Reality check alphabet: The flaws in addressing only the root causes of problems

I’ve observed 99% of my clients will answer ‘yes’ when I ask ‘Have you noticed how implementing a solution to an issue ends up creating other unexpected issues?’ This is largely because, all too often, problem solving tends:

• to focus only on the past i.e. the root cause
• not to focus at all on whether the solution, which might well address the root cause, might also create other problems.

This is why:

• a lot of people are perpetually busy trying to resolve problems they themselves have created
• competent managers always ask questions like, ‘Why is your proposed solution the most appropriate solution?’

The answer to this needs to cover more than just the root cause of the problems. It must also consider, among other obvious things:

• efficiency
• cost effectiveness
• alignment with strategic and operational requirements
• compliance with regulatory requirements.

Critically, the competent manager must also be reassured that implementing the proposed solution is highly unlikely to create other problems.

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P.S. The cartoon was inspired by a tragedy caused by a neighbour. They poisoned the stump of an ancient gum tree they had felled, aiming to ensure the tree did not re-sprout from its stump. Within days a nearby gum tree of the same kind died.

For some time now, scientists have been reminding us of what indigenous peoples the world over have long known to be true. Trees, especially those of the same kind, communicate and collaborate with each other.

In his book, The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben draws on scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families. Tree parents live with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.