Page 82 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

The personal problems interview 71

• Separate problem: lack of promotion opportunity.

Step 2: Priorities
There often prove to be several problems or one problem of a complex nature. Which
problem should be dealt with first? Manager and employee are not able to deal with all
the problems at the same time. Therefore a certain order has to be established. It is not
wise to begin with the ‘worst’ problem, since this is usually the most difficult to deal
with. In order to promote self-confidence and the chance of success, it is advisable to
start with a relatively simple problem:

The problem Alex wants to tackle first is the situation at work. No matter
how bad the situation at home, he does want to do well on the job. To him
the most important part is his relationship with the waiters; meetings
aren’t that frequent. Although he wants to cut down on his drinking, this is
not given priority: he drinks more than usual, but is not (yet) an alcoholic.

Step 3: Goals
Following the choice of problems, manager and employee should formulate goals that
will lead to a reduction of those problems:

The goal is to improve the relationship between Alex and his waiters.
After all, they are working extra hard during peak hours and a bad
relationship does not encourage them to continue working this hard.

Step 4: Means
The next step is to make a list of the means available to the employee to reach his goal.
What can he do, what kind of help can he get? If there are several opportunities, it might
help to list the pros and cons of each possibility:

How does Alex improve the relationship with the waiters? During his
conversation with Harry, Alex suggests the possibility of offering his
apologies about his behaviour to the waiters during their break. The
reasons for his behaviour he prefers to keep to himself.

Step 5: Criteria
Manager and employee decide together what results their actions should have in order to
be called successful. These criteria are a further specification of the different goals that
were set:

Harry and Alex decide that Alex will try to realize two things in the next
week. First the relationship with the waiters will have to improve. This