6. SUPERVISION AND PROBLEM SOLVING. Supervision and managing employees is the job of making decisions-decisions about hiring new employees, about promotions, about training, about equipment, about productivity, about communications, about disciplining, about morale, and so on. Supervisors are paid primarily for one thing and that is to make sound decisions. To do an effective job, the supervisor needs to make good decisions because making good ones is the essence of good supervision and the key to success as a supervisor. Some supervisors make decisions based purely on reason, logic, what makes sense. These individuals do not often take employees' individual feelings into consideration, and at times, this can lead to problems. His or her main concern is to get the job done and taking into feelings into account gets in the way. On the other extreme is the supervisor who takes weeks to decide an answer that should have taken a few hours at most. He never gets excited, puts off taking action, and tells his or her employees that things will work out OK in a few days. Keirsey and Bates (1984) described these two different temperaments as the Thinking and Feeling personality types. The T supervisor uses logic and reason and does not consider peoples' feelings in making a decision; the F type considers feelings in lieu of logic and reason, but is often inept in being able to make a decision in a timely fashion. Between these two extremes is the middle-of-the-road supervisor who hesitates to makes decisions that will upset anyone. He or she wants to be everyone's friend and cannot bring him or herself to make a decision that will be against anyone's wishes. This type of supervisor gives answers that are watered- down compromises that seldom upset others and seldom solve any problems. There is also the "research" type supervisor who refuses to make a decision until all facts are thoroughly reviewed. Sometimes the facts are not all available so decisions are not made, or it takes so long to get "all the facts" that the opportunity to take action has passed. There are worriers who agonize over every decision, and there are the shy and timid types who never have the courage to face a problem head on. There are the one-of-a-kind type that cause most of the difficulties that supervisors experience by not considering enough facts and acting indiscriminately. Effective decision making is the first step in problem solving. There are five steps in the traditional problem solving process. Many individuals solve problems so unconsciously they are not aware that the steps even exist. These steps are: 1. Accurately define what the problem is; 2. Brainstorm for solutions, choices, options; 3. Pick the solution, choice, or option which seems to be the best; 4. Implement the solution, choice, or option; 5. Evaluate to see if it worked. If a supervisor is not alert for problems, problems will certainly arise. Not clearly defining the problem can lead to a lot of energy being squandered on actions which produce no meaningful results. Systematically analyzing the problem and then brainstorming for options can lead to more effective management of problem-laden situations. Solving the problem once a solution, choice, or option is picked is, in fact, the easiest part of the entire process. Can brainstorming really work? Yes, because the "ten-heads- are-better-than-one" approach can provide many solutions not available to the single problem solver. Such an activity does not constrict the supervisor to thinking barriers which limit effective action. deBono (1985) teaches an entire thinking technology which presents new and unique ways to approach thinking related to problem solving. His PMI thinking tool is "so simple" DeBono maintains that it is almost unlearnable because everyone thinks he or she uses it anyway. The letters are chosen to give a nicely pronounceable abbreviation so that individuals can ask themselves or others, to "do a PMI." P stands for Plus or the good points. M stands for Minus or the bad points. I stands for Interesting or the interesting points. The PMI is an attention-directing tool. In doing a PMI the individual deliberately directs his or her attention first toward the Plus points, then toward the Minus points, and finally toward the Interesting points. This is done in a very deliberate and disciplined manner over a period of about 2-3 minutes in all. debono (1985) used this example to demonstrate the PMI method with a group of educators. He asked a group of 30 students aged 10-12 to tell him what they thought of the idea of each of them receiving $5 a week just for going to school. Most loved the idea and began to tell him what they would do with the money. All of them loved the idea. debono then explained the PMI thinking method and asked them to use it in regard to the $5 suggestion. At the end of the exercise the class was asked again if they liked the idea. Whereas 30 out of 30 liked it at first, now 29 out of 30 had completely reversed their view and now disliked the idea. What deBono noted was that using this very simple scanning tool, used by the youngsters themselves, had brought about change. In Practical Thinking, deBono (1971) wrote that "everyday thinking is what fills in the time when you are neither asleep nor dead. Just as you notice a car engine only when it is not running smoothly, so you become aware of everyday thinking when it is not running smoothly." deBono regarded thinking as a skill rather than a gift and maintained accepting this notion was the first step towards doing something to improve the skill. deBono (1976) suggested that an individual must learn to think in order to be an effective problem solver. He defined thinking as "the deliberate exploration of experience for a purpose," and that purpose may be understanding, decision-making, planning, problem solving, judgement, action, and so on. Sometimes, deBono (1970) hypothesized, lateral thinking is necessary to solve new and unique problems. He defined this type of thinking as being concerned with the generation of ideas. He described lateral thinking as different than vertical thinking which moves forward by sequential steps each of which must be justified. Lateral thinking is not a substitute for vertical thinking, but both are required and complementary. Lateral thinking is generative; vertical thinking is selective. Supervisors need to utilize both types if they are to be effective in problem solving. In defining the need for the use of lateral thinking, deBono wrote: The purpose of thinking is to collect information and to make the best possible use of it. Because of the way the mind works to create fixed concept patterns we cannot make the best use of new information unless we have some means for restructuring the old patterns and bringing them up to date. Our traditional methods of thinking teach us how to refine such patterns and establish their validity. But we shall always make less than the best use of available information unless we know how to create new patterns and escape with providing or developing concept patterns. Vertical thinking is concerned with proving or developing concept patterns. Lateral thinking is concerned with restructuring such patterns (insight) and provoking new ones (creativity). Lateral and vertical thinking are complementary. Skill in both (for supervisors) is necessary. Yet the emphasis in education and business has always been exclusively on vertical thinking. The need for lateral thinking arises from the limitations of the behavior of the mind as a self-maximizing memory system (p. 13). Our traditional YES/NO thinking system, deBono (1972) wrote is immensely effective in the second stage of thinking: that is in making the best use of fixed ideas. Unfortunately the system is not much use in the first stage of thinking: that is the perception stage which involves creating new ideas and new ways of looking at things. Just as NO is the basic tool of logical thinking so a new word PO is suggested as the basic tool for the first stage of thinking. Logical YES/NO thinking is based on judgement, but PO thinking is based on movement. Both types of thinking are necessary. But we must realize that logic is unlikely to solve those problems which need a new idea for their solution. PO is a new word. It is a magic word. "It will do all you want it to do," deBono (1972) wrote, "if you believe in it. As with all magic, the more you believe the better it works. The more you invest in it, the more you get out of it. But there is no dogma you have to accept before you can use PO. It is a simple word and all you have to believe in is its use. The use of PO can easily be described as a prompt to use when a problem arises. For instance: Employees are preparing to form a union to support them in addressing grievances against the company. The supervisor invokes PO: What are the strategies necessary for the organization to undertake to assist the employees in forming their union? PO, deBono (1972) wrote, is a deliberately invented thinking tool. PO is: 1. A skill which can be learned and practised just as an individual learns to drive a car, cook, or play golf. It is like a reverse gear in a car. Without a reverse gear in a car the individual can get blocked in the first blind alley you come to. Without PO in our thinking process, unless the individual is following a well-known circular track leading nowhere. 2. A change tool directly concerned with new ideas, new approaches, and the escape from concept prisons. 3. A thinking tool that is as basic to creative thinking as NO is to logical thinking. 4. A tool that can unlock latent creative reserve. Most people are unable to use their creative reserves, because there is no key with which to unlock the door that has been locked by traditional educational rigidity. 5. A laxative for those who have a constipated minds that they wish to be free. 6. Directly related to humor because the individual can go beyond the obvious to seek new ways of looking at things. The three intellectual ages of man could be described as follows: 0 - 5 years: the age of WHY? 5 - 10 years: the age of WHY NOT? 10- 75 + years: the age of BECAUSE? 7. Acts to keep the age of WHY NOT going alongside the age of BECAUSE which society does need in order to have competence. In adults, PO can serve to resurrect the child's creative way of looking at things. 8. Perfectly reasonable - but completely illogical. We have been trained to believe that the absence of logic is chaos, confusion, and even madness, but it is not. PO is certainly illogical, but nevertheless, very reasonable. We have been brainwashed over the ages to believe that logic is the only way of handling ideas in order to reach a useful result. 9. Acts to break down established patterns, and introduce discontinuity. Its main function is to act as an anti- arrogance and anti-dogmatism device. 10. Accepted or rejected by each individual dependent upon each's needs (pp. 23-25). In a later text, deBono (1985) wrote how even individuals who understand vertical, lateral, PO, and other types of thinking processes he wrote about can get stuck. He described a method called the Six Thinking Hats to assist individuals to move from one method of thinking to another. "Putting on" a hat focuses thinking. "Switching hats" redirects thinking. With the different parts of the thinking process thus clearly defined, discussion between individuals can be better focused and more productive. What are the hats? deBono described them as such: 1. WHITE: facts, figures, and objective information. 2. RED: emotions and feelings. 3. BLACK: logical negative thoughts. 4. YELLOW: positive constructive thoughts. 5. GREEN: creativity and ideas. 6. BLUE: control of the other hats and thinking steps. If dealing with individuals, a supervisor can arrest thinking which is blocking communication, tangential, or destructive by simply defining what type of thinking is taking place between the supervisor and the employee. This system makes others' thinking not a threat but just different. In 1991, deBono completed the series on thinking by proposing the notion of Six Action Shoes to describe how certain thinking patterns resulted in actions which the individual can and does invoke as a result of the cerebral work. What are the action shoes? deBono described them as follows: 1. NAVY SHOES: Navy action mode is for routine behavior. Select the appropriate routine, switch into the routine, and carry through the routine as perfectly as you can. 2. GREY SNEAKERS: Grey sneaker action mode is for collecting information and thinking about it. 3. BROWN BROGUES: Brown brogue action mode is for emphasizing pragmatism and practicality. It is a matter of doing what can be done. 4. ORANGE BOOTS: Orange gumboot action mode has to do with emergencies, crises, and dangerous situations. When situations are unstable, unpredictable, and likely to get worse, urgent action is required. 5. PINK SLIPPERS: Pink slipper action mode is concerned with human caring, with sympathy, compassion, and help. 6. PURPLE BOOTS: Purple riding boot action mode has to do with authority and playing out an official role. The person using the purple riding boot action mode is not acting as a normal person but through an official role that he or she is performing. Supervisors must possess a willing-to-learn approach to making sound managerial decisions. Using strategies such as these suggested by deBono can make the learning process much easier for the supervisor who wants to improve his or her ability to make effective decisions and solve problems. The scope of this paper does not permit a more in-depth discussion of deBono's CoRT Thinking System. However, from what was described above, the supervisor who utilizes these thinking techniques in problem solving will certainly be much better prepared to effectively discharge this aspect of his or her duties. Avoiding decisions is not uncommon for people and especially for supervisors who do not want to make a decision because they do not want to face the consequences. If a supervisor finds him or herself in this situation, an effective way to overcome this condition is to ask the following questions to determine if any of these are the reasons for postponing it: 1. You decide there aren't enough facts to make the decision. Therefore, you decide to postpone making it until you get all the information. 2. You decide that it is not important enough to bother with--then you assign it to a subordinate to make. 3. You assign the problem to a committee to decide. This will probably delay the decision indefinitely. 4. You undertake research on the topic to find out how such a problem was previously solved. This could cause the decision to be put off for months. 5. You postpone making the decision because of "illness" or a "more pressing problem." 6. You decide that you don't have the authority to make the decision and that it should be made by someone else. 7. You decide to wait until next week when you will have more time to devote to giving the matter your undivided attention. Next week, of course, seldom comes (George, 1970, p. 87). Supervisors ducking the decision making process will eventually doom themselves to failure. There is no way to supervise effectively and not make decisions that result in some consequence. Robbins (1985) maintained that "every action produces some outcome. There is no such thing as failure. If an action does not produce the outcome you want, analyze what you got from your initial action, modify your behavior, and produce some new action. Continue doing this until you produce the outcome you want. See, there is not such thing as failure. There is only a failure to act." The rule to avoid making decisions is to understand yourself and postpone making decisions only for good sound reasons. Putting a decision into effect, watching it produce the results, and seeing the results move the organization forward toward its goal is the paramount reason for the supervisor to act. Some practical tips on making sound decisions are: 1. Decide whether the decision is a big or small one. If it is a big problem, give it full treatment. Weigh all aspects of it carefully. Big problems demand all the time, attention, and skill that the supervisor can give it. Little problems don't deserve the trappings of a "summit conference." Debating on whether or not to stop for a coffee break at 10 or 10:15 am is one way to stifle any forward progress. 2. Don't make snap decisions. Take time to get the facts and then analyze them carefully. 3. Rely on established company policy and practices where possible. If company policy is to suspend an employee found drinking on the job, this is the answer if you face such a problem. 4. Seek the help of others when you are in doubt. Ask other people what they think, especially people who are well informed and whose judgement you trust. 5. Avoid crisis decisions. Most of the time, decisions do not need to be made spontaneously. Ask yourself when the decision has to be made. Then utilize the time available to make the best decisions. If there is a crisis, remember that you are the "boss" and your employees are looking to you for a decision. 6. If a decision has to be made, make it. Don't put off making a needed decision. This will only make work pile up even higher. 7. Don't brood over a decision once action has been taken. Evaluation, yes; brooding, no. Poor decisions are made by many people every day, from the President of the United States on down. As consolation, we seldom make a decision that is really wrong. In most cases, we make decisions that are effective or ineffective. Once you've put a decision into effect, worrying about it won't make it any better or worse. Learn from it. Produce new action. Then learn from it. Learn from it. Produce new action. This is the way to effectively make decisions that in the end, produce the results that you want and solve the problems (George, 1979, p. 91). Using the deBono thinking methods, the strategies suggested by George, and then making decisions that are based upon the most realistic appraisal of what the situation is and demands can save the supervisor many agonizing moments in dispatching his or her duties. What makes supervision exciting is not the fact that problems exist and must be solved causing decisions to be made, but once they are, not just the supervisor, the employees, but the entire organization benefits from the energy expended.