Monday, July 18, 2016

The Challenge of Team Problem Solving

Team problem solving can be challenging because often no one person sees the whole picture.  When team members are very interdependent, the collaboration of the whole team is required to solve some problems.  Teams who trust each other, communicate, and collaborate with each other will solve problems more efficiently.  Teams that pay attention to their own problem-solving processes are likely to be more effective than groups that do not.

One of the biggest hindrances to problem solving is failing to diagnose the problem correctly.  This often happens because we fail to differentiate causes from symptoms. Symptoms are side-effects of the problem, but they are not the cause.  If we treat the symptoms thinking they are the cause, the problem will persist.

There are a number of problem-solving tools available, including Pareto analysis, bar charts, decision matrices, etc.  Here we will focus on one simple team problem-solving model.

  Team Problem-Solving Model    
  1. Define the Problem: What are gaps in current performance?  Identify what, where, and when. State the problem in a simple and concise way.
  2. Determine Root Cause(s):  Analyze the situation.  What are variations and contributing factors?  What are possible root causes?  What is the primary root cause and its source?
  3. Seek Alternative Solutions:  What are possible options?  Can we combine ideas?  Which ones will work?
  4. Select Best Solution:  What are trade-offs?  What must we achieve?  Do we have the necessary resources?  Which one fits best?
  5. Develop and Implement Action Plans.  What will be done?  Who will execute?  How will we apply it to the situation?  When will it be accomplished?
  6. Evaluate Action Effectiveness.  How will we measure success?  Who will measure?  When?  Was the cause eliminated?  Is the problem solved?
This problem-solving model is intended to be guided by common sense and can be used by individuals as well as teams.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

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