...T E A M S It’s All About Improving Performance Teams work better with expanded problem solving and decision making skills by Helene F. Uhlfelder E VERYONE KNOWS THAT THE PURPOSE OF teams is high performance. In the past it was enough that teams or quality circles got involved in solving problems and sharing some of the decision-making responsibilities. Now the success of organizations hinges on the ability of teams to make tough decisions and solve complex problems on a daily basis. This article’s aim is to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence problem solving and decision making and to provide a seven-step model and procedures to use to improve team performance. improvement cultures or team systems teach their employees tools to use in reaching decisions and solving problems. Whether these tools have four steps or seven steps, they have four basic components: problem definition, data collection to verify the root cause of the problem, solution generation and action planning, including a mechanism for tracking how well the chosen solution works. These tools are sometimes not used at all and sometimes are used religiously for everything. Yet, it is rare to find teams that understand the nature of problems and know how to choose the right tool or technique to use in a A different mind-set particular situation. Most organizations that implement total quality management, continuous Furthermore, team...
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...Essentials of Management Information Systems, 11e (Laudon) Chapter 1 Business Information Systems in Your Career 1) Purchase of information systems and telecommunications equipment constituted more than half of all capital investment in the United States in 2013. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 5 AACSB: Information technology CASE: Comprehension Learning Objective: 1 - How are information systems transforming business, and what is their relationship to globalization? 2) A business model describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells a product or service to create wealth. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 11 AACSB: Application of knowledge CASE: Comprehension Learning Objective: 2 - Why are information systems so essential for running and managing a business today? 3) Information systems consists of all the hardware and software that a firm needs to use in order to achieve its business objectives. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Page Ref: 13 AACSB: Information technology CASE: Comprehension Learning Objective: 3 - What exactly is an information system? How does it work? What are its people, organizational, and technology components? 4) An extranet is a private intranet extended to authorized users outside the organization. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Page Ref: 17 AACSB: Information technology CASE: Comprehension Learning Objective: 3 - What exactly is an information system? How does it work? What are its people, organizational, and technology components? 5) Information...
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...in a first-grade class, think about how you would mentally solve this problem. Write down your own strategy to solve it: 1) Your solution strategy for mentally solving 65+19: I would start to solve this problem mentally, by first mentally stacking the two numbers and starting on the left. I would mentally picture only the 9 and the 5 and proceeded to add them together (9+5=14). Once I came to the conclusion that the answer was fourteen, I then moved the left side of the problem and added together 6+1+1. After that, I simply put together the two answers and came to the conclusion that the answer is 84. 2) Write down the solution strategies that students generated for 65+19. Explain how are students using number relationships or decomposing the numbers to solve the problem? The first student came to the solution that 65+19=84. He proceeded to tell the teacher and his classmates that he came to this solution by first adding ten to sixty-five (65+10=75), but he knows that he still needs to add nine. He then decided to add five to seventy-five, so that...
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...and ethics go hand in hand when it comes making decisions or problem solving. Whether the problems needing a solution are in a professional setting or part of a person’s personal life ethics are a huge influence on the course taken by an individual. Learning how to use critical thinking to influence these decisions can be very beneficial to everyone. Critical Thinking and It’s Steps Critical thinking can seem like a very complicated process but with practice it can be applied to everything in life. So what exactly is critical thinking? “Critical thinking is the objective analysis of an issue in order to form judgment” (Ridel, 2015, pg. 7). Although there are many different definitions for it the one above explains more clearly what it consist of. What it doesn’t include is the six steps in the critical thinking process. Step one is remembering, which is simply being able to remember key terms or facts. Step two is understanding, being able to explain in one’s own words what was remembered. Step three is applying, which is using a certain idea to get desired results. Step four is analyzing, being able to break an idea down into parts or steps. Step five is evaluating the quality of a certain idea. Step six is creating, which is being able to create a whole new idea based off the original (Ellis, 2014). Problem Solving Using Critical Thinking Decisions are made every day by everyone to solve problems. Some problems are of monumental importance and require thorough thinking...
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...The Innovation Process Learning Team A OI/361 July 2, 2012 The Innovation Process Nokia’s cellular phone battery problem requires a creative innovative approach to problem-solving. Innovation is a process organizations engage to gain a competitive advantage. The following discussion focuses on the innovative process. Discussion begins by indentifying each of the four steps of the innovation process. Steps include generating new ideas, researching new ideas, development of a product or service, and distribution, or delivery of products or services. Additionally, this portion of the discussion will focus on the application of the innovation process as it pertains to Nokia’s cellular phone battery problem. The discussion concludes with identification of appropriate tools for use regarding the four-step process and an explanation for their selection. Also, the discussion concludes with a focus on measuring results, monitoring, and controlling to ensure continual improvement. Innovations Process The four basic phases of the innovative process are generating, conceptualizing, optimizing and implementing. Innovation begins with generating. This phase is where brainstorming leads to viable solutions for customers. Generating can also entail some designing and modeling. Conceptualizing is the phase in which ideas accepted from the generating phase are passed along to research and development. Ideas are designed and tested in this phase along with planning the product development...
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...University of Phoenix Material Problem Solving Using the five steps from Ch. 5 of Thinking Critically, create a plan for solving a problem you are currently facing. For the last step, identify how you will determine the effectiveness of your chosen solution. |Step 1: What is the problem? |The problem I’m having is decided on when and where to get married. | | |Now I want to get married now and just go to the courthouse and have a| | |small group of friends and family which will save money. But my | | |girlfriend wants a big wedding with lots of people and spend a lot of | | |money and wants to wait four years after she gets out of college and | | |finds her a career job. So that’s where the problem lays I want us to | | |get married now and just have a small wedding which saves us plenty of| | |money and she wants a big wedding and wants to wait four years after | | |she...
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... |College of Natural Sciences | | |MTH/208 Version 6 | | |College Mathematics I | Copyright © 2012, 2011, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course begins a demonstration and examination of various concepts of algebra. It assists in building skills for performing specific mathematical operations and problem solving. These concepts and skills serve as a foundation for subsequent quantitative business coursework. Applications to real-world problems are emphasized throughout the course. This course is the first half of the college mathematics sequence, which is completed in MTH/209: College Mathematics II. Policies Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend...
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...Problem Solving and Decision Making: Consideration of Individual Differences Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator William G. Huitt Citation: Huitt, W. (1992). Problem solving and decision making: Consideration of individual differences using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Journal of Psychological Type, 24, 33-44. Retrieved from [date] http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/papers/prbsmbti.html Return to: | Readings in Educational Psychology | Educational Psychology Interactive | Abstract Improving individuals' and groups' abilities to solve problems and make decisions is recognized as an important issue in education, industry, and government. Recent research has identified a prescriptive model of problem solving, although there is less agreement as to appropriate techniques. Separate research on personality and cognitive styles has identified important individual differences in how people approach and solve problems and make decisions. This paper relates a model of the problem-solving process to Jung's theory of personality types (as measured by the MBTI) and identifies specific techniques to support individual differences. The recent transition to the information age has focused attention on the processes of problem solving and decision making and their improvement (e.g., Nickerson, Perkins, & Smith, 1985; Stice, 1987; Whimbey & Lochhead, 1982). In fact, Gagne (1974, 1984) considers the strategies used in these processes to be a primary outcome of modern education...
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...Logic Tuesday and Thursday, 2 p.m. The hippo problem The hippo problem is a difficult problem to solve. It took me quite some time to solve this problem and I had to employ multiple heuristics in order to solve this problem. In the paper that follows I hope to not only demonstrate how I personally came to the conclusion of solving this problem, but also to help someone else solve a similar problem in the future. The steps in which I took to solve the hippo problem were many, and like any good problem, there is a first step that one must take in order to solve the problem. The first step I took is to re state the problem. "Jill is the chief hippo caretaker at the wild animal park in san Diego, California. She has just arrived at the cargo dock in the downtown harbor to pick up four hippos. In order to complete the paperwork, she needs to weigh each hippo. The only scale available is a cargo scale that starts at 300 Kg. More than one of the hippos weights. Jill is puzzled for a few moments, then gets an idea of weighing them in pairs, thinking that if she gets the weight of each pair, she can figure out the weights of the individual hippos. The weights for the first five pairs are 312, 356, 378, 444, 466. As she weighs the last pair the scale breaks. What was the weight of the last pair? and what are the weights of the individual hippos". That is the problem in its entirety. As you can see, it is quite a complex problem. In the paragraphs that follow, I hope to...
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...Learning Activities from Chapter 1 Master in health information management Healthcare information leadership Millennia Atlantic University Mariana Viloria 1. Differences between micro and macro perspective of healthcare. MACRO-PERSPECTIVE: Macro perspective is a form of analysis which focuses on the structure of society and provides a way of seeing society as a unified whole. In this macro perspective minimal attention is given to the individual or the subjectivity of actors - the structures of society are thought to be primary and responsible for shaping the individual. MICRO- PERSPECTIVE: A micro perspective focuses on the individual level, while a macro perspective focuses more broadly on society. Ethics is a major concern in the health care field. Health care professionals must ensure that they are benefitting patients and meeting ethical and moral guidelines in the provision of care. There are two types of ethical issues facing the health care community: micro issues and macro issues. Micro issues cover issues that arise on a daily basis, and they involve such factors as technological change and dealing with a diverse population. Macro issues concern the allocation, use, and management of health care resources. Macro issues are of major importance as the amount of resources being consumed by health care continues to rise. At the macro level there is a political issue, allegedly somewhere between 25 and 50 million persons who are "uninsured," by which the...
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...Five steps to problem solving Elena Martinez HUM/115 August 24, 2015 Five steps to problem solving There are five steps to problem solving. The first step in problem solving is to identify the problem. With this step, you must first figure out what the problem actually is so that you can begin to start the process of solving it. The second step to problem solving is discovering the causes as to why you have this problem. Figuring out what is causing the problem will help you figure out where to go from that point. Step three is options. Figure out some options that you can take to solve the problem that you are facing. There are so many options you may have to solving the problem; you would want to narrow it down to the best option. That brings us to number four on the problem-solving list. Evaluating the best option to solve the problem. The very last step you will want to take to solve the problem is to act. Now you have defined what the problem is, figured out what is actually causing the problem, suggested some options and chose the best solution for it, so now all you need to do is apply the option that you chose. In my life my biggest challenge today is finding the time to work out. For the past two years I have steadily worked out at the gym every day. So I know what the problem is, and now I need to figure out what is causing this roadblock in my life. Since moving to a new state, I cannot seem to get focused back to where I once was. The...
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...PSY/315 March 4, 2013 Chapter 4 Practice Problems (11) List the five steps of hypothesis testing, and explained the procedure and logic of each. 1) Restate the research question; specify the null theory about the populations. State the null theory and the alternate theory Null: Ho: Alteration: Ha: 2) Determine the features of the compared distribution. Define the level of significance, using type 1 errors; identify sample size using data and resources that are available. 3) Define the region cutoff sample score. Identify the test statistics and sampling distributions. 4) Determine the sample’s score on the comparison distribution. Collect any data and compute the statistics test to find p -value 5) Select the appropriate theory. Classify the p-value and identify whether not to reject the null theory. Summarize the results and give a clear comprehensive solution towards the underline problem. (14) Based on the information given for each of the following studies; decide whether to reject the null hypothesis. For each, give (a) the Z- score cutoff (or cutoffs) on the comparison distribution at which the null hypothesis should be rejected (b) the Z score on the comparison distribution for the sample score and (c) your conclusion. Assume that all populations are normally distributed. Study A-D mean population = 5 Standard deviation = 1 Sample score = 7 P = study A&B =.05 P = study C&D = .01 Tails of this study a = 1(high prediction) Study...
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...Mathematics Syllabus Primary © Copyright 2006 Curriculum Planning and Development Division. This publication is not for sale. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Ministry of Education, Singapore. Year of implementation: from 2007 Ministry of Education SINGAPORE 1 FOREWORD The 2007 Primary Mathematics syllabus reflects the recent developments and trends in mathematics education. The revised syllabus continues to emphasise conceptual understanding, skill proficiencies and thinking skills in the teaching and learning of mathematics. These components are integral to the development of mathematical problem solving ability. Emphasis is also given to reasoning, applications, and use of technology. Advances in technology have changed the way we teach and learn mathematics. The computer and hand-held calculator, for example, offer great potential to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. Students will have opportunities to discover, reason and communicate mathematics. They will engage in stimulating discussions and activities where they can explore possibilities and make connections. These qualitative changes require a change in the teaching and learning approaches; incorporating activity-based and learnercentred methodologies. The syllabuses are conceptualised after extensive consultation with teachers. We hope that teachers will find the document useful and continue to provide us with valuable feedback...
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...milligrams!) To solve this problem, the first thing I did was to read through it several times to determine what it is asking. My interpretation was that I needed to find the grams of iron in this food and then convert it to milligrams. To do this, the first thing I did was to convert 0.00125% of iron to a decimal by moving the decimal point two places to the right which gave me a decimal of 0.0000125. I then multiplied 0.0000125 by 87.0 grams to find the percent of iron in a serving of food. I plugged 0.0000125 x 87.0 into a calculator and got the answer of 0.0010875 which means...
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...Assignment 2 Problem Solving Scenario 2 Your child comes home from school with an assignment sheet for a school project When faced with a problem, what do you do to solve it? This assignment asks you to apply a six-step to problem solving process to a specific problem scenario. You will write a paper that presents a synthesis of your ideas about solving the problem using this systematic approach. As Voltaire said, "No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking." Scenario 2 Your child comes home from school with an assignment sheet for a school project. He / she is very excited about the project and begins work immediately, doing research on the Internet and gathering materials. You read over the assignment sheet and notice that your child is not including all of the required items in the project, and you have some ideas for how to improve the quality of the presentation. You recently read an article in a parenting magazine about the importance of a child developing responsibility for his/ her own learning. You recall the many ways in which your parents took over your school projects. You, on the other hand, want to encourage your child’s confidence in his / her ability to complete a project independently. The next day, you are at the grocery store when you see a parent of a student in your child’s class. That parent has spent over $30 in supplies for the science project and is taking a day off of work to put the pieces of the project together. ...
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