Solving Various Business-Related Problems - Essay Example

Reflective Report Introduction In this report, I am going to describe how I utilized various brainstorming techniques to solve various business related problems when I was a departmental manager at sunrise company limited. I am the information technology manager in this company; hence, I deal with technical issues and challenges that come with constant technological developments. I lead a team of colleagues who directly depend on my stewardship of the department. Brainstorming procedures can provide good guidelines that are beneficial in business development. The approaches include brainwriting, reverse brainstorming, starbusting, crawford slip writing method or round robin brainstorming, role storming, and synecticts. I will also provide evidence of my contributions to various problem-solving techniques that we faced in our company. As such, I have to be very creative in ensuring that all issues are dealt with in a timely manner. Brainwriting I hold meetings with large group members, who have divergent views, on a monthly basis to discuss progress in our department. Rather than yelling ideas in any group discussions, I prefer to write them down in a sheet of paper so that I cannot forget about them. This also helps me with storing ideas that can be useful in future references. Often, I begin the meeting by introducing the topic under discussion so that all the members prepare psychologically with their contributions. I ensure that each member in my group has a writing pad and a pen so that all their ideas can be noted down. In most cases, when we are many participants, I ask each participant to read and add new ideas, and then pass it on to others to obtain as many ideas as possible about an issue. After a few minutes, I ask the participants to pass their papers to the next person to contribute to it, to ensure that the process is repeated. In about the first ten to fifteen minutes, the participants are through noting their ideas, after which we begin the discussion. Drawing from my experience the number of ideas generated during brainwriting often exceeds other interactive processes like brainstorming. This is because the process of brainwriting easily reduces anxiety within the group dynamics leading to more creativity among the members (Proctor, 2009).Moreover, too much talking during group activities can raise the level if idea generation and thus brainwriting is a good technique to use in such occasions. For instance, I normally use brainwriting whenever I experience a very large group, especially over 100 people, to facilitate idea generation. This works well, especially where there is no experienced moderator within the group. I have also come to learn and note that brainwashing prevents loud and forceful personalities from influencing others in the decision making process. Reverse brainstorming This method helps in problem solving by combining brainstorming with other reversal techniques in drawing out creative ideas. I employ this method to solve solves problems by trying to establish the cause of the problem. This is because every problem that arises within the organization or its system has a source that can easily be analyzed. The first step I take in reverse brainstorming involves identifying the problem and then writing it down properly in a clean sheet of paper. The next step involve reversing the issue by asking the reverse question according to the answer, which involves asking the participants what could possibly cause the problem so that I can understand how to rectify it. This is followed by brainstorming the reversed problem to generate reverse solution ideas, which are then evaluated by seeing the attributes and the potential solution. In this manner, I can easily notice the steps that contributed to the problem and provide solutions to the various steps systematically. While I was the manager of Information Technology department, I used a brainstorming technique to solve a problem that resulted from users complaining about the low level of services at our help desk. I decided to involve my staff in bringing the changes to the IT department by solving the glitch that made customers to complain, and instead of focusing on why our customers are not happy, we focused on why the computers are so bad that our customers complain all the time. This in turn revealed to us several methods and techniques that we could and used some to improve on our services. We noticed that we were operating with low memory computers and that our communication network provider was not reliable. After realizing this, we embarked on a mission to purchase high quality computers and sourced for a more reliable network provider in solving our IT related issues. Starbusting This is a method of brainstorming that involves generating questions in a systematic and comprehensive way (Proctor, 2009). It is useful in supporting the problem solving and decision making process by understanding its aspects and the options available to choose from in solving that problem. Whenever I experienced managerial difficulties in my department, I asked all my colleagues to come up with new ideas that are beneficial in solving any challenge or problem. When a colleague brings new ideas, I carefully analyze it and its challenges it to ensure that all the aspect of the idea are taken into consideration before implementing any part of it. When facing this situation, I ask questions in the most comprehensive and systematic manner to solve this problem. Often, we focus on creating questions rather than responses, and further questions about the answers provided, and I ensure that every member is given a chance to ask as many questions as he wishes so that all aspects of the problem are solved in a systematic manner. For instance, when my manager proposed a new working design in the company that could lead to making of new products; I asked him who would be our customers in than line of production. Moreover, I also asked him what would be the cost of production and the profit margins, and further asked whom our competitors in this line of production. All these questions enabled us to understand the feasibility of undertaking any project to avoid any losses that may arise from such business. This also helped us in the marketing and coming up with effective production technique for those products. Round Robin Brainstorming This technique mainly helps to generate and develop new ideas in a group through brainstorming by relying on an iterative process whereby each participant contributes either in writing or by saying his ideas verbally. Whenever employing this method, at first, I ensure that the participants are arranged in a circular manner so that they see each other comfortably without facial movement. While sitting in this arrangement, I am in a position to select one participant so that the rest can follow in his directions. One participant talks at a time, followed by a participant who sits in the opposite direction. As the team leader, I ensure that each participant either speaks or writes his idea continually by working clockwise in the round table setting. Since I am the facilitator, am responsible for noting the main point that comes from group members so that we can use them in solving the problem at hand. In some instances, I used to deal with large groups that forced me to divide them into smaller groups in which I later collect their ideas after they are through. There is less pressure in this brainstorming technique since any member who lacks ideas concerning our topic is easily be passed, by giving the person next to him a chance (Proctor, 2009). Rolestorming In some cases, a person may be willing to share ideas from another person’s perspective for fear of being embarrassed in doing it in his own perspective. I utilize this brainstorming technique to enable participants to take other peoples identities as they try to solve a problem in-group dynamics. Some of the questions asked in this brainstorming session include; what would you do if you were in his capacity? How would you have done it? In this way, am able to get all divergent views from the group members in such a way that everybody contributes. I often preferred using this technique while touching sensitive issues in which people may not be free in talking from their own perspective. Synectics I realized that people tended to be more free and active in groups that encouraged some sense of humor in dealing with issues. While utilizing this technique, I introduce a problem and give each member an opportunity to restate the problem in such a way it is interesting to the group. The metaphor in these groups facilitates active participation by portraying a problem as something easy to solve. In one instance, I asked our members to interpret why our customers are complaining about our IT systems. The member contribution to the question was that we have small-brained computers who are slow thinkers leading to slow and stupid ideas. It was thus suggested by the members that we should look for computers with big brains that can make decisions very quickly. Conclusion During my experience as a department manager, I realized that problem solving is made simpler and faster by the use of brainstorming techniques. First, by analyzing the problem and designing a barnstorming method that can easily be used to solve that problem. Brainstorming techniques can be used at a personal level or group level depending on which techniques chosen. Personally, the techniques that I employed includes brainwashing, reverse brainstorming, starbusting, round robin brainstorming, role storming, and synecticts Bibliography Proctor, T. (2009) Creative Problem Solving for Managers. 3rd edition, London: Routledge Read More