Category Archives: Problem Solving Skills

Ability to Engage

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Gretchen’s face displayed confusion. “What do managers do to their teams that systematically, over time, disables them from being able to solve even the simplest of problems?” I repeated.

“You’re not thinking this is my fault, are you?” she finally spoke.

I turned my head to the side, still staring at her.

“No way,” she protested.

“Every time a manager provides the solution to a problem, it robs the team of its ability to engage the problem. Over time, the team’s ability to solve problems begins to atrophy. Before long, even the simplest of problems will be brought to the manager for solution finding.

“The team begins to enjoy this new arrangement. With the responsibility for the decision now firmly resting on the manager, so goes the responsibility for the outcome. If the outcome is poor, it’s the manager’s fault. If the outcome creates more problems, it’s the manager’s fault. Your team likes this arrangement.” -TF
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Systematically, Over Time

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“You know, you are right,” I told Gretchen. “Your team, over time, has systematically become incapable of solving problems.”

Gretchen didn’t speak, but began to slowly nod her head.

“How did they get that way? What happened to them?” I asked.

“What do you mean, what happened to them?” Gretchen’s nodding stopped.

“When the people on your team started working here, they were full of questions. They were curious. They experimented. They made mistakes. They learned.”

Gretchen began to nod again.

“But, now, you tell me they act more like zombies. So what happened to them?” I was looking directly at Gretchen, not blinking. Her nod stopped again, so I continued.

“Gretchen, what do managers do to their teams that systematically, over time, disables them from being able to solve even the simplest of problems?” -TF
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Thanks for those who responded to our survey. It only takes about a minute. We will keep the survey open until October 19. The results will help us finalize an online program we are set to release in the next three weeks. -TF

http://www.managementblog.org/survey-oct2007/

They Don’t Care

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“I know you think your solution is better than anything your team might come up,” I agreed. “Do you think that is really the point?”

Gretchen was resisting. “But, I don’t have time to have a meeting, and besides, I don’t think my team wants to be creative. Sometimes they act like dolts.”

“They act like dolts when you solve a problem like this for them?”

“Well, yeah. I can solve problems like this pretty easy. I have been in the business for six years. I have the experience. But when I tell them what to do, they’re like zombies from the Night of the Living Dead. Some of them walk around like they still don’t know what to do, even though I gave them the solution.”

“Why do you think that is?” I asked.

“Like I said, I just don’t think they care,” Gretchen insisted.

“You are right. They don’t care about your solution.”

This caught Gretchen off-guard. She didn’t expect me to agree so easily. “They don’t care about your solution,” I repeated. “So, who’s solution do they care about?”

“Well, I’m the only one who can solve the problem,” Gretchen tersely replied.

“Indeed?” -TF

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Thanks for those who responded to the survey yesterday. It only takes about a minute. We will keep the survey open until October 19. The results will help us finalize an online program we are set to release in the next three weeks. -TF

http://www.managementblog.org/survey-oct2007/

Stumped

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“This is the third meeting we have had,” Derek explained. “We just aren’t making any headway and the deadline is coming up fast. I thought this would be an easy problem to solve, but it’s not.”

“So, who do you have on the project team?” I asked.

“My best people, all seasoned vets at this game, but this problem has got them stumped.”

“Why do you think they are stumped?”

“I don’t know. This was a system they put together. They know all the ins and outs. They know the limitations of the system. It’s almost like they have a mental block.”

“Have you thought about putting Miguel on the team, even on a temporary basis?” I ventured.

“Miguel? Why Miguel? He has only been here for two weeks and hardly knows our system at all,” protested Derek.

“Exactly! Did you ever consider that the thinking that designed this system, that the thinking that created this problem will not be the thinking that solves this problem?” -TF

We Can’t Talk About It

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I find myself sometimes in meetings where things are often decided in advance, by politics. And the meeting seems just organized to the appearance of democracy. There is no control in these meetings. They just happen and sometimes it is better to just let it go and walk away. Nevertheless, I step out of those meetings with a bad feeling.

Response:

First, your stomach is an excellent guidepost to the effectiveness of a meeting. When your stomach feels bad, something was not discussed that is actually preventing the organization from making progress.

This often happens counter the intentions of the manager.

Susan was concerned about her team not being creative enough. She called a meeting to come up with some creative ideas to solve a customer problem. When the meeting started, Susan passed around copies of her list of ideas. Then she asked the group to come up with their ideas. She was disappointed that no one else had any. NONE. So she called to complain that her team isn’t creative. She feels so overworked because she has to come up with all the ideas.

Worse, her team comes out of that meeting feeling bad that they had not contributed. It was all they could do to properly support the ideas that Susan came up with.

It was all pretense, all the appearance of participation. So, what is the issue? What is NOT being discussed, that must be discussed for Susan’s team to make progress going forward? -TF

The Secret Formula

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Brad was sitting at his desk when Daniel entered the room, muttering. Dan was explaining this problem that he wished Brad to solve. Brad listened intently, then pointed to a small pad of imprinted sheets sitting on the corner of the desk. Each sheet contained the following questions.

  • Describe the problem?
  • What do you think is causing the problem?
  • Describe three or four alternatives to solve the root cause of the problem?
  • Which one is the best alternative?

“Take one of those sheets, go to the conference room. Work through the questions. I will meet you there in ten minutes,” Brad instructed.

Brad would always wait ten minutes before making his move to the conference room. He always stopped at the company coffee pot. When he arrived at the conference room, it was always empty.

What do you think happened? -TF
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Problem Solving Strategy adapted from a presentation by Ken Peterson, Pathwise.
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This Guitar is Out of Tune

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Marvin was not in his office when I arrived. It didn’t take long to find him among a group of people desperately trying to solve a problem with a machine on the floor.

“It’s always something,” Marvin said. “Just when we get one problem solved, it seems like some other variable goes out of whack. We are trying to figure out why this thing won’t maintain the pressures we need.”

“When did all this start?”

“Weird, it started just a couple of months ago. We have been making these units this way for ten years. We have tweaked almost every parameter and this guitar is so out of tune, it sounds sick.”

“So, what are the factory defaults on the unit? What are the baselines?” I asked. Marvin just stood there. You could see the blood draining from his face. They had been working on this problem for two months, trying to figure out how to adjust the machine.

“Sometimes,” I continued, “we have to clear the decks and go back to square one.” Twenty minutes later, after restoring the defaults and making three adjustments, the machine was holding tolerance. For the first time in two months.

Often, the problem we are trying to solve is the wrong problem. -TF