
Day two
Effective problem solving skills for teams
• Understanding team leader, facilitator and team member responsibilities
• A framework for effective problem solving within a team
• Developing teamwork within teams
• Learning how to measure and evaluate team performance for continuous improvement
• Techniques for effectively involving and empowering all team members
Unleashing your potential: Creative problem solving techniques
• An overview of creative problem solving skills
• Strategies for jump-starting creative approaches to problems
• Using forced analogies or random words to help generate ideas
• Understanding the dual nature of creative problem solving: creativity and logic
• Integrating creative and logical approaches to problems
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of creative problem solving?
• Planning and implementing the solution
• Preparing a set of objectives for the implementation plan
• Writing an in-depth report to cover the problem and the rationale for the chosen solution
• Gaining commitment from those who will be implementing the plan
• Setting up contingency plans for unexpected results
• Developing an effective monitoring and review process
Problem solving and decision making at the strategic level
• Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
• Defining the organisation’s vision
• Making strategic choices: Identification of critical success factors
• Defining the strategic goals and values
• Deployment of strategy - providing the framework for innovation and improvement
Facilitator
Keith McGregor, Personnel Psychology NZ Ltd
After completing his psychology degree in 1974 Keith joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force as an industrial psychologist. During 12 years in the RNZAF, Keith was involved in a wide range of organisational and personnel psychology including such areas as selection test development, interviewing, training development, selection validation, personal counselling, large scale survey work and statistical analysis. Also during this time Keith represented the New Zealand Defence Forces in behavioural sciences projects with psychologists and researchers from the British, Canadian, Australian and American armed forces.
In 1986 Keith became a director of Gilmour McGregor & Associates, a psychological consultancy employing registered psychologists of various disciplines: clinical, forensic and industrial. Among the numerous organisations he has worked with, both national and international, Keith is recognised for his executive assessment work and in particular for his extensive knowledge of interview techniques, testing and test development. Large scale survey research work also remains a focus, as does staff training, organisational development, career related counselling. He is also the developer of Selector-PA, E-Profiler and Career-Step computer programs for employee selection and management.
While remaining a director of Gilmour McGregor and Associates, in 2003 Keith established Personnel Psychology NZ Ltd to enable him to focus on providing personnel assessment, training and support to managers and staff. Keith is a registered psychologist and coordinator of the industrial/organisational special interest group for the Occupational Division for the New Zealand Psychological Society and Human Resource Institute of New Zealand.
Keith McGregor is also facilitating:
In-house Training
Sorry, this event currently has no dates scheduled.
