A Human Centered Approach

Imagine this: Your business has just launched a new product, the result of over ten years of work. Yet, its early performance is only 50% of the target. Expectations were sky-high, but the data now shows a clear trend of underperformance. The CEO (not a happy person) asks you to determine the root cause and present a plan to fix it by Friday. Welcome to the world of problem-solving.

Humans have been solving problems for a long time. We've created plenty of them, but we've also tackled some tough ones. Yet in business, solving complex problems remains a challenge. Many companies have tried to codify a formula—like Toyota’s “5 Whys” or Ishikawa's Fish Bone Analysis to apply to every possible scenario as a way to simplify the task. While valuable, these methods are particularly useful to analyze technical processes and may underplay the human element.

So before diving into Root Cause Analysis, here are some tips to set the stage for deep problem solving:

Assemble the Right Team and Ask for Help Start by acknowledging that you don’t need to do this alone. Recognize the scale of the problem and the importance of your work. Assemble a diverse team of eight—not too small, not too large. Include a mix of perspectives: some naive, others expert; some rule-followers, others rule-breakers. Help them understand the strategic question’s criticality and why you specifically chose them.

Recognize and Address Biases High-stakes problems can introduce dangerous biases. Encourage your team to self-check for these biases. Kick off the first meeting with a refresher on the “big three”:

• Confirmation: Our tendency to seek out information that supports our preconceptions can limit our perspective and obscure better solutions. It's crucial to actively consider alternative viewpoints and contradictory evidence.
• Anchoring and Availability We often rely too heavily on the first piece of information we encounter (anchoring) and on information that is most readily available or recent. This can lead to biased decisions based on incomplete or skewed data. Strive to gather comprehensive information and question initial assumptions.
• Overconfidence and Sunk Cost Fallacy: Overestimating our own abilities can lead to overly optimistic decisions, while the sunk cost fallacy makes us persist in failing endeavors due to prior investments. It's important to remain objective, assess risks realistically, and be willing to pivot when necessary.

Ban Any Question That Starts with “Why” Instead, use questions that start with “What” or “How.” This approach, rooted in principles from Nonviolent Communication (NVC) by Marshall Rosenberg, emphasizes empathetic and non-judgmental dialogue. It helps teams get to the root causes without assigning blame, avoiding defensiveness.

By following these human-centered principles, we can improve our problem-solving capabilities and achieve more effective outcomes.