`Managing risk through effective team-based decision making`

Running head : DECISION MAKING

Principles in Decision Making

Name of Student

University /College

Professor /Instructor

Class /Subject

Principles in Decision Making

What do you understand by the term , `thinking outside the box ? Give an example of how this can be applied to engineers working for RWE NPower

As has been discussed in the article , `thinking outside the box ' entails the seeking of alternative methods that require new solutions of facing problems (NPower , 2007 ,

. 111 . The box is the representation of the traditional ways or approaches that people

use to solve problems . They are those solutions that are taught in schools in universities . In short , these approaches to problems are those that are learned inside the classroom or by reading textbooks . They also include those that have already been used and tested by experts in certain situations that have arisen during problematic circumstances . In contrast , the solutions `outside the box ' are those that are yet to be discovered and have never been thought of before . These solutions usually evolve when a person is already in a situation where experience and learning are subjected to the test . Thus , `thinking outside the box ' means facing problems in new way or view . It means coming up with drastic innovative yet wisely thought and analyzed solutions . This can also mean critical thinking . In this way , the person in charge should be very equipped with the right tools in problem solving . In to achieve this , he should first know how to `think inside the box . One should first look into his collection of knowledge and then if no possible solution is taken from it , it is this time that thinking beyond the limits of tradition and training should be employed

One simple example is the situation mentioned in the article . In the power plant , pipes are always scraped of dirt in to measure the thickness of the pipes which is very crucial to the efficiency of the plant . This is the traditional method of looking at the problem or `thinking inside the box ' as has been discussed . But a RWE engineer travelled beyond the limits of the conventional way . Instead , the engineer invented a device that measures the thickness of the pipes without requiring that the pipes be scraped of dirt (NPower , 2007 ,

br 112 . What he did exhibits `thinking outside the box

How does encouraging thinking outside the box help RWE NPower to make improvements in the way in which it operates

This way of thinking encourages everyone to think of new ways to increase the efficiency of the power plant to better improve the services they offer . This `thinking outside the box ' is like going through the research and development department of the company yet one is working in the field . It becomes an on-site research and development department that manages problems in real time . It is very effective in a way that certain particular and specific problems in every part of the supply chain are considered . Thus , everything that results...