11/ 30/ 2006
by Sue Dyer
How many times have you sat through meetings only to walk away wondering if your team could resolve any of the problems it faced? The ability of a team to identify and resolve problems is a critical skill. Many teams never learn how to do this. Those who do always outshine their counterparts.
Of course, the best problem-solving technique is to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. But we all know that stuff happens! Here are four steps to help you address the root cause of your problem so you resolve the underlying issue. In time, if your team follows these four steps, it will begin to build "problem-solving muscles." You will become more adept at tackling problems, and trust will grow.
Step 1. Refuse to get upset. You need to be a part of the solution, but if you become emotionally charged, you will focus on your emotions and not on the issue at hand. Once you are upset, you become part of the problem.
- It gets harder the longer you wait. While a cooling-off period can be beneficial when tempers flare, putting off problems only makes the solution more difficult. Over time, people become more invested in the problem and in winning. This makes it much more difficult to resolve the problem.
- Listen between the lines. Arguments are not usually about what people say they are about––most have to do with the egos involved. By listening between the lines with empathy, you will hear what people are telling you that they truly need.
- Lead, don't manipulate. You don't have to have authentic power to lead a problem-solving effort. You just need a sincere desire to find a solution that gives everyone what they need. Manipulation holds power over others. Leadership seeks to provide hope that a true dialogue can occur.
Step 2. Resist playing the blame game. When confronted with a problem, it is only natural to want to find out who is to blame. The problem with the blame game is that communication stops as everyone becomes protective. In the meantime, no one is working on solving the problem! So keep focused on a solution.
- You can't create good solutions in a vacuum. The more you learn about the needs and constraints of the various people on your team, the better you will be able to create good, and possibly great, solutions. So ask.
- Work to get off to a good start. How a team starts a project is a good indicator of how the project will end. So it's well worth the effort to make sure that yours starts out well. Open up communication and start teamwork from the beginning.
- Silence your inner judge. When someone is talking to you, and you hear that little voice in your head saying "Yes, but that's not right," or "Yes, but you don't really understand," you have just stopped listening to that person. Instead, you're creating your rebuttal so you can prove him or her wrong and yourself right. That's how fast communication can break
down––in an instant––in your own head.
Step 3. Agree on the problem. It's easy to assume that you understand the problem, but is this the problem or just a symptom of the real problem? How can you tell? Others on your team may see the problem very differently than you do and have information that you don't have. It's important to create an atmosphere that allows everyone on your team to openly discuss the issue so you can find and agree on the core problem. If you don't agree on the problem, you are never going to agree on the solution!
- Make conflict constructive, not destructive. Conflict need not be destructive, destroying relationships and communication. Conflict can be constructive, spurring discussion and pointing out areas that need work and helping the team to improve. It's all a matter of attitude and approach.
- Focus on the present––don't rehash the past. When you analyze what happened, why it happened and who was responsible, you are trying to deal with your problems by focusing on the past. You have no power when you deal with issues in the past––you can't change the past. So bring your problems into the present; you'll be surprised how quickly you can resolve them.
- Everyone owns the problem. Everyone has equal ownership of problems that pop up. Remember: It's not your problem, and it's not my problem; it's our problem. It's everyone's job to understand the problem and cooperate to work out a way to quickly solve it. Pointing fingers only stops conversations rapidly.
Step 4. Co-create solutions. People don't argue with what they help to create, and there truly is a collective wisdom in a team. Tap into that wisdom by offering your team a chance to help create the solution to the core problem you've identified.
- Allow the people closest to the problem to resolve the issue. Quality decisions come from those closest to the issue. Quality goes down as issues move away from the team, and the issues tend to grow in cost and time.
- Build on common ground. When creating objectives, focus on things that you all have in common. This will get everyone moving in the same direction and working together instead of against each other. Keep focused on those things you have in common, not on your differences.
- Do the impossible. Keep yourself open to possibilities. Try to look at old things in new ways through new lenses. That's what seeing problems through the eyes of the others involved can help you do. It really is possible to create a solution that gives everyone what they need and to walk away with a new level of respect and understanding.
Now you are ready to implement the solution. You can use the same process for identifying potential problems and preventing them from becoming actual problems!
Sue Dyer is the creator of the Scorecard Program, a monthly measurement system that allows leaders to assure that risks and issues are fleshed out before becoming problems and disputes. She is the first woman in the country to head a major collective bargaining unit for the construction industry. Dyer is also author of the award-winning book, Partner Your Project, and president of OrgMetrics, a consulting firm specializing in non-adversarial approaches to preventing and resolving disputes. She can be reached at (925) 449-830 or by e-mail at SueDyer@ScorecardProgram.com.
