The 3-Step Problem-Solving Approach Essay Example

During the summer, I was given the opportunity to continue working in the admissions office. The semester before summer, I found that my original boss, Shelby, would be gone for most of the summer, so I would be working under her and two other bosses. Since I started working in the office, Shelby has always trusted my time management and my capabilities to complete a task. When the summer semester started at work, I had to learn how to work under not one, but now 3 different authority figures and how they differ in their management styles. One of my new bosses, we will say her name is Katelyn, wanted me to complete my tasks in a specific order and would check in frequently to watch my progress online and make sure that I was working and not neglecting any of my tasks. I had already worked in the office for nearly six months and knew what my job entailed and I was known around the office as someone who has a great work ethic and is dedicated to the job. Instead of trusting me as Shelby does, there were many times where there was tension in the office between Katelyn and me due to a lack of communication and autonomy for me to do my job.  The best way to evaluate the problem of managers not communicating and providing autonomy in the workplace is by using the three-step problem-solving approach. 

The first step of the three-step approach is defining the problem. The problem in this scenario is the lack of communication and autonomy that my boss did not provide me. I did not expect full trust when I was transferred over to Katelyn but after a few weeks of working under her and both of us learning how each other works, I assumed Katelyn would trust my work ethic and my ability to complete the tasks on my own and in my own way. When Katelyn explained to me what she wanted me to assist her in, she did not communicate the order in which I was to complete the tasks, but only that I was to finish a certain amount of work each day.  As the weeks progressed, I did exactly the amount of work she wanted me to do, yet there was still an issue in questioning my work ethic. I soon found out that Katelyn started watching my progress on a program we use in the office called Salesforce and would text me things such as, “After you finish those 11 calls, you need to go into Google keep and finish the tasks that are on there”. My boss made me feel micromanaged and not valued in my job due to a lack of trust that she had in my job performance. Managers who do not communicate or trust their employees to complete tasks on their own can cause their employees to feel unmotivated, be less productive, increase turnover, and decrease creativity and freedom in the workplace. 

The next step in the three-step approach is identifying the cause of the problem. I think that the cause of a lack of communication and autonomy is a problem with their leadership style and how to manage people effectively. I believe that in some circumstances it’s perfectly okay to let your employees know that a project has to be completed in a certain order, but when it comes down to everyday tasks that do not need to be completed in a specific order, it is more of a controlling leadership style that Katelyn is using rather than being a leader who is there for guidance and motivation. Another potential cause of this problem could be issues of trust from previous employees not performing to the best of their abilities. Although this could be the case, it would not be fair to predetermine that every new student worker or new employee is not diligent in their work or untrustworthy to complete a task. Katelyn is very passionate and dedicated to her job, but I do not think she realized that the way she leads can have a great impact on her student workers and make them feel discontent in their job. I believe that there are ways that managers can help enhance the work environment and stop this problem altogether. 

The final step in the three-step approach is to provide recommendations to fix the problem. The first and foremost thing to do is to talk to your boss instead of harboring resentment against them. This is exactly what I did after a couple of days of internally processing why this hurt me as an employee and why the lack of communication and trust did not make me feel valued as a student assistant. Katelyn emphasized to me that I had been doing a great job in my work and that I am valued to her and how much I have helped her out. She told me that although she did have a certain way of doing things, she was there to help me if I needed any guidance. This encouragement helped me feel more of an asset to her and helped me forgive her. Another solution for this problem could be mandatory training for managers on what your employees need in order to be motivated at their job. Just like I need autonomy and communication, everyone has different needs depending on their motivating factors. It would be beneficial for managers and employees to come together to complete surveys, tests, or one-on-one meetings to determine what that employee needs to foster intrinsic motivation.