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Understanding Effective Problem Solving

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Understanding the Lean Enterprise

Part of the book series: Measuring Operations Performance ((MEOP))

Abstract

Over the last 25 years of Lean effective problem solving is seen as the key to a continuous improvement culture. Yet, what constitutes effective problem solving and the skills to develop it, is an often taken for granted concept in management studies. In the authors’ experience, organizations faltering in their lean transformation often cite a failure to capitalize on the benefits of problem solving as one of the primary reasons. It is our contention that there are three key elements to effective problem solving: critical thinking, motivation and knowledge; this paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that tests this assumption and focuses on the role of critical thinking in effective problem solving.

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Correspondence to Pauline Found .

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Found, P., Hughes, L. (2016). Understanding Effective Problem Solving. In: Chiarini, A., Found, P., Rich, N. (eds) Understanding the Lean Enterprise. Measuring Operations Performance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19995-5_6

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