11/ 30/ 2007
by Amy Cates
Can't see the forest for the trees? Learn how to get to the bottom of any business problem.
Business problems have a way of arriving under the radar. And by the time someone notices, the solution is nowhere to be found.
Like many startups, Columbia, S.C.-based Rhythmlink faced myriad challenges the year before selling its first product. Securing funding and assembling the perfect team required so much of owner Brett Netherton's attention that he failed to notice the communication breakdown happening between his office and the factory in China that was manufacturing Rhythmlink's neurodiagnostic accessories.
With no time to sit down and think about the cause of the problem, Netherton quickly assessed the issue and came to the conclusion that his office just wasn't accessible enough to his Chinese vendors. Using e-mail and instant messaging in addition to the telephone should do the trick, he thought. But that didn't work.
"We wound up getting past it through diligence and thinking through the problems as best we could, but it was rough," he says.
Ultimately, the team sought advice from Americans living in China who understood the subtleties of the culture and the language. When they recommended a face-to-face visit with his Chinese suppliers, Netherton agreed to give it a try.
That's when he realized that the root cause of the communication breakdown was that the context of conversations was often lost in translation, and relying on technology was the wrong approach for this international working relationship.
"There is something about the warmth of sitting at the same table that breaks down barriers and makes people want to please their customer," he says. "Our problem had interesting symptoms. We now realize that what might have seemed like stubbornness on the part of a Chinese sub-supplier was just a misunderstanding."
Rhythmlink eventually got to the root cause of its communication breakdown, but it took some time—and trial and error. Forgo the quick fix and get to the root of any problem with these methods:
Ask questions: Why did the customer get the wrong product? Because we sent the wrong product. Why did we send the wrong product? Because the order form was wrong. Why was the order form wrong? You get the picture. It may just take three whys—or as many as 10—to get to the root of the problem, but keep asking "Why?" until you find the answer. Go through this process several times if one of the questions could have more than one answer.
Brainstorm: Even if you think you know the answer, pretend you don't. Write the problem at the top of a blank sheet of paper and then make yourself write down 10—or more—causes of the problem. Even if some sound ridiculous, it could open a door that you would never have considered opening. Have employees do this exercise, too, then compare notes.
Start talking: Trying to determine the root of the problem? Talk to everyone about it, including your family members, friends and other small-business owners. They'll be able to help you see things from a different perspective.
