A very effective, but simple problem solving tool is the probing question: ‘why’?  Called by various names in the consulting industry (The Five Whys, Cause and Effect, Dispersion Analysis), asking this question gets you to the center of the problem without getting bogged down in history and blame.

 

Whether used by an individual facing an issue in her own business or a team trying to create a solution to a sticky organizational situation, asking ‘why’ to a series of questions often leads to a great revelation. The simple trick of the ‘why’ is that you get past symptoms to core problems and then dig a bit deeper to find what can sometimes be a universal cause to a number of problematic issues. It is important though, to be honest and accurate with the answers.

 

Here’s an example: 

A business I worked with a number of years ago developed a new technology for skin care that was effective but labour intensive. They began recruiting and training young women in all the intricacies of the regime in order to provide the service to a slowly growing customer base. The company would train up to ten women at a time, over a period of two months. Very few (usually one or two) would complete the training. Those that did finish training usually left the program very soon after beginning delivery of the service.

 

In a series of exit interviews, we started to delve into the real issues. Of all of the answers given for leaving, two recurred with some frequency: “It’s way too complicated.” and;   “I can’t see a future doing this.”

 

In working down the line with ‘whys’ in the first response, we recognized that there were problems with the recruitment side and the selection criteria for trainees had to reflect the need for some mechanical or technical competencies. 

 

When respondents were asked why they couldn’t see a future in it, the answers were varied: the company couldn’t provide enough hours; not enough customers to go around; technology too new and market not proven or ready.  We ended with the realization that as the trainees became familiar with the technology, they recognized that it would be a long time, if ever, before the demand for the service made their training a sure source of income.

 

The company was able to develop a core of competent and loyal service personnel through better recruitment criteria, base pay guarantees, and an incentive program that rewarded trainees for bringing in clients. In addition, a stepped up marketing program gave trainees faith that the company was putting resources into building up clientele.

 

While that’s a very simplified explanation of the technique, it provides a starting point for you to try the five ‘whys’ with your business issues to see if you can identify the core problems and apply solutions that make a difference.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 9:33 AM 0 Comments

Tags women entrepreneurs  women-owned businesses  Women’s Enterprise Centre  The Five Whys  Dispersion Analysis 

I few years ago I served on the board of a non-profit organization with a fellow who believed that anything that worked well and smoothly should be shaken and stirred, just to keep things interesting.  Naturally, this created a great deal of stress for the staff of the organization and no little worry for his fellow board members as well. Since that time, I’ve encountered several other people, on both sides of the board table, who believe similarly that when a healthy organization is sailing along, meeting its goals and delivering expected results, that is the time to “become the irritant that creates the pearl in the oyster”, as one woman put it.

 

Recently, I came across an interesting article about ‘disruptive hypotheses’ that triggered all of the old feelings about the two year period I spent helping to put out fires that my board colleague had cheerfully and purposefully set. It also gave me a new perspective.  The piece was in my favourite on-line publication, Co-Design and is a condensed version of the first chapter of Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business by Luke Williams.

 

Mr. Williams stipulates that the disruptive hypothesis is a very important mechanism for creating innovation.  It helps to ask the ‘what if’ questions that lead to visionary thinking and creativity.  However, I believe that since the disruptive hypothesis is an intentionally unreasonable statement that is meant to get your creative juices flowing, if used at the wrong time, in the wrong way it can be a serious hindrance to the ongoing healthy development of an organization. It can serve to undermine or cast serious doubt on successes achieved and on those people who might be making every effort to reach their goals or carry out their mandates; it can be asking the impossible from workers/managers/directors who are already giving their all.

 

When is the optimal time to use the disruptive hypothesis?  When there is a sticky problem to be solved that appears to be insoluble; when a business is mired in stasis and has no forward momentum; or when successful activities (or profits) are substantially below the potential that the business might have achieved.  That’s when you really need to do some sideways thinking to get things moving in the right direction.

 

So for all of you wrench throwers out there, you can be a force for good or evil, just choose your time and playing field with care.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 1:51 PM 0 Comments

Tags women entrepreneurs  women-owned businesses  Women’s Enterprise Centre  disruptive hypothesis  Co-Design