STEVER JOBS self-assessment *Kim Woods

Problem-Solving and Conflict Management

Johnathen Houston

MBA-550-X1650

Southern New Hampshire University

December 11, 2016

An analysis of problem-solving skills, abilities, and knowledge

Various skills and abilities are used to solve a problem or conflict successfully. Creative thinking is a basic skill that should be used in solving a problem. One should be able to adopt new methods of solving a problem without being based on the known past methods. This skill requires one to be flexible and consistent when solving the problem. You should be able to be quick in forming new ideas and be able to support the ideas.

Good listening skills help in achieving a successful problem solving. A good leader of solving a problem or conflict should be a good listener. This helps in ensuring that as a leader I am able to listen to questions from all parties without asking again what was said or asked. This may help him/her to ensure that am able to give solutions easily and quickly. The ability to interpret the scope of a problem is useful in problem-solving. A leader may use this ability to ensure that he/she is able to respond to a problem and give solutions easily.

Ability to know the interest of the involved parties. This ability helps him/her to solve the problem fairly because he/she can identify a solution that will fulfill the needs of all parties without favoring any party. Communication skills are also an important skill that should be adopted. The ability to be audible when speaking helps in solving a problem. He/she should be able to know what language to use and how to use it. It helps in ensuring all a parties can understand him/her.

Problem-solving tools, methods, and strategies

Leaders require having strategies when solving a problem. Some of the strategies that he/she can adopt are as follows; (a) Trial and guesses of the solution to the problem. This helps one to search for the best solution and he/she may land on the best solution (b) Simplification and clarification of the problem being solved and understand what is the key issue (b) Creation of a process of handling the situation (c) Create a drawing of the problem to make be realistic. (d) Search and apply relevant information from such a past problem. (f) Giving a chance of voting from the parties involved (Posamentier, 2008).

However, some of the strategies in solving a problem are not so reliable. Voting is a strategy used in solving a problem but it is not so effective. One party may have a majority population and this means that if they vote more than justice may not be fulfilled. Trial and guesses are used in solving a problem but are also not so reliable. This is because the parties may lack confidence in your once they note that you are using this strategy.

Analysis of my leader’s conflict management and negotiation skills

For a good problem solving my leader uses the skill of active listening. This makes communication between us and him to be easy because he is able to give quick responses to any issue. He is a creative thinker. This helps him to come up with solutions and ideas easily and also come up with an original solution which does not favor any party. I also have the ability to be a creative thinker and I can easily come up with a good idea when resolving a conflict. I am able to have a big knowledge about the issue being solved by acquiring information by reading or asking on how to solve the problem.

I would use collaboration as a technique in a conflict management. This technique would help to involve all a parties and hence get views from all the parties. I would also use be compromising because this helps in coming up with a solution that satisfies all the parties. I would use the technique of avoiding of direct involvement in the conflict. This would help me to avoid favoring either party and so the solution I would come up with a fair solution to all parties.

REFERENCES

Posamentier, A. & Krulik, S. (2008). Problem-solving strategies for efficient and elegant solutions, grades 6-12: a resource for the mathematics teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.