Problem-Solving Techniques - Assignment Example

Problem-solving techniques al Affiliation) Problem-solving techniques When I was working as a public relations manager in one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the US, almost all workers apart from the management body went on strike without giving notice. This strike was going to make our company experience losses if a solution for it was not reached in time. As a public relations manager and member of the management body, I was given the hard task to find a long-lasting solution to end the strike as soon as possible.

James who was the company’s general manager proposed that we ask our nearby customers about a probable reason that might have led to that strike. Peter, the sales manager, supported the general manager’s suggestion. Because I had been given an obligation to solve the problem, I proposed that the right people to ask in order to discover where the problem was were the striking workers. All of them agreed with me. I went on and interviewed several employees who were on strike by that time. The purpose of this was to clarify as well as identify what caused the strike.

Employees aired out their grievances which helped me to understand the real problem. I informed the rest of the management body members about what caused workers to go on strike without issuing a notice. I suggested that for us to be surer about the causes of the issue at hand there was a need to research more about what employees gave as their complaints. I invited all employees whom I had interviewed earlier, to give more details about their grievances. They stated how some of their grievances started when they started, and their suggestions concerning the best way in which they wished their issues should be handled.

After doing further inquiries about the problem, I presented the results to the general manager in addition to members of the management body. At this point, we were sure about the root causes of the strike. Together with my colleagues, we discussed about how we could solve the problem effectively, and within a short period to prevent more losses that our company was experiencing at that moment. James proposed that we invite all striking workers for negotiation. He also said that at the time of negotiation, workers were to be given promises that their issues were going to be solved as soon as they get back to their jobs.

Peter suggested that the best way to deal with the problem was to issue sacking threats to workers who will not report on duty as soon as possible. I disagreed with these suggestions and recommended the formation of a special team that will deal with that issue without interfering with the company’s way of doing things. I also added that before the employee’s grievances are solved, we were to sign agreements to give them assurance that their issues will be dealt with properly. Other members of management supported my suggestions.

There was a unanimous agreement to implement the ideas. Before embarking on the implementation of the ideas, we decided to carry out evaluations concerning strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. After this, the suggested ideas were implemented as it was planned. A special body to handle employees’ complaints was formed and given permission to start their work. Workers were invited and they only accepted to report on the job after signing the agreements to assure them that their problems were going to be solved.

The strike was called off and workers resumed their duties as usual.