Barriers to Solving Problems Effectively

Barriers in problem solving occur in various forms. The world is one big business platform as even everyday freelancers are now able to reach across the globe while searching for work. Becoming one giant business world requires understanding the barriers to problem solving and finding ways to resolve these problems to ensure success.

 

Emotional Barriers

Emotions cause barriers in problem solving when individuals allow feelings to come before practical knowledge. Problem solvers may not reveal a solution because they feel the solution might make them sound foolish. Emotions and self-perception block a valid problem-solving strategy. The emotional problem solver allows worry and insecurity to consume the problem-solving process.

 

Cognitive Barriers

Cognitive differences within problem-solving teams hinders the process. Different individuals are classified as different types of learners, with some being visual, others being aural and some being strictly hands-on learners.

Finding the solution to the problem often involves learning the base, or beginning, of the problem. Different cognitive learning styles can create barriers to problem solving if individual team members are not permitted to learn problem details within their own cognitive parameters.

 

Environmental Barriers

These barriers occur when an event or object outside the problem is affecting the problem-solving process. Distractions encountered by the problem solver are environmental barriers, such as a television in the background when a writer is attempting to complete an article.

Environmental barriers also include the actions of others, natural events such as storms, schedule conflicts or restricted use of needed materials to promote problem solving. If environmental barriers are allowed to be eliminated or changed, the problem solver can deal with them immediately to generate success.

 

Cultural Barriers

Cultural barriers are growing daily as the world finds new ways to communicate across the globe. These barriers occur when problem solvers encounter cultural differences or abnormalities. An internal cultural barrier may be a situation where an office is consistently serious in demeanor, but the problem requires imaginative play as the solution.

An external cultural barrier may be a freelance worker accepting contracts from an employer in another area of the world and misinterpreting the employer’s needs due to cultural differences.