Problem Solving and Decision Making in Organizations

This report discusses the complex problems of job dissatisfaction and low motivation in organizations, with a focus on Mark and Spencer. It covers the impact of these problems, their causes, and alternative solutions. The report also explains decision-making techniques and how to plan and implement chosen solutions.

Problem Solving
and Decision
Making

Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
A discussion on the nature and impact (actual and potential) of the complex problem on the
overall performance of organisations. ...................................................................................1
A research-informed cause-and-effect analysis of the complex problem. ............................1
A PESTLE analysis of the macro-environmental factors contributing to the complex problem.
................................................................................................................................................2
An evaluation of alternative solutions to the complex problem with an aim of choosing the
most appropriate solution among these alternatives...............................................................3
A demonstration of how organisations may plan implementation of chosen solution and
evaluate outcome....................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
Define a complex problem in the workplace including its scope and impact........................4
Analyse information on the identified problem, to help inform the decision-making process5
Propose a range of alternative solutions to the problem.........................................................6
Use a decision-making technique to evaluate a range of solutions to identify the most
appropriate option...................................................................................................................7
Develop a plan for implementing the solution.......................................................................7
Communicate the plan to stakeholders...................................................................................8
Assess appropriate monitoring and review techniques to ensure successful implementation of
the solution.............................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9

Task 1
INTRODUCTION
Problem solving is a process which is used to identify the solution of a critical
problem for which decisions are to be made that are part of it. Whereas decision
making is the process where an action is taken by an individual to determine the best
course of action of a particular problem. In this report, Mark and Spencer has been
taken into consideration which is a multinational company in UK. The complex problem
of job dissatisfaction will be discussed that are faced by the employees of company.
Therefore, the report will cover the nature, actual impact and the potential impact of the
problem. It will explain the cause and effect of the job dissatisfaction and analyse the
impact of the external factors which contribute to the complex problem. Moreover, it will
discuss the solution of the problem and demonstrate the implementation of the chosen
alternative.
MAIN BODY
A discussion on the nature and impact (actual and potential) of the complex problem on
the overall performance of organisations.
Job dissatisfaction occurs when the employees have negative feeling towards the
job and are unwilling to work due to the various problems such as lack of advancement,
poor management and so on(Pandey,Singh and Pathak, 2021). The job dissatisfaction
has negative impact on the organization which may include decrease in the work
performance and become less productive. The morale of the employees get down due
to the lower returns which prevent them to provide their best services to the
organisation. When the employees are unhappy with their job so they experience stress
and provide high employee turnover aerates to a business concern.
A research-informed cause-and-effect analysis of the complex problem.
There are several causes of the job dissatisfaction which the employees have to
face within an organisation are described as under:
 Limited career growth: When the employees find that there is no opportunity for
the career advancement so they show their lack of interest in performing the
work(Peng and et. al., 2021). When the employer does not provide the nurturing
1

environment for the career growth and success so the employees become less
productive. This leads to the job dissatisfaction and are encourage to leave the
organisation for their career development.
 Poor management: The management plays a significant role in a business
concern because they are liable to motivate employees, planning, organising,
controlling, directing and so on. Therefore, when there is inadequate
management in an organisation so the employee perform poorly and give
unsatisfactory performance. Thus, the lack of direction leads to the frustration
among employees at the workplace.
 Work life balance: When the employees spend their whole day at the work and
the company also fail to recognise the needs of the employees so as to maintain
work life balance(Moin and et. al., 2021). So the employees get dissatisfied with
their job and are compelled to leave the organisation so that they can maintain
their personal and professional life.
A PESTLE analysis of the macro-environmental factors contributing to the complex
problem.
The pestle analysis has been done in context to the Mark and Spencer to know
the impact of the external factors on the job dissatisfaction are described as under:
 Political factors: In relation to the Mark and Spencer, the government impose
the laws and tax policies which the company has to implement(Pandey, Singh
and Pathak, 2021). But when the government changes it brings its own laws and
regulation that are imposed on the employees in a company.
 Economical factors: With reference to the Mark and Spencer, this factor affect
when the employees have low salaries so the inflation rate may affect their cost
of living. As a result, the employees become dissatisfied with their job with low
salaries.
 Social factors: In relation to the Mark and Spencer, this factors affect the
employees at the workplace when the employees have low interaction with the
leader, co-workers, customers and etc. So they are not able to understand the
needs of the people.
2

 Technological factors: As regard with the Mark and Spencer, the factors affect
the employees positively in terms of make them more productive and make them
able to communicate effectively.
 Legal factors: The Mark and Spencer has its own rules or policies that are
followed by the employees at the work place(Jermsittiparsert and et. al., 2021).
Thus, it protect the employees against the unfair discrimination at the work and
paid fairly.
 Environmental factors: In relation to the Mark and Spencer, this factors can
impact the employees when the adequate lighting, fresh air or proper ventilation
is not provided to employees so it cause to headache, respiratory problems and
so on.
An evaluation of alternative solutions to the complex problem with an aim of choosing
the most appropriate solution among these alternatives.
The alternative are provided to improver the job dissatisfaction of the employees
so that the so not leave the organization and encourage employees to retain in an
organisation. The alternatives are:
 Appreciation: Mark and Spencer can a appreciate the employees through
attentive interest and appreciate them for their work, skills, ideas and opinion so
that they feel motivated. It should also provide reward to their workers so that
they get engaged with the organisation.
 Training and development: Mark and Spencer can provide its employees
training so that tier development can be made. This help in enhancing the skills,
knowledge and different perspectives of the employees.
A demonstration of how organisations may plan implementation of chosen solution and
evaluate outcome.
In relation to the Mark and Spencer, the organisation should assess the training
needs among the employees and set target object for the employees. Thereafter, it can
create the action plan and implement it to the employees. After that the evaluation is
done by comparing with the actual performance with the standard and when deviation
occurs then the training program is revised.
3

CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it has been concluded that the organisation should
satisfy its employees by providing them fair wages or salaries and appreciation for the
work performed by them. This lead to motivate the employees and make them more
productive dan satisfied with their work. They should be provided proper training time to
time so that their development can be made which assist therm in career growth.
4

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Pandey, P., Singh, S. and Pathak, P., 2021. An exploratory study on factors contributing
to job dissatisfaction of retail employees in India. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services, 61, p.102571.
Peng and et. al., 2022. Will catering employees’ job dissatisfaction lead to brand
sabotage behavior? A study based on conservation of resources and complexity
theories. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Moin and et. al., 2021. Abusive supervision and job outcomes: a moderated mediation
model. Journal of Organizational Change Management.
Pandey, P., Singh, S. and Pathak, P., 2021. An exploratory study on factors contributing
to job dissatisfaction of retail employees in India. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services, 61, p.102571.
Jermsittiparsert and et. al., 2021. THE IMPACT OF THE WORKLOAD ON THE JOB
SATISFACTION: DOES THE JOB STRESS MATTER?. Academy of Strategic
Management Journal, 20, pp.1-13.
Task 2
INTRODUCTION
Motivation is the process of initiation or guide to drive the people towards the
success of an organisation. It stimulates the behaviour of the people in terms of desire
for money, success, recognition, job satisfaction, teamwork and so on(Wigfield, Muenks
and Eccles,2021). Motivation is important because it creates willingness among the
employees to give their best performance. In this report, Mark and Spencer has been
taken into consideration which is multinational company involves in the business of
selling clothes, home products and food conducts. In this task, the complex problem is
low motivation which will define in the report with their impact in the workplace. It will
discuss the cause of low motivation and also the solution for their purpose with the best
alternatives. It will also explain the decision making techniques to find out the best
option.
5

MAIN BODY
Define a complex problem in the workplace including its scope and impact
Low motivation or lack of motivation is a feeling that are experienced by the
employees at the workplace. This can be happen when the employees lost their
inspiration and are not valued at the workplace(Janesko, 2021). Lack of motivation have
negative impact on the organisation which are described in context to the Mark and
Spencer below: Lower productivity: When the employees have lack of motivation so they
become low productive because of not being valued in an organisation or having
low wages. So they start to remain absent and get late or provide unplanned
absences. They spend more working hours to their personal issues which leads
to decrease in the productivity. They give their poor performance to the business
organisation and don't care for the quality of work. Costs: Due to the low motivation, a business concern have to face high cost for
their business because the employees produce the lower level of outputs which
prevent company to reach out for the goals. The company have to bear the cost
of hiring new employees and provide them training.
 Poor customer services: The service for the customers get reduced when the
employee have no motivation. The employees are not willing to work and show
their lack of interest in performing their work(Amini, and Daulay, , 2022). Thus,
the they do not respond to the queries of the customers which lead to the
reduction in the satisfaction level of the customers.
Analyse information on the identified problem, to help inform the decision-making
process
The are several reason for the lack of motivation which an organisation consider
to make the effective decision making. The causes are describes as under: Feeling undervalued: When the employees feel that their efforts are not being
valued, appreciated or recognised so this cause lack of motivation among them.
They show their lack of interest in performing their work and become low
productive. When the company does not motivate employee to work towards the
goals of the business so it can not be able to get the goals in time.
6

 No development opportunities: When the employees find lack of development
opportunities so they think to leave an organisation and start to give their poor
performance(Muñoz and Iglesias, 2021). When the training and development
programs are not organised for the workers so their skills can not be improved
and they are not allowed to share their ideas so this leads to the lack of
motivation among the employees. Poor leadership: When the employees do not find the effective leadership so
they are forced to leave the organisation as it affect the team negatively. The
leader must have al flexible approach to manage the team and able to
communicate in an appropriate manner. Thus, the employees start to feel
demoralise due to the lack of management.
 Conflict: This is a big issue that may arise in an organisation among the
employee. When the conflict are arise in an organisation so they become worried
for coming forward for the issues related to their colleagues. Sometime, due to
the conflict they are compelled to leave a business concern.
Propose a range of alternative solutions to the problem
The are many ways that an organisation can adopted to encourage the
employees to be motivated are discussed as under: Recognise great work: The efforts of the employees should be valued and their
or performance should be recognised so that they can be motivated and retained
in an organisation. This will boost the morale of the workers which make them
more productive and give their best outcomes. This helps in satisfying the
employees and encourage them to work towards the goal for the company. Set small and measurable goals: An organisation should set the clear and
smart goals that must be attainable by the employees(Smith, and Hunt,2021).
Thus, it helps in increasing the motivation of the employees when the goals are
achieved by them and their progress are also measured so that their
performance can be recognised when executed well or provide training for the
development when lack somewhere. Celebrate result: An organisation should celebrate the handwork of the team to
make them motivated and enhance their level of satisfaction. The organisation
7

get the employees know of their contribution towards achieving the goals of a
business concern. The company should applause for the employees for their
contribution to the success of an organisation.
 Be transparent: The company should be transparent with their employees and
make them clear about all the important information and the decisions. This
encourage the company to provide atmosphere of trust among the
employees(Ham and et. al., 2021). The transparency assure that all are working
with the same information that can benefit the team members.
Use a decision-making technique to evaluate a range of solutions to identify the most
appropriate option
There are many decision making techniques which assist in evaluating the range
of the solution are described as under: Group discussion: This is a decision making techniques which help in getting
the effective solution by sharing the different ideas, cognition and experiences of
various individuals. This make the employee feel valuable because they are part
of the decision-making process. Thus, the employees get motivated when they
are allowed to share their perspectives among the team and reach out to the
conclusion. The group generate more idea which help them in learning from each
other and enhance their knowledge. Brainstorming: An organisation allow the people of an organisation to think
more freely without fear of being judge(Prakash, Tiwari and Jain, 2021). It
encourages the employee to provide their collaboration in solving the complex
problem and generate innovative ideas. This enable the employees to provide
the effective solution to the problems and enhance their experience as well. The
employees are also satisfied with their working in an organisation and they more
focus on the vision of a company.
 Delphi technique: This is a technique which is used in a group to share the
opinion and make decision by getting survey of the panel of the experts. The
questionnaire are made to reach out to the solution of a problem. This will help
the employees in building up their confidence level and make them
motivated(Chen, and Liao, 2022). In this decision making technique, the
8

company provide opportunity to the employees to share their views through the
meeting.
Develop a plan for implementing the solution
The plan for implementation of the solution is beneficial for the team that include
the following steps which are described as under: Define goals: This is the first step of the process where the goals are defined by
an organisation to motivate the employees so that they can achieve their task for
success of an organisation. The company specify the task that are to be
achieved and the services that are to be delivered to the customers. Conduct research: An organisation should conduct a research by making
surveys and know the concerns of the employee so that their problem get
resolved which lead to motivation among the employees(Bromley and et. al.,
2021.). Map out risk: The company find out the risk that the employees may face while
performing their work which ,may be of any type such as budget constraint, loss
of personnel and so on. Thus, it help the organisation to analyse the risk by being
proactive and prepare itself accordingly. Schedule milestones: The company should make the schedule to execute the
plan so the the progress can be measured. This will assist in comparing the
actual performance with the standard so that the employee get rewarded for their
best performance which lead to motivation. Assign tasks: An organisation assign the responsibilities to the employees so
that the performance of each employee get accessed and monitored. This can be
done through effective communication with the employees.
 Allocate resources: When the employees are provided proper resource so they
are able to perform effectively. This make them enable to perform smoothly and
give their best outcome. All this help them in enhancing the motivation level and
make them more productive.
Communicate the plan to stakeholders
The following are the steps which are to be follows in making the communication
plan to the stakeholders. The plan are described as under:
9

 Identify the project stakeholders: Firstly the stakeholders are identified who
have direct relation with the project of an organisation. They have interest which
can influence the project directly or indirectly(Abdulmuhsin, Abdullah and
Basheer, 2021). There are internal and external stakeholders who help in
executing the project of a business concern. Set the objectives: This help in setting the objective of the communication which
help the organisation to meet its goals. The company should properly define
what an organisation need to achieve and where it want to be in future. Thus, a
business concert should effectively communicate the information to get the goals
of the business. Establish the method of communication: After determining what an
organisation need to be communicated then it decides the method of a
communication which it used to transfer the information. It selects the most
effective channel of communication to share the information such as email, press
release and so on. Use collected data for effective plan: After determining the project objectives,
method of communication and the stakeholders the company create the
communication plan with the help of the collected data.
 Assign a communication plan owner: When the communication plan is made
so the organisation assign to employees to manage it. The elements of the
project get change so the communication plan owner adapt the change and set
plan accordingly.
Assess appropriate monitoring and review techniques to ensure successful
implementation of the solution.
An organisation may use various technique for the monitoring and review of the
successful implementation of the plan. The company can use observation technique to
see how well planning is working. It can talk with the people to now the need of the
resources and monitor the work performance and the output. The technique also help
in n monitoring the absenteeism and the staff turnover. All this help in improving the
communication and implementation of the solution.
10

CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it has been concluded that the motivation has great
importance in an organisation which encourage employees to retain in an organisation
and work in a proper manner and provide their best results. Motivation help in reducing
the absenteeism and retained the employees in organization. It also improves the
relationship between the management and employees and make the employees more
productive. The employees are encourage to produce the good quality work and
improve the customers services. When the employees provide opportunity to share their
ideas so they feel motivated and valuable and provide their best service to the
organisation. Thee become more innovative and more engaged worker of an a business
concern. The report has discussed the reasons for demotivation and how they can be
improved which lead to the higher satisfaction level among the employees which
encourage them to provide better performance. This also help them in continuous
learning and the an entity provide training for the development of the skills of the
employee which help in enhancing their motivation level.
11

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Wigfield, A., Muenks, K. and Eccles, J.S., 2021. Achievement motivation: what we know
and where we are going. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 3, pp.87-
111.
Janesko, B.G., 2021. Replacing hybrid density functional theory: motivation and recent
advances. Chemical Society Reviews.
Amini, N.R. and Daulay, M.Y., 2022, March. Motivation And Religious Understanding Of
Students In Hijab At Muhammadiyah University, North Sumatra. In Proceeding
International Seminar Of Islamic Studies (Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1235-1242).
Muñoz, S. and Iglesias, C.A., 2021. An agent based simulation system for analyzing
stress regulation policies at the workplace. Journal of Computational Science, 51,
p.101326.
Smith, R.A. and Hunt, M.O., 2021. White Supervisor and Subordinate Beliefs about
Black/White Inequality: Implications for Understanding and Reducing Workplace
Racial Disparities. Social Problems, 68(3), pp.720-739.
Ham and et. al., 2021. Beyond workplace violence: Direct and vicarious trauma among
psychiatric hospital workers. A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Management.
Prakash, K., Tiwari, P. and Jain, V.K., 2021. Exploring workplace expectations: an
empirical study on Millennials of India. World Review of Entrepreneurship,
Management and Sustainable Development, 17(2-3), pp.124-141.
Chen, H.L. and Liao, Y.C., 2022. Effects of Panoramic Image Virtual Reality on the
Workplace English Learning Performance of Vocational High School
Students. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 59(8), pp.1601-1622.
Bromley and et. al., 2021. Survey: Is workplace-based learning meeting the needs of
the 21st century neonatal nurse in Australia?. Journal of Neonatal Nursing, 27(5),
pp.347-351.
Abdulmuhsin, A.A., Abdullah, H.A. and Basheer, M.F., 2021. How workplace bullying
influences knowledge management processes: a developing country
perspective. International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 15(3),
pp.371-403.
12

13