As we wait for the details of the Comprehensive Spending Review it is clear that government departments, firms and individuals will have to respond and adapt to “new “ challenges. Here I suggest a way to tackle this, a methodology , that combines ideas from Action Learning (Reg Revans) with the techniques used by Buffin Leadership International.
Addressing real life problems is one of the best ways for any leader or team to show their worth. Approaching this with an open mind (willing to learn and be challenged ) means that it is also one of the most cost effective learning experiences possible. The concept is that
L = P+Q
Learning ( L ) is a combination of Programmed Knowledge ( P , which we will call experience ) plus Questioning Skills ( Q, simply the ability to change experience in the light of new challenges). Add some expert facilitation and action planning and you’ll have a potent mix to resolve your issues!!
Historically a typical Action Learning programme could last some six months. In todays environment this seems a long time so here is a fast-track approach
Day 1 – form a problem solving team and jointly identify and agree the key problem statement. Using creative problem solving techniques ( such as Buffin Leadership Bridge model ) generate potential solutions.
Day 2 – investigate impact of potential solutions. What is cost/benefit of each? Which is easiest to implement? Which has greatest positive impact on customers? If you could combine a number of elements from each solution to form a “ super “ solution what would that be? Present the teams findings to all key stakeholders.
Day 3 – implement the solution and track the issues and benefits. If it’s not working as planned then change it ( ! ) as long as you keep focus on the desired outcomes. Embed the solution.
Day 4 – review the solution and the methodology that generated it. What could have been done better? What do we now understand more thoroughly? Who else could we have involved ? What is the next issue we want to tackle? CELEBRATE SUCCESS.
If you are interested in finding out more about our Fast-track problem solving methods then please feel free to contact me.
Also If you are based in the south west and looking for an inspiring venue to hold a meeting or conference then take a look at the newly opened South Bristol Skills Academy. http://www.cityofbristol.ac.uk/find-us/sbsa/2.html
Its a vibrant new site with state of the art audio visual equipment and highly competitive rates. To find out more contact Debbie on 0117 3125047 and mention this article.
Showing posts with label problem solving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label problem solving. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Monday, 14 April 2008
Increasing Results with Creative Problem Solving
Increasing Results with Creative Problem Solving
In today’s competitive environment, and the gloomy predictions for a reduced growth rate in the UK, it is critical that companies continue to improve their absolute and relative performance. It would therefore seem to be common sense that organisations make the most of the creative talent within their workforce. How do you do this in a way that ensures both focus on business success and aligns the efforts and energy of the team?
Defining Success
There are 3 areas that companies could chose to focus on
- Financials (Top 100 FTSE investment)
- Customer (Which? Consumer survey)
- People (Top 100 company to work for).
with 2 common approaches. Big Hairy Audacious Goals (Collins) or Continuous Improvement (Deeming et al). There is of course a third way – aligning and leveraging small improvements in a series of areas to achieve a big result. Try this on your own profit and loss account. Increase sales by 1%, reduce cost of sales by 1% and reduce overheads by 1% ...... which can lead to around 20% improvement in profit!
Results Focussed Creative Problem Solving
Ideally in a cross functional team of between six to twelve people
- Clearly Define the Issue. Ensure you are tackling the appropriate topic through asking is this a symptom or a cause? Generate the “ Trigger Question “ that will provide the focus for the following
- Engage Divergent Thinking. Come up with as many possible ideas, thoughts, challenges, issues as you can. When you think you are done ask yourself what if you could come up with two or three more ideas?
- Connect The Thinking. Step back and look for commonality amongst the ideas. Cluster them together and see what common themes emerge
- Gain Insight. Identify the relationship between the clusters. How do they inter relate and effect each other?
- Focus On Actions. List the actions that would give you maximum impact to answer the original question. Be SMART
- Commit To Actions. Allocate resource and take the first step.
Is it this simple?
Yes and No. This approach has evolved and been tested over the last 12 years. For a simple question a group of twelve people could go through the whole process in two to three hours. For a strategic issue it could take two to three days.
The results speak for themselves “That was one of the most amazing meetings I have been to in a long time, especially for the way everyone came together and the output achieved in such a short space of time”
“This was a major example of teams working effectively and collaboratively on a large scale problem. If this problem had not been resolved, the effect on monthly sales and potential lost customers would have seen the business lose £millions.”
“We are delighted at the way the ideas and actions generated encouraged all our managers to contribute and own the outcome. Contributions have given incredible sales results – 110% successful”.
In today’s competitive environment, and the gloomy predictions for a reduced growth rate in the UK, it is critical that companies continue to improve their absolute and relative performance. It would therefore seem to be common sense that organisations make the most of the creative talent within their workforce. How do you do this in a way that ensures both focus on business success and aligns the efforts and energy of the team?
Defining Success
There are 3 areas that companies could chose to focus on
- Financials (Top 100 FTSE investment)
- Customer (Which? Consumer survey)
- People (Top 100 company to work for).
with 2 common approaches. Big Hairy Audacious Goals (Collins) or Continuous Improvement (Deeming et al). There is of course a third way – aligning and leveraging small improvements in a series of areas to achieve a big result. Try this on your own profit and loss account. Increase sales by 1%, reduce cost of sales by 1% and reduce overheads by 1% ...... which can lead to around 20% improvement in profit!
Results Focussed Creative Problem Solving
Ideally in a cross functional team of between six to twelve people
- Clearly Define the Issue. Ensure you are tackling the appropriate topic through asking is this a symptom or a cause? Generate the “ Trigger Question “ that will provide the focus for the following
- Engage Divergent Thinking. Come up with as many possible ideas, thoughts, challenges, issues as you can. When you think you are done ask yourself what if you could come up with two or three more ideas?
- Connect The Thinking. Step back and look for commonality amongst the ideas. Cluster them together and see what common themes emerge
- Gain Insight. Identify the relationship between the clusters. How do they inter relate and effect each other?
- Focus On Actions. List the actions that would give you maximum impact to answer the original question. Be SMART
- Commit To Actions. Allocate resource and take the first step.
Is it this simple?
Yes and No. This approach has evolved and been tested over the last 12 years. For a simple question a group of twelve people could go through the whole process in two to three hours. For a strategic issue it could take two to three days.
The results speak for themselves “That was one of the most amazing meetings I have been to in a long time, especially for the way everyone came together and the output achieved in such a short space of time”
“This was a major example of teams working effectively and collaboratively on a large scale problem. If this problem had not been resolved, the effect on monthly sales and potential lost customers would have seen the business lose £millions.”
“We are delighted at the way the ideas and actions generated encouraged all our managers to contribute and own the outcome. Contributions have given incredible sales results – 110% successful”.
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