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The Four Problem-solving Styles

When a team is faced with a problem, one person may focus on analyzing facts. Another may quickly work on a solution that's practical, although it doesn't take all possibilities into account. A third person may favor a group approach, in which everyone's thoughts are considered. And someone else may focus on thinking laterally to come up with a creative solution nobody else would've identified.

Types of problems vary, and people often use a combination of approaches to solve them. However, each person typically has a dominant problem-solving style – an approach they tend to favor or turn to first when problems arise.

A person's dominant problem-solving approach depends on many factors – some voluntary and others not. For instance, your typical approach may depend on your past experiences, your personality, the skills you have, and what you believe yourself to be good at. It may also be affected by the education you've had.

Different problem-solving styles can be grouped into four main types. Each type has both advantages and disadvantages:

• rational – People with a predominantly rational style favor an analytical, structured approach to problem solving. They like to work with the facts of a situation and approach problems objectively.
• nonlinear – This style is characterized by creative and original thinking. People who employ this style are able to conceptualize a situation. They are intellectually driven and have vision.
• pragmatic – This style is a practical, goal-oriented approach to problem solving. People with this style focus on finding quick, workable solutions. They may appear confident and have a reputation for getting things done efficiently.
• interpersonal – Someone with a predominantly interpersonal style approaches problems collaboratively, relying on interpersonal communication and the company and opinions of others. This is the most emotional and spontaneous style – friends, family, and colleagues may influence the decisions reached.

A disadvantage to relying on one style over others is that this can lead to blind spots. You may fail to see potential determining factors in a situation, and you may overlook a potential solution.

Those with a rational approach may find the most logical or well-considered solutions to problems. However, they may also be indecisive, overcautious, overly analytical, and rigid in their thinking.

The blind spots for people who favor the nonlinear style are that they tend to be unrealistic or impractical, disorganized in their approach to problem solving, and occasionally naive. Their ability to think out-of-the box may produce innovative solutions, but these may not be compatible with realities such as nonnegotiable budgets or schedules.

Pragmatists' dedication to finding a practical resolution to a problem may lead them to be short-sighted or impulsive in devising solutions. Because they know they can get things done efficiently and focus on finding solutions without being distracted, they may disregard the interpersonal aspects of problem-solving, and overlook colleagues' opinions.

People with an interpersonal approach to problem solving may be seen as fair and sensitive to others. But they may also be impulsive or sentimental. They may personalize situations and lose their objectivity. If you rush to find a solution that others agree on, it's likely you'll overlook facts. This can mean spending time and money on implementing a response that's ineffective – or that works only over the short term.

Identifying your dominant style

Once you're able to identify the characteristics and blind spots of each of the four problem-solving styles, you can determine your own dominant style by creating a problem-solving style chart. Knowing your dominant style can help you identify and then address your weaknesses.

You can create your own chart by using five steps:

1. review a few problems you recently solved to uncover the impetus and reasoning behind your actions
2. when reviewing the problems, assign each style a value from 1 to 5 depending on how you used it in solving the problem, then plot the points on the chart
3. connect the points that represent the highest values of each style
4. identify the dominant style you used, and
5. identify possible blind spots

The four problem-solving styles are rational, nonlinear, pragmatic, and interpersonal. Each style has strengths and weaknesses, or blind spots. You can determine your own dominant style by developing a problem-solving style chart. First, you review a few problems you recently solved to discover how you responded to them. You then assign a value from 1 to 5 to each style depending on the extent to which you exhibited it when dealing with the problems. You plot the values on a chart and connect the highest points. Knowing your dominant style can help you identify your blind spots so that you can work to overcome them. Relying on a balance of styles – rather than on any one in particular – is best.