Unlocking Innovation: A Simple Approach to Problem Solving

Often, when people hear "innovation," they conjure images of a website revamp, a tweak in packaging color, or a new display setup in a store. However, true innovation transcends these surface-level changes. In a fast-paced world, innovation is continuous, and every organization should embrace learning and innovation as part of its culture if it’s going to grow or maintain its dominance.?

In reality, innovation frequently emerges from the daily hurdles encountered by organizations—friction points with customers, the need for enhanced production, streamlining store traffic, improving online shopping experiences, or reducing product returns. These are the arenas where strategists wield innovation as a potent tool.

Before delving into the realm of innovation, it’s pivotal to confront the challenge of how we identify problems and how teams traditionally approach solving them, along with a change in the processes of problem solving.

So, let’s dive straight into the art of pinpointing and tackling the right problems.

Shifting Perspectives: A Crucial Step in Problem Solving

Picture a typical brainstorming session in a conference room. A problem surfaces, and the room erupts with ideas masquerading as solutions. In the frenzy of activity, a plan is hastily concocted, documented, and filed away, often gathering dust. This ritualistic dance, what I call the "Visual Sign of Progress," appeases leadership momentarily but rarely leads to tangible results.

But why does this happen? It's not merely corporate politics at play; it's a phenomenon I term "Leadership Mind Mapping." Leaders, in their quest for comfort, inadvertently stifle innovation by adhering to outdated problem-solving methods and the more familiar and comfortable yet ineffective solutions they have used in the past.

Leaders should remember that just because we have a hammer, that doesn’t make everything a nail. We must shift the current solutions framework if we are to avoid becoming part of disruption instead of leading disruption. ?

Rethinking Problem-Solving Paradigms

What about organizations employing Tools like 6-Sigma, CMMI, and EPC undoubtedly offer valuable frameworks for optimizing operations. However, they sometimes plunge us into the weeds without first scrutinizing the root cause of the issue at hand. It's akin to drafting an elaborate action plan without verifying if we're even tackling the right problem.

While these tools are invaluable for enhancing efficiency and quality, they can sometimes obscure the fundamental issue at hand. They plunge us into the weeds of action without pausing to question whether we're even addressing the right problem.

?Reframing the Problem: A Gateway to Solutions

Herein lies the crux of effective problem-solving: reframing the problem itself. Instead of merely tweaking the issue, I propose reframing it as a process—a fundamental shift that can yield profound results.

Instead of hastily jumping to solutions, I propose a different approach: reframing the solution as a process and setting up the problem meticulously before attempting to solve it.

It's akin to an exam scenario where setting up the problem occupies a significant portion of the time, imbuing the subsequent solution with legitimacy. It might feel like taking time is actually a waste of time, but that initial pause to assess the real problem will deliver the best solution.

Consider the classic business school problem of a slow elevator. Conventional wisdom along with 6-Sigma, CMMI, and EPC might prompt a deep dive into technical aspects like cables and motors. Yet, the real issue may lie not in speed, but in perceived wait time—a revelation that led to the simple yet effective solution of installing mirrors to distract passengers as they waited for elevators. You see that solution in most major high-rises, and now know why.

Real-Life Examples of Reframing in Action

Similarly, when working with Mark Burnett in CBS SURVIVOR, I was confronted with a problem of wild monkeys disrupting a film crew in the middle of the Amazon jungle. I could have rushed into erecting nets, relocating the crew, or scaring the monkeys away. Instead, I took a step back, asking why the monkeys were there, and why they were coming now after months with them in the jungle.?

The crew had grown to 400 and Production was now feeding them throughout the day and night. Fruit was always available, and it appears the monkeys started to get the word out with time. Discovering the true issue beyond simply focusing on stopping the interaction immediately, I altered the environment paying a team to feed the monkeys far offsite thereby eliminating the source of interaction.

By reframing the problem, I devised a cost-effective solution stopping the root of the problem in an affordable and quick way.

The Marketing Dilemma in this Framework

The team at the front line of tackling problems is nearly always marketing. Unfortunately, marketing leaders have been relegated to executing what the CEO, CFO or COO decide, scared to sacrifice their relationships and reputation by asking for time to analyze the root cause of a problem everyone feels they already know and have solved in the past. ??

The above analysis about the monkeys and elevators, as simple as it may seem, is rarely if ever used.? Most of the time leadership buckets the problem into something they have solved in the past, asks the team for an action plan, and moves forward never uncovering the true root of the problems, only to run into the same problem repeatedly.

As an example of what I mean we can look at the famous "blunting" strategies companies use to "blunt" a new entrant to the market. Most teams will prepare the same old “blunting” strategies [which are honestly tactics if that] when there is a new entrant in the marketplace, but that effort doesn’t truly “blunt” a competitor from entering or better consolidate your brand position, it merely satisfies internal stakeholders that some action is being taken quickly. ?Very little thought is given to blunting activity since operations and marketing have bucketed the problem as something they have “solved” [I use the term lightly] in the past, throwing the same old tactics at it.

Classic leadership will suggest having a “customer appreciation day” to keep customers happy, or perhaps give away t-shirts, free food, or just drop prices.? The root isn’t the new entrant at all, is it.? The root of the problem is brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, and within loyalty some specifics on why customer are willing to flock to competitors, and why now.? Do we think that people will switch from Nike or Apple because of a new entrant, and that Apple will use a “blunting” strategy that entails lowering their prices or giving away a t-shirt?? I didn’t think so.

Why are we losing market share? How can our competitors maintain such low pricing compared to ours? Why have people stopped coming to our stores? How come our customers aren’t loyal to our amazing brand? How come we spend more money on marketing and attract less customers? Why do I have less engagement? The answer is all there for us, but without this framework we will never solve a thing, creating only band aids to stop huge wounds as we scale to zero.

Embracing the Power of "Why" and “Why Now”

In every problem lies a deeper question: why? Why this problem, and then why now? By taking the time to understand the root cause, we can unlock innovative solutions that transcend surface-level fixes. By reframing our perspective and understanding the true nature of the challenge, we pave the way for innovative and efficient solutions to the real underlying problem.

Innovation isn't merely about flashy upgrades; it's about fundamentally reshaping how we approach problems. By reframing issues as processes and embracing the power of "why," and “why now” we can pave the way for genuine growth and lasting change.