John Dewey Knew How to Solve Problems

John Dewey Knew How to Solve Problems
Kevin McClureGlobalEnglish Magazine

Every day we face small and large problems in our personal and professional lives. We think about these problems, discuss them with friends or colleagues, and, eventually, make a decision about whether or not to do something about them. The process of dealing with problems can be extremely time consuming, and a group process may result in a solution that satisfies no one. For an organized approach to problem solving, there are many step-by-step models. One of the most famous of these models is the process developed by the American educator and philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952).

Dewey believed that the best way to educate people was to present them with practical, everyday problems or situations and make them think their way through to a solution. In the process of learning to do something, they were forced to analyze the situation. At the University of Chicago Laboratory School, which Dewey founded and ran with his wife, Alice, children cooked their own breakfast, which taught them important basic facts about mathematics and science. In the process of cooking, the children learned how to analyze problems that arose, such as pancakes that were too flat. To help students become more efficient in analyzing and solving problems, Dewey developed a detailed process for dealing with problems. The Dewey Problem-Solving Sequence is a five-step process that remains particularly popular in a variety of forms for both education and business. The basic component of the process is a series of questions in each step that people ask themselves and others, often in a group. The questions may vary somewhat, depending on the problem.

Let's take a hypothetical group of executives from a computer-manufacturing company and see how they might apply Dewey's process to a specific problem facing one of their factories.

The first step is to define the problem. This involves answering basic questions about the problem such as the following:
What is the specific problem?
Where is the problem?
When did the problem start?
Who is involved in the problem?

The executives identify a problem in their Chicago factory, whose productivity is far below that of the other factories that the company owns. This factory has 200 employees. The factory's productivity has been dropping steadily for about ten years.

The second step in the process is to analyze the problem. Typical questions are:
What is the cause of the problem?
What is the result of the problem?
What methods are being used now to deal with the problem?

The computer executives agree that the basic cause of the factory's low productivity is outdated equipment. The other factories have high-tech assembly lines with robots helping the workers, while humans still do all of the work in the problem factory. One result of this problem is workers with low morale who are worried about being laid off. The factory has high employee turnover because many workers look for more secure employment. The factory managers are dealing with the problem by spending a lot of their time hiring and training new workers.

The third step in the problem-solving sequence is to propose solutions. This is generally a brainstorming session, where participants throw out ideas quickly without critiquing them.

The computer executives come up with a variety of solutions:
• Close the problem factory.
• Update the factory with state-of-the-art technology.
• Raise the salaries of the workers and have the company CEO guarantee their job security.

In the fourth step, group members evaluate the proposed solutions. They examine each of the proposed solutions in detail and list the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. They look at short-term and long-term effects of the solution.

For the three proposed solutions, the executives list the following:
• Closing the factory would save the company a lot of money, but the company's overall production capacity would drop.
• Updating the factory with new technology would be extremely expensive and the factory might have to close during the renovation, but the factory's productivity would rise dramatically after it was reopened.
• Increasing wages would be expensive for the factory, and the problem of the old equipment would still exist.

The final step in the process is to select one solution. If the group has done a thorough job in the previous steps, they should have enough information to make a final decision. They will have to compare the ease of implementation and overall effect of the various solutions.

The computer executives look at projections for the personal computer market for the next ten years. Demand for personal computers is expected to increase steadily, so they decide to renovate the factory with new technology to increase overall production. The other two solutions would not increase production capacity.

Going through this comprehensive process, the executives heard a variety of opinions and examined the situation at an almost microscopic level. They spent a great deal of time making the decision, but they can feel satisfied that they have done their best in this difficult situation. This is exactly how Dewey intended for people to approach their problems.

© 2007-2009, GlobalEnglish Magazine

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Learn to Write Effective Emails - from GlobalEnglish

Learn to Write Effective Emails

Ruth Sasaki
GlobalEnglish Magazine

Email has become by far the most popular means of both internal and external communication in business. It's faster than writing and sending a business letter, and it's cheaper than a phone call. There are some similarities and differences between email messages and business letters. In both, the writing should be clear and concise. The spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be good enough so that the writing is understandable and professional. However, there are some key differences between emails and business letters. Keep in mind the following tips when writing email messages: Write an informative subject line. People may receive a hundred or more email messages every day. The subject line may be the most important factor in determining whether your email gets read right away or not. A brief subject line that specifically identifies the key topic is best, such as "Action Items from October 24 Sales Meeting." Avoid general or generic subject lines such as "Greetings" or "Meeting Summary." Keep it short. You should express only one main idea per message. State your purpose at the beginning of the message. Paragraphs should be no longer than two or three sentences. If possible, the recipient should be able to see the entire message in the view window. If you need to include detailed information, consider sending it as an attachment. Include sufficient context. Short messages are best, but if they are too short, the context may be unclear. Have you ever received an email reply that simply said "OK"--and you had forgotten what your question was? Include the original message at the bottom of your reply. Here is an example: From: Hiroshi Tanaka To: bjsmith@afs.com Sent: May 18, 2010 5:32 p.m. Cc: Joe Klein Subject: RE: Z56 Samples for JVS No problem. ----Original Message---- From: Bill Smith [mailto:bjsmith@afs.com] To: hiroshi_tanaka@afs.co.jp Sent: May 18, 2010 5:15 p.m. Cc: Joe Klein Subject: Z56 Samples for JVS Hiroshi, After talking with you on the phone yesterday, I talked with Joe. There's a slight change of plans. Can you include four samples in the shipment instead of the two that we discussed? Let me know if there's a problem. Thanks, Bill If the message thread (the group of related messages) becomes too long, however, it's a good idea to include contextual reminders in the current message. That way, the recipient does not have to read through the entire thread to remember the main topic of the email discussion. Be conversational but professional. Email is a fast communication medium. There is often a rapid, back-and-forth exchange of messages, almost like a conversation. The writing style tends to be more conversational than in business letters. For example, people often begin an original email by writing "Hiroshi," or "Hi, Hiroshi," rather than the more formal "Dear Hiroshi: ..." In subsequent replies, especially in internal email, the salutation may be omitted entirely. For external email messages, it's probably a good idea to include a brief salutation and signature even in subsequent replies. Reply promptly. Because email is so much faster than regular mail, people usually expect to receive an answer within 24 hours--even sooner in the case of internal emails. If someone has made a difficult request and it will take you some time to provide an answer, it's a good idea to send a short reply acknowledging that you received the message. Specify when you will respond to the request. This way, the other person won't wonder if the message got lost. The sender will also know that you are not ignoring the email. Don't write anything confidential in an email message. From the standpoint of technology, it's easy to forward an email to people for whom it was not intended. When you receive an email, you should not forward it without the author's permission. The reality, however, is that many people do. When writing email, you should always assume that people other than the original recipient might read your message. Check your message before sending it. It doesn't have to be perfect, but a message with too many spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors will be difficult to understand. Even if it is understandable, it will not project a professional image if it has mistakes. Although most people tend to write emails and send them off quickly, it will really be worth a few extra moments to read over your message before sending it. Copyright © 2008-2010 GlobalEnglish Magazine.

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What should I do now?

I just wonder what can I do now. I don't know really. I am in the half of unemployment. The current task is end. The new task is still unknown. The new job is really not controllable to me. What a mess situation! I dislike it. So what can I do?
Try to learn something new? This sounds a good idea but what I learned may useless because I may not use it in the new job. If that's the case, I'd better do not learn it.
How about continue the previous task? No, I don't want to do that. It really makes disappointed. I devoted much much time and energy in it. But what an end! I want to close it as soon as possible.
What about learn something new and useful forever? That sounds a good idea. There are something always useful for me. Oh, yes, English and communication skills. That's a good idea. I should continue with my English study and communication skill improvement.
Ah, I am writing now. It is a good practice. I may not write very well but I am writing. It is not a problem if I keep writing. I can do a good job. That's it.

Tired

I feel tired these days. After the training, I think I should do some practice and write some articles about it. It will be really helpful to understand the new technology. On the other side, I think I still need to study English hard. To practice is the most important. I am watching Family Album, USA this weekend. It's really good. I think I am trying my best to follow it. It is really classical study resources.
There are some works in weekend as well. I do a restore a 7 TB database last night. It took me nearly 12 hours. I felt exhausted. It is an unexpected task. Maybe this will be my last big task in this department. Although it is hard, I really enjoyed the success when I finished it in time. It is a evidence that I am good at it. Even I am very tired after that, it is not bad anyway.
It is also harder and harder to feed my little baby these days. He seems more exited than ever. When it's time for eating, he just moving his hands and feet at every direction. The funny thing is that he is speaking JieJie these days. It seems he'd like to have a sister. He may want to talk with us. I hope he can start talk a little earlier than others in the same age. It is always good to speak than silent.

Training

I am in a training this week. I feel good. It is really good to take trainings now and then. I think it is good to take it at least once a year. Our company is good in this aspect. I got at least 6 formal trainings in last 3 years if I am not wrong. Also I took a certification exam.
When I am in training days, I don't need to worry about any work related issues. At least there is no much pressure when something is happened. There are backup men. They will help me to do work as necessary. For trainings, as it is always something I am familiar with, it is also no pressure, actually somewhat relax during the training. Just listen to the teacher and do some practices. The time is always enough. I always have some extra time to talk with other students or discuss with teachers. It's really good.
Most likely, we will have trainings at a different site other than daily working office. It is good to change a environment for some days. It is a kind of adjustment of feeling about work. Most probably it let me feel better on my job. In most cases, we will be off about an hour earlier than working time. You see, I can go out and take subway or buses without too much people. That feels really not bad. Sometimes, we can have free lunch at the training site. It is also an add-on to the benefit. Basically, I always have a good feeling on most aspects. So I like trainings.

Why is it hard to write blog everyday?

I don't know why I cannot write blog everyday. Am I really so busy? Not really! Do I have no access to Internet? Not true! So why? Maybe I am somewhat lazy. Maybe I am not talkative. Maybe I don't have the habit to write down things. All in all, maybe I am not good at expressing myself. Oh, yes! That's the reason why I want to start with this blog.
But without practice, how can I get changed? Practice is the best way. Maybe I don't write well this time, but I will one day if I keep practice. Maybe I am not so good at written English, but I will one day. Maybe it is not so attractive today, but it will be attractive someday if I keep going. Maybe I am not so intelligent, but I know how to practice. Maybe I cannot do it well once, I will do it well after many tries. There is nobody stop me from trying but myself. I should go on. I will go on. I can go on. That's the best way.
Another thing in my mind is open mind. Although I knew this phrase many many years ago, but not until recently when I heard it from an US HR manager. I suddenly know that this is what I am looking for. I tried many many times to help me talkative and express myself well. I didn't get the satisfy answer. Open mind, yes, that's the best thought if I want to be easy to talkative. I will be open mind. I will practice open mind year by year, day by day and hour by hour!

It is so busy these days

My current role will come to an end. But it seems I become more and more busy these days, knowledge transition, projects wrap up, new position searching, etc. Wow, how busy am I!
I hope I can start my new role as soon as possible, no matter it is a good one or not. I don't want to spend too much time on the going away projects and errands. I really want to have a fresh start. I also should think about relationship between myself and the company. How to deal with new opportunities later? I cannot do as the past. Actually I feel I was hardly hurt by this action. I don't want this kind of things to happen again. I really need to control my career road by myself. Maybe as one of my colleague's suggestion, I should seek opportunities to be manager. As a first line employee, you can never control your work. Even when the bad news comes, you are the last one to know. You are not told until the last minutes. It is somewhat unfair. I don't believe the management team take much more responsibilities than general employees. You see, when the company doesn't run will. Who will be fired? Who will get less and less? When the company runs well, who will get the biggest part of bonus? I hope one day I will be my own boss, taking responsibilities as well as taking advantages. Is there anything I can do beside writing my feeling here? Not too much!
Anyway, I will be happy tomorrow and get what I want to do. This is my own life!