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Issues
/ Barriers / Strategies
Business Navigators
has developed the ISSUES/BARRIERS/STRATEGIES System (IBS).
IBS is a fundamental and practical tool that helps
individuals or groups quickly identify major problem areas, develop
possible solutions, prioritize for maximum effect, and implement
the best possible solution. It is a tool that can easily be taught
to both managers and employees. With IBS, employees gain
a skill that allows them to be better equipped for problem
solving. Managers
can also enlist the employees to help find the best target
at which to aim. This encourages an employee to solve a problem
himself rather than stand around waiting for someone to give
him the answer and gives the manager a resource most companies
ignore.
There are six basic
steps to the process.
1. Define the issue
as specifically as possible. It ’s easier
to solve. “We need more clerical training,” than
it is to solve, “We need more training.”
2.
Brainstorm all the barriers, which prevent us from “doing
as good as we could”. List every idea that is mentioned
and don’t use any critical analysis at this point.
Brainstorming enthusiasm is diminished if when an idea
is offered it is rejected
immediately. It is best to separate creative brainstorming
from the critical analysis.
3. Prioritize the
list of Barriers using the 80/20 principle that basically says,” 80
percent of our aggravation comes from 20 percent of
our problems”.
4. Separately list
the top 20% of our Barriers. These are the critical Barriers
that when solved will help
alleviate
the
other 80%
5. Brainstorm possible
Strategies for Barrier 1.
6. Discuss and evaluate
the best Strategy for removing Barrier 1.
7. Repeat Steps
5 & 6
for the remaining critical Barriers.
IBS gives us specific
strategies for removing the barriers to success. By using
IBS, managers
and employees are
better equipped
to problem solve and more able to take action.
When problems are minimized, they have more
time to do
what they really
need to do: perform.
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