Problem-Solving

Abstract

Some researchers into organisations have compared them to living organisms and suggest that both organisations and their animal counterparts depend for survival on how well they react to their environment. This is a belief that most of us are probably aware of anyway, but the big question is: how do we respond to our changing surroundings in an effective way? Perhaps the fundamental nature of organisational problems is how human beings, with all their frailties, become aware of problems and what they do about it. Both individuals and groups — who comprise companies — are being constantly bombarded by information. Some we respond to and the rest is probably ignored. Even the information that is taken in and processed may help the organisation in its real objective of survival, but if we are honest with ourselves, what we do use sometimes makes the situation worse. Simon (1961) deals with this point in his discussion of rational behaviour. Behaviour is seldom rational because people have only a fragmentary knowledge of the real world, and only meagre information about all possible alternatives. This suggests that human choice in problem situations is more often a subjective stimulus-response activity rather than an objective choice from among alternatives.