Problem Solving,

Critical Thinking
and Decision
Making

Annum Akram
Lecture - 02
The dot problem

 In
the dot problem, you must attempt to
connect all the nine dots with no more
than four lines, without lifting your pen.
Solution

 Draw longer lines to connect the dots.

Video
“Key idea is the fundamental difference
between what is actually there and
what we want to see”
Outcome:
 Insight about their decision making
style and leadership style, causes of
failures, how group affect performance
of individuals working alone and in
group.
 Taking responsibility for your moves.
 Enhancing group coordination.
Click icon to Problem
add picture Solving

Problem solving refers

to a way of reaching
goal from a present
condition, where the
present condition is
either not directly
moving toward the goal,
is far from it, or needs
more complex logic in
order to find steps
toward the goal.
Types of Problem:
 Well-defined problem:

All information is given and clear e.g., puzzle,

crosswords, etc.

 Ill-defined problem:

No appropriate information is available.

Common Problems:

1: Problem is not well-defined or

is denied as a problem.

2: Goal or objective is not clear.

Irrelevant Information
 15% of people in Karachi have unlisted
telephone numbers. You select 200
names at random from the phone book
or phone directory. How many of these
people have unlisted phone numbers?
Brain Storming _
Riddles
 There is a dead man in the middle of a
field, nothing is around him and there
are no footprints of any sort. There is an
unopened package next to him. How did
he die?
 Hint _ as he approached the filed he knew
he was going to die.
 Failed Parachute
Brain Storming _
Riddles
 As I was going to the mall and I met a man
with seven wives. Each wife held two bags.
Each bag held a mother cat. Each mother cat
had six babies. So, how many people were
going to the mall?
 Only one

 A man was born in 1898. he is still alive now

at the age of 33. How is this possible?
 He was born in room 1898 in the hospital
6 Steps in Problem
Solving
 1: Define the problem 

It involves comparing your current state to the

future state an individual wants to be in and to
identify the gaps between them.

 2: Analyze the problem

The five-W analysis is a tool that

helps to get to the heart of the problem.
(Who, what, when, where, why)
 3: Identify as many potential solutions as
you can 
• Brainstorm creatively
• Ask lots of questions about who, what,
where, when and how. It helps to point out
various possibilities.
• Don’t limit yourself by considering
practicalities at this stage; simply record
your ideas.
4: Choose the best
solution 
In evaluating ideas, more options
could present themselves. This
could be done by rating each
possible solution an individual
comes up with in step 3 as per
certain criteria. For example,
how effective it will be? how
much time or effort will it take?
Its cost and how likely is it to
satisfy the needs of problem
solver?
 5: Plan of action

 During this step, an individual determines what

steps could be taken, designates tasks where
necessary, decides on deadlines for completing
the actions and estimates the costs of
implementing them. The person also creates a
second plan in case of unpredictable
circumstances so that if anything goes wrong,
they have a “plan B” in place. Typically,
this stage involves narrowing down
the possible ways to implement the
solution you’ve chosen.
 6: Implement the solution 

This is an ongoing process. You need to ensure

that the required resources remain available
and monitor progress in solving the problem;
otherwise, all the work you’ve done might go
in vain.
Decision Making Styles:
• It is a person who • Reflective decision
thinks fast and makes maker is the one
quick decisions without who takes a lot of
getting all the
information he/she time and analyzes
needs or without giving the situation
too much thought to before making a
the alternatives. decision.
1- Reflexive 2- Reflective
style style
• There is a balance
between reflexive and
reflective styles.
Decision making is
performed within
reasonable amount of
time.

3- Consistent
style:
Leadership Styles:

1- Autocratic: The leader keeps strict, close

control over followers by keeping strict
regulation of policies and procedures given
to followers.
 2- Consultative

Consultative leadership is basically task-oriented and always

focuses on the end result by using the skills of other members
in formulating plans and taking decisions. But then the final
decision making power is always retained with the leader. But
still, that final decision is not arrived at without looking for
inputs from the members who will be affected by the
decision. Usually [not always] the leader accepts ideas and
thoughts from the team even when they contradict with his/her
own. This style pays more attention on stimulating creativity
and innovation.
 3- Participative

Participative leadership can be viewed as a style which depends

on the leader functioning as a facilitator and not a dictator to
issue orders and get things done. Participative leadership in its
most effective form will let the talents and potential skills of the
team members to be made the best use of, particularly when
arriving at decisions and taking the right course of action. The
final decision will always be taken by the leader but then this
sharing of functions within the team will supply the perfect
atmosphere for every member in the team to provide inputs that
are worth enough to make the final decision, which would be
ultimately profitable for the organization as a whole.
4- Laissez-faire
All the rights and power to make decisions is
fully given to the group members in this
leadership style.
 Factors
which
Affect
Problem-
Solving
Skills
Problem solving involves
perceiving and resolving a gap
between the present situation
and a desired goal by tackling
the known or unknown
obstacles that block the goal.
The ability to solve problems
however depends on many
factors.
 1. Personality Types

Carl Jung’s personality types and mental processes of

sensing, intuiting, thinking, and feeling to decision-
making preferences.
 Individuals preferring introversion take time to think and
clarify their ideas before acting, while those preferring
extroversion talk through their ideas to clarify them
before acting.
 Introverts remain concerned with their own
understanding of important concepts and ideas, whereas
extroverts seek feedback from the environment.
2. Temperament
 The ability of a person to solve problems depends on
both personality type and temperament. People
motivated toward a goal or those who are high achievers,
take that extra effort and initiative to find the root cause
of problems and solve it.
 Others go by the routine procedure and do the minimum
required.
 High-risk takers who usually find themselves in more
problems generally tend to be more adept in solving
problems, also.
 A far bigger personality dimension, however, lies
in the positive treatment of the problem, or
considering it as an opportunity to learn new
things. A negatively charged problem impedes
solution.
3. Thinking Patterns
 One of the major factors that affect problem-solving
activities includes the thought processes or thinking
patterns of the concerned individual.
 The major thought process dimensions include:
 Strategic thinking or a bigger long-term focus instead
of short-term departmental focus.
 Emotional thinking or judging whether a solution is
right or wrong based on emotional commitment.
 Realistic thinking or the approach of starting from
what can be done and fixing the essential problem
first.
 Empirical thinking or judging whether the
situation is right or wrong based on past
experiences.

Problem solvers need to choose the appropriate

thinking pattern based on the situation.
4. Skills and Technical Competency

 The ability to solve a problem depends greatly on

the person’s competency relative to the problem in
hand. For instance, a team leader skilled in
computer networking might be able to manage a
network failure, however, a team leader with no clue
on networking would remain totally at sea and at
the mercy of the functional experts.
 At times problem-solving requires creativity and
innovation, which again depends on the personality
and temperament of the person, and the culture of
the organization.
5. External Environment
 The external environment  of an organization remains
the root cause of many problems in a project, and the
solution depends on the external environment itself.

 For instance, availability of skilled manpower depends

on the labor market, running of machinery  depends on
the provision of energy by the utility provider, and
starting operations depends on compliance with the
procedures to securing the necessary permits.

 The best approach to problem solving is having a good

understanding of the state of the external environment
to reconcile the business operations with the external
environment.
Advantages and Disadvantages
of Problem-Solving in Groups
 Handout
Types of Group Tasks:

1 – For and Against task

2 – Social and Ethical

tasks
Group Tasks
• For and
against
Task
Task
1
Group Tasks
• Social and
Ethical
problems
Task
2
Abstract Task:
Deductive Reasoning
 Deductive Reasoning – A type of logic
in which one goes from a general
statement to a specific instance.
 The classic example

All men are mortal. (major premise)

Socrates is a man. (minor premise)
Therefore, Socrates is mortal. (conclusion)
The above is an example of a syllogism.
Types of Individual Tasks(pair)
1 – Motor

2 – Imaginable

3 - Abstract

4 – Social and Ethical

1. Individual motor
task
 Subject 1 =Coin
 Subject 2= Puzzle
a. Coin motor activity
 Place 8 coins in a row, having 4 heads to the
right and 4 tails to the left as follows:

TTTTHHHH
 In 6 moves rearrange the coins so that they
alternate heads and tails in a continuous row
as following

HTHTHTHT
Rules:
2 and only 2 coins are to be moved each time.
 Coins to be moved together must be immediately
adjacent to each other
 The order of the pair of coin may not be reserved
while they are moved nor may they be turn over.
 Keep the tract of you attempted solutions in the
form
 Circle the pair of coins moved each time and
indicate by arrow where you moved them and
number each move.
 MOVES EVALUATIONS
Form for coin problem:
(Total time,
subject style)

TTTTHHHH

TTTTHHHH

TTTTHHHH

TTTTHHHH

TTTTHHHH
b. For T puzzle
 Cut out the T from a blank paper and
rearrange them.
 Keep a record of your attempts in the
form by making rough sketches of the
pieces in various positions tried.
2. Individual Abstract
Problem
 Abstract reasoning is the ability to
analyze information and solve complex
problems.
 Abstract reasoning includes
understanding complex levels of
subjects through evaluation and
analysis
Individual Abstract Problem
 Subject 1= Arrange four 9s in such a way
that equals 99
 Answer: 9 * 9 + 9 + 9 = 99

 Subject2= How can you add eight 8’s to get

the number 1000? (only use addition)
 Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000
3. Individual imagery
problem
 Mental imagery refers to the process of
picturing an event, concept, or
procedure in your mind.
 Mental imagery helps to reinforce their
understanding of new concepts by
translating a verbal description of a new
concept into a visual picture.
Individual Imagery problem
 Subject 1: Slice the picture into 2
identical/symmetrical sections.
Individual Imagery problem
 Subject 2: Slice the picture into 4 identical
sections in this brain puzzle.
4. Individual social
problem
 Subject 1= If you were a manufacturer
making a product which every one needs
would you make it as well as possible so it
would never wear out or would you make it so
it would not last long in order to increase
sales?

 Subject 2= In your dealing with other in

business or professional activities could you
justify staying merely with in the letter of law?
The End!