Incorporating “Soft Skills” Into the Collaborative Problem-Solving Equation

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Riggio ◽  
Karan Saggi
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Communication And Coordination

In only a very few places, Neubert, Mainert, Kretzschmar, & Greiff (2015) mention the role of communication and coordination among team members in collaborative problem solving. Although complex and collaborative problem solving is indeed an imperative for team and organizational success in the 21st century, it is easier said than done. Collaborative problem solving is critically dependent on the communication and interaction skills of the team members and of the team leader. The intent of this commentary is to shine a light on the critical role of interpersonal and communication skills in complex and collaborative problem solving.

Collaboration in the 21st century: The theory, assessment, and teaching of collaborative problem solving

2020 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 106134
Author(s):  
Arthur C. Graesser ◽  
Samuel Greiff ◽  
Matthias Stadler ◽  
Keith T. Shubeck
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Collaborative Problem

Assessing 21st Century Skills: Competency Modeling to the Rescue

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Sliter
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Skill Assessment ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Complex Problem Solving ◽  
Business World ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Competency Modeling ◽  
External Consultant

Neubert, Mainert, Kretzschmar, and Greiff (2015) rightly argue that today's business world requires employees to frequently engage in nonroutine, creative, and interactive tasks. The authors go further to describe two potentially important skills—complex problem solving and collaborative problem solving—which they believe can address gaps in our current understanding of employee skill assessment. I contend however that the authors might be reinventing the wheel with this framework, given that the already popular practice of competency modeling satisfies the very deficiencies that the authors argue exist. To expand on this argument, I will first provide a brief history and discussion of what competency modeling is, followed by an explanation of several key benefits of this approach in terms of addressing the authors’ concerns. Then, on the basis of my applied experience as an external consultant, I will discuss how I might use competency modeling to address one of the authors’ own example scenarios, which should help identify ways in which competency modeling subsumes Neubert and colleagues’ approach.

scholarly journals Sharing the same languages helps us work better together

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Quin Yow ◽  
Tony Zhao Ming Lim
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Pair Type ◽  
Insight Problem ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Problem Solving Task

AbstractCollaborative problem-solving, the mutual engagement of people in a coordinated effort to solve a problem together, plays a critical role in the increasingly complex, linguistically diverse, and interconnected world. In particular, being able to communicate in the same languages provides a critical platform for facilitating problem solving among members of a multilingual team. Little research has explored whether sharing the same spoken languages would boost collaborative problem-solving over and beyond the effects of possible confounding variables such as language proficiency, personality, ethnicity, nationality, and non-verbal intelligence. This study manipulated the sharing of same languages by pairing 118 English-speaking bilingual participants either with someone who shares the same two spoken languages as themselves (English-same pair) or with someone who differs in one language (English-different pair). We explored whether such sharing of the same languages enhances collaborative problem-solving in multilingual pairs. Participants completed the Raven’s Matrices individually, as well as an insight problem-solving task (Triangle of Coins task) and a divergent thinking task (Mind-mapping) in pairs. English-same pairs performed better than English-different pairs in the insight problem-solving task but not in the divergent thinking task. English-different pairs collaborated (mean number of turns per minute) and communicated (mean number of utterances) more than English-same pairs in the divergent thinking task, although the effect of pair type on communication was fully mediated by a difference in ethnicity within pairs. More collaboration could have been needed between English-different pairs in the divergent thinking task to achieve comparable performance as English-same pairs, possibly due to the different communication processes experienced by English-different pairs. This study provides insights to the role of sharing spoken languages in enhancing collaborative problem-solving in small multilingual groups.

scholarly journals Collaborating With Style: Using an Agent-Based Model to Simulate Cognitive Style Diversity in Problem Solving Teams

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Lapp ◽  
Kathryn Jablokow ◽  
Christopher McComb
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Cognitive Style ◽  
Cognitive Styles ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Problem Solving Teams ◽  
Problem Solving Behavior

Abstract Collaborative problem solving can be successful or counterproductive. The performance of collaborative teams depends not only on team members’ abilities, but also on their cognitive styles. Cognitive style measures differences in problem-solving behavior: how people generate solutions, manage structure, and interact. While teamwork and problem solving have been studied separately, their interactions are less understood. This paper introduces the KAI Agent-Based Organizational Optimization Model (KABOOM), the first model to simulate cognitive style in collaborative problem solving. KABOOM simulates the performance of teams of agents with heterogeneous cognitive styles on two contextualized design problems. Results demonstrate that, depending on the problem, certain cognitive styles may be more effective than others. Also, intentionally aligning agents’ cognitive styles with their roles can improve team performance. These experiments demonstrate that KABOOM is a useful tool for studying the effects of cognitive style on collaborative problem solving.

Questions About I-O Psychology's Future

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Morelli ◽  
A. James Illingworth ◽  
Charles Handler
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
21St Century ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Complex Problem Solving ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
The Future ◽  
Research Questions

We find Neubert, Mainert, Kretzschmar, and Greiff's (2015) article to be worth discussing and embracing because it represents not only a pragmatic offering of two important constructs for 21st century work but also an important opportunity for industrial–organizational (I-O) scholars and practitioners to consider several questions related to the future of I-O psychology. Neubert et al. correctly identified the broad trends that are influencing the economic environment that we live in and made a compelling argument that I-O psychologists should join other researchers and policymakers from ancillary fields to identify and measure the unique competencies and skills that will determine success in the future of work. In our own research on new technologies and their use in talent assessment and selection (e.g., mobile device testing), we have often considered other future-related research questions, and we would like to offer them here as a supplement to this discussion in the hopes that it might spur further forward-thinking conversation, research, and practice. Below we offer five additional themes to organize the questions that we believe are important to consider as I-O psychologists evaluate the merits and uses of 21st century skills such as complex problem solving and collaborative problem solving (CPS and ColPS).

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