Question

During a meeting, senior executives of a consumer products company tackled the problem that they were late in detecting several consumer trends, such as the trend towards using see-through plastics in kitchenware. While trying to determine the source of this problem, one executive said: "The main problem here is that we need to find a better industrial design firm to design our products." Which of the following best describes the decision-making problem that this executive is exhibiting?

(A) The executive is engaging in escalation of commitment.
(B) The executive is being too creative.
(C) The executive is acting as a devil's advocate when the situation calls for consensus.
(D) The executive is engaging in groupthink.
(E) The executive is defining the problem in terms of a solution.

Answer 1

Answer: The executive is defining the problem in terms of a solution.

The decision makers lean towards defining questions as veiled matter. They pursue solution-focused problem identification since it renders satisfying approach to the otherwise ambiguous and doubtful nature of question, but it neglects to fully analyze the implicit causes that should be addressed.

Therefore, the correct option is (e)