The family and I were on holiday in Gran Canaria last week. I got sick, I’m a man so trust me I was very sick.

As I lay in my bed trying to figure out how I’d got sick I remembered that the last time I was on holiday and got ill just as I was going on a trip to swim with some Dolphins (I never made it, I was sick). And on the morning that I took ill in Gran Canaria we were also off to see some Dolphins.

Well, you can imagine my immediate conclusion, ‘it must be the Dolphins that are making me sick’ I thought.

Let’s be honest, that’s a pretty stupid conclusion but when you think about it no less silly than some of the conclusions that managers in organisations reach when trying to solve their problems.

At the weekend I got a call from an old client, she’d resigned from her job because she’d got fed up with the crazy approach her Managing Director took to running the business. For example the error rate was high so he set everyone an objective that they must not make any errors.

Think about the logic.

1. Errors are made by people
2. So it must be their fault
3. Therefore if I shout at them or set them a target the problem will go away

It didn’t! To get to the root of the problem would have required just a wee bit more thought.

Here’s the process:

1. Get clarity on the problem

a.There are too many errors, but how many?

2. Can the problem be contained?

a.Is there a short term fix that we can use to stop the problem getting worse?

3. Analyse the problem

a.How many errors, what type, when and where do they occur? What is the cause?

4. Using the data from above try something

a.Run an experiment and see if the error rate changes, then try one thing at time and see what is most effective

5. Keep going until the problem is solved, then start again on the next one

We use this method when working with managers to help them start the process of never ending improvement of the business. It works. I’ve included a sheet you can use, just click here to download it. If you want more info drop a note to admin@vanguardscotland.co.uk with ‘more problem solving info’ in the subject line. I will make a short video and get it to you next week.

On a final note I’ve still never had that dolphin trip so feel free to send photos! And yes (before you say it) there is something very weird about having your head down the toilet and your only thought being ‘this would make a great blog!’

Many Thanks

Stuart Corrigan

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