Problem solving/improvement has traditionally been thought of as either

firefighting
planned


Quality movement started in Japan and was credited with turning around Japan's fortunes in the 60s/70s.


Problem solving can be approached

1. purely intuitively without careful reflection about the problem
2. through routine recourse to procedures used in the past
3. by adopting unquestioningly the solutions suggested by experts
4. by choosing at random
5. on the basis of systematic rational tought supported by relevant information (Gruenig and Kuehn, 2005)

It is argued that organisations that employ a structured approach to problem solving and improvement can gain better competitive advantage.

A structured approach:

- gives an identity and sense of ownership to the ps/i (problem solving/improvement) exercise
- legitimises the use of time on the activity
- imposes rigour
- makes better use of the available knowledge base
- facilitates group working
plus many more - block 1 p24