What type of problem solver are you

Tell them straight up. You are organising a party for people and the music cuts out, how do you continue? Continue the party with a live percussion beat. Call the electric company and get the problem fixed asap. Do a group survey of what people want to do. Shut the party down. Your co-worker eats your lunch - what do you do? What goes around comes around. Leave a polite note on the fridge and eat someone elses lunch.

Scream and confront the entire office. Observe your co-workers and spit in the culprits food. You and your friend rock up at a party wearing the same clothes, what do you do? Ask them how much they paid for it. Observe how many compliments they get against you. Compliment them on their amazing taste. Make a slight bitchy comment and avoid them the whole night. You are on a date night with your new man and your ex boyfriend rocks up, what do you do?

Run away and avoid the situation. Introduce everyone and suggest a threesome. Act cool, calm and confident, you look great! Make awkward conversation and pretend the person is your family member. Make it happen whatever way possible.

It can be challenging to take a step back and evaluate your problem-solving process. Acknowledging and understanding the steps you take to solve problems means that you can pass advice on to others — whether it be in a job interview or to members of your team. But, more importantly, becoming familiar with your approach to tackling problems is the best way to identify any gaps in your method and, ultimately, help you to go about fixing them.

You could be a systematic problem-solver, for example, in need of a shake-up, or the intuitive type placing trust in your instincts. But most likely, your approach falls somewhere in the middle. If you have good problem-solving skills, you are well-equipped to deal with anything your career throws at you.

Check out the infographic below to discover what type of problem-solver you are or click here to view a larger image. How good are your problem-solving skills?

Want stories like this and more direct to your inbox? You want to know what is happening in the situation. You notice what is going on around you, especially the practical realities and facts. You may overlook recurring themes, focusing instead on the concrete issues involved in the situation.

You rely on and trust your previous experience in dealing with similar problems. There is no simple step-by-step process that will guarantee you a solution to every problem you encounter in your life. The problem-solving process is a search for, and implementation of, the best possible solution for a specific problem.

As a problem solver, you will develop your own method for solving problems. One of the best ways of doing this is to try to use the most effective aspects of the four different styles.

The following is an outline of how to integrate the four styles in the problem-solving process. Before you begin, write down a problem you are currently struggling with. Use this issue when working through the following steps:. Step 1 — Define the problem by using practical thinking characteristics to see the problem situation as it really is. You can do so by answering some of the following questions:. Step 2 — Consider the possibilities using intuitive thinking characteristics to brainstorm all possible solutions to the problem.

Step 3 — Weigh the consequences of courses of action to resolve the problem using logical thinking characteristics.

Step 4 — Weigh the alternatives to each course of action using social sensitive thinking characteristics. Step 5 — Decide which aspects of Steps 1 — 4 will be most effective in solving this problem.

Click here for printable versions of the problem solving activities above, more worksheets, and educational handouts. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Liptak, EdD There are, in general, four problem-solving styles: Social sensitive thinking Logical thinking Intuitive thinking Practical thinking A social sensitive thinking problem solving style is one in which you want to find the best answer for all people involved focusing primarily on their emotions and values, and you are most comfortable when they add emotion to the problem situation.

Here are some indicators that you use the social sensitive thinking style: You are considerate to others in the situation. You are guided by your own personal issues.

You are compassionate. You assess the impact of the problem on other people. You want everyone to be satisfied in the situation. You always try to treat others fairly. You believe that positive interactions are important in solving problems.

Here are some indicators that you use the logical thinking style: You are analytical. You look for possible solutions to problems. You rely on your good judgment. You are reasonable. You have good common sense.