An Eight-Step Approach to strategic problem solving

Increasingly, the issues and problems faced by organizations seem to defy resolutions by the traditional decision tools and techniques developed over the past 30 years (primarily in the fields of operations research and quantitative modeling). These techniques were designed to solve well-defined problems that occur repeatedly in the management of organizations. Social and economic turbulence, however, has conspired to make the utility of such techniques questionable. There is a growing need for strategic problem solving approaches which allow decision makers to interpret complex situations, constructively tap differing perspectives, and detect emerging social and scientific concerns. This article describes one such approach to strategic problem-solving, which consists of a sequence of eight steps; initial activities are oriented toward expanding the range of information available through literature review, networking, and surveys. Emphasis in later steps is on narrowing and synthesizing the range of options and strategies through interactive workshops involving key stakeholders and experts, and focused project reports. The approach is illustrated using an actual case application.