Six-Step Problem-Solving Process for Career Promotion

The following is a six-step problem-solving process for scenario 1 ( Taylor, 2013 ). 

Step 1: Define the Problem in that Scenario 

Problem Statement 

In scenario 1, the employee feels that he needs a promotion, having been working for the past eleven years without one. The employee faces a dilemma between remaining in the company he has worked for during the past eleven years and joining another company where he would be a supervisor. Working at the same company for more than decade was not enough to earn the employee a promotion, yet there is another company who are willing to offer such a promotion without requiring a bachelor’s or master’s degree. If the employee stays with his current company there is a possibility that he would still miss out on promotion. At the same time, looking for employment in another company from a different state seems to be a gamble. 

Goals Statement 

The employee’s career trajectory is the main focus here, and the choice he makes should increase his chances of advancing to a higher position in whichever company he chooses. It is important to determine what constitutes success in this case, and make a decision that would make the employee successful. For all the time the employee has spent on the company, his should make an informed choice on whether moving on to another company would be more beneficial that remaining in his current place of work. 

Step 2: Analyze the Problem 

The issues in this case are mostly time and money. Having worked for eleven years in the same position, the employee feels that it is time to move up at least one step. This is the reason why he goes back to college for the bachelor’s degree. He feels that he is worthy of being a supervisor and has only been overlooked for this position in his current company because of his academic credentials. Thus, the employee would have trouble choosing between staying and joining the other company, where he would become a supervisor without starting in a lower rank. 

The fact that the other company is offering more than $1000 increase per month and car allowance is enough to tempt the employee to join them. This is an amount that he is likely not earning at his current company. The new company does not, however, give tuition reimbursement unlike the present company. Regardless, this looks like a great deal in the long term. The most significant concern for the employee would be that the other supervisors in the new company have master’s degrees, so the employee would need to be at that level at one point in the future. 

Step 3: Generate Potential Solutions 

There are two potential solutions to this problem. First the employee can decide to stay with the present company, thereby ignoring the other company’s offer. It can be inferred from the fact that the employee’s former supervisor recommended him for the position based on his exceptional job performance that the employee is capable of being promoted. Thus, completing the obtaining the bachelor’s degree would be key to getting promoted in the present company. 

The second solution would be to quite the present firm and join the other one. This would require him to abandon the exams and move to another state, where he would be given the position he desires and be assured of financial stability. 

Step 4: Evaluate the Options for Solving the Problem 

The first option is to stay at the current company. This option has its pros and cons. One benefit of staying with the current company is that the employer would be working with people with whom he has built a relationship over the past decade. If he eventually gets promoted to the role of supervisor, he would probably be supervising people he is familiar with and, consequently, would not need to build new relationships. Additionally, if the employee would like to pursue a master’s degree at any point in the future, he is certain that any money he spends on tuition would be reimbursed. However, it is important to note that the current company has failed to promote the employee even though he has worked with them for more than a decade. This reality is not as a result of incompetence on the employee’s part. It is his former supervisor who is recommending him for the new job. This means that this supervisor worked with him closely enough to conclude that he is competent and, therefore, worthy of a supervisory role in the company. It follows that there is a likelihood that the employee would be still be ignored for promotion even with the bachelor’s degree. 

The second option is leaving the current company and joining the new one. This option, like the first one, has its pros and cons. The most prominent benefit to the employer is the increased salary. One of the main reasons why people seek for promotion in their places of work is the associated salary increase. To get an opportunity of being promoted and earn more after working in the same capacity for a decade is the desire of many junior employees. Additionally, the employee would not have to worry about relocation costs as they would be catered for by the new employer. Some people tend to avoid relocating to other states for employment because of relocation is often expensive. However, in this case, the potential employer has offered to reimburse the employee the relocation expenses. The main downside of moving to the new company would be the fact that the employee would have to give up most of the relationships he has built for eleven years to join a company full of strangers on the other side. The other challenge presented by joining the new company would be the interference caused on the employee’s education. It is apparent that the job opening appears at a critical moment in the employee’s college schedule. Also, the employee should not expect that the new company will offer him any tuition reimbursement if he decide to pursue higher education. 

Step 5: Decide the Best Option 

From the evaluation, joining the new company is better than staying with the current one. The employee is assure of having a bigger job than the one he has in the current company and, as a result, will get a higher salary. In the current company, promotion is not guaranteed. Pursuing the bachelor’s degree is only a means of increasing his chances. Even though the new company does not provide tuition reimbursements, the employee can save some money for studying in the future. With time, the employee will adapt to the new environment and build relationships with his new workmates. 

Step 6: Implement the Decision 

The employee should accept the proposition from the new company. As a courtesy, the employee should notify the current company of his intention to leave. The next step would be to go to the company’s premises to discuss other terms of employment. He should negotiate with the new employer regarding the ongoing studies in college. The employee should convince the employer to push the starting date or at least promise to allow him to complete the course at a future date. 

Reference 

Taylor, D. W. (2013). Decision making and problem solving.    Handbook of organizations , 48-86.