3 Steps To Drive Standardized Problem Solving With Your Leaders

Over the last decade, I’ve led continuous improvement transformations in global businesses, and one consistent challenge with sustainable transformation I experienced was getting extended leadership teams to adopt standardized problem-solving even when the senior leader is the change catalyst.

In a more recent leadership role, I tried a different approach to solve this challenge and while the outcomes are still unfolding, what has become clear is this new approach is paying huge dividends.

In a world of ever-increasing responsibility, I’ll touch on the steps I have tried and by focusing on these 3 steps, you’ll create capacity in your team, create a common language for problem-solving, and build a foundation for innovation over a sustained period of time.

It is about Learning By Doing

Here are the 3 Steps I took to get buy-in from my teams on problem-solving.

Step 1: Model the Behavior You Expect

It’s good to tell people you believe in problem-solving and they should adopt it, but nothing is more important than showing you believe in problem-solving.

How do you do that? Glad you asked.

Simple: Lead a problem-solving event on an issue of consequence to your team with an agreed problem-solving approach.

There are many approaches to apply problem-solving but the “A3” Process captured in the “Managing to Learn” Book below is as good a framework as any.

When I applied a similar approach to a problem, we improved the outcome by over 100%!!!!

That success gave me the credibility and opportunity to move to Step 2.

Step 2: Ask Your Leaders To Model The Same Behaviors

Once you have used an agreed problem-solving process on a real business challenge, ask your team to choose areas in their roles to apply the same approach.

Because you have successfully applied that process, most of your team will be willing to try knowing you’re not asking them to do something you’re not willing to do.

When they do apply the same problem-solving approach, more often than not, you will see more success. You will likely not see outcomes to the same extent that you would have delivered, but the important thing is to build confidence in your team at this point.

One of my leaders saw a 40% improvement in the outcome when she applied a standardized problem-solving approach to an underperforming process which was really amazing.

What’s more amazing is she’s now picked the next area to apply a standardized problem-solving approach because she’s now a believer having lived it!

Businesses like Danaher and Fortive leverage this approach with CEO Kaizens every year to drive tone at the top. Try it and you will build believers over time

Step 3: Create a Process to continue driving continuous problem-solving events.

Once you have got your leadership team bought into problem-solving, the next challenge will be figuring out which opportunities to go after. Here’s a simple process to follow:

• Create a process for KPI Performance management. This typically involves a huddle with your team daily or weekly.

• Document misses, issues, and interruptions affecting the smooth execution of your team’s work product.

  • In back-office roles, this may include capturing corrections or clarifications made in the normal course of work.

  • Checksheets are good for this.

• Pick the biggest category of misses, issues, and interruptions once every month, every 3 months, or the frequency that makes sense for your team.

• Apply your problem-solving process again to that biggest category.

• Learn and keep repeating the process.

This is Simple but Not Easy.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

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