Managerial Problem Solving: Impact of Course on Mindset Development

This report analyzes the impact of a managerial problem-solving course on a student's mindset and skill development. The student initially held limited views on problem-solving, focusing only on apparent issues and lacking structured decision-making processes. The course modules challenged these notions by providing insights into problem detection, analysis, and the varying nature of problems across organizations. The report highlights the importance of understanding organizational culture, brainstorming, and innovative solutions. The student now plans to apply the acquired knowledge in analyzing problems, considering potential outcomes, and making informed decisions, such as addressing declining employee performance by identifying the root causes and implementing targeted interventions. The report concludes that effective problem-solving skills are essential for managers, emphasizing the importance of addressing both the apparent and underlying causes of problems, with the course equipping the student with the necessary competencies for managerial success.

Running head: MANAGERIAL PROBLEM SOLVING
Managerial Problem Solving
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction
Problem solving is an essential part of a job of a manager. In business environments,
managers face frequent problems in day-to-day affairs (Frensch & Funke, 2014). Through the
course of learning about managerial problem solving many of my previous notion and
concepts related to problem solving has been challenged and converted. In this report, the
impact of the course modules on my mindset development has been analyzed.
Discussion
My concept regarding problem solving was limited before I joined the course. Earlier,
whenever I faced any situation where I needed to take decision, I generally looked at the
problem superficially. I only concentrated on the apparent problem. Moreover, I also did not
have any clear idea about how to judge a problem, structure a problem or decide which
problems are more complex than the other. Earlier I had the notion that the managers do not
have to work on taking decisions (Helfat & Peteraf, 2015). When they faced challenges or
decision making situations, I thought they would decide on those situations depending on the
past cases and decisions taken by the previous case scenarios. Earlier, my concept of problem
was that it is same for every organization.
After taking the course in managerial problem solving and learning about the
intricacies of problem detection many if my previous ideas and notions were changed. The
six modules of learning gave me broader as well as deeper insight into the idea of problem
solving. The first module gives us a critical insight into the idea of problem and how they
work. My earlier thought that problems are generalized have been challenged and I learnt that
problems may vary depending on organization and management style (Jonassen & Hung,
2015). For example, most organization have fixed working hours and in-and-out time while

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organizations like Google believe in flexibility of working hours. Thus, the employees there
have the freedom to come and go as they please. This fosters innovation and the organization
has seen the positive impacts of this practice. The module also provides understanding on
detecting problems analyzing them and applying the decision making skills in order to solve
them. The second module gives us insight to managing difficult problem. It is an important
quality of the managers to be able to detect problems and understand the intensity of it.
Through the course modules I have been able to develop knowledge and idea about these
aspects of management and decision making (Carriger, 2016).
The third and fourth module gives idea about brainstorming during a problem solving
exercise and the importance of thinking outside the box. My earlier thoughts that previous
cases and managerial decisions are followed in later cases as well was challenged through
this. I learnt that managers are required to come up with innovative solutions to problems as
the nature of the problems also change continuously. They create new strategies to solve the
problems depending on the organizational culture, values and type of problem. I also
developed ideas related to problem consideration and analysis. This helps in structural
problem solving (Mumford et al., 2017). The fifth and sixth module gave me insight into
particularly tricky problems and the way through which structural problem solving is helpful,
in those situation. I realized that people have different ways of thinking and that actually
affects the problem solving approach and decision making.
Based on my learning in the course, I will be able to apply all the learnings when I
work in an organization. While performing my duties, when a problem arises, I will analyze
the problem closely, think about the possible outcomes of each of the probable solutions and
decide on that regard. For example, if as a manager, I face a situation where I see that the
production or performance of the employees are decreasing, it is necessary to understand
what the actual problem is (Brière et al., 2015). I shall see what is affecting the employees,

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whether they are demotivated, are the organizational infrastructure adequate or whether the
task delegation is rational or not. Depending on the result, I might suggest motivational
programs, or team-work skills or training procedures.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that problem solving skills are
mandatory for a successful manager. The managers need to solve the problem in such a way
that their solution not only solves the apparent problem but also the underlying subtle reasons
that created the problem on the first hand. The course modules, materials and exercises have
helped me gain those competencies that would make me a successful manager.

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References
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Helfat, C. E., & Peteraf, M. A. (2015). Managerial cognitive capabilities and the
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Jonassen, D. H., & Hung, W. (2015). All problems are not equal: Implications for problem-
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