Problem-Solving Process
Step 5: Implement the solution
Your work in problem-solving is not done once you have gained agreement on the solution. In fact, your problems may just be starting.
Implementing solutions to safety management system problems requires an understanding of both change and transition.
- Change is imposed by an external source and is usually threatening to a person. Change may involve a new boss, new procedures, or new products. Change will not succeed unless each affected employee transitions internally.
- Transition originates within each affected employee. It's a psychological process of adapting to externally imposed change. It involves changes in thinking, beliefs, behavior, and performance.
In his book Managing Transitions, William Bridges describes three phases people may experience while adapting to change:
- Phase One - Letting go: Ending the old order, unfreezing old behavior, and acceptance.
- Phase Two - Adapting: Searching for a new identity being in limbo or the neutral zone, and learning new behaviors.
- Phase Three - Grabbing hold: A new beginning, refreezing new behavior, and achieving acceptance.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
6-4. Which solution to safety management system (SMS) problems involves changes in thinking, beliefs, behavior, and performance?
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