ISSUE 14 : Jan/Feb - 1979 - Australian Defence Force Journal

A PROGRAMME IN PROBLEM SOLVING 35be expected to perform in a work situation andin the area of personnel administration.The task analysis was conducted through adetailed survey of jobs. Existing statements ofjobs were examined. A job statement had beenprepared in 1975 by a team of RAAEC officersfor the junior infantry officer of the PNGDF.Key personnel from the three services wereinterviewed. There was extensive collation ofknown situations within the services and privateenterprise in which errors had been made andunfortunate circumstances had arisen. It wasconsidered that the collation of error situationsenabled the highest degree of job relevancepossible. The problems taken from privateenterprise were used for comparative purposesand for development of the Consumer Protectionaspect of the Programme.The performance of Officer Cadets wasstudied to ascertain areas of weakness. Againthere were interviews with staff and collationof error situations. This work was complementaryto and often merged with the taskanalysis.It was established that Officer Cadets founddifficulty in applying even a basic decisionmaking process to the solution of problems.Many failed to consider alternative conclusionsand courses of action. Many found difficulty inrecognizing the very existence of a problem inmany contexts. ("So what?'" "I don't know").Most had difficulty in applying insight gainedfrom the solution of one problem to the solutionof a similar problem in a different context.Much of this may be explained by the inexperienceof the Officer Cadets. It was intended thatsuch difficulties could be reduced significantlyduring their time at the College. These difficultiesare not unknown among Australianservicemen.The problems were to be simple enough toenable the solution of four to six problems inany one lesson period. This would permit acomparative approach to solving of problemsand the establishment and application of principlesof method. The program was developedin terms of the Systems Approach to Training.At the College, the skills of the programcomplemented those of the CommunicationsSkills and Administration Courses. It may wellbe that the skills of this program could beincorporated into any service course in PNGand Australia. Which service in the AustralianDefence Force would not benefit from a coursethat developed the skills of checking, errorlocation and establishment of check-lists?An overview of the program will now be provided.This will include a sample of problemsof one particular type, the related theoreticalbasis, the hierarchy of skills and a sample ofobjectives related to the hierarchy.The following problems comprise five of the128 problems that make up the program:• A man approaches a bank teller and seeksto withdraw money from a bank book.The account is with another branch ofthe bank. What is the teller's aim?factors? courses? steps?• a soldier is informed by a fellow soldierthat there is a unit stand-down on thefollowing day. The soldier had not previouslyheard of this.Aims? factors? courses? steps?• a shop attendant progressively passes fivepairs of trousers to a customer standingin the dressing room. The customerchooses a pair and informs the attendantthat he will wear the trousers home. Afterthe sale is completed, the attendant entersthe dressing room to find only three pairsof trousers. What has happened'.' errors?aims? factors? steps?• a police officer receives a phone call at thestation at 2200 hrs. The voice says: "Thisis Superintendent Miasa here. Go to thecells and release the prisoner. I will explainin the morning." Aims? factors?courses? steps?• a CIS officer has been assigned to constructa new prison farm. He obtains thetitle of the land and checks the dimensionsgiven to him by his supervising officer.He commences the clearing of the land.During the first day of clearing operations,a crowd of angry villagers arrives anddemands that the work be stopped. Theyclaim that the land belongs to them.Errors? aims? factors? courses? steps?From the solution of the problems above,the Officer Cadets reinforce the basic decisionmaking process. The theoretical backgroundis developed in terms of such concrete prac-