Reference no: EM133935413

Apply critical thinking for complex problem solving

Knowledge Test (UKT)

Question 1: Answer the following:
A.) What methods can be used to identify the problems at the workplace? (Answer must be between 200-250 words)
B.) Briefly explain the following organisational policies and procedures which are used to identify the problems: (Answer must be between 60-80 words for each policy)
• Anti-discrimination policy
• Conflict resolution policy
C.) Briefly explain the following legislation which helps in addressing and avoiding problems in the workplace: (Answer must be between 80-100 words for each policy)
• Disability discrimination act 1992
• Fair work act 2009

Question 2: Answer the following:
A.) What is meant by creative and critical thinking? (Answer must be between 40-60 words)
B.) Provide a brief description of the following critical and creative thinking techniques used by the organisation to deal with the arising issues: (Answer must be between 60-90 words)
• Brainstorming
• Mind mapping
• Storyboarding

Question 3. Answer the following:
A.) What are the benefits of developing solutions for problems arising in the workplace?
(Answer must be between 70-100 words)
B.) What are the risks associated while developing solutions to the problems identified in the workplace? (Answer must be between 50-80 words)

Question 4: Answer the following:
A.) Briefly explain the five steps involved in the decision-making process. (Answer must be between 250-300 words)
B.) Briefly explain how the following barriers impact the decision-making of the organisation: (Answer must be between 70-100 words)
• Lack of time
• Lack of resources
• Conflict

Question 5: Answer the following:
A.) List the source of information that helps in identifying the problem at the workplace.
(Answer must be between 20-50 words)
B.) What is the importance of desk research in identifying the problem at the workplace?
(Answer must be between 80-100 words)
C.) How stakeholder consultation benefit organisation to identify issues/problems?
(Answer must be between 90-120 words)

Question 6: Answer the following:
A.) What are the requirements for developing the following: (Answer must be between 60-100 words for each)
• Brief
• Feedback register
B.) What is the requirement for presenting the following to the stakeholders: (Answer must be between 50-80 words for each)
• Brief
• Feedback register

Question 7: Briefly explain the approval process that the organisation must follow for implementing the solution identified for any problem. (Answer must be between 100-150 words)

Question 8: List the resources which are required for resolving any issues at the workplace.
(Answer must be between 20-50 words)

Part 2

Case Scenario:

Future IT is an IT company which provide different IT services such as application development, technical issues resolution, software support and other services. It is operating all across Australia with branches in major cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
It has around 133,240 clients and has is providing services to them for the last five years. The company has been consistent with providing services and is giving tough competition in the industry.

Future IT is expanding their business due to which HR department is hiring staff from diverse background. Due to the diverse background people, Future IT is facing different problems which are reducing the productivity of the business. The different problems faced by Future IT are:
• Conflict of interest
• Language barrier
• Cultural disbelief
• Bullying
• Discrimination
Future IT has identified that the common reason behind these issues arising is that the employees are not reading the organisational policies and procedures. Some employees feel superior to others due to the language and position assigned to them.

Future IT have the policies and procedures document which is given to all employees on their induction. The policies and procedures document includes all the relevant policies, which helps in eliminating these kinds of issues in the workplace.

The common policies and procedures which needs to be addressed in the workplace to deal with the issues are:
• Discrimination policy
• Recruitment policy
• Conflict resolution policy
• Diversity policy
The documents associated with these policies will be provided by the manager prior to the start of the activity. Future It is also aware that they have to do critical thinking to come up with the solutions which can be used to eliminate and deal with the issues arising in the workplace. The common methods to do critical thinking which
Future IT is going to implement are:
• Brainstorming
• Mind mapping
• Role-play scenarios
• Mood boards
Future IT is aware that critical thinking has several benefits which will help the organisation in the long run. Some of the benefits of critical thinking are:
• Helps in better decision making
• Improves relationship between employees and clients
• Promotes a sense of responsibility
Critical thinking also leads to drawbacks which Future IT has identified and are listed below:
• Time-consuming process
• Lead to conflict
• Reduces impulsivity of doing something
Future IT is also aware of the barriers to critical thinking, which are:
• Lack of resources
• Fear of being failed
• Support from management
Based upon all these factors, Future IT has developed the decision-making process which is used to make critical
decisions. The decision-making process of Future IT is given below: You have joined Future IT as a business analyst who has to identify and resolve issues in the workplace. You need
to go through the scenario and complete the following activities.

Activity 1: Discussion about the common problems

You need to read and understand the given scenario prior to start this activity.

Your task In this activity, you need to conduct a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss the complex issues arising in the workplace and gather information on how to resolve them.

You will act as a business analyst who will provide information about the current issues identified in the workplace. You need to provide information about the cause and impact of the issues on the workplace. You also need to share the solution which can be implemented to resolve the issues.

Your classmates will act as the stakeholders who will ask questions about the cause and impact of the issues on the workplace. He/she will also provide solutions that can be implemented in order to minimise and resolve the problem occurring in the workplace. Get top-notch online assignment help now.

In the meeting, you need to discuss the following:
• Discuss common problems arising in the workplace
• Highlight the reason behind the problem
• Discuss how the problems are impacting the organisation
• Ask questions to get a clear idea behind the problem
• Provide solutions to the problems
• Highlight organisational policies which can be used to deal with the problems

You need to conduct a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss the complex issues arising in the workplace and gather information on how to resolve them. You also need to complete the following meeting minutes template and write the information related to the meeting discussion. After the meeting, you need to update the report according to the discussion made in the meeting.

Activity 2: Information gathering about the problem-solving process

In this activity, you need to prepare a report on the objective of identifying the issues and what risk is associated with the identification of the issues. Apart from that, you also need to provide information about the legislation and resources required to deal with the issues.

In the report, you need to cover the following information:
• The objective of identifying the problems in the workplace
• The risk associated with the identification of the problems
• The relevant legislation for dealing with the workplace problems
• Organisational policies and procedures which help in dealing and avoiding problems in the workplace
• Resources and methods required for resolving the problems
Once the report is completed, you need to send an email to the stakeholders involved in the project to provide an update that the following resources and legislation have been identified which will be helpful in identifying and resolving the issues in the workplace.

Activity 3: Discussion and selection of suitable solution

Your task. In this activity, you need to conduct a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss the solutions identified in the previous activity and do critical thinking to resolve the problems arising in the organisation. You also need to gather additional ideas which can be helpful for avoiding and tackling the problems in the organisation. You will act as a business analyst who will provide information about the different solutions identified in the previous activity to deal with the issues in the workplace. You will also provide information about the advantages of implementing the solutions and discuss the limitations of critical thinking.

Your classmates will act as relevant stakeholders who will do ask questions about the solutions identified and will help in identifying the relevant solution to address the problems in the workplace. He/she will also do critical thinking to come up with other solutions for the problems.

Once additional solutions are identified after critical thinking, you need to select the most viable solution by following the decision-making process of the organisation. In the meeting, you need to discuss the following:

• Discuss report developed in the previous activity
• Do brainstorming to come up with additional solutions to the issues
• Highlight advantages of critical thinking techniques
• Discuss drawbacks of critical thinking techniques
• Select the most suitable solution to the problem by applying the decision-making process