judgement problem solving

Problem Solving Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples

By Status.net Editorial Team on July 21, 2023 — 4 minutes to read

Problem solving is an important skill in any work environment: it includes the ability to identify, understand, and develop solutions to complex issues while maintaining a focus on the end goal. Evaluating this skill in employees during performance reviews can be highly beneficial for both the employee and the organization.

Questions that can help you determine an employee’s rating for problem solving skills:

• How well does the employee define the problem and identify its root cause?
• How creative is the employee in generating potential solutions?
• How effective is the employee in implementing the chosen solution?
• How well does the employee evaluate the effectiveness of the solution and adjust it if necessary?

Related: Best Performance Review Examples for 48 Key Skills

2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List (Performance Feedback Examples)

Performance Review Phrases and Paragraphs Examples For Problem Solving

5 – outstanding.

Phrases examples:

• Consistently demonstrates exceptional problem-solving abilities
• Proactively identifies issues and offers innovative solutions
• Quickly adapts to unforeseen challenges and finds effective resolutions
• Exceptional problem-solving ability, consistently providing innovative solutions
• Regularly goes above and beyond to find creative solutions to complicated issues
• Demonstrates a keen understanding of complex problems and quickly identifies effective solutions

Paragraph Example 1

“Jane consistently demonstrates outstanding problem-solving skills. She proactively identifies issues in our department and offers innovative solutions that have improved processes and productivity. Her ability to quickly adapt to unforeseen challenges and find effective resolutions is commendable and has proven invaluable to the team.”

Paragraph Example 2

“Sarah has demonstrated an outstanding ability in problem solving throughout the year. Her innovative solutions have significantly improved our department’s efficiency, and she consistently goes above and beyond expectations to find creative approaches to complicated issues.”

4 – Exceeds Expectations

• Demonstrates a strong aptitude for solving complex problems
• Often takes initiative in identifying and resolving issues
• Effectively considers multiple perspectives and approaches before making decisions
• Displayed a consistently strong ability to tackle challenging problems efficiently
• Often takes the initiative to solve problems before they escalate
• Demonstrates a high level of critical thinking when resolving issues

“John exceeds expectations in problem-solving. He has a strong aptitude for solving complex problems and often takes initiative in identifying and resolving issues. His ability to consider multiple perspectives and approaches before making decisions has led to valuable improvements within the team.”

“Sam consistently exceeded expectations in problem solving this year. His efficient handling of challenging issues has made a positive impact on our team, and he often takes the initiative to resolve problems before they escalate. Sam’s critical thinking ability has been a valuable asset to our organization, and we appreciate his efforts.”

3 – Meets Expectations

• Displays adequate problem-solving skills when faced with challenges
• Generally able to identify issues and propose viable solutions
• Seeks assistance when necessary to resolve difficult situations
• Demonstrates a solid understanding of problem-solving techniques
• Capable of resolving everyday issues independently
• Shows perseverance when facing difficult challenges

“Mary meets expectations in her problem-solving abilities. She displays adequate skills when faced with challenges and is generally able to identify issues and propose viable solutions. Mary also seeks assistance when necessary to resolve difficult situations, demonstrating her willingness to collaborate and learn.”

“Sarah meets expectations in her problem-solving abilities. She demonstrates a solid understanding of problem-solving techniques and can resolve everyday issues independently. We value her perseverance when facing difficult challenges and encourage her to continue developing these skills.”

2 – Needs Improvement

• Struggles to find effective solutions to problems
• Tends to overlook critical details when evaluating situations
• Reluctant to seek help or collaborate with others to resolve issues
• Struggles to find effective solutions when faced with complex issues
• Often relies on assistance from others to resolve problems
• May lack confidence in decision-making when solving problems

“Tom’s problem-solving skills need improvement. He struggles to find effective solutions to problems and tends to overlook critical details when evaluating situations. Tom should work on being more willing to seek help and collaborate with others to resolve issues, which will ultimately strengthen his problem-solving abilities.”

“Mark’s problem-solving skills need improvement. He often struggles to find effective solutions for complex issues and seeks assistance from others to resolve problems. We encourage Mark to build his confidence in decision-making and focus on developing his problem-solving abilities.”

1 – Unacceptable

• Fails to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner
• Lacks critical thinking skills necessary for effective problem-solving
• Often creates additional issues when attempting to resolve problems
• Demonstrates a consistent inability to resolve even basic issues
• Often avoids responsibility for problem-solving tasks
• Fails to analyze problems effectively, leading to poor decision-making

“Sally’s problem-solving skills are unacceptable. She consistently fails to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner, and her lack of critical thinking skills hinders her ability to effectively solve challenges. Additionally, her attempts to resolve problems often create additional issues, resulting in a negative impact on the team’s overall performance.”

“Susan’s problem-solving performance has been unacceptable this year. She consistently demonstrates an inability to resolve basic issues and avoids taking responsibility for problem-solving tasks. Her ineffectiveness in analyzing problems has led to poor decision-making. It is crucial that Susan improve her problem-solving skills to succeed in her role.”

• Listening Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples
• Supervision Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples
• Mentoring Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples
• Planning Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples
• Flexibility: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples
• Analytical Skills: 25 Performance Review Phrases Examples

The 6 Elements of Good Judgment For Better Decisions

This article discusses the importance of good judgment in leaders when making crucial decisions for their organizations.

Key takeaways, good judgment can be improved through experience and by focusing on characteristics of good judgment., measuring judgment requires understanding six elements, including information filters and decision-making processes., openness to changing circumstances and reflection before action are essential to good judgment..

Leaders are constantly called on to use their judgment to make decisions that are crucial to their organizations. And the COVID-19pandemic has meant that managers and executives have had to increasingly rely on their judgment to make important decisions: where and when to close offices, how to set up a secure and supportive remote working environment, when to allow workers back to the workplace, and so on.

While good judgment doesn’t guarantee a good outcome will result from every decision, it enhances the chances for success. In spite of its importance, “judgment” as a term is very hard to define. But if it can be categorized, the ability to measure judgment — and to improve an individual’s judgment — can be valuable tools.

In fact, both can be accomplished by understanding the characteristics that contribute to good judgment, according to Sir Andrew Likierman, professor of management practice at London Business School and a speaker at the 2020 virtual Aon Insights Series.

“Good judgment combines what you’re born with and what you learn, but it can be honed and improved,” says Likierman.

Given the importance of good judgment to sound decision making, taking steps to improve it could be considered an important element of crisispreparation and risk management.

First things first: What is judgment, exactly? Likierman defines it as “ the ability to combine personal qualities with “relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and take decisions. ”

And we can improve judgment through experience and by focusing on the characteristics of good judgment. In assessing judgment, it’s important not to use outcomes as a measure of success, says Likierman. “A positive outcome might simply have been a matter of good luck or timing,” he says. “What seemed like a good decision at the time might, after a number of years, be revealed to be disastrous.”

It’s better to focus on your process: Understand the qualities that contribute to good judgment and work on any areas of weakness to bolster your chances of making good decisions.

“Stack the cards in your favor by going through a decision-making process that is likely to help you on your way,” Likierman says. “The outcome may be outside your control, but you can give yourself the best possible chance.”

Leaders’ ability to make sound decisions in a crisis has potentially profound implications for organizations. Evidence shows thatstakeholders reward organizations whose leaders make good decisions in confrontingcrises

Good judgment combines what you’re born with and what you learn, but it can be honed and improved.

The six elements of judgment.

Measuring judgment and engaging in the process of improving it requires understanding the six elements of judgment, according to Likierman:

1. What you take in

This element focuses on the ability to learn, how well one listens and how much attention we pay to what is heard or read. How to improve — Be aware of your own “information filters,” and question the information you’re receiving and whether it fits with your experience. If the information you’re provided is insufficient, seek additional or better sources.

2. Who and what you trust

More than ever, it’s important to care about the quality of the information we consume. It’s also valuable to seek diversity of opinions and information, rather than looking for an “echo chamber” that reinforces what we think is true. How to improve — Make judgment a quality you seek in colleagues. Question the credibility of information sources.

3. What you know

Experience is a critical element of judgment and decision making, helping shape decisions and allowing an individual to anticipate potential challenges and issues. How to improve — Track your decisions and what went right and wrong, particularly those made in stressful times. Look for ways to expand your experience.

4. What you feel and believe

Values are key drivers of decisions. It’s important to be aware of them, not only to incorporate them when appropriate, but to avoid biases in decision making. How to improve — Take steps to understand biases and to mitigate their impact. Seek the input of an objective third party.

5. Making the choice

This is the stage of bringing together the “raw material” of the decision in a way that improves the chances of success. That might mean not accepting the obvious options as the only options. How to improve — Examine the way choices have been made for possible mistakes or biases. Pre-decision meetings can help identify potential mistakes before the decision is made.

6. Acting on the decision

The execution phase, this stage involves acknowledging that the decision itself isn’t the final step. Who acts on the decision and how the person does so are critical to finding success. How to improve — Consider your own experience delivering on such decisions and that of others involved in the decision-making process.

Changing Your Mind and ‘Trusting Your Gut’

An essential element of good judgment is being open and responsive to changing circumstances. In other words, being willing to change your mind.

“I would take the words of the economist John Maynard Keynes, who when asked about changing his mind said, ‘When facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?’ ” says Likierman. “Sticking to something regardless of the facts is one of the best-known biases giving rise to poor judgment.”

And what about “trusting your gut”?

Good judgment requires reflection before action, even if it’s just for a matter of seconds, says Likierman. In crisis, he recommends asking yourself three quick questions:

• Do I tend to act on impulse and later regret it?
• Is this unlike anything I’ve seen before?
• Are the stakes high?

“A yes to any of them is a good sign not to respond on gut instinct alone,” Likierman says.

Good Judgment, Better Decisions

Taking steps to improve judgment can lead to better decision making, a benefit to organizations in the course of normal business as well as in crisis. The key is understanding the elements of good judgment and acting to strengthen them.

“It’s about what do you do to improve your chances of getting it right,” says Likierman. “Looking at the general aspects of judgment and your own tendencies, take stock: Where are your strengths and weaknesses? How can you work on the weaknesses and build on the strengths?”

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The information contained herein and the statements expressed are of a general nature and are not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information and use sources we consider reliable, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

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31 examples of problem solving performance review phrases

Jump to section

You're doing great

You should think of improving

Tips to improve

Use these practical examples of phrases, sample comments, and templates for your performance review , 360-degree feedback survey, or manager appraisal.

The following examples not only relate to problem-solving but also conflict management , effective solutions, selecting the best alternatives, decision making , problem identification, analyzing effectively, and generally becoming an effective problem-solving strategist. Start using effective performance review questions to help better guide your workforce's development. 

Problem solving appraisal comments: you're doing great

• You always maintain an effective dialogue with clients when they have technical problems. Being clear and articulate makes sure our customers' faults are attended to promptly.
• You constantly make sure to look beyond the obvious you never stop at the first answer. You’re really good at exploring alternatives. Well done!
• Keeping the supervisors and managers informed of status changes and requests is important. You’re really good at communicating the changes to the projects at all times. Keep it up!
• You stay cool and collected even when things aren’t going according to plan or up in the air. This is a great trait to possess. Well done!
• You’re excellent at giving an honest and logical analysis. Keep it up! Effectively diagnosing complex problems and reaching sustainable solutions is one of your strong points.
• Your ability to ability to make complex systems into simple ones is truly a unique skill to possess. Well done!
• You often identify practical solutions to every roadblock. You’re a real asset to the team! Great job.
• You always listen actively and attentively to make sure you understand what the exact problem is and you come up with solutions in an effective manner.
• You have an amazing ability to clearly explain options and solutions effectively and efficiently. Well done!
• When driving projects, you can shift to other areas comfortably and easily. making sure the project runs smoothly. Great job!

Problem solving performance review phrases: you should think of improving

• You always seem too overwhelmed when faced with multiple problems. Try to think of ways to make problems more manageable so that they can be solved in a timely and effective manner.
• Avoiding conflicts constantly with people is not a good idea as you will only build up personal frustration and nothing will be done to remedy the situation. Try to face people when there are problems and rectify problems when they occur.
• Don’t allow demanding customers to rattle your cage too much. If they become too demanding, take a step back, regulate your emotions , and try to make use of online support tools to help you rectify problems these tools can help a lot!
• It’s necessary that you learn from your past mistakes . You cannot keep making the same mistakes , as this is not beneficial to the company.
• You tend to ask the same questions over and over again. Try to listen more attentively or take notes when colleagues are answering!
• Providing multiple solutions in an indirect and creative approach will allow you to be more effective at problem-solving . if you struggle with this typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light.
• You fail to provide staff with the appropriate amount of structure and direction. They must know the direction you wish them to go in to achieve their goals .
• You need to be able to recognize repetitive trends to solve problems promptly.
• You tend to have problems troubleshooting even the most basic of questions. As a problem solver and customer support person, it’s imperative that you can answer these questions easily.
• Read through your training manual and make sure you fully understand it before attempting questions again.

Performance review tips to improve problem solving

• Try to complain less about problems and come up with solutions to the problems more often. Complaining is not beneficial to progression and innovation.
• As a problem solver, it’s important to be able to handle multiple priorities under short deadlines.
• You need to be able to effectively distinguish between the cause and the symptoms of problems to solve them in an efficient and timely manner.
• Try to anticipate problems in advance before they become major roadblocks down the road.
• Try to view obstacles as opportunities to learn and thrive at the challenge of solving the problem.
• Remember to prioritize problems according to their degree of urgency. It's important that you spend the majority of your time on urgent tasks over menial ones.
• When putting plans into place, stick to them and make sure they are completed.
• When solving problems, try to allocate appropriate levels of resources when undertaking new projects. It is important to become as efficient and as effective as possible.
• Try to learn to pace yourself when solving problems to avoid burnout . You’re a great asset to the team and we cannot afford to lose at this point.
• Meeting regularly with your staff to review results is vital to the problem-solving process.
• Staff that has regular check-ins understand what it is that is required of them, what they are currently achieving, and areas they may need to improve. Try to hold one-on-one meetings every week.

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Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

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16 Judgment and Decision Making

From the noba project. by  max h. bazerman, harvard university, learning objectives.

• Understand the systematic biases that affect our judgment and decision making.
• Develop strategies for making better decisions.
• Experience some of the biases through sample decisions.

Introduction

Every day you have the opportunity to make countless decisions: should you eat dessert, cheat on a test, or attend a sports event with your friends. If you reflect on your own history of choices you will realize that they vary in quality; some are rational and some are not.

In his Nobel Prize–winning work, psychologist Herbert Simon (1957; March & Simon, 1958) argued that our decisions are bounded in their rationality. According to the  bounded rationality  framework, human beings try to make rational decisions (such as weighing the costs and benefits of a choice) but our cognitive limitations prevent us from being fully rational. Time and cost constraints limit the quantity and quality of the information that is available to us. Moreover, we only retain a relatively small amount of information in our usable memory. And limitations on intelligence and perceptions constrain the ability of even very bright decision makers to accurately make the best choice based on the information that is available.

About 15 years after the publication of Simon’s seminal work, Tversky and Kahneman (1973, 1974; Kahneman & Tversky, 1979) produced their own Nobel Prize–winning research, which provided critical information about specific systematic and predictable  biases , or mistakes, that influence judgment (Kahneman received the prize after Tversky’s death). The work of Simon, Tversky, and Kahneman paved the way to our modern understanding of judgment and decision making. And their two Nobel prizes signaled the broad acceptance of the field of behavioral decision research as a mature area of intellectual study.

What Would a Rational Decision Look Like?

Imagine that during your senior year in college, you apply to a number of doctoral programs, law schools, or business schools (or another set of programs in whatever field most interests you). The good news is that you receive many acceptance letters. So, how should you decide where to go? Bazerman and Moore (2013) outline the following six steps that you should take to make a rational decision:

(1) define the problem (i.e., selecting the right graduate program)

(2) identify the criteria necessary to judge the multiple options (location, prestige, faculty, etc.)

(3) weight the criteria (rank them in terms of importance to you)

(4) generate alternatives (the schools that admitted you)

(5) rate each alternative on each criterion (rate each school on each criteria that you identified

(6) compute the optimal decision. Acting rationally would require that you follow these six steps in a fully rational manner.

I strongly advise people to think through important decisions such as this in a manner similar to this process. Unfortunately, we often don’t. Many of us rely on our intuitions far more than we should. And when we do try to think systematically, the way we enter data into such formal decision-making processes is often biased.

Fortunately, psychologists have learned a great deal about the biases that affect our thinking. This knowledge about the systematic and predictable mistakes that even the best and the brightest make can help you identify flaws in your thought processes and reach better decisions.

Biases in Our Decision Process

Simon’s concept of bounded rationality taught us that judgment deviates from rationality, but it did not tell us  how  judgment is biased. Tversky and Kahneman’s (1974) research helped to diagnose the specific systematic, directional biases that affect human judgment. These biases are created by the tendency to short-circuit a rational decision process by relying on a number of simplifying strategies, or rules of thumb, known as  heuristics . Heuristics allow us to cope with the complex environment surrounding our decisions. Unfortunately, they also lead to systematic and predictable biases.

To highlight some of these biases please answer the following three quiz items:

Problem 1 (adapted from Alpert & Raiffa, 1969):

Listed below are 10 uncertain quantities. Do not look up any information on these items. For each, write down your best estimate of the quantity. Next, put a lower and upper bound around your estimate, such that you are 98 percent confident that your range surrounds the actual quantity. Respond to each of these items even if you admit to knowing very little about these quantities.

• The first year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded
• The date the French celebrate “Bastille Day”
• The distance from the Earth to the Moon
• The height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Number of students attending Oxford University (as of 2014)
• Number of people who have traveled to space (as of 2013)
• 2012-2013 annual budget for the University of Pennsylvania
• Average life expectancy in Bangladesh (as of 2012)
• World record for pull-ups in a 24-hour period
• Number of colleges and universities in the Boston metropolitan area

Problem 2 (adapted from Joyce & Biddle, 1981):

We know that executive fraud occurs and that it has been associated with many recent financial scandals. And, we know that many cases of management fraud go undetected even when annual audits are performed. Do you think that the incidence of significant executive-level management fraud is more than 10 in 1,000 firms (that is, 1 percent) audited by Big Four accounting firms?

• Yes, more than 10 in 1,000 Big Four clients have significant executive-level management fraud.
• No, fewer than 10 in 1,000 Big Four clients have significant executive-level management fraud.

What is your estimate of the number of Big Four clients per 1,000 that have significant executive-level management fraud? (Fill in the blank below with the appropriate number.)

________ in 1,000 Big Four clients have significant executive-level management fraud.

Problem 3 (adapted from Tversky & Kahneman, 1981):

Imagine that the United States is preparing for the outbreak of an unusual avian disease that is expected to kill 600 people. Two alternative programs to combat the disease have been proposed. Assume that the exact scientific estimates of the consequences of the programs are as follows.

• Program A: If Program A is adopted, 200 people will be saved.
• Program B: If Program B is adopted, there is a one-third probability that 600 people will be saved and a two-thirds probability that no people will be saved.

Which of the two programs would you favor?

Overconfidence

On the first problem, if you set your ranges so that you were justifiably 98 percent confident, you should expect that approximately 9.8, or nine to 10, of your ranges would include the actual value. So, let’s look at the correct answers:

• 14th of July
• 384,403 km (238,857 mi)
• 56.67 m (183 ft)
• 22,384 (as of 2014)
• 536 people (as of 2013)
• $6.007 billion
• 70.3 years (as of 2012)

Count the number of your 98% ranges that actually surrounded the true quantities. If you surrounded nine to 10, you were appropriately confident in your judgments. But most readers surround only between three (30%) and seven (70%) of the correct answers, despite claiming 98% confidence that each range would surround the true value. As this problem shows, humans tend to be  overconfident  in their judgments.

Regarding the second problem, people vary a great deal in their final assessment of the level of executive-level management fraud, but most think that 10 out of 1,000 is too low. When I run this exercise in class, half of the students respond to the question that I asked you to answer. The other half receive a similar problem, but instead are asked whether the correct answer is higher or lower than 200 rather than 10. Most people think that 200 is high. But, again, most people claim that this “ anchor ” does not affect their final estimate. Yet, on average, people who are presented with the question that focuses on the number 10 (out of 1,000) give answers that are about one-half the size of the estimates of those facing questions that use an anchor of 200. When we are making decisions, any initial anchor that we face is likely to influence our judgments, even if the anchor is arbitrary. That is, we insufficiently adjust our judgments away from the anchor.

Turning to Problem 3, most people choose Program A, which saves 200 lives for sure, over Program B. But, again, if I was in front of a classroom, only half of my students would receive this problem. The other half would have received the same set-up, but with the following two options:

• Program C: If Program C is adopted, 400 people will die.
• Program D: If Program D is adopted, there is a one-third probability that no one will die and a two-thirds probability that 600 people will die.

Careful review of the two versions of this problem clarifies that they are objectively the same. Saving 200 people (Program A) means losing 400 people (Program C), and Programs B and D are also objectively identical. Yet, in one of the most famous problems in judgment and decision making, most individuals choose Program A in the first set and Program D in the second set (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981). People respond very differently to saving versus losing lives—even when the difference is based just on the “ framing ” of the choices.

The problem that I asked you to respond to was framed in terms of saving lives, and the implied reference point was the worst outcome of 600 deaths. Most of us, when we make decisions that concern gains, are risk averse; as a consequence, we lock in the possibility of saving 200 lives for sure. In the alternative version, the problem is framed in terms of losses. Now the implicit reference point is the best outcome of no deaths due to the avian disease. And in this case, most people are risk seeking when making decisions regarding losses.

These are just three of the many biases that affect even the smartest among us. Other research shows that we are biased in favor of information that is easy for our minds to retrieve, are insensitive to the importance of base rates and sample sizes when we are making inferences, assume that random events will always look random, search for information that confirms our expectations even when disconfirming information would be more informative, claim a priori knowledge that didn’t exist due to the hindsight bias, and are subject to a host of other effects that continue to be developed in the literature (Bazerman & Moore, 2013).

Contemporary Developments

My colleagues and I have recently added two other important bounds to the list. Chugh et al. (2005) and Banaji and Bhaskar (2000) introduced the concept of  bounded ethicality , which refers to the notion that our ethics are limited in ways we are not even aware of ourselves. Second, Chugh and Bazerman (2007) developed the concept of  bounded awareness  to refer to the broad array of focusing failures that affect our judgment, specifically the many ways in which we fail to notice obvious and important information that is available to us.

A final development is the application of judgment and decision-making research to the areas of behavioral economics, behavioral finance, and behavioral marketing, among others. In each case, these fields have been transformed by applying and extending research from the judgment and decision-making literature.

Fixing Our Decisions

Ample evidence documents that even smart people are routinely impaired by biases. Early research demonstrated, unfortunately, that awareness of these problems does little to reduce bias (Fischhoff, 1982). The good news is that more recent research documents interventions that do help us overcome our faulty thinking (Bazerman & Moore, 2013).

One critical path to fixing our biases is provided in Stanovich and West’s (2000) distinction between  System 1  and  System 2  decision making. System 1 processing is our intuitive system, which is typically fast, automatic, effortless, implicit, and emotional. System 2 refers to decision making that is slower, conscious, effortful, explicit, and logical. The six logical steps of decision making outlined earlier describe a System 2 process.

Clearly, a complete System 2 process is not required for every decision we make. In most situations, our System 1 thinking is quite sufficient; it would be impractical, for example, to logically reason through every choice we make while shopping for groceries. But, preferably, System 2 logic should influence our most important decisions. Nonetheless, we use our System 1 processes for most decisions in life, relying on it even when making important decisions.

The key to reducing the effects of bias and improving our decisions is to transition from trusting our intuitive System 1 thinking toward engaging more in deliberative System 2 thought. Unfortunately, the busier and more rushed people are, the more they have on their minds, and the more likely they are to rely on System 1 thinking (Chugh, 2004). The frantic pace of professional life suggests that executives often rely on System 1 thinking (Chugh, 2004).

Fortunately, it is possible to identify conditions where we rely on intuition at our peril and substitute more deliberative thought. One fascinating example of this substitution comes from journalist Michael Lewis’ (2003) account of how Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, improved the outcomes of the failing baseball team after recognizing that the intuition of baseball executives was limited and systematically biased and that their intuitions had been incorporated into important decisions in ways that created enormous mistakes. Lewis (2003) documents that baseball professionals tend to overgeneralize from their personal experiences, be overly influenced by players’ very recent performances, and overweigh what they see with their own eyes, despite the fact that players’ multiyear records provide far better data. By substituting valid predictors of future performance (System 2 thinking), the Athletics were able to outperform expectations given their very limited payroll.

Another important direction for improving decisions comes from Thaler and Sunstein’s (2008) book  Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Rather than setting out to debias human judgment, Thaler and Sunstein outline a strategy for how “decision architects” can change environments in ways that account for human bias and trigger better decisions as a result. For example, Beshears et al. (2008) have shown that simple changes to defaults can dramatically improve people’s decisions. They tackle the failure of many people to save for retirement and show that a simple change can significantly influence enrollment in 401(k) programs. In most companies, when you start your job, you need to proactively sign up to join the company’s retirement savings plan. Many people take years before getting around to doing so. When, instead, companies automatically enroll their employees in 401(k) programs and give them the opportunity to “opt out,” the net enrollment rate rises significantly. By changing defaults, we can counteract the human tendency to live with the status quo.

Similarly, Johnson and Goldstein’s (2003) cross-European organ donation study reveals that countries that have opt-in organ donation policies, where the default is not to harvest people’s organs without their prior consent, sacrifice thousands of lives in comparison to opt-out policies, where the default is to harvest organs. The United States and too many other countries require that citizens opt in to organ donation through a proactive effort; as a consequence, consent rates range between 4.25%–44% across these countries. In contrast, changing the decision architecture to an opt-out policy improves consent rates to 85.9% to 99.98%. Designing the donation system with knowledge of the power of defaults can dramatically change donation rates without changing the options available to citizens. In contrast, a more intuitive strategy, such as the one in place in the United States, inspires defaults that result in many unnecessary deaths.

Take a Quiz

An (optional) quiz is available for this chapter at the Noba Project’s website. 

Discussion Questions

• Are the biases in this module a problem in the real world?
• How would you use this module to be a better decision maker?
• Can you see any biases in today’s newspaper?

Outside Resources

• Alpert, M., & Raiffa, H. (1969). A progress report on the training of probability assessors. Unpublished Report.
• Banaji, M. R., & Bhaskar, R. (2000). Implicit stereotypes and memory: The bounded rationality of social beliefs. In D. L. Schacter & E. Scarry (Eds.),  Memory, brain, and belief  (pp. 139–175). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Bazerman, M. H., & Moore, D. (2013).  Judgment in managerial decision making  (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons Inc.
• Beshears, J., Choi, J. J., Laibson, D., & Madrian, B. C. (2008). The importance of default options for retirement saving outcomes: Evidence from the United States. In S. J. Kay & T. Sinha (Eds.),  Lessons from pension reform in the Americas  (pp. 59–87). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Chugh, D. (2004). Societal and managerial implications of implicit social cognition: Why milliseconds matter.  Social Justice Research , 17(2), 203–222.
• Chugh, D., & Bazerman, M. H. (2007). Bounded awareness: What you fail to see can hurt you.  Mind & Society , 6(1), 1–18.
• Chugh, D., Banaji, M. R., & Bazerman, M. H. (2005). Bounded ethicality as a psychological barrier to recognizing conflicts of interest. In D. Moore, D. M. Cain, G. Loewenstein, & M. H. Bazerman (Eds.),  Conflicts of Interest  (pp. 74–95). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Fischhoff, B. (1982). Debiasing. In D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, & A. Tversky (Eds.),  Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases  (pp. 422–444). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Johnson, E. J., & Goldstein, D. (2003). Do defaults save lives?  Science 302 (5649), 1338–1339.
• Joyce, E. J., & Biddle, G. C. (1981). Are auditors’ judgments sufficiently regressive?  Journal of Accounting Research , 19(2), 323–349.
• Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk.  Econometrica , 47(2), 263–292.
• Lewis, M. (2003).  Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game . New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company Ltd.
• March, J. G., & Simon, H. A. (1958).  Organizations . Oxford: Wiley.
• Simon, H. A. (1957).  Models of man, social and rational: Mathematical essays on rational human behavior in a social setting . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
• Stanovich, K. E., & West, R. F. (2000). Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the rationality debate?  Behavioral and Brain Sciences , 23, 645–726.
• Thaler, R. H. (2000). From homo economicus to homo sapiens.  Journal of Economics Perspectives , 14, 133–141.
• Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008).  Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness.  New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981). The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice.  Science, New Series, 211 (4481), 453–458.
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases.  Science, New Series, 185 (4157), 1124–1131.
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1973). Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability.  Cognitive Psychology , 5(2), 207–232.

Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor at the Harvard Business School and the co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  Max’s awards include a 2006 honorary doctorate from the University of London (London Business School), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Aspen Institute, and being named as one of Ethisphere’s 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics.  Details at www.people.hbs.edu/mbazerman.

Model of human behavior that suggests that humans try to make rational decisions but are bounded due to cognitive limitations.

The systematic and predictable mistakes that influence the judgment of even very talented human beings.

attentional shortcuts which guide evaluations

The bias to have greater confidence in your judgment than is warranted based on a rational assessment.

The bias to be affected by an initial anchor [number, idea, etc.], even if the anchor is arbitrary, and to insufficiently adjust our judgments away from that anchor.

The bias to be systematically affected by the way in which information is presented, while holding the objective information constant.

The systematic and predictable ways in which we care about the outcomes of others.

The systematic ways in which our ethics are limited in ways we are not even aware of ourselves.

The systematic ways in which we fail to notice obvious and important information that is available to us.

Our intuitive decision-making system, which is typically fast, automatic, effortless, implicit, and emotional.

Our more deliberative decision-making system, which is slower, conscious, effortful, explicit, and logical.

Judgment and Decision Making Copyright © 2021 by Cameron W. Piercy, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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3 Ways to Improve Your Decision Making

• Walter Frick

First, be less certain — about everything.

To get better at making decisions, you have to improve your ability to make predictions (how different choices change the likelihood of different outcomes) and your judgment (how desirable each of those outcomes is). While there are countless ways to work on these two skills, there are three simple rules that can help the most. First, be less certain. We’re all more confident about each step of the decision-making process than we ought to be. What else would you think about if you were less sure that A would cause B, or that B is preferable to C? Second, always ask yourself ask “How often does that typically happen?” If you think outcome B is preferable to outcome C, you might ask: How often has that historically been the case? Third, brush up on your understanding of probability. Research has shown that even basic training in probability makes people better forecasters and helps them avoid certain cognitive biases.

To make a good decision, you need to have a sense of two things: how different choices change the likelihood of different outcomes and how desirable each of those outcomes is. In other words, as Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb have written , decision making requires both prediction and judgment.

• Walter Frick is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review , where he was formerly a senior editor and deputy editor of HBR.org. He is the founder of Nonrival , a newsletter where readers make crowdsourced predictions about economics and business. He has been an executive editor at Quartz as well as a Knight Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism and an Assembly Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. He has also written for The Atlantic , MIT Technology Review , The Boston Globe , and the BBC, among other publications.

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5 ways to quickly convey your good judgment at work.

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Successful people have the ability to show their good judgment and, in turn, earn the trust and ... [+] respect of their colleagues.

Experience often helps professionals to develop good judgment. But the number of years alone is not sufficient. Regardless of where you are in your career, you have the ability to develop good judgment and make it known to your colleagues. Here are five ways you can demonstrate good judgment:

1.     Think critically, and tackle ambiguity and complex problems effectively and efficiently.

People with good judgment take the time to think towards the future while recognizing the past. That is, they take lessons learned to inform future improvements. They are ambitious while not being naïve to what could happen (again).

When you can think critically, you can better navigate difficult situations. You have trained your mind to consider different angles and possibilities. You have become comfortable with not having all the information in front of you to make a decision. Sometimes, you have to make choices without knowing all the pieces of the puzzle. Making good choices despite not knowing all the pieces of the puzzle is an opportunity to demonstrate good judgment.

For example, you learn that there is increasing interest from policymakers to pass a law that would impose greater restrictions on your product. Think about how the company can present its point of view, how past attempts to regulate have played out, how competitors may respond, how the company responds with product updates and how it may impact future product development. This requires you to collaborate with teams like legal, policy, product and communications to calculate risk, strategically respond and manage reputation.

2.     Listen, respect others and appreciate diversity in all its forms.

While your judgment is used to make the ultimate decision, it should be informed by the world around you. Listen to other people’s viewpoints and concerns. Respect people’s differences of opinion. Be open. Your ability to make sound choices depends on you recognizing that your decision will impact others.

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3.     Surround yourself with highly-regarded people. 

To help people respect you, it helps if the people with whom you are associated are also highly regarded. Judgment is about perception and relationships.

Even before people get to know you, they will have a perception of who you are based on the company you keep. It is not just your actions that develop your reputation but also the reputation of the people with whom you are connected.

4.     Communicate clearly and effectively.

Your judgment also depends on your communication skills. Can you communicate in a way that other people can understand? If people cannot understand you, it will be difficult for people to believe you have good judgment.

5.     Act with purpose and intention.

Professionals with good judgment tend to be guided by a purpose. They make decisions that align with a greater idea in mind. This helps people to not lose sight of the ultimate goal. 

When you are driven by purpose, you are moving forward with perspective. Perspective anchors you and helps you to be intentional, helping you to stay aligned with the greater goal and give you clarity to execute good judgment.

Having good judgment requires you to develop the skills you need to earn the trust and respect of your teammates. When you demonstrate your good judgment, people are more likely to want to work with you and consider you for opportunities that can advance your career.

How do you show that you have good judgment? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn .

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26 Expert-Backed Problem Solving Examples – Interview Answers

Published: February 13, 2023

Interview Questions and Answers

Actionable advice from real experts:

Biron Clark

Former Recruiter

Contributor

Dr. Kyle Elliott

Career Coach

Hayley Jukes

Editor-in-Chief

Biron Clark , Former Recruiter

Kyle Elliott , Career Coach

Hayley Jukes , Editor

As a recruiter , I know employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure.

 A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers are more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical.

But how do they measure this?

Hiring managers will ask you interview questions about your problem-solving skills, and they might also look for examples of problem-solving on your resume and cover letter. 

In this article, I’m going to share a list of problem-solving examples and sample interview answers to questions like, “Give an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem?” and “Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?”

• Problem-solving involves identifying, prioritizing, analyzing, and solving problems using a variety of skills like critical thinking, creativity, decision making, and communication.
• Describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result ( STAR method ) when discussing your problem-solving experiences.
• Tailor your interview answer with the specific skills and qualifications outlined in the job description.
• Provide numerical data or metrics to demonstrate the tangible impact of your problem-solving efforts.

What are Problem Solving Skills? 

Problem-solving is the ability to identify a problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation. 

Problem-solving encompasses other skills that can be showcased in an interview response and your resume. Problem-solving skills examples include:

• Critical thinking
• Analytical skills
• Decision making
• Research skills
• Technical skills
• Communication skills
• Adaptability and flexibility

Why is Problem Solving Important in the Workplace?

Problem-solving is essential in the workplace because it directly impacts productivity and efficiency. Whenever you encounter a problem, tackling it head-on prevents minor issues from escalating into bigger ones that could disrupt the entire workflow. 

Beyond maintaining smooth operations, your ability to solve problems fosters innovation. It encourages you to think creatively, finding better ways to achieve goals, which keeps the business competitive and pushes the boundaries of what you can achieve. 

Effective problem-solving also contributes to a healthier work environment; it reduces stress by providing clear strategies for overcoming obstacles and builds confidence within teams. 

Examples of Problem-Solving in the Workplace

• Correcting a mistake at work, whether it was made by you or someone else
• Overcoming a delay at work through problem solving and communication
• Resolving an issue with a difficult or upset customer
• Overcoming issues related to a limited budget, and still delivering good work through the use of creative problem solving
• Overcoming a scheduling/staffing shortage in the department to still deliver excellent work
• Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues
• Handling and resolving a conflict with a coworker
• Solving any problems related to money, customer billing, accounting and bookkeeping, etc.
• Taking initiative when another team member overlooked or missed something important
• Taking initiative to meet with your superior to discuss a problem before it became potentially worse
• Solving a safety issue at work or reporting the issue to those who could solve it
• Using problem solving abilities to reduce/eliminate a company expense
• Finding a way to make the company more profitable through new service or product offerings, new pricing ideas, promotion and sale ideas, etc.
• Changing how a process, team, or task is organized to make it more efficient
• Using creative thinking to come up with a solution that the company hasn’t used before
• Performing research to collect data and information to find a new solution to a problem
• Boosting a company or team’s performance by improving some aspect of communication among employees
• Finding a new piece of data that can guide a company’s decisions or strategy better in a certain area

Problem-Solving Examples for Recent Grads/Entry-Level Job Seekers

• Coordinating work between team members in a class project
• Reassigning a missing team member’s work to other group members in a class project
• Adjusting your workflow on a project to accommodate a tight deadline
• Speaking to your professor to get help when you were struggling or unsure about a project
• Asking classmates, peers, or professors for help in an area of struggle
• Talking to your academic advisor to brainstorm solutions to a problem you were facing
• Researching solutions to an academic problem online, via Google or other methods
• Using problem solving and creative thinking to obtain an internship or other work opportunity during school after struggling at first

How To Answer “Tell Us About a Problem You Solved”

When you answer interview questions about problem-solving scenarios, or if you decide to demonstrate your problem-solving skills in a cover letter (which is a good idea any time the job description mentions problem-solving as a necessary skill), I recommend using the STAR method.

STAR stands for:

It’s a simple way of walking the listener or reader through the story in a way that will make sense to them. 

Start by briefly describing the general situation and the task at hand. After this, describe the course of action you chose and why. Ideally, show that you evaluated all the information you could given the time you had, and made a decision based on logic and fact. Finally, describe the positive result you achieved.

Note: Our sample answers below are structured following the STAR formula. Be sure to check them out!

EXPERT ADVICE

Dr. Kyle Elliott , MPA, CHES Tech & Interview Career Coach caffeinatedkyle.com

How can I communicate complex problem-solving experiences clearly and succinctly?

Before answering any interview question, it’s important to understand why the interviewer is asking the question in the first place.

When it comes to questions about your complex problem-solving experiences, for example, the interviewer likely wants to know about your leadership acumen, collaboration abilities, and communication skills, not the problem itself.

Therefore, your answer should be focused on highlighting how you excelled in each of these areas, not diving into the weeds of the problem itself, which is a common mistake less-experienced interviewees often make.

Tailoring Your Answer Based on the Skills Mentioned in the Job Description

As a recruiter, one of the top tips I can give you when responding to the prompt “Tell us about a problem you solved,” is to tailor your answer to the specific skills and qualifications outlined in the job description. 

Once you’ve pinpointed the skills and key competencies the employer is seeking, craft your response to highlight experiences where you successfully utilized or developed those particular abilities. 

For instance, if the job requires strong leadership skills, focus on a problem-solving scenario where you took charge and effectively guided a team toward resolution. 

By aligning your answer with the desired skills outlined in the job description, you demonstrate your suitability for the role and show the employer that you understand their needs.

Amanda Augustine expands on this by saying:

“Showcase the specific skills you used to solve the problem. Did it require critical thinking, analytical abilities, or strong collaboration? Highlight the relevant skills the employer is seeking.”  

Interview Answers to “Tell Me About a Time You Solved a Problem”

Now, let’s look at some sample interview answers to, “Give me an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem,” or “Tell me about a time you solved a problem,” since you’re likely to hear different versions of this interview question in all sorts of industries.

The example interview responses are structured using the STAR method and are categorized into the top 5 key problem-solving skills recruiters look for in a candidate.

1. Analytical Thinking

Situation: In my previous role as a data analyst , our team encountered a significant drop in website traffic.

Task: I was tasked with identifying the root cause of the decrease.

Action: I conducted a thorough analysis of website metrics, including traffic sources, user demographics, and page performance. Through my analysis, I discovered a technical issue with our website’s loading speed, causing users to bounce. 

Result: By optimizing server response time, compressing images, and minimizing redirects, we saw a 20% increase in traffic within two weeks.

2. Critical Thinking

Situation: During a project deadline crunch, our team encountered a major technical issue that threatened to derail our progress.

Task: My task was to assess the situation and devise a solution quickly.

Action: I immediately convened a meeting with the team to brainstorm potential solutions. Instead of panicking, I encouraged everyone to think outside the box and consider unconventional approaches. We analyzed the problem from different angles and weighed the pros and cons of each solution.

Result: By devising a workaround solution, we were able to meet the project deadline, avoiding potential delays that could have cost the company $100,000 in penalties for missing contractual obligations.

3. Decision Making

Situation: As a project manager , I was faced with a dilemma when two key team members had conflicting opinions on the project direction.

Task: My task was to make a decisive choice that would align with the project goals and maintain team cohesion.

Action: I scheduled a meeting with both team members to understand their perspectives in detail. I listened actively, asked probing questions, and encouraged open dialogue. After carefully weighing the pros and cons of each approach, I made a decision that incorporated elements from both viewpoints.

Result: The decision I made not only resolved the immediate conflict but also led to a stronger sense of collaboration within the team. By valuing input from all team members and making a well-informed decision, we were able to achieve our project objectives efficiently.

4. Communication (Teamwork)

Situation: During a cross-functional project, miscommunication between departments was causing delays and misunderstandings.

Task: My task was to improve communication channels and foster better teamwork among team members.

Action: I initiated regular cross-departmental meetings to ensure that everyone was on the same page regarding project goals and timelines. I also implemented a centralized communication platform where team members could share updates, ask questions, and collaborate more effectively.

Result: Streamlining workflows and improving communication channels led to a 30% reduction in project completion time, saving the company $25,000 in operational costs.

5. Persistence 

Situation: During a challenging sales quarter, I encountered numerous rejections and setbacks while trying to close a major client deal.

Task: My task was to persistently pursue the client and overcome obstacles to secure the deal.

Action: I maintained regular communication with the client, addressing their concerns and demonstrating the value proposition of our product. Despite facing multiple rejections, I remained persistent and resilient, adjusting my approach based on feedback and market dynamics.

Result: After months of perseverance, I successfully closed the deal with the client. By closing the major client deal, I exceeded quarterly sales targets by 25%, resulting in a revenue increase of $250,000 for the company.

Tips to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Throughout your career, being able to showcase and effectively communicate your problem-solving skills gives you more leverage in achieving better jobs and earning more money .

So to improve your problem-solving skills, I recommend always analyzing a problem and situation before acting.

 When discussing problem-solving with employers, you never want to sound like you rush or make impulsive decisions. They want to see fact-based or data-based decisions when you solve problems.

Don’t just say you’re good at solving problems. Show it with specifics. How much did you boost efficiency? Did you save the company money? Adding numbers can really make your achievements stand out.

To get better at solving problems, analyze the outcomes of past solutions you came up with. You can recognize what works and what doesn’t.

Think about how you can improve researching and analyzing a situation, how you can get better at communicating, and deciding on the right people in the organization to talk to and “pull in” to help you if needed, etc.

Finally, practice staying calm even in stressful situations. Take a few minutes to walk outside if needed. Step away from your phone and computer to clear your head. A work problem is rarely so urgent that you cannot take five minutes to think (with the possible exception of safety problems), and you’ll get better outcomes if you solve problems by acting logically instead of rushing to react in a panic.

You can use all of the ideas above to describe your problem-solving skills when asked interview questions about the topic. If you say that you do the things above, employers will be impressed when they assess your problem-solving ability.

More Interview Resources

• 3 Answers to “How Do You Handle Stress?”
• How to Answer “How Do You Handle Conflict?” (Interview Question)
• Sample Answers to “Tell Me About a Time You Failed”

About the Author

Biron Clark is a former executive recruiter who has worked individually with hundreds of job seekers, reviewed thousands of resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and recruited for top venture-backed startups and Fortune 500 companies. He has been advising job seekers since 2012 to think differently in their job search and land high-paying, competitive positions. Follow on Twitter and LinkedIn .

Read more articles by Biron Clark

About the Contributor

Kyle Elliott , career coach and mental health advocate, transforms his side hustle into a notable practice, aiding Silicon Valley professionals in maximizing potential. Follow Kyle on LinkedIn .

About the Editor

Hayley Jukes is the Editor-in-Chief at CareerSidekick with five years of experience creating engaging articles, books, and transcripts for diverse platforms and audiences.

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