Here’s one question that should help you think in terms of workplace situations (scenarios) and anticipate what you might be asked on an exam. This is a multiple choice question to be sure, but it’s quite different than a traditional one. As always, don’t forget to read what the correct answer is, and why.

During a meeting, senior executives of a consumer products company tackled the problem that they were late in detecting several consumer trends, such as the trend towards using see-through plastics in kitchenware. While trying to determine the source of this problem, one executive said, “The main problem here is that we need to find a better industrial design firm to design our products.” Which of the following best describes the decision-making problem this executive is exhibiting?

What’s the problem these executives need to solve? The question above clearly states the executives want to, “…tackle the problem that they were late in detecting several consumer trends…” That’s it, that’s their problem. Why then is one so-called executive saying the problem is something else and offering a possible solution, which may or may not be the right one? Well, believe me this tendency is so common in everyday discourse that most of us don’t pay much attention when it happens. In point of fact, it is a serious flaw related to diagnostic skill. It hampers the problem identification step in the decision-making process. The correct response to the question is “D”.