Assignment:
Problem Solving and Decision Making"
• "Defining the Problem/Gathering Information"
• "Identifying and Structuring Problems"
Identify Issues or Challenges
Each public safety administrator needs to evaluate his or her environment to determine the major issues. Once identified, each issue must be analyzed, recommendations determined, and solutions implemented and reviewed. Your comprehensive case study capstone project will focus on each area.
Your first paper is an individual project where you will identify an issue or challenge. We have looked at issues facing public safety leaders. The most important point is to identify an issue or problem before it becomes an even bigger problem.
Many problems can be solved on an individual basis. For example, let's say the fire station doors are leaking. Possible solutions include patching the leaks, putting a bucket under the leak, or replacing the doors. Is there money in the budget for buckets, patches, or new doors? Who will do the work? Is there a rush to decide on a solution (big leak vs. little leak)? Once these questions are answered, the station officer can then write a check for new doors, find an empty bucket, or borrow patching material from a firefighter who repairs homes on off days.
Other decisions are more systemic, complex, and may require more analysis and evaluation. This could require hiring a consultant, forming a committee, or handing off the problem to a subordinate or a support department within your organization.
You'll be spending a bit of time on your case study, as each part builds on the other, so be sure to choose a topic that will sustain your interest. You can find ideas for your research topic by using the following strategies and resources:
• Scan your other class readings for topic ideas and suggestions.
• Draw on what you have read or seen recently that interests you.
• Select an issue that affects your department or other public safety entity.
• Use a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) posture to evaluate situations that may weaken your organization.
The most common problem with many undergraduate case studies is a topic that is too broad. Rather than writing about cybersecurity, immigration, weather disasters, or any other broad subject, find a specific issue within this broader topic to write about.
To help in identifying a problem, Mauffette-Leenders, Erskine, & Leenders (1997) suggest asking these questions:
1. How do I know that this is a problem? Note that by asking this question, you will be helping to differentiate the symptoms of the problem from the problem itself.
2. What are the immediate issues that need to be addressed? This helps to differentiate between issues that can be resolved within the context of the case, and those that are bigger issues that needed to be addressed at another time.
3. Differentiate between importance and urgency for the issues identified. Some issues may appear to be urgent, but upon closer examination are relatively unimportant, while others may be far more important than urgent. You want to deal with important issues in order of urgency to keep focused on your objective (Defining the Issue/Problem Statement in Learning with Cases)
Make sure you are not identifying a solution instead of the problem. An example from FEMA's IS-241A course gives a good example of this:
• Someone might say, "The problem is that we don't have an EOC." The problem is not that there is no EOC.
• The problem is that the emergency management community cannot coordinate communications adequately during the response phase.
• Establishing an EOC is a solution. (FEMA, 2011)
This web page provides guidance on how to acquire needed information and this web page describes how to identify issues and problems.
Your readings for Week 2 gave you ideas on some current issues. Identifying a specific issue can be difficult, as there are many to choose from. Your readings for Week 3 will help you with a problem definition.
Your organization must be conducive to problem solving, and you as a leader can and must ensure this. It is important to build a culture in which everyone feels empowered to address problems, assist in solution suggestions, and work toward solutions and implementation.
The paper Create a Problem Solving Culture focuses on the "executive suite" and the business world, but remember that you are the executive suite leader in charge of your business, whether it is the fire, police, EMS department, the emergency manager of a town or county, or a border patrol division. You are the executive leader even if your jurisdiction is a small part of a bigger organization. It is not about the size of your kingdom, but how you lead others down the path of good, ethical decision making.
It is important to have a solid foundation with problem/issue identification before looking for solutions. As noted businessman Malcolm Forbes once stated, "It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem."