Take A Hard Look at Soft Skills

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Take A Hard Look at Soft Skills

2017 Monthly Webinar SeriesProblem Solving

Webinar #11 | November 2017

Presentation © Wonderlic, Inc. 2017

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Welcome to the Webinar

Winnie Clonts

Principal and Creative Consultant

For almost 30 years, Winnie Clonts has been developing content for Wonderlic’s assessments and surveys and is currently a member of the Wonderlic Soft Skills Bootcamp development team. She has managed corporate divisions including Learning Outcomes, Research and Development, Marketing and Educational Services.

Winnie co-authored the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST), and was responsible for the development of WebApp, Wonderlic’s original Internet pre-employment screening service. She was an author of the Wonderlic Personnel Test – Revised (WPT-R), the General Assessment of Individual Needs (GAIN) and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT).

Today’s agenda

1. Soft Skills for Problem Solving

2. The Six Step Rational Decision Making Process

3. Wrap-Up and Q&A

Top Ten Soft Skills – The Basics

Interpersonal Skills – Building professional working relationships and areputation for reliability.

Communication Skills – Professional courtesy, and giving and receiving constructive feedback

Listening and Nonverbal Communication Skills – Listening and reading body language

Professionalism – Demonstrating honesty, integrity, and a positive attitude.

Teamwork – Productive team behavior and skills for compromise.

Top Ten Soft Skills – Intermediate

Cultural Sensitivity – Skills for working productively with people from all backgrounds

Self-Management – Effective management of time and workplace stress

Critical Thinking – Differentiating between facts and opinion, evaluating information to determine truth

Problem Solving – Systematic, logical and unemotional guidelines for problem solving

Demonstrating Initiative – Addressing problems and challenges proactively and effectively

Six Step Rational Decision-Making Process

Step 1: Define the problem.

Step 2: Identify the decision criteria.

Step 3: Rank order or weight decision criteria.

Step 4: Consider all possible solutions.

Step 5: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the potential solutions.

Step 6: Choose the best alternative.

Audience Poll #1

In your experience, which step in the problem solving process has been the most important?





Step 5: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of

the potential solutions.




Source: http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2016/11/how_einstein_lo.shtml

http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2016/11/how_einstein_lo.shtml


Problem Definition

The difference between the way something is and the way we want or expect it to be = the problem.

Key Soft Skills: Communication Skills Critical Thinking Skills


Examples of Problem Definitions

Incorrect• There aren't enough Customer Service Reps to handle peak phone

hours. (CSRs)• Customer Service Reps need better training to speed up handling of

calls. (Training Dept.)• We need a better software for monitoring CSR productivity. (Manager)• We need a new phone system that won't make customers make as

long. (Tech)

Correct • During peak telephone hours, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to

6:00 p.m., customers are waiting an average of 15 minutes for assistance.


Problem Statements

A good problem statement is a clear and concise description of the issue(s) that need(s) to be addressed. It contains a detailed and quantitative analysis of the problem and the effect it is causing.


Analysis: Using the 5 Whys

Who - Who does the problem affect? Who needs the solution, and who will decide the problem has been solved?

What - What are the boundaries of the problem? What is its impact? What happens if we do or do not solve it?

When - When does the issue occur? – By when does it need to be fixed?

Where - Where is the issue occurring (exact location)?

Why - Why is it important to fix the problem? - What impact does it have on the business, customers, employees and other stakeholders?


The Root Cause Analysis ProcessStep One: Define the Problem

Step Two: Collect Data• What proof do you have that the

problem exists?• How long has the problem existed?• What is the impact of the problem?

Step Three: Identify Possible Causal Factors• What sequence of events leads to the problem?• What conditions allow the problem to occur?• What other problems surround the occurrence of the central problem?

Step Four: Identify the Root Cause(s)• Why does each causal factor exist?• What is the real reason the problem occurred?


Defining the boundaries of the problem

• Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions, even "dumb” ones.

• Use active listening techniques to make sure you understand.

• Challenge assumptions.

• Gain multiple perspectives.

• Gather viewpoints from outsiders.



Decision criteria are those variables or characteristics which are important to the organization or person making the decision. They incorporate any limitations or restraints that influence the selection of a solution.

Key Soft Skills: Professionalism, Critical Thinking Skills


Typical decision criteria

• Ease of implementation• Cost• Ease of modification, scalability,

flexibility• Employee morale• Risk levels• Cost savings• Increase in sales or market share• Return on investment• Increase in customer satisfaction

Source: https://www.b2ttraining.com/choose-the-right-decision-criteria/



• Rank ordering decision criteria creates an objective tool for evaluating potential solutions.

• Emotion and personal preferences can be managed when priorities for decision making are clearly established.

• Always back up your assertions with facts.

Key Soft Skills: Teamwork, Communication Skills


What could go wrong?

"Loading the dice" by individuals who have already determined their preferred solution. In other words, ordering decision criteria in a way that will make their solution the best choice.

It is important that decision criteria rankingsupports company priorities, rather than personal goals or opinions.

Audience Poll #1

Have you experienced "loading the dice" in group decision making?

Yes, I realized it while we were setting

decision criteria.

Yes, I realized it when it came to choosing

a final decision.

No, I felt the decision criteria was set independently.



• Defer any judgement – Record ever suggestion without editing.• Gather LOTS of ideas. More ideas allow for a better the solution.• Think outside the box. Unusual and even wild ideas can stimulate

additional creative contributions.• Combine ideas or build on them. Don't

hesitate to put together, add to or modify the ideas of others.

Key Soft Skills: Interpersonal Skills, Cultural Sensitivity



• Predetermining the value of suggested solutions during the brainstorming session.

• Stopping with only a few ideas.• Undervaluing the ideas of certain

participants. (bias)• Allowing strong personalities to

intimidate others.• Not encouraging everyone to speak.


Step 5: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the potential solutions.

• Evaluate each idea independently. Don’t compare them.

• Utilize the rank-ordered decision criteria.• Gather additional information if needed to

properly evaluate an idea.• Document the pros and cons of each solution.• Record any thoughts that would contribute

to an objective evaluation of the solution.

Key Soft Skills: Professionalism, Self-Management Skills



• Consider the facts, the pros and cons of each solution and ways to overcome any drawbacks.

• Eliminate solutions that don’t meet highest ranked decision criteria.• Identify any potential biases in thinking.• Dig deeper into solutions if questions remain.• Use the decision criteria!

Key Soft Skills: All Basic and Intermediate Skills



• Rushing – Burnout• Failure to investigate all alternatives• Jumping to conclusions• Bullying• Stubbornness• Failure to keep minds and

communication open.


Learning from Decisions

• How can the process be improved for next time?• What were the short term and long-term effects of the decision? • Should the decision be modified?• Which soft skills could improve

individual contributions to the process?

Wonderlic Soft Skills Training

Try ONE of Wonderlic’s Soft Skills Training Courses for free!

• Go to our ecommerce platform: https://wonderlic.nuvolaacademy.com.

• Select one of the ten 60-minute courses.

• Use the code WEB11 at checkout.

Learn more about Wonderlic’s Soft Skills Training Program.

• Go to https://www.wonderlic.com/soft-skills-training/

for course information and links to our eLearning portal.

(Note: these links will also be provided in your follow-up email.)

https://wonderlic.nuvolaacademy.com/

https://www.wonderlic.com/soft-skills-training/

Wrap-Up and Q&A

Documents

Take A Hard Look at Soft Skills