CTL Decision Making & Problem Solving 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Force field analysis helps a team leader make decisions by:
- Prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance
- Identifying driving and restraining forces around a change (Correct answer)
- Mapping stakeholder influence levels
- Comparing expected return on investment
Correct answer: Identifying driving and restraining forces around a change
Force field analysis, developed by Kurt Lewin, examines the forces that support and oppose a proposed change to guide decision-making.
Question 2: When a problem recurs despite a previously implemented solution, the team leader should FIRST:
- Implement a stricter corrective action plan
- Re-examine whether the root cause was correctly identified (Correct answer)
- Replace the team member responsible for the fix
- Escalate the issue to upper management immediately
Correct answer: Re-examine whether the root cause was correctly identified
Recurring problems often indicate the true root cause was not identified or fully addressed during the initial problem-solving cycle.
Question 3: The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) is MOST useful in problem solving for:
- Generating creative solutions
- Focusing effort on the few causes that produce most of the problems (Correct answer)
- Assigning equal resources to all identified causes
- Building team consensus on solutions
Correct answer: Focusing effort on the few causes that produce most of the problems
The 80/20 rule guides teams to focus on the vital few causes responsible for the majority of problems rather than spreading effort equally.
Question 4: A team leader is evaluating three solutions. One solution has a high potential reward but also a high risk of failure. The BEST tool to compare the options objectively is:
- A SWOT analysis
- An expected value calculation (Correct answer)
- A Gantt chart
- A stakeholder map
Correct answer: An expected value calculation
Expected value (probability × outcome) provides an objective comparison of options that differ in risk and reward.
Question 5: During a team problem-solving session, one dominant member controls the discussion. To ensure broader input, the leader should use:
- An open floor discussion
- Nominal Group Technique (NGT) (Correct answer)
- A decision tree
- Delphi method
Correct answer: Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
NGT structures participation so every member contributes independently before group discussion, reducing the influence of dominant voices.
Question 6: Which element is MOST critical when communicating a decision to a team to gain their commitment?
- Announcing the decision as final with no room for questions
- Explaining the rationale and how team input influenced the outcome (Correct answer)
- Delegating communication to the most senior team member
- Sending the decision via written memo only
Correct answer: Explaining the rationale and how team input influenced the outcome
Explaining the reasoning and acknowledging team input builds trust and increases commitment to implementing the decision.
Question 7: A team leader identifies that a problem stems from a flawed process rather than individual error. The APPROPRIATE response is to:
- Counsel the team member most involved in the error
- Redesign or improve the process to prevent recurrence (Correct answer)
- Add more supervision to catch future mistakes
- Document the error and take no further action
Correct answer: Redesign or improve the process to prevent recurrence
Process-rooted problems require systemic solutions; blaming individuals or increasing oversight without fixing the process does not eliminate the cause.
CTL Decision Making & Problem Solving 3
Force field analysis helps a team leader make decisions by: