Slowing Down to Accelerate Problem Solving: A Modern Paradox

How do you approach problem-solving in your company? Said better, how thoughtfully do you approach problem-solving in your company? If you are like most companies, the desire to implement change was needed yesterday, and so thoughtfulness (as a problem-solving consideration) is quickly abandoned, dismissed to address such urgency.

This challenge is the same for any leader, however, this is where the similarities end because how leaders respond to this ‘urgent call’ varies considerably. For example, while some leaders respond to the call for change in thoughtful and measured ways, the overwhelming majority of leaders respond in a rather tired and predictable pattern whereby the leader 1) urgently calls a meeting, 2) mobilizes a group of HIPO SMEs, and 3) engages a hapless business transformation consultant to “make change” happen. Ugh!

Sound familiar? Complicating matters further are: unrealistic expectations by the leader of when the change needs to be implemented (i.e., 'yesterday'), not clearing SME’s plates to create the needed capacity for them to perform the improvement work and a leader’s lack of awareness or acknowledgment that to solve complex problems requires both time and space to establish needed coherence amongst all involved of what problem we are trying to solve and how best to solve it. It has been my experience that only when we slow down, long enough to SEE (the whole of) the problem before us, can we ensure a shared understanding, shared intention, and aligned actions exist amongst a team to solve the problem at root-cause level.

So... here is our modern-day paradox that few leaders seem to understand… in slowing down we actually accelerate our problem-solving capacity. Consider how nice (and novel) it would be for a leader, who after recognizing the need to solve a problem quickly, affords a team both time and space to effectively problem-solve at root-cause level? Unfortunately, what we see today is the mirror opposite where teams are NOT given adequate time and space to effectively problem solve.

Not only is it unrealistic to think a team could solve complex, cross-functional problems overnight it is also painfully UN- empathetic for leaders to not acknowledge the work realities of their staff. Namely, that in most companies and for most staff they are: working at capacity with little to no time to breathe, trying to outrun a pandemic that has created enormous stress and complexities (for both individuals and family alike), wanting to help but are too fatigued from doing the jobs of 1.5 people. How does this story end?

You know the truth: staff burnout, rushed/poor-quality efforts, and results more reflective of short-term thinking and symptomatic solutions than substantive, sustainable, structural change. Clearly, this approach to initiating and solving problems does not create the conditions that favors anyone – your company, your staff, your customers, nor you. We can and must do better!

So, the question that rises is, as leaders, what can and must we do to equip our people; to create the conditions to solve problems fully, effectively, at root- cause level? At bottom, we must be [ok] with slowing-our-roll; with resetting our expectations and our leadership style, among other things. Now, the critics among us will say “yes, but we operate in a fast-changing world.

Consequently, we need to move quickly to compete in the marketplace”. Our response: “agreed, but…there is still a better way.” Know this: we gain nothing if most of our improvement efforts are of low quality and reflect surface-level fixes. Thus, our guidance is simply this: allow your teams time to adequately identify and reflect on the problem to solve.

Then, afford your teams space to explore the wholeness of the situation, issue, or context at hand. In doing so, not only will you role-model the type of leadership desperately needed today (i.e., servant leadership) but more importantly you will create an army of appreciative, thoughtful, and highly effective problem solvers.

Related Reading

• What It Means to See Around a Problem

• Going Slow to Go Fast Later

• Creating the Conditions for Excellence

Facing a complex change challenge in your organization? Book an OD consultation with Henosis Partners.