PADIL Framework
PADIL is a five-step framework used to solve problems procedurally. The first letter in the acronym requires the dispute resolution consultant to understand and define the context of the situation in the case. The stem entails understanding the structure of the problem (Singer & Voica, 2012). The step determines the subsequent action stage, where an appropriate alternative is selected to intervene effectively. An action can be taken based on past similar experiences or anticipated consequences.
The PADIL framework’s decision-making stage marks the process’s middle and transitioning point (Singer & Voica, 2012). The stage determines the success or failure of the intervening problem and the short and long-term impact of the outcome. A consultant creatively thinks of sustainable and practical solutions to the problem to ensure no bias. As a directive and symbol of reunion, the next step of the PADIL framework is the interaction where the disagreeing parties enter new negotiation terms and revive the relationship with productive aspirations. The last part is taking new lessons from the process and carrying them forward in memory for practical application in similar events.
Core Problem in the Organization
The management needs to address two main issues from its stakeholders: resistance and non-compliance. Some employees and staff resist the new policy from individual analysis and perception that others are keeping safe, so they do not need to implement it. Although COVID-19 has been a problem for many organizations, the rate of employees’ ignorance and resistance to following the set guidelines and rules has been a primary concern. There has been a worry in the organization about those workers committed because, after research and investigation on the matter, it has been found that there is a high rate of ignorance of the rules and guidance set, such as mask-wearing and social distancing at work. The upper management, including the l, leader, needs to act immediately in this manner and come up with an effective solution before the rate of employees employee increases rapidly.
The organization, in general, has found it hard to convince the ignorant and inflexible workers who need to follow the protocols and rules set in the organization about health. This resistance and ignorance by employees to follow the rules have caused the organization to spend more on initiating programs that will enable the employees to move on as one and protect each other. The general work quality and employee output have been decreasing daily, and the rate of customers’ complaints about poor service has been affecting the company’s reputation. This has been due to increased fear and stress by the employees who follow the rules, as they fear getting affected by employees who do not follow the organization’s health rules and protocols. Therefore, there is a need for urgent solutions because not only the organization that is being affected but also the workers are being affected mentally and physically.
Application of PADIL Framework
The PADIL Framework is a very integral tool that can be used to develop a solution to issues such as the one that this organization is facing. The PADIL framework has steps that make it easy to generate a solution (Carlson & Bloom, 2005). The PADIL framework steps include:
Step 1-Problem
The first step of the PADIL framework is problem identification, where the organization first needs to find out exactly what the problem is and what causes the problem. Therefore, in the case of this organization, after investigation and research via interview, the company found out that the main problem that the company is facing is resistance and ignorance by a small group of employees who are unwilling to follow the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines set by the organization to curb the first spread of the virus. The first step to getting into the problem is to ask the employees why they are resisting following the rules, and then the problem will be further discussed by selected company team members and a leader.
Step 2-Alternative solutions generation
A team of approximately five members from the organization should be selected using the PADIL framework that will dig deeper and research the problem. The team is expected to research and ask questions about the problem before analyzing the available solutions to determine which is perfect for this scenario.
Step 3-Deciding on the appropriate solution
After the team of five members selected to analyze the problem has developed a series of solutions, it will be another task to choose the best solution to the problem (Carlson & Bloom, 2005). The solution that the five teams offered to the leader after researching were:
- Reduce the number of employees, including those employees that have been identified to be on the front line in resisting to follow the rules.
- Use a persuasive approach to lure the members resisting the rules to abide by and follow the protocols.
- Train and educate the employees on the importance of following COVID-19 rules and guidelines.
The best way to make an appropriate decision was through the charismatic approach, where each person’s solution was considered significant. However, finally, the team was urged by the leader to take a secret vote, and the best solution was to use a persuasive approach where other employees would be used to help convince the others of the importance of the rules.
Step 4-Best solution implementation
The best solution the employees have chosen has been the persuasive approach of using loyal employees to persuade the resisting employees. After the decision, the team next decides on the appropriate method available for implementation to ensure everything is clear. The best implementation method that the team leader chose was the parallel implementation method, which allows room for adjustment and change process monitoring (Saldana et al., 2014). The advantage of this implementation method is that it can easily make the leader compare the old way of operation and the new way, whereby the leader, in this case, can analyze whether there are the employees are ceasing to resist the protocols or not.
Step 5-Learning process
The learning process is the final stage of the PADIL framework, and in this step, the organization will train and monitor the progress of the implemented decision (Singer & Voica, 2012). The team members will monitor the implemented solution and be given a task per the group that was resisting following protocols. In addition, for the effective implementation of the decision, the organization hired a health trainer and professional counsellor to help teach the resisting group the importance of the health protocols and rules.
Findings and analysis
Among the three solutions that were suggested by a team of five members together with a team leader, the best solution among the three that the organization chose to apply is the use of a persuasive approach where the employees who understand the importance will be used to convince the others to abide and no to resist the guidelines. This was the appropriate solution because when other employees used to convince the resisting group, they would easily understand and believe them compared to the leader directly communicating with them. How employees interact and communicate with both workmates differs from how they communicate and interact with their leaders. The employees’ connection and bond are more robust than the leader-employees bond (Singer & Voica, 2012).
Despite the successful solution and implementation findings, some biases are common obstacles in the process. The biasness is not easy to identify and often affects the smooth transition of solution implementation and change (Bhardwaj et al., 2018). The most appropriate way to identify bias during solution finding and implementation is through employee feedback collection. In decision-making and implementation, the organization used feedback tracking to determine the business during the implementation. The feedback that employees gave helped the leaders know where there was bias.
The type of bias that was spotted in the process was Anchoring bias. This type of bias occurs during decision-making and quickly makes a leader in charge of the solution finding and implementation deviate from the original path, making him find the solution that was not expected in the end (Bhardwaj et al., 2018). The best method to avoid this kind of bias is using follow-ups on the steps taken during the process to avoid repetition and confusion. The third-person view is another way the leader can avoid this bias. This process requires the leader to look for a qualified manager to help spot areas the leader needs to undertake better during the implementation and adjust.
Conclusion
Generally, the PADIL Framework has been a handy tool not only for my future career but also for my personal development. The steps in the PADIL framework can be applied to every problem, personal and workplace. I have detailed how the PADIL framework can be applied to the problems. This activity has also improved my thinking, decision-making skills, and capabilities as I have learned more about the topic and analyzed the findings and results.
References
Bhardwaj, G., Crocker, A., Sims, J., & Wang, R. D. (2018). Alleviating the Plunging-In Bias, Elevating Strategic Problem-Solving. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 17(3), 279–301. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0168
Carlson, M. P., & Bloom, I. (2005). The Cyclic Nature of Problem Solving: An Emergent Multidimensional Problem-Solving Framework. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58(1), 45–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-005-0808-x
Saldana, L., Chamberlain, P., Bradford, W. D., Campbell, M., & Landsverk, J. (2014). The cost of implementing new strategies (COINS): A method for mapping implementation resources using the stages of implementation completion. Children and Youth Services Review, pp. 39, 177–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.10.006
Singer, F. M., & Voica, C. (2012). A problem-solving conceptual framework and its implications in designing problem-posing tasks. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 83(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-012-9422-x
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