We start our day with morning walk. During our walking session we discuss anything under the sun, sometimes even above the sun. More than discussion it is an experience sharing process. The other day, our topic of discussion was solving the problems we face in everyday life. I continued the talk.
“I have solved many problems, simple to complex, both at home and at the workplace. It’s challenging and you feel fulfilled at the end of the day.”
“So, how do you start and finish the whole issue? You can tell me in brief without going much into the theory part. Please elaborate on techniques which look trivial but at the same time you cannot afford to overlook”
“Defining the problem or studying the problem in detail is the first part. The first part takes about three fourth of the total time, and the rest goes for fixing the problem. You step into the shoes of Sherlock Homes. Put your most important faculties, observation and listening, to action. You should have an eye for details. Don’t miss out on anything. Call for information which is missing and vital. Have detailed discussion with the affected parties and get their views about solving the issue. Once all the information is available, we move to the fixing part. We start with:
Generating potential solutions – Brainstorming and Lateral thinking help in coming up with various options or ideas, with out immediately judging or evaluating them.
Now, evaluate each option derived from brainstorming and lateral thinking, considering the effectiveness, feasibility, potential risks, SWOT analysis, root cause analysis, etc.
Depending on the complexity of the problems you can use any time-tested technique as needed to derive at the most appropriate solution.
Most importantly, application of common sense plays a very important role in all stages. Many issues are resolved in the beginning stage only, before it becomes complex. But most of us miss this.”
“Can you share some of your most challenging experiences in problem solving?”
“Of course I will. It was during my tenure in one of the largest government organizations as Inventory Manager. As an inventory manager I was directly responsible for inventory management, stores, purchase, supply chain management and general administration. In government organizations we follow certain protocols, or you can call it standard operating procedures (SOP), for all operations. Since I was the head of inventory, I must get the recommendations from my department for taking any action. I cannot recommend and approve myself.
My immediate junior officer put up the recommendations for approval. Though we have decided in the group meetings about various issues, but at the time of putting up for approval he will raise his own questions which have no relevance whatsoever and were also not raised in the meetings. Though his integrity was doubtful, and there was conflict of interest, I was helpless since I had no solid evidence to prove my point.” I paused for a moment.
Then my friend asked, “then why didn’t you initiate any punitive action against him?”
“In government organizations, we follow the protocols meticulously. We cannot take any punitive action against anyone without solid evidence and detailed enquiry. I did some research on these types of people, and my findings are:
- You can find these types of people in all walks of life, in your workplace, family circle, society, politics, etc.
- They are very intelligent, cunning and shrewd. They are aware of all the loopholes in the system.
- Their approach is negative and get sadistic pleasure in sabotaging any project. They can find fault with anything and everything.
- They flourish in organisations where the employee associations are very powerful.
- To conclude, they merge with the problem and become inseparable. They are basically a part of the problem, and it is very difficult to bring them back to the main stream.”
“Then how did you manage to get the work done with these types of colleagues?”
“Plan in advance, so that even though correspondence, clarification, etc. may eat up some time, advance planning makes up for the lost time. Accept the fact that it is very difficult to convince them. They are beyond any reason and logic. You can only take the horse to the water; you cannot make it drink.
Be cautious and do your homework thoroughly and be proactive in all dealings. If everything fails, wait for the right opportunity and move them to some insignificant department where their nuisance value will be the bare minimum. When the person moves away, the problem automatically disappears.
Dealing with a person who is part of the problem is more cumbersome than dealing with the real problem itself.”
“I have a question. Who comes under part of the solution?”
“Everyone is part of the solution as long as he is not part of the problem, and willing to work with the team.”
