Please read bellow 2 Discussions and 4 post; All instructions included. Read until the bottom.

Discussion 1

• Step 1: Post your response to the following question.
  

   

   

  How do you objectively identify Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for a given problem-solving team? 

• Step 2: Read 2 post bellow and respond.
  Again, if appropriate, include personal experience in your response.

Respond to these 2 posts;

Post 1

A subject matter expert is a person who is a specialist in a particular field. They often communicate their knowledge with other professionals in their field. There are not standards or guidelines for establishing a subject matter expert; therefore, anyone can claim to be an expert. Lavin et al (2007) believes that subject matter experts should have a structure of their knowledge and a process by which their knowledge is verified. The combination of structure and process creates outcomes that allow us to identify SMEs. The experts will exude authority, independence, confidence and persuasiveness. They can be identified through their formal education or job experience. Throughout their education, subject matter experts’ knowledge is tested by academic boards, professors or the peer-reviewed process. SMEs who gain expertise through job experience know how the system works and are able to practically problem solve.

Lavin, R. P., Dreyfus, M., Slepski, L., & Kasper, C. E. (2007). Said Another Way Subject Matter Experts: Facts or Fiction? Nursing Forum, 42(4), 189-195.

Post 2

I identify a subject matter expert by a combination of experience, knowledge and motivation. I will discuss a recent problem at work to explain why experience, knowledge and motivation define an expert. Glacial acrylic Acid is a product we purchase from the manufacturer and it is delivered in a cylinder tank wagon. We add acrylic with other materials and cook it in a kettle to make our finished product. Recently we’ve had several problems with the delivery of acrylic acid so we met with the manufacturer’s representative to develop a solution. First we introduced ourselves and I noticed he lacked chemical experience, he was new to the chemical industry and his primary background was in manufacturing machining and assembly. He was not aware of the industry’s best practices. As the problem solving conversation began we realized he was not aware of important details like the flashpoint temperature, list carriers that are certified to deliver acrylic, tank wagon loading and unloading requirements. He was aware of the problems we incurred like tank wagon temperature is near the flashpoint and/or boiling point, truck driver did not have the correct personal protective equipment and carrier is not certified to take this load. His lack of experience and knowledge led us to believe he was not motivated to help. The manufacturer’s representative was a salesperson; his expertise was sales not technical. When working with a team to solve a problems several subject matter experts are required. The company should’ve provided a sales representative and a technical advisor as SME. On the other hand when there is a problem with a customer we typically send an experienced person (operator, coordinator, and quality technician) and a manager.

Discussion 2

• Step 1: Post your response to the following question.
  

   

    

  Describe and give specific examples of how individual and organizational honesty, hard data, and a critical-thinking culture in an organization can serve as a counter-agent to political and/or monetary motivations that might otherwise derail a problem-solving process.  

  Do not think of individual and organizational honesty in the traditional context of honesty between people.  Think of it as being more introspective and asking yourself and your organization to be honest about your results, intentions, products, competitiveness, etc.  In a SWOT analysis, this is where you take an honest look at your weak areas and do not make excuses for them, but openly discuss them as the first step in solving the problems they may create.

   

• Step 2: Read the 2 posts bellow and respond.
  Again, if appropriate, include personal experience in your response.

Post 1

Creating an organizational culture of honesty and critical thinking is fundamentally about facilitating candid communication (Hyma, 2013). Encouraging conversation to include organizational weakness and strength is key to fostering productive problem solving and honesty. Nurturing a culture of honesty promotes the ability to define the organization for what it is, what it does, and what it stands for, not for how it wishes to be seen or how it drives profits (Hyma, 2013).

For example, the Benjamin Moore Paint Company has always been a champion of the independent paint dealer. When Berkshire Hathaway acquired Ben Moore, Warren Buffet pledged to remain true to the company’s allegiance to the independent and his typical laissez-faire management style. As economic times became tougher, the CEO of BM flirted closer and closer to a big box deal, keeping his strategies and intensions well concealed. Finally, he inked a deal with Lowes but in the eleventh hour the plan was revealed and Buffet ousted the CEO. Buffet understood who Benjamin Moore was even if the CEO did not. Further, Buffet’s word was more important to him than the significant bump in sales the company would receive in having the product in Lowes. However, the lack of communication was a key factor in the problems Benjamin Moore now faces with its employees, its independent dealers, and its target market.

Hyma, C. (2013). Creating radical honesty in organizations. IUP Journal of Soft Skills. 7(2), 50-54.

Post 2

When problem solving in an organization, it is important to be honest, using hard data, unbiased research, and critical thinking to draw conclusions about the issue at hand. For example, the company I work for had an issue with an employee hiding inventory in order to make her store look more profitable. She was overwhelmed with the amount of inventory that needed to be on the floor. Inventory in the warehouse, not available to the consumer, is just as devastating to store sales as no inventory at all. The manager was also motivated by the possibility of a bonus for having high store sales with low inventory, so she stored the inventory in boxes and hid them in a hallway. This went on for months before it was brought to the district manager’s attention. The manager’s and the store’s honesty was compromised. Instead of taking an easy way out and essentially stealing from the company, the manager and her team should have used critical thinking to come to a conclusion about how to handle the excess inventory. Hard data about the amount of inventory as well as the amount of man hours needed to push the inventory on the floor would have been useful for solving the problem. The manager should have assembled a specific team dedicated to controlling the inventory issue until it was resolved, redirecting her resources where needed. The problem could have been solved in very little time, and the manager could have keep her job and bonus; instead, the store had to be reorganized with new management in place.

NOTE: Perfect grammar is a most and also 1 peer reviewed resource per discussion.