Clive Robert Hunter* |
Corresponding Author: Clive Robert Hunter, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
Revised: 21 September 2020; |
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There is an increasing global need for generic skills
for the 21st Century and problem solving has been shown to be one of
the most needed of these skills. However, it is not clear as to what is being
done by education and training institutions to develop problem solving skills,
especially relating to solving complex problems. The general purpose of this
research was to investigate the extent of the need for problem solving skills
and the extent to which problem-solving training courses focus on complex
problem solving (CPS). Literature reviews were conducted of; a) studies that
investigated the need for generic skills, including problem solving skills, b)
problem solving training courses advertised on the Internet, and c) the CPS
literature. The findings confirm that there is a substantial global need for
problem solving skills, but the problem-solving courses advertised by
universities and training institutions vary considerably in their content and
do not adequately address CPS. Based on these findings and the literature
review, a holistic and integrated model of CPS is proposed with the aim of
contributing to the conceptualization of CPS, the training of CPS and its
practical implementation. The main practical implication of these findings is
that universities and training institutions should seriously consider offering CPS
training courses based on a holistic and integrated model. Also, senior
managers should incorporate the training of CPS skills into their Human
Resource strategic thinking and planning.
Keywords: Problem solving,
Generic skills, Core skills, Key competencies.