How do you know you have a problem?

Does your solution really fit the issue?

I talked myself out of another consulting assignment a while ago. Oh well. That’s the ever-present hazard of asking one of my favorite dumb questions: “How do you know you have a problem?”

Turns out that the issue at hand was staff alignment and morale, in a key division that has been going through major changes and an upcoming acquisition. The method they had chosen was a day-long session for getting consensus on the “values” of the division. Turns out, that wasn’t really going to handle the problem, but only add to the meeting-itis which was contributing to low morale to begin with. Though on the surface the method seemed to fit the desired outcome, when the specific details surfaced as examples of “morale problems”, just focusing on values wasn’t going to handle it. They needed to clarify real work strategies, tactics, and the owners of key objectives and projects. If the meeting wasn’t set up to address and resolve those (as they were sure to arise) we’d be walking into a serious mine field. To their credit the key players decided to cancel the session (my consulting!) to regroup in the larger and more appropriate context.

Our tendency to generalize about problems and issues, though well-intentioned as a way to get control in our minds, often serves to undermine real progress. “Morale is in the pits!” (= 3 key people have expressed dissatisfaction with the comp package.) “We’re crashing and burning!” (= a competing product has taken 5% of our market share this quarter.) “It’s really out of control!” (= we need to restructure our sales teams to better serve the changing customer base.)

The reactive expressions nurture dangerous rumors and ineffective solutions. The actual data is the reality which must be accepted and addressed, for real solutions and improvement.

Yo, Henny-Penny--exactly which part of the sky fell, where, and on whom?

The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is not good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic. - Bertrand Russell