In the business environment that changes quickly, the organizations that prosper are those that systematically address the challenges before becoming crisis. The implementation of a problem solving culture transforms the way in which its entire organization is close to the obstacles that change from the fight against reactive fires to preventive improvement. This fundamental change does not require complex methodologies or expectations. Instead, it begins to teach everyone to clearly define what problems they need to solve and why they matter.
From the crisis to the transformation
Several years ago, an inefficient state agency faced tremendous problems in their ability to help people. With the increase in call volumes, customers were waiting for up to 2.5 hours, and almost half hung before talking to anyone. Employees ask for each conversation with an apology instead of assistance. However, the agency was able to transform focusing on what and why. This is what happened.
Do not blame employees
When Andyaso reviewed the call center, he did not blame employees or demand that they work harder. Instead, he focused on the system itself and hired the frontline personnel to find solutions. By clearly defining what the fixation needed (capacity for response to citizens) and why it mattered (providing efficient time duration time), his team reinvented the entire process.
Their solution was elegantly simple: they created two separate routes for calls. The basic questions were for Junior staff, while complex problems were enruted to experienced specialists. The results were extraordinary: retention times fell from 20 minutes to 5 minutes and abandoned calls fell from 50% to 15%. The most notable, they achieved this transformation without spending a dollar into new technology or adding personnel.
This story illustrates what I have observed through my career: the effective resolution of problems begins not with sophisticated techniques but with a purpose. When you hit what I call a “death threat”, a apparently insurmountable barrier for your solution, your logical brain or whispers that you should give up. The difference between surrender and progress lies in two critical elements: the confidence in its problem solving capacity and a deep understanding of why solving this problem really matters.
Transforming through purpose
I have seen this pattern repeated in all industries. In my own Brain Brew distillery, we face persistent profitability challenges due to the complex distribution system. After deeply exploring the history of Bourbon, we discovered that in the nineteenth century, almost the entire bourbon was personalized to individual preferences. This vision caused our transformation: Bourbon returns to its roots through the creation of personalized experiences.
The impact was immediate. While we maintain only half of the income when Sealard Bottle (with governments we prohibit the rest), we keep almost all the income of our personalized Bourbon experiences. This led to our Woodcraft Bourbon Bourbon franchise, which now expanded throughout the country from its first location at Louisville Whiskey Row.
Small problems, great impact
What surprises many leaders is that equally small recurring problems deserve attention. A frustration that wasted only 20 minutes every two days for two employees accumulates at 86 hours wasted annually, more than two full jobs! These “reliable frustrations” may seem individually insignificant, but their cumulative impact is substantial.
I encourage leaders to look beyond the obvious crises and consider three types of challenges: small but frequent problems, rare but enhanced devastating and predictable difficulties that can address preventively. For each one, begin to prepare a clear problem statement that makes it impossible to misunderstand both the situation and its importance.
The blue card system
For complex, I have developed what I call the blue card system for complex challenges. Unlike a simple problem statement, blue cards include a narrative that explains the challenge, the mission centered on life, strategic exclusions (which is not addressing), tactical limitations (limits and requirements) and optional exploration. This final section helps to give life to the blue card for the reader. It helps to accelerate the start of the project identifying areas to find potential solutions and/or people who may be useful for finding solutions.
Creating impulse through recognition
The implementation requires that employees feel committed, committed and recognized for their efforts. A manufacturing installation created an impulse when borrowing from the Ohio State football tradition to grant helmet stickers. Employees received stickers for their toolbox or work stations when they identified and solved problems. As visual symols accumulated through the installation, participation grew organically without creating the winning-loser dynamics that competitions often produce.
Leaders of leaders in problem -proactive resolution
As a leader, you can promote this proactive mentality of problem solving with simple questions. Google’s CEO, Slándar Pichai, created what he called a “simplicity sprint” by making employees three direct questions: what would help them work more clearly, where he should accelerate the speed and how he could.
His role as a leader evolves as the capacities of his team develop. Initially, focus on visible problems to generate trust and offer an immediate impact. As the capacity grows, direct attention to systems that are not obviously broken. A simple inventory of key processes and how long since each one improved significantly agitates their greatest opportunities.
From fire fighting to prevention
This proactive approach repeats a fundamental change in fire fighting. Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the father of quality management, said that “94% of the problems are due to systems.” When addressing systems instead of blaming people, it transforms not only processes but culture.
What separates organizations that simply survive from those that prosper is their problem focus. Reactive companies expect crises and then fight for solutions. Proactive organizations systematically identify challenges and address them before they intensify.
The power of clarity
The trip begins with a simple but deep change: to move from vague frustrations to precise definitions of what you need to solve and why it matters. This clarity provides direction and motivation, which allows its team to overcome the obstacles that would derail to others. In the current business environment, this capacity is not just a competitive advantage, it is increasingly a requirement for survival.
Written by Doug Hall.
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