WHENEVER there is a problem there are usually two stages; identification and solution. The problem with problems, however, is that people often leap to stage two (here’s how we fix this), before they have properly considered stage one (what is the actual issue).
How many meetings have you been called into where the great and good are assembled and tasked with fixing something at work? Worst case scenario is where everyone takes the issue at face value, few (or no) questions are asked about the problem presented and instead there is a leap straight into multiple people jostling and suggesting ways to fix it (usually all at the same time).
In the ensuing cacophony of ideas, the first, relatively plausible, sounding ‘fix’ typically gets grasped and everyone settles into refining it; expanding, extrapolating, mapping, outlining and (they think) solving the problem.
And very often, the problem continues. Or gets worse. Right?
Reframing could be a much better option and save so much wasted time chasing down a rabbit hole. Reframing is asking yourself; what is actually the real problem here. What are people really annoyed with, what is really eating up time or turning customers away?
There is an often-quoted example, called the ‘slow elevator’ problem that neatly illustrates this (have a look in the book called ‘What’s your problem?’ by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg for more info). It goes roughly like this:
In a communal building the landlord has been told residents are complaining about the elevator being slow. The landlord and his maintenance man immediately leap into problem solving mode: should we buy a new elevator, should we change the mechanics inside, get a new motor, should we contact the electricity company to see if they can do anything, do we need to oil or grease the chains more etc.
All their focus is on how to make the elevator go faster. As they have very quickly decided the elevator speed is the problem then this is the natural solution to the problem. However, is the speed of the elevator really the issue? Are people really annoyed by that? Do they sit and record how long it takes and compare notes with other elevators? I doubt it.
If we think a little more about what is annoying people in this case, we may realise that the real problem is that folks are simply just bored as they wait for the elevator. It could be the same speed as every other elevator in a three-mile radius, but they are solely focused on their perception of how long it takes to arrive as they have no other distractions.
Now the problem can be reframed. It’s now not a case of finding ways to make the elevator move more quickly, it’s now a case of finding how to keep the people who are waiting for it amused or have their attention diverted.
Now the solutions could be music to listen to, maybe mirrors installed so they can check their appearance. Something just to occupy their time. Maybe make the exterior wall of the elevator see through, so they can gaze at the outside world as they go up or down, perhaps leaving them in a better mood on exiting and forgetting their wait time.
Think about a football team. They buy a new forward and he goes several games without scoring. The manager immediately diagnoses the problem as the striker himself. His job is to score and he’s just not performing. So, the manager gets focused on making him fitter, maybe gives them more time on the bench to ‘acclimatise’, maybe does more shooting drills with them, more heading drills, more SAQ work. Let’s fix him.
Maybe, however, the problem is actually their team-mates not passing the ball in the right area, or creating any chances for him.
The striker could be clinical, deadly accurate. He could be making all the right runs, could be handing the physical side of the game just fine, but just isn’t getting any opportunities to put the ball in the net. Reframing the problem could help the manager diagnose the real problem and see that link up play is the issue. That way the solution can now involve the whole team working more on patterns and tactics to help get the ball to the striker in the right areas, at the right time.
Essentially what reframing does is help you avoid the danger of getting the right answer to the wrong question. The way you do this is by spending a little more time at the questioning stage and holding back the desire to rush in and problem solve as quickly as possible.
As Voltaire is quoted as saying: “Judge a person by their questions rather than their answers.”
:: Barry Shannon is head of HR at STATSports
