Effective problem-solving
Effective problem-solving requires an intimate understanding of the problem and the barriers to solutions. Only then can we truly discern what is needed to create those solutions. For this assignment, rather than selecting a topic area, identifying a problem, and applying steps to generate a solution, you will dive deeply into a problem you currently face…but not to solve it. Instead, this assignment asks you to describe a problem and then, through critical inquiry, identify barriers to solving it.
Your assignment will consist of the following three activities, and should require no more than two full double-spaced pages (not including the title page and references page):
- Describe a problem you are faced with and then categorize it according to Sutherland’s “Four Types of Problems from lecture 2. This problem could be relatively small and contextual, or some larger social problem you have to face. Make it real. In your description, also include the problem’s origin and how it affects you, as well as why you categorize it the way you do.
- Answer in detail the following critical questions to help identify and understand the main barriers to solving this problem.
- What are the dynamics of this problem?
- Is this a problem I can solve on my own?
- If no, why not (be detailed and specific)? Or, if yes, then what is needed to solve it?
- Based upon answers to the three questions above, create an informed list of barriers to solving this problem (while this may seem redundant, creating a list like this can help distinguish between true barriers and the secondary symptoms they create).
- Critically reflect on what you can do to work toward solving the problem you identified. If it is one you can solve on your own, what steps can you realistically take, and in what timeline can you take them? If it is one you cannot solve on your own, what part might you be able to play in a larger effort to solve the problem? In short, you are reflecting on how you can overcome the barriers you identified.
Use APA format for the title page, spacing, font size, margins, page numbering, in-text citations, and references.
Requirements: no more than two full pages
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