Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

Chapter 2.1 Problem Solving
Indeed, searching for the answer is the problem.
Henry Mintzberg (2001)
When rising discomfort calls for a relevant reaction, but existing mechanisms of organizational
behaviour cannot formulate an adequate response (only random choice remains) – we have a
situation that could be called problematic. But, a problematic situation is not the problem just yet.
A problem is a psychological phenomenon – not a feature of an organization. It takes place in the
manager’s mind: on the one hand, rising discomfort requires action; on the other hand – it is not
clear what to do. What is a problem for one manager may not be a problem at all for another
manager. Meanwhile, the situation and organization may remain the same. In a certain sense -
organizations never have any problems. Problems belong to managers.
The job of a manager is to ensure an adequate response to the undesirable development of a
situation. This response always consists of changing controllable parameters that are not in the
proper state – due to their own deviation or a necessity to meet deviations of uncontrollable
factors. A manager only has a ‘problem’ when he does not know how to respond. When he find a
solution, then a problem disappears, because it only existed as a ‘problem’ in his mind.
Any problematic situation manifests itself as the deviation of a parameter (or set of parameters),
which should be kept within a certain limit (or along a certain line) by the manager. The situation is
not how it should be. It causes a state of discomfort, and that discomfort motivates action.
The right course of action in this case may be discovered by a manager by analyzing the situation
or problem diagnosis, elaborating a set of realistic alternative solutions, choosing the best one or
making a decision, developing an action plan and implementing it. In this way the existing bad
situation may become a new bad one, but hopefully a bit better than before.
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