What Makes a Problem Solving Culture?

The role of school climate as a part of the problem-solving culture is to enable successful collaborative team communication and activity. A positive school climate fosters sensitivity toward individual differences and helps the collaborative team members to feel comfortable enough to contribute within their roles. Howell, Patton, and Deiotte (2008) stated that members of the team should be respected and approachable by staff. Mutual respect not only facilitates collaboration, it supports the school-wide behavioral expectations. A positive school climate should begin with the collaborative problem-solving team and through deliberate actions, become a part of the school culture. The importance of a supportive climate is evident in the positive student behavioral outcomes and in the professional productivity throughout a school setting. A positive climate is also important in professional settings across the community, as reported by three interviewees.

Three professionals who work in different industries were interviewed to gather information on their views on organizational culture. The questionnaire used to gather information contained the following questions. 1. What is organizational culture? 2. What setting attributes constitute a climate that is conducive to problem solving?  3. What problem-solving actions take place at your organization on a daily or weekly basis? 4. What do you do to ensure the problem-solving process is successful? 5. How do you ensure that everyone contributes to the positive climate? The answers provided by a restaurant owner were as follows. 1. Organizational culture refers to the way that individuals within an organization interact with one another. 2.  My employees are always using problem-solving strategies to produce quality products and customer service. They must be able to communicate in a positive manner, show respect for one another, and stay calm in a stressful situation. 3.  Our customers need to be satisfied and if they are not, steps are taken to resolve any issue. There are also planning and structural decisions to be made, which requires collaborative problem-solving strategies. 4.  I meet with my employees weekly to discuss any issues and to lay a plan of action for each day of the week. It takes mutual respect and patience to get through the meetings without offending, undermining, or disrespecting anyone. 5. I review the ground rules before each meeting, I include discussions about the professional relationships and how to maintain them, and I mentor each of my employees as they work each day to have positive, productive exchanges throughout each day. The chiropractic doctor that was interviewed provided the following answers. 1. Organizational culture is the method in which a group views and treats one another. 2. Our customers have different needs and desires. The environment needs to be calm, inviting one that enables customers to communicate freely and have trust in the abilities of the professionals. 3. The problem-solving within my office is done to determine the needs of our patients and to provide them with the appropriate chiropractic and orthopedic treatment. 4. To ensure that our problem-solving process is successful, I foster an environment of friendliness and acceptance. This helps because when it is time to have a detailed conversation regarding a patient, not other issues impede the flow of ideas. 5. During weekly meetings, we discuss issues of the previous week and try to develop a plan to ensure productive exchanges. The Accountant interviewed responded as follows. 1. Organizational culture refers to the way that colleagues get along and manage their office relationships. 2. There are many document management and accounting detail problem-solving tasks to perform.  Joint efforts are required to solve each problem. 3. Our clients require tax services and general accounting services. Problem solving takes place in the form of finding if there are discrepancies and fixing them. There are also problem-solving actions to ensure organized, effective work completion. 4. Meetings take place on a monthly basis in our office. We discuss progress in our customers’ accounts and any hindrances to progress within the office. 5. To ensure that the positive climate is supported by everyone, we have semi-annual employee evaluation meetings and weekly office meetings to discuss concerns in addition to accounting business.

As I walked into each place of business, the evidence of a positive culture was clear. In the example of the restaurant manager’s setting, I experienced the manner in which they work together to carry out the duties. The communication was polite and friendly, respectful tones and gestures were noted, and helpful actions were seen during the entire visit. When a problem arose, it was quickly resolved because of the ease of communication and collaborative action. A customer required special preparation of her meal. The waiter was not sure if it could be done. He was dealing with another customer’s complaint as well so he asked a team member to find the answer for him and explain to the customer what will be done. Because of the quick actions of both employees, both customers were pleased with their experiences. The manager mentioned in his response to the questionnaire that his employees had positive interactions. This was evident in my observation.

It takes deliberate actions to ensure a culture that is conducive to the problem-solving process. Leaders need to take a proactive position and equip all personnel with the information available about supporting the problem-solving culture within the organization. There is a clear correlation between the professional views of what constitutes a problem-solving culture and the literature on the subject. Each professional interviewed included meetings to discuss plans of action and maintenance of a positive culture. Buffum, Mattos, and Weber (2012) stated the leadership’s ability to determine the location, structure, and timing of the meeting conversation is a great leverage point that will help in creating staff consensus. The strategic planning of problem-solving meetings is essential. The clear expectations of respectful, professional exchanges are an essential part of having successful meetings as stated by the authors. The problem-solving culture clearly began with the organization leader in the planning and monitoring of expected actions by their employees.

Howell, R., Patton, S., & Deiotte, M. (2008). Understanding response to intervention: A practical guide to systemic implementation. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Buffum, A. G., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2012). Simplifying response to intervention: Four essential guiding principles. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.