CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION MAKINGLeveraging You and Your Team for Innovation

A Custom Leadership Program developed by ELAvate™ for Asian Leaders

Nothing in your organization has a more direct impact on profits, competitiveness and customer loyalty than the quality and creativity of problem solving and decision making at all levels of the organization. According to Wiley’s Digital Skills Gap Index 2021, 85% of survey respondents across Asia–Pacific countries identify problem solving as the most relevant 21st century skill. McKinsey Research states that top performing quartile problem solving companies earn 3.5 times higher shareholder returns. What kind of problem solving culture and process does your organization employ?

That’s why ELAvate developed a problem solving process and workshop that gives your leaders a new way to size up situations, analyse problems and causes, recognize opportunities, and make decisions based on high-quality information and a range of realistic alternative solutions. It is a flexible process that works for complex as well as short-term problems, for high or low-risk decisions, whether the manager is working alone or leading a team effort.

When used by leaders throughout your organization, Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making creates a common problem solving culture that facilitates team building, enhances communication, and produces more creative and profitable decisions.

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The CPSDM Skills

Sizing Up the SituationLeaders will be able to assess a situation before taking action by learning to:

• Clarify vague and confusing situations, so they can be handled appropriately

• Surveying the context of the problem including the processes and culture surrounding the problem

• Make complex situations or problems manageable by breaking them into their component parts

Analysing the Problem or OpportunityParticipants gain a logical and systematic problem analysis approach that helps them:

• Formulate an accurate and complete description of the problem to avoid assumptions that lead to faulty conclusions

• Look beyond the obvious to identify all possible causes

• Use special techniques to isolate the most likely causes for further analysis

• Use judgment, experience, and logic to test causes and avoid jumping to inappropriate conclusions

• Verify and investigate causes to ensure that conclusions are accurate and relevant

Being a Diagnostic DetectiveLeaders will be able to gather high-quality information by learning to:

• Evaluate information based on three specific criteria

• Learn specific communication skills for gathering information

• Learn the six types of questions to employ when investigating problems

• Determine whether to invest additional time and money in acquiring further information

Stimulating CreativityYour people will generate more ideas and applications by learning to:

• Use a variety of techniques and tools to overcome barriers to creativity and stimulate innovative thinking

• Uncover causes, insights and solutions they might have previously overlooked

Making a DecisionLeaders will make and gain acceptance for decisions by learning to:

• State the decision-making goal in broad enough terms to allow for a variety of solutions

• Establish criteria and determine what factors are most important

• Develop innovative alternatives

• Involve others in the decision making process

• Use a well-thought-out process to make decisions

• Present ideas in a logical fashion to others in the organization

• Develop implementation, communication, monitoring and contingency plans to ensure action

A systematic approach to analysing problems and opportunities& making informed, creative decisions

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Benefits

Benefits to Your LeadersCreative Problem Solving and Decision Making helps leaders:

• Avoid quick fixes that don’t solve the root causes of a problem

• Size up problem situations before jumping in to solve them

• Generate better choices based on logical and rational decisions

• Tap their own and others’ creativity to make better decisions and develop better ideas

• Reduce the likelihood of false assumptions and quick judgments

• Evaluate alternatives objectively

• Present recommendations and decisions logically to gain acceptance

• Assess risk and make sound decisions

• Improve the quality of information and ideas that feed their thinking

Benefits to Your OrganizationCreative Problem Solving and Decision Making helps organizations:

• Have a real positive ROI for the money invested for this CPSDM workshop.

• Create a problem solving culture and language that inspires trust and collaboration, not blame.

• Respond more effectively and creatively to volatile market forces by making better decisions

• Improve quality and reduces costs through better problem solving

• Produces effective solutions by reducing the number of decisions based just on symptoms rather than identifying root causes

• Generate more ideas and alternatives for creative decisions and innovative solutions

• Improve communication and team collaboration

• Develops leaders who more effectively solve problems and make better decisions

• Encourages decisions that are collaborative, logical yet creative

• Make for more efficient meetings by creating a common vocabulary for communicating with others about problems and decisions

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Implementing Creative Problem Solving and Decision MakingCreative Problem Solving and Decision Making is a one-day seminar. It is recommended for eight to twenty participants and is appropriate for any leader or team member who is responsible for analysing problems and making good decisions. The effectiveness of CPSDM is ensured through:

Our Unique ATRM ProcessThe CPSDM process engages the Assess, Train, Reinforce and Measure (ATRM) methodology:

• Assess Participants are taught how to assess problems and opportunities by “Sizing up the Situation.” An optional component is to assess participant’s DISC communication styles and motivators to learn how to solve problems with team members different than themselves.

• Train: Interactive Methods CPSDM uses a variety of techniques, including brief reading, group exercises, group discussion, and applications to ensure greater understanding— and faster application—of the concepts and strategies presented. Adult learning styles are honoured, and learning activities change every 20-30 minutes ensuring full participation.

• Train: Real Life Case Study Approach The CPSDM seminar uses current real life Case Studies for the participants to practice all the CPSDM skills in class. Employing teams and case study presentations on each skill ensures CPSDM skill application. Seminar Internet connectivity is required for these activities.

• Key Result Projects The optional reinforcement of CPSDM skills can be a Key Result Project (KRP) for each participant or small teams where they apply and adapt the CPSDM skills and process to a real life on the job problem at work. To better ensure success, the KRP is signed off by the participant superior and guided over a 3 month period with an ELAvate Leader Support Process. An optional module “Analysing Work Processes” may be employed to fine tune and improve work and production flow. This KRP process has saved organizations millions of dollars by increasing productivity and/or reducing costs and waste.

• Reinforce: CPSDM Tool Kit Designed as a desktop and virtual resource, the CPSDM Tool Kit provides a range of techniques and tools that will increase the flexibility of participants’ problem analysis & decision-making efforts, first during the seminar & then back on the job. Over 20 tools are included.

• Measure The CPSDM program can be measured and evaluated using the four levels of Kirkpatrick Training Measurement.

• Level One by a Participant Feedback Questionnaire• Level Two by CPSDM Mastery Tests• Level Three by Case Study Presentations and the KRP process• Level Four by measuring productivity and financial results of the optional Key Result Projects

and process on the job.

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Assess Train Reinforce Measure

About ELAvate

Who is ELAvate™?

We are Asia’s premier leadership training and consulting company with over 30 years of global experience across 21 nations in the areas of leadership, team building, problem solving, sales team productivity, customer service, and cross cultural competence.

Our unique “Strategy to Results through People“ process of Access, Train, Coach, Measure leads to real behavioural change and organisational results. ELAvate™ is headquartered in Singapore with Michael J. Griffin as its founder and CEO. www.elavateglobal.com

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Michael J. Griffinmichael.griffin@elavateglobal.com

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