How to Use Problem-Solving Examples to Improve Team Performance

Effective problem-solving is an indispensable skill for high-performing teams, whether they’re overcoming complex challenges, streamlining processes, or fostering innovation. But there’s a difference between recognizing a problem and knowing how to address it. Teams need practical guidance and real-world problem-solving examples to help them get started.

Learn more about the importance of problem-solving, what this looks like in practice, and how Whole Brain® Thinking can help.

Why Problem-Solving Is Important in Every Organization

Successful organizations are good at implementing new ideas, and they’re also adept at recognizing and responding to problems efficiently. They see problems as opportunities, even when they are thorny or complicated. Instead of problems causing division, they unite teams as they work together to diagnose the issues, collaborate on potential solutions, and move forward.

To embed a culture of problem-solving into your organizations, it’s important to: 

• Acknowledge and name the problem: Problem-solving starts with problem definition. Team members must understand that a problem exists and how it impacts the team and the business.
• Find the root cause: The goal of problem-solving is to create lasting solutions to causes, not just address symptoms.
• Work together to find solutions and test them: With the root cause in mind, teams can come together and test potential solutions. This step can be repeated as necessary, depending on the findings.
• Incorporate the new solution into your processes: If you can’t avoid the problem, you can often avoid a recurrence by applying the solution to your processes and habits.

Rarely are problems solved by one person; you need collaborative brainstorming to identify and resolve root causes.  Problem-solving should be a structured process that instills organizational discipline while inviting employees to contribute their questions, experience, and ingenuity in a collaborative environment. 

Common Skills for Effective Problem-Solving

There are countless types of workplace problems, and each might require a different set of skills, steps, and philosophies to address. That said, there are core skills that all leaders can develop in their teams to make the problem-solving process more structured and consistent. 

Here are a few common skills that facilitate ‌effective problem-solving in the workplace. 

Active Listening

Active listening involves intentionally focusing on what the other person is saying without interruption or judgment. Engaging in active listening isn’t just about paying attention but also attempting to understand the meaning and intent of the speaker.

In the context of problem-solving, active listening helps you understand the other person’s intent as they describe a problem, its circumstances, and possible solutions. Active listening can help at every stage of problem-solving because it facilitates shared understanding and reduces miscommunication. When people listen deeply and with intent, they better understand the problem, what might be causing it, what action has been taken, and what might be tried next.  

Put this skill into practice by asking open-ended questions, repeating or paraphrasing the speaker’s words back to ensure understanding, and being patient. This technique can feel time-consuming, but you ultimately save time by gaining clarity, avoiding confusion, and building rapport and trust.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to assess a situation objectively and logically, ultimately making decisions based on facts and evidence. It involves developing and evaluating hypotheses and analyzing data to draw conclusions to make informed decisions. It also involves considering the long-term implications of the decisions that result from this thinking process.

Critical thinking for problem-solving presents itself when teams are working to understand the problem and identify the most logical steps forward to resolve the challenge. This type of thinking typically involves good communication with team members, insightful questions, and tapping into analytical thinking. 

Time Management

Time management helps teams break down problems into smaller steps and account for how long each step will take. This is especially helpful for problems that must be solved on a deadline or for project-based work, where progress depends on many contingencies across individuals, teams, or even departments. 

Effective time management enables teams to prioritize tasks, allocate resources, and create accountability around deadlines. This approach also creates clear expectations for employees.

Information Processing

Information processing is a framework that involves recognizing patterns in data and using critical thinking to interpret and draw conclusions. 

In the workplace, one way information processing can be used is to identify root causes by analyzing data such as customer feedback, financial records, or performance metrics.

How Whole Brain® Thinking Supports Problem-Solving

When teams understand how each person responds to challenging situations, they're better equipped to work together on mutually beneficial solutions. This is where Herrmann’s Whole Brain® Thinking framework and Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI®) assessment can be especially helpful. 

The HBDI® assessment helps people discover their thinking preferences, and the Whole Brain® Thinking framework helps teams understand those thinking preferences in themselves and others. Whole Brain® Thinking categorizes thinking preferences into four quadrants: Analytical (Blue), Structural (Green), Relational (Red), and Experimental (Yellow). 

People typically prefer one or two quadrants, but people use all four quadrants daily. No quadrant or combination of quadrants is superior to another. 

Whole Brain® Thinking can help teams improve their problem-solving skills by asking these questions for problem-solving:

• What? Look at the relevant facts about the problem.
• How? Identify what processes, procedures, etc., could be causing the obstacle or situation.
• Who? Determine the people who are implementing those processes and procedures.
• Why? Look at why the problem is happening and whether there is another way to view the challenge or situation.

These problem-solving questions can help teams cut out ‌unnecessary steps and find effective solutions quickly.

3 Creative Approaches to Problem-Solving at Work

While there are many ways to solve problems, you can access many proven approaches to help your team get started. These methods often push participants to think differently and Whole Brain® Thinking to get outside the box when confronting complex or difficult problems. 

Here are three creative problem-solving examples of problem-solving at work.

Design Thinking 

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that centers on deeply understanding users and their needs. It is an iterative process that involves five distinct stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This process helps teams to approach problems from a user-centric perspective and develop creative solutions.

Whole Brain® Thinking in design takes the four quadrants and asks foundational questions with design in mind. Modifying these questions for a problem-solving exercise might look like this:

• What is the end goal? (Blue)
• How are we getting there? (Green)
• Who’s helping solve the problem, and who could be affected by the solution? (Red)
• Why are you solving the problem (and in this way)? (Yellow)

Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering is the process of taking an existing product, system, or object and deconstructing it to understand its functionality, components, and construction. This approach can be beneficial when solving problems because it breaks the challenge down into smaller parts.

Many problems can seem overwhelming at first glance — too big for any person or team to solve. The bigness of the problem can obscure ‌possible causes, adding to the frustration and even creating feelings of helplessness. Reverse engineering is a way in, helping your team take apart the problem and examine it, one piece at a time. 

The Whole Brain® Thinking framework complements reverse engineering by tapping into people’s skills and thinking preferences across the quadrants. As teams break down complex problems and collaborate on solutions, they access different types of thinking, some of which will feel more natural. 

For example, analytical thinkers embrace logical, fact-based approaches. They can buy into identifying the elements of the problem and what they mean. The organization of reverse engineering is welcoming for structural thinkers. Taking this new perspective to the problem helps interpersonal thinkers overcome the emotions potentially triggered by the big, overwhelming original problem.

Finally, experimental thinkers are skilled at integrating and synthesizing information. Reverse engineering is a prime opportunity for them to assess the components and reconstruct them in a way that advances new ideas and potential solutions.

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a creative and visual way of organizing ideas and information. It’s often represented by a diagram that uses words and visuals to illustrate relationships between different concepts or ideas. Mind mapping can be an effective tool for group problem-solving because it helps people to brainstorm without losing track of ideas or strains of thought that might later prove useful.

Mind mapping is a powerful tool for Whole Brain® Thinking teams because it encourages open dialogue, close collaboration, and embracing different perspectives, experiences, and thinking styles.

Embrace Thinking to Make Problem-Solving More Effective

Every organization has to solve problems, but you don’t have to dread them. When you build a team of Whole Brain® Thinkers and adopt successful problem-solving techniques, you can turn problems into opportunities that impact the business and your customers. 

Try these problem-solving examples in your team to see how people respond — and keep experimenting. Just like solving organizational problems can require multiple attempts, finding the best problem-solving strategies for your unique team can take time to perfect.

Explore more ways to help your team solve problems effectively.