TITLE : IDENTIFYING AND SOLVING PROBLEMS: A SYSTEM APPROACH. 3RD ED.

Life used to be much simpler than it is now; we were able to sense a problem, cleverly suggest a solution, and then go ahead and do what we had chosen to do.

When the world was not as complex-and when there were fewer demands made on our human and financial resources- the trainer, manager, counselor, or consultant could easily relate means and ends. But now we have to be especially careful about linking what we do, why we do it, and how we get the job done, in order to better assure ourselves and our associates that what we set put to do is what we should accomplish.

Earlier editions of this book focused on a basic, six-step process for identifying and resolving problems. This tool continues to be useful today and it appears in this third edition.

The second edition described the internal and external aspects of an organization and noted that there are five organizational elements that, when related correctly, can allow us to identify organizational problems and relate them to societal impact. This frame of reference-the "Organizational Elements Model"-is further developed in this volume.

From working with people such as yourself, we have gained knowledge about what it takes to be a successful consultant, human resource developer, trainer, manager, or executive: it requires correctly linking and justifying organizational efforts, organizational results, and societal impact. This third edition adds material on the organizational elements model (or "big plcture" of organizational efforts, results, and impact) that is useful in identifying needs as well as on the procedures for step-by-step determination of problems and how to resolve them. Thus, we are building from former editions and concepts to the ways in which both these tools may be useful to you in identifying, justifying, and solving problems. Fogether they form a SYSTEM APPROACH.

Our title is the same, but the development and explanation of each tool has been expanded, clarified, and integrated. This edition-as the two before it-is designed to help you help yourself to be more successful, regardless of whether you are a trainer, consultant, executive, human resource developer, manager, or something other. This book is intended to provide you with a blueprint for identifying and solving problems.