Identify and clearly state the problem (the leadership or organizational behavior issue that you have selected to research). The problem statement should be phrased in terms of a researchable question. For example, if a work group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement might be “How can group performance be improved?”
A well formed problem statement has the following.
Focus: The problem should be well defined and specific enough for the reader to gain a clear idea of the OB topic area and the direction of your study and research.
Structure: If the problem statement is sufficiently focused, it will provide a basis for decisions about which information to include and which to exclude from the paper.