Problem Solving and Decision Making Report: Conflict in Restaurants

This report delves into the crucial skills of problem-solving and decision-making, emphasizing their significance in achieving short, medium, and long-term goals. The report uses a restaurant scenario to demonstrate the application of these skills, focusing on conflicts among workers and their impact on efficiency and productivity. It defines the problem, analyzes its causes, and assesses its consequences. The report outlines a structured decision-making process, including identifying the problem, gathering information, identifying alternatives, weighing evidence, choosing a solution, taking action, and reviewing the decision. It then explores alternative solutions, such as providing training and motivation, before evaluating the best solution: task allocation based on employee specialization. A detailed implementation plan is presented, along with strategies for communicating the plan to stakeholders and utilizing monitoring and review techniques like KPIs and benchmarking to ensure successful execution and continuous improvement. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of these skills for effective leadership and management.

Problem Solving and
Decision Making

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Defining of the problem and determining its impact...................................................................1
Analysis of information on the identified problem for a proper decision-making process.........2
Alternative solutions to the problem............................................................................................3
Evaluation of a range of solutions...............................................................................................4
Plan for implementing the solution..............................................................................................4
Communicating the plan to the stakeholders...............................................................................5
Use of monitoring and review techniques...................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Problem-Solving and Decision-Making is a skill which can be used in order to identify
the different types of problems and solving them effectively and efficiently and making sure that
the decisions are taken for the future time period (Ahn and Kim, 2018). It is quite important skill
which is required to be considered as it will ensure that the short-term, medium-term and long-
term goals and objectives are achieved in the future. In this report, there will be detailed focus
on different aspects related to problem-solving and decision-making which will be quite helpful
in the solving of different types of problems in the future.
MAIN BODY
Scenario- In a restaurant the workers have conflicts with each other. This conflict
between the colleagues is hurting the prospects of the restaurant as an impact has been created on
the overall level of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity level. Thus in this way the
restaurant is not able to achieve its business goals and objectives.
Defining of the problem and determining its impact
Problem- In a restaurant there are different types of conflicts between the workers. This
is affecting the restaurant as the level of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity has been
impacted.
The problem takes place due to the following reasons-
 Absence of cooperation- The workers are not cooperating properly with each other and
in the absence of such a cooperation the problem has been created (Erdogan, Šaparauskas
and Turskis, 2017). This is leading towards problems and issues as lack of cooperation
impacts the overall level of operations.
 Absence of coordination- The workers are not coordinating in the right manner with
each other and in the absence of such a coordination the problem has been created. This
is impacting the organization as its work is getting affected due to this reason.
 Lack of understanding- The workers have a lack of understanding and due to this
reason they are not able to understand the nature of the situation and the action which can
be taken in that particular situation.
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 Lack of proper implementation of plans- Due to lack of proper implementation of
plans the conflicts are created between the workers. This therefore affects the
organizations and their overall structure.
Impact of the problem-
 Low efficiency and effectiveness- Due to the conflicts between the workers there is a
low efficiency and effectiveness and this affects the working pattern because the set goals
and objectives are not being achieved (Garg, 2016). They may not give much attention to
the teamwork which they need to display which may impact the functioning of the
organization.
 Low productivity- The creation of conflicts between the workers leads to lower level of
productivity in the organization and thus this is affecting the work from being completed
at the right time as the tasks are not being allocated to the workers according to their
capability (Giampaoli, Ciambotti and Bontis, 2017).
 Lack of good performance- When conflicts are created between the workers this can
lead towards impact on the level of performance of the workers. Thus in this way the
overall performance is affected.
 Communication- Creation of conflicts between workers can hamper the communication
and thus can impact the overall level of performance of the employees. Therefore in this
way the communication may not take place in the right manner and this may impact the
operations and functioning of the restaurant.
Thus because of these reasons the restaurant's working pattern is affected and it is not able to
achieve its particular goals and objectives and this is thus creating an impact on the attainment of
a strategic edge over the competitors.
Analysis of information on the identified problem for a proper decision-making process
Decision-Making process is quite important from the point of view of solving of the
problem which has been identified. Thus by making the use of this process the organizations can
make sure that they are able to solve the particular problems which have been identified in the
right manner. The process has different steps. These steps are explained as follows-
 Identify the decision- It is important to identify the decision to be taken for initiation the
decision-making process (Haupt, 2018). For solving the conflict between the workers in
the restaurant the management will be required to make sure that it allots the tasks
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according to the capability of the workers so that they are able to fulfil these tasks in the
right manner.
 Gather relevant information- It is crucial that the relevant information related to the
decision is gathered. For allotting the tasks according to capabilities of workers the
management of restaurant should identify the relevant information related to these
capabilities.
 Identification of alternatives- For solving a problem different alternatives are available
(Raadschelders and Whetsell, 2018). Thus the management of the restaurant has to make
sure that the identification of alternatives related to decision of allotment of specific tasks
are identified.
 Weighing of evidence- It is important to weight evidence before implementing the
decisions. The decision of allotting tasks specifically to the workers must be weighed
against the different types of evidence.
 Choosing among the alternatives- It is crucial that the right alternative is chosen among
the alternatives which are available. Therefore the decision of allotting tasks specifically
to the employees must be selected among the various alternatives which are available.
 Taking action- It is important that the actions are taken according to the situation. Thus
the decision of allotting specific tasks must be implemented by taking the desired actions.
 Reviewing the decision- It is crucial that the decision is reviewed periodically. Therefore
the decision of allotting the specific tasks must be reviewed periodically appropriately.
Alternative solutions to the problem
For solving a particular problem a range of alternative solutions are available. For solving
the problem of conflicts among the workers the range of these solutions can be used by the
restaurants-
 Providing of training- Training can be provided to the workers so that they are able to
improve cooperation and coordination with each other. This will be quite helpful in
ensuring that the workers are able to solve their conflicts to work in the right manner.
This training will be helpful for them to make sure that they are able to avoid conflicts
with each other and thus work productively to ensure that the goals and objectives of the
restaurant are achieved.
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 Motivation sessions- By providing motivation sessions to the workers they can be
motivated to identify the particular problems faced by them while cooperating and
coordinating in the right manner with each other. Therefore this will be quite helpful in
ensuring that the problem related with the conflict between workers are solved.
Evaluation of a range of solutions
The best possible solution to the problem of conflicts among the workers is that tasks
must be allotted specifically (Saracco, 2016). This will be particularly quite helpful in ensuring
that the tasks are performed in a better manner which helps in maximizing the overall efficiency,
effectiveness and productivity. This is the best solution because the restaurant's workers are
primarily having conflicts due to a high-level of confusion and lack of clarity of their particular
roles. Thus in this way by implementing this particular solution the restaurant management will
be able to ensure that the goals and objectives are achieved.
Plan for implementing the solution
The plan for implementing the solution of setting particular tasks for the workers
according to their specialization is as follows-
S No. Activities Actions to be taken Implementing
authority
1 Identification of the
tasks
Assessing the skills of
the employees and the
tasks which they can
perform
Supervisor
2 Dividing of the tasks
according to different
roles
Finding out the
suitability of the
employees for the
particular role so that
they are able to
perform that role with
perfection
Operations Manager
3 Allocation of the tasks
according to the
Assessing the
competencies of the
Functional Manager
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capability level workers and
implementing the plan
so that the desired
actions are taken
4 Measurement of the
results
Assessing the results
and identifying the
particular
improvements in the
overall performance
Operational Manager
Communicating the plan to the stakeholders
The stakeholders are the people who are having a particular interest in the working
pattern of the organizations. Thus in this way the communication of the plan has to be done with
the following stakeholders-
 Owners- The owners of the restaurant should be provided detailed information about the
plan to allocate tasks according to the capability level. This will help in ensuring that the
owners are able to get detailed knowledge about the solution.
 Employees- It is important to communicate the solution of allocation of specific tasks to
the employees because the plan is made for them only (Setiawati, Widoretno and Maridi,
2019). In this way the workers of the restaurant will be able to take the necessary actions
effectively and efficiently.
 Customers- The customers of the restaurant also have a right to know about the solution
which has been planned to solve the problem. Thus in this way the solution of allotting
specific tasks must be communicated to the customers so that they have the desired
knowledge about the situation of the restaurant.
 Local Community- The local community has the right to know about the plan which has
been made for the purpose of implementation. Thus in this way the solution of allotting
the specific tasks must be communicated with the members of the local community
thereby providing the essential knowledge about the situation to them.
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Use of monitoring and review techniques
The different types of monitoring and review techniques should be made so that the
successful implementation of the solution can be made. These techniques are explained as
follows-
 KPIs- These are the Key Performance Indicators. It is important for the organizations
that they make their use so that so that the assessment of the level of performance of the
different employees can be done in the right manner (Walton, Toniolo and Norman,
2019). By making their use the continuous review of performance level of the workers
can be made which will be quite helpful in ensuring that the plan of providing specific
tasks to them can be made successful.
 Benchmarking- In this technique a lot of benchmarks and standards are used so that the
assessment of the level of performance can be made easily (Zhang and et.al., 2018). By
using it, the assessment of the performance of the workers can be made against the set
standards which will thereby help a lot in ensuring that the solution of allotting specific
tasks can be implemented.
 Balanced scorecard- It is a technique through which overall evaluation of the
performance level of the workers is made. Thus in this way the solution of providing
specific tasks can be implemented because if the employees are not able to perform a
specific task then the identification of the same can be done and they can be motivated to
improve their performance.
 Management by Objectives- It is a method which is helpful for both managers and
employees to concentrate on their particular goals and objectives to be achieved in the
future. Thus in the restaurant this technique can be helpful in ensuring that the plan for
solution of the problem of conflicts is implemented in the right manner. This can be done
by making the use of common goals and objectives which will help in ensuring that the
solution of this problem can be found and there is a higher-level of efficiency,
effectiveness and productivity within the restaurant.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that Problem Solving and Decision Making is
a technique through which the problems can be solved and the different types of decisions can be
taken highly effectively and efficiently. It is important for the mangers to consider it so that the
efficiency, effectiveness and productivity level of the firm remains on the higher side. Different
aspects which are related with it should be considered and therefore by considering them the
different types of short-term, medium-term and long-term goals and objectives can be attained
without facing problems and issues.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Ahn, S. M. and Kim, K., 2018. The Influence of Career Decision-making Self-efficacy, Problem
Solving Ability and Job-seeking Stress on Nursing Students' Career Maturity. Journal of
the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society. 19(1). pp.555-565.
Erdogan, S. A., Šaparauskas, J. and Turskis, Z., 2017. Decision making in construction
management: AHP and expert choice approach. Procedia engineering. 172. pp.270-276.
Garg, H., 2016. A novel accuracy function under interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy environment
for solving multicriteria decision making problem. Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy
Systems. 31(1). pp.529-540.
Giampaoli, D., Ciambotti, M. and Bontis, N., 2017. Knowledge management, problem solving
and performance in top Italian firms. Journal of Knowledge Management.
Haupt, G., 2018. Hierarchical thinking: a cognitive tool for guiding coherent decision making in
design problem solving. International Journal of Technology and Design Education.
28(1). pp.207-237.
Raadschelders, J. C. and Whetsell, T. A., 2018. Conceptualizing the landscape of decision
making for complex problem solving. International Journal of Public Administration.
41(14). pp.1132-1144.
Saracco, S., 2016. Difference as a resource for thinking: An online dialogue showing the role
played by difference in problem solving and decision making. Metaphilosophy. 47(3).
pp.467-476.
Setiawati, R., Widoretno, S. and Maridi, 2019, July. Relevance between content and context of
biology module based on integration of problem solving and decision making aspects in
the respiratory system material. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2120, No. 1, p.
060002). AIP Publishing LLC.
Walton, D., Toniolo, A. and Norman, T. J., 2019. Dialectical models of deliberation, problem
solving and decision making. Argumentation. pp.1-43.
Zhang, P. and et.al., 2018. Experience capitalization to support decision making in inventive
problem solving. Computers in Industry. 101. pp.25-40.
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