Who hasn't faced a problem on the job? Whether you're a teacher, a scientist, run a small business or work in any vocation, the need to think on your feet, think creatively, and make decisions is something you face every day. The ability to solve problems effectively is a key ingredient of almost any career.
At 3M, we place a particular focus on listening to our customers and developing creative solutions. As organizations look to hire the next generation of employees, we want to understand how they approach problem-solving. What we've found from a survey commissioned in 2014 is that people can be categorized into three distinct types of problem solvers when they are faced with a challenge:
· The take-charge type, who like to solve problems themselves
· The practical type, who call in the professionals
· The trusting type, who ask friends or family for help.
Everyone is capable of solving problems in all three ways but we all have a type that's our natural default, and there are tendencies based on generational, gender and regional demographics. In addition, a person may take a different approach to solving problems at home than they do at work.
When it comes to the workplace, millennials tend to adopt the take-charge approach when pursuing a promotion or dealing with interpersonal issues, but in general they reach out and collaborate to solve everyday problems. From a gender perspective, men are more the take-charge type when solving everyday problems, while women have a practical-type approach. And looking at the country as a whole, Western Canadians are more often the take-charge type than their Central and Eastern Canada counterparts.
So what can be learned from this and how do you harness your problem-solving skills when it comes to professional development or tackling challenges? Knowing your own natural problem-solving type is important – once you know that, there are three important steps you can take in any situation: assess, understand and contribute.
When assessing a problem, make sure you are very clear about the details of the challenge. Are you having a difference of opinion with a colleague? Is it a customer problem that you've never encountered before? Are you in need of some specific training to help further your expertise?
Then take a moment to try and understand how other people involved solve problems. Are they typical millennials who want to collaborate? Are they boomers who tend to try and solve problems on their own? Or are they someone who tends to want to call in other professionals to help?
Last, put all this information together to decide on a course of action that will best allow you to contribute in a way that will further your goals. In some cases you'll rally the troops and brainstorm, in others you may take the situation up directly with a colleague or manager.
For example, at 3M much of what we do involves working on-site with our customers, learning and understanding their most pressing challenges and creating effective solutions. Once our scientists understand the problem, should they sit down as a group and brainstorm? Or should they each go away, think things through and come back together to decide on the best course of action? Either way works, it depends on the specific situation and the people involved.
As a manager, you may be faced with conflict amongst your team. Understanding that millennials are more likely to try and solve things directly, as opposed to boomers – who will more likely be looking for help – can assist you successfully address the problem and find a solution that works for everyone.
One of the trends we are seeing in the workplace is a move toward more collaborative organizational structures and physical spaces. The walls are figuratively and literally coming down, and in many innovative companies the C-suite sits in collaborative environments along with everyone else. The open-door policy is becoming a thing of the past because in many cases there are no longer any doors.
Because of this evolution, a collaborative approach is key to success in the modern workplace and millennials have shown their preference for solving everyday problems together. The Internet has made it easy to ask for help through forums, Reddit, Twitter and so on, so the go-it-alone way of the past is slowly disappearing. The millennial generation are perfectly suited and poised to take advantage of this progression.
How do you use this information to set yourself apart at work? Be aware of the different types of problem solvers, and use that information to your advantage during interviews, annual performance reviews and when pursuing promotions. Employers of all kinds, whether they know it or not, need innovative problem solvers. Pointing out how you can bring that capability to the table will help you differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd, whether you're just entering the work force or climbing the corporate ladder.
Erin Craven-Patrick is director of marketing and sales for 3M Canada