Working with Problem Owners and Stakeholders in an Organization - Business Decision Making - ثاني ثانوي

Lesson 2 Chapter 6 www.ien.edu.sa Working with Problem Owners and Stakeholders in an Organization 2-1 Solving Problems in Organizations Managers, supervisors, colleagues, and clients will ask you to solve problems for them throughout your career. When you solve a problem for someone else, you assume the responsibility for developing a satisfactory solution for them, the problem owners. Stakeholders are people who are also affected or whose involvement you need to resolve the matter. Involve the problem owners and stakeholders as you begin to work. Table 6-1 lists the do's and don'ts for working with problem owners and stakeholders. TABLE 6-1: Working with problem owners do's and don'ts Guidelines Do Initial discussion Progress Solution • Discuss the problem with the stakeholder Ask questions to define the problem • Ask for suggested solutions • Make sure you include all the details • See the problem from the stakeholder's perspective Separate opinions from facts • Communicate the progress you make toward solving the problem • Use e-mail and memos to document your progress • Recommend an ideal solution and one or two alternatives •Demonstrate why you suggest one solution over another Promote effective solutions • Present the solution in a report or presentation Don't • Don't accept the stakeholder's solution as the only one • Don't confuse the stakeholder's opinion with substantiated facts. • Don't overwhelm others with communication . • Don't surprise the stakeholder by trying a solution without their participation or approval • Don't present only one possible solution • Don't fail to do your homework • Don't overpromote yourself, but don't let the credit for the solution go to someone else either وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 163 Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 163 30/06/2023 14:28

DEFINITIONS Problem owner: The person who has a problem that needs to be solved. Stakeholder: A person who is affected by a problem or decision or whose involvement you need to resolve the matter. QUICK TIP Be sure to ask problem owners to suggest possible solutions. 2-2 Working with Problem Owners and Stakeholders The process of working with problem owners and stakeholders can be a delicate one, requiring a continuous process of stakeholder management (see Figure 6-6). FIGURE 6-6: Stakeholder management 164 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 164 Solve the problem Provide options Identify the stakeholders Recognize opinions and assumptions Communicate and manage expectations 1. Identify the stakeholders Start by finding out exactly what the problem is. It is important to think about the chain of command (see Chapter 6, Lesson 1) to make sure you're communicating with the right person at the right level. For instance, if the problem owner is at the executive management level, you may need to communicate with them via your manager. However, treat their explanation and suggestions as possible alternatives because the problem owners do not always see the root cause of the problem. 2. Recognize opinions and assumptions The opinions and assumptions that your problem owner, stakeholders, and other important people hold are important factors in the success of your solution. Managers establish control over other employees, physical space, 30/06/2023 14:28

spending, or a step in the approval process. Consider who you may be able to cooperate with, or if solving the problem requires collaboration. DEFINITIONS Executive management: A top-level manager who spends almost all of his or her time on management functions and making decisions that affect the entire company. Cooperation: The act of working together to achieve something for the benefit of one or more of the parties involved. Collaboration: Collaboration is similar to cooperation, but the achievement is shared between all parties. QUICK TIP Document conversations with follow-up e-mails to create a record of your communication. Is this a good way to share information with someone higher up the chain of com- mand? Why, or why not? 3. Communicate your progress clearly and responsibly Communicate regularly with problem owners and stakeholders. Use e-mail, memos, and other documents to create a log of your conversations, ideas, alternatives, and solutions. Frequent, though not overwhelming, communi- cation avoids surprising a problem owner or stakeholder. Remember to com- municate through agreed upon channels, respecting the chain of command within the organization (see Figure 6-7). FIGURE 6-7: Sharing information with problem owners وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 165 Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 165 30/06/2023 14:28

QUICK TIP Give the problem owner a final report to create a sense of closure. Establish the credibility of your work by pursuing each step systematically. Demonstrate that you have worked through the problem by following the policies and procedures regarding communication inside the organization. Be objective in your communication, both written and oral, and make sure the problem owner is confident about your approach. 4. Provide choices and promote your solution Selecting one choice from many increases a sense of ownership, so present problem owners with options and ask them to select one or two. Recommend the best solution along with one or two other alternatives. Explain the pros and cons for each and let the problem owner make a final decision. After solving a problem effectively, promote your efforts and results to the problem owners and stakeholders with a persuasive report or powerful presentation. The size and format will vary depending on the size and importance of the problem. YOU TRY IT Practice working with problem owners and stakeholders by reorganizing a conversation. Complete the following steps. 1. Read the following conversation that Mariam, assistant in the Finance Department, and Waleed, tour developer for the Wonders of Saudi Arabia tours, are having about what Waleed can do to increase reservations for his tours. 1 Mariam: I looked up the results of recent studies on some travel trade association Web sites. Adventure Travel magazine also had a couple of great articles about tour sales. Waleed: Interesting. What did they have to say? 2 3 Mariam: According to one survey I found, right now you could work on building your relationships with existing customers. Current customers are more likely to take another tour with us than new customers, especially if they have a personal connection to the company. Waleed: So I should personally contact customers who have already taken one of my tours? Mariam: That sounds like it might be helpful in the short term. Anything else? Waleed: Oh, I don't know. People just don't want to travel right now. They're nervous about 166 6 Chapter رة ا Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 166 4 5 6 the economy. Mariam: Why do you think reservations are declining for your tours? Waleed: I'm not really sure. I think I need to expand my mailing list and send out a fresh batch of brochures to new prospects. Mariam: Yeah, that's what a lot of people think. I did some research to find out if that's the case throughout the travel industry. Waleed: Really? What kind of research did you do? Mariam: I'm actually going to write a brief report on what I found, but overall, customers report that they are waiting to see what happens with the economy before spending money on travel. The good news is that they are delaying their plans, not abandoning them. Waleed: That's good to know. So people expect to start traveling again in the near future? 30/06/2023 14:28

7 8 9 Mariam: When they have a good sense of their future finances, our typical customers say that they will start traveling again. Also, when they do start traveling again, customers will be looking for high-value experiences like the adventure and cultural tours that you develop. Waleed: Really? But what should I do right now? Mariam: Exactly. That means a lot of phone calls, but you are likely to get good results. Also, people say they are looking for value-they want extra services and special experiences, not just the usual guided tours. Waleed: That means I need to update my tours. Mariam: Right. Updating your tours will take some time, but when you do, they'll stand out from the competition. Waleed: I guess I need to get busy. Thanks for all the helpful information. 2. In your notebook, reorganize the conversation according to the informa- tion in this lesson. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. A person who is affected by a problem or needs to be involved to solve it is a: a. stakeholder b. crowdsourcer c. motivator d. risk taker 2. When solving a problem for someone else, which of the following should you not do? a. Let the stakeholders find their own solutions b. Communicate your progress c. Recommend alternative solutions d. Demonstrate the benefits of solutions 3. Which of the following is not an example of a stakeholder? a. The general public b. Suppliers c. Employees وزارة التعليم Ministry of Education 2024-1446 Business Decision Making S1 S2 S3.indb 167 d. Friends and family 4. An example of a professional way to promote the results of work is: a. An SMS text message b. An e-mail sent to the whole company c. A report d. A phone call to the CEO your Decision-Making Processes in Organizations 167 30/06/2023 14:28