Problems and creative solutions are fundamental to any successful organization. It’s utopian to believe that a company without problems can exist. In fact, the presence of issues and concerns are actually hidden opportunities to review the status quo and reorient ourselves. As much as it’s important to identify problems and solve them, it’s equally important to think about the stakeholders involved. Who faces these issues? Who brings it to the attention of the management? And, who solves the problem?
In any company, it’s often the employees who first encounter an issue and bring it to the attention of their managers. And, it’s the management which “solves” these issues, albeit from an insulated position. When people who don’t struggle with the problems raised offer solutions to those problems, it’s most likely not a complete solution. But conventional management leaves no room or time for employees to solve their own problems.
However, if managers and leaders took a step back and allowed their people to come up with solutions to the problems they raised, the story will be entirely different. Managers need to view themselves as facilitators first – they need to show their people that they are willing to trust them and wait until they can solve problems by themselves. Leaders need to rein themselves in and let employees take the lead.
Guidelines to Implement
Choose A Focus Group: Since not every employee can be actively engaged in finding solutions to problems they face as a collective, it’s a good idea to create a representative focus group. Make sure there is somebody representing every problem being faced by the workforce.
Mix Them Up: More often than not, solutions to problems are right in front of us. However, when we’re too close to the issue, things begin to get fuzzy. Bringing in new pairs of eyes are all that’s required sometimes. When a person, who’s never encountered a problem is asked to solve it, they bring in a fresh perspective which might have eluded those who face the problem every day.
Patiently Facilitate: As a manager, it’s often tough to give up control and step back into a facilitating role. However, it’s crucial to take a backseat and allow people to fix their own issues. All you need to do is help them achieve solutions on their own. It may be easier, and probably even less time-consuming, to think of a solution yourself and implement it. It won’t really address the root cause of the problem, which will only resurface as something else later on.