The Problem Solving Processes Used by Farm Management Consultants

Little is known about consultants' problem solving processes. Literature on problem solving from outside the farm management discipline was reviewed. A multiple-case study approach was used to investigate the problem solving processes employed by two expert consultants. The study found that the consultants spent considerable time on situation awareness and limited time on option analysis. Critical aspects of the problem solving process the consultants used included: relevant cue recognition, diagnosis using feature watching and story building, reliance on detailed classification schema, and option selection from detailed repertoire.