INTRODUCTION
People problems are very varied; they can also be complex. There is no all-embracing theory for understanding them and no magical formulas guaranteed to solve them. The problem-solver, where people problems are concerned, must be an experimenter. There are, however, a few guidelines which, if observed, will help to save the problem-solver from wasting time and effort on ultimately unprofitable activities.
THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS
As with any kind of problem solving, it helps to be systematic. For example:
- Describe the problem as specifically and objectively as possible
- Set up a hypothesis s to the likeliest cause of the problem (diagnosis)
- Choose or develop a strategy for solving the problem
- Implement the strategy
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the action taken
Describe the Problem
Describe the problem in performance or behavioral terms; “behavioral” is used here in its general sense, rather than in the sense of behavior analysis categories. The description of the problem should answer the question:
How would I recognize the problem if I saw it
E.g. ‘Bill always hands in his weekly reports half a day late’ rather than ‘Bill is a lazy so-and-so!
Having described the problem, you can also state in what way you would like the problem person’s performance or behaviour to change. That is, answer the question:
‘What will Bill be doing if the problem is successfully solved?’
Other Important Questions About The Problem
The basic question is:
Is the problem worth solving?
i.e. Can I justify putting time and effort into dealing with it?
To answer this question, you have to ask:
- What are the consequences of the problem?
- What does it cost?
- Who is it a problem for?
- Who is being hurt?
You also need to ask:
- Can/should I try to solve it?
There are two aspects of the problem to be taken account of in answering this question.
First: Is the solution of this problem my responsibility?
And: Do I have the position/power/influence to initiate a solution?
Second: How difficult is it going to be to solve the problem?
And: What will it cost to solve the problem?
These last two questions can only be answered when you have some ideas about the
cause(s) of the problem, and what might be done to tackle it.
Problem Diagnosis
There are no logical rules, which can be followed that will produce an indisputable conclusion about the cause of a people problem. The best you can do is
to set up a hypothesis (the experimenter’s jargon for ‘a best guess’) about the cause, and then proceed to test it by taking action and seeing what happens.
What you are doing in diagnosing a people problem is looking for the causes of the performance or behaviour that is the problem.
Diagnosing people problems is especially difficult because there is a multitude of things that influence (or cause) people’s behaviour.
Also, there are certain traps that are easily fallen into. The main ones are:
- Defining the problem in terms of assumed cause, rather than in performance or behaviour
terms. (Really, making a diagnosis without being aware that is what you are doing.) - Jumping straight from the problem to solution.
(Not being aware of the assumptions you are making about causes.) - Over-reliance on your past experience and the ‘personal theories’ you have constructed form
that experience. You can reduce the difficulties of diagnosis by: - Making you personal theories about causes of behaviour explicit to yourself.
- Expanding you knowledge and understanding of the cause of behaviour.
- Adopting a systematic approach to diagnosis.
A SUGGESTED APPROACH TO DIAGNOSIS
The approach suggested here recognizes two general points about behaviour:
- That is may be caused by something in the person’s environment, or by something in he person himself, or by an interaction between the two.
- That it is a result of the person’s perceptions of the situation of the information e has, and the meanings he attaches to it.
The approach involves the commonsense strategy of considering possible causes in ascending 0der of the difficulty of dealing with them.
Area 1 Is he cause of the problem a lack of information or feedback?
Is the person aware that his performance or behaviour is a problem?
(In confronting the person with the problem, AVOID commanding, labeling,
accusing, and being cynical. Do describe he problem behaviour specifically.)
Area 2 Is the cause of the problem something in the person’s environment?
(By environment’, we mean not only the physical conditions of work, but also things like the work group, the systems and procedures, the quipment and tools’, even the content of the job itself.)
If either of the above questions identifies the cause, then you are left with the cnclusion that is must lie in the person himself. There are two basic questions to ask about he person:
Area 3 Is he person ABLE to change in the way you want?
Problems in this area are to do with aptitudes, abilities, and skills.
Area 4 Is he person WILLING to change in the way you want?
Problems n this area are to do with perceptions, expectations, needs, attitudes, alues-in a word, MOTIVATION. This is the most difficult area in which to bring about changes.
STRATEGIES FOR GETTING A PERSON TO CHANGE
The action you choose to take to try to solve your problem will obviously depend on your diagnosis. What you are aiming for in all cases, however, is some kind of change in the person’s performance or behaviour and often you will find that people resist change-especially if the cause of the problem lies in Area 4 above. One main reason why people resist change is that their current behavior is meeting a need that they have, and is therefore experienced as rewarding. A request that they change their behaviour is perceived in terms of their having to give something up, and is accompanied by feelings of unfairness.
There are four effective strategies for increasing people’s willingness to give something up, for getting them to change:
- The GUNPOINT strategy. A strategy of threat. If the person doesn’t change she will lose something she values.
- The SELLING strategy. If the person changes she will gain something she values.
- The NEGOTIATING strategy. If the person makes the change you want (gives something up), you will give something up in return (make a change she wants).
- The SMALL-STEP strategy. Start the change slowly. Do not ask the person to make such a large changes that they will perceive it to be beyond capability.
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