Think problem-oriented – you have time for solutions afterwards

Problems, dangers, predetermined breaking points, these are the factors with which I spent my first professional years. My feeling was: I have to anticipate trouble in order to be able to face it. My boss found: It’s annoying.

And for many years I thought he was right at the time. In the meantime, I see things in a more differentiated way: It’s true, the working world has become a very constructive one. We want to move forward, create something, develop solutions. That’s good, it makes the world better. People who only see problems are really annoying. you brake.

What is often overlooked is that people who see problems are important. If you don’t understand the problem, you’re solving without considering the situation.

The art of penetrating a problem…

It pays to devote some time to a problem. What’s actually going on? Why is it the way it is? Of course, you can solve each problem in different ways. If you want to solve it intelligently, efficiently and sustainably, then you should have understood the problem.

The classic is the Five Whys method by Toyota Greener Toyoda Sakichi. An example: Task X – let’s say: mowing the lawn – keeps coming up.

1. Why is she staying down?
   Person A should take care of it, but doesn’t.
2. Why doesn’t he?
   He always does other things first that are also important.
3. Why is he doing other things first?
   Mowing the lawn is inefficient and exhausting.
4. Why is it?
   The lawn mower is not good.
5. Why isn’t he good?
   It is outdated, the knives are no longer sharp and it is not designed for this area.

We see: the core of the problem. How long did it take? Not long. The solution: He needs a better lawnmower.

Any problem can be penetrated with this method. Of course, in practice it doesn’t always have to be exactly five questions. At this point one could continue to ask why A is struggling instead of tackling the problem. Then we might learn: A has no budgetary authority. Or he doesn’t dare to choose a device. Or he feels that he cannot talk to his manager about the equipment.

All of these answers lead to more whys. Depending on the situation, it may be worth asking them. Because at the heart of a problem is always the opportunity to find a solution that reduces or eliminates future work. These are signs that you may have arrived at the center:

• Further why questions lead to the absurd.
• Other why questions bring interesting answers to light, but they lead away from the acute problem.
• More why questions will take you around in circles.

For every problem we will probably find an underlying structure that is more causal and more causal. So every why always includes a check: Does the answer bring us to a solution that helps? You’re taking steps with it. First you solve the problem. Then you look at how you can prevent similar problems in the future.

In everyday life, many people do not take enough time to really understand their problems. At the latest when we have children, we learn that. Because children are also work. And if we don’t get to the bottom of their concerns, we’re not doing them justice. Workarounds and quick fixes don’t even get us from the bed to the sink.