For an inexperienced boss, every short circuit can be a source of nerve and stress. Experienced people know that difficulties are a natural part of the company's development and the day-to-day operation of the company. What methods of solving problems in the organization do they use? Let's learn from the best.
What will you learn from the article?
Have you ever wondered what the best methods are for solving problems in an organisation? Or are you interested in how to choose an effective method tailored to your company's specific situation? In today's dynamic business environment, managers and entrepreneurs face a variety of challenges-from profitability problems to employee mistakes. Are popular problem-solving methods always effective? What techniques can be used to address emerging difficulties?
In our article, we will look at proven problem-solving methods that can help your organisation become more efficient and stable. You will learn how to identify the sources of problems, and which tools and techniques can deliver the best results. Let's get started!
What are the methods of problem solving in the organisation?
There is no single way to solve all problems in an organization. However, the following ideas help you find a solution faster:
- look for new solutions - you've probably already tried some problem-solving methods in your organization and it hasn't come out of it. This time just look for new ways. Perhaps something will inspire you. It can be a lecture, a book, but also a box for suggestions from your employees or clients - after all, they are the "closest" to the problem on a daily basis.
- Have fun - Anyone who has not tried innovative coaching and training methods is usually sceptical about nothing. Those who have already taken part know that it works! Role-playing, building a machine together, survival in the field where you have to work together - once you get away from the office and the 1:1 problems, you may quickly come up with a method of solving problems in the organisation that no one else has thought of before. It's just important that, at least initially, such activities take place under the guidance of a coach or facilitator who will oversee the process.
- Delegate the task - many bosses are used to the fact that they have to make literally all decisions in the company. If you are one of them, try this exercise: delegate a solution to a difficult problem. You lose nothing on it, because if the employee fails, you will take care of it yourself. However, it may surprise you positively. Sometimes employees do not develop because they do not have a sense of agency. Nobody appreciates their ideas, so why bother? If you let them prove yourself from time to time, you can not only find a method to solve a problem in the organization, but also a hidden diamond among your crew.
Will your company cope with the possible crisis?
Don't be surprised!
How to choose an effective method of solving problems in the organization?
Problem solving methods are just a scaffolding around which effective solutions are developed that have a positive impact on the company's condition. So the most important thing is that you start trying out a few of them. If they don't work, you can change method and look for the next one.
Look for effective ways
If you've heard about agile marketing, here too you can apply the same solutions. Observe the progress after applying problem solving methods in the organization. If nothing happens, modify your assumptions or ways to achieve the goal. If the method works, you can continue the experiment. Over time, you will develop the most effective strategies.
Are popular methods of problem solving always effective?
The methods of solving problems described in textbooks have proven themselves in many organizations over tens, and sometimes even hundreds of years (after all, human nature and the secrets of psychology have not changed much during this time). Therefore, before you decide to "reinvent the wheel", use the proposed methods of solving problems in the organization. You can also consult a specialist: a coach, experienced manager, business advisor. In order to gain basic knowledge on this subject, it is also worth reading books. There are quite a lot of them on this subject, such as:
- Solving problems in the organization - Gabriel Łasiński,
- Four types of problems and how to solve them - Art Smalley,
- Work differently. An innovative model of organization inspired by the next stage in the development of human consciousness - Frederic Laloux.
You can also use the shortcut and order ready-made strategies based on the analysis of the company's situation. How does it work? By carrying out marketing audit.
How to address the lack of profitability?
The most obvious problem in the company is the lack of profitability. Some people struggle with it from the beginning, while others are suddenly surprised at a certain stage of the company's operation. What methods of solving these problems in the organization are the most effective? To restore profitability, you need to build on sound foundations. Very often, a small company owes its success to luck or other random factors. However, this cannot be used to build profitability in the long run. Additionally, as your business grows, new challenges emerge and this is where you can't go to the element - procedures are needed to help you master the team, the hiring process, ordering goods and acquiring customers. Below are a handful of problem solving methods in a non-profit organization, which we have already described in more detail in separate articles:
- Check how it is shaped customer retention. Often businesses operate on the basis of business plans whose assumptions are false. E.g. you do not take churn analysis into account in your calculations, so you are not aware that a certain number of customers naturally leave the company over time. You do not replace them with new ones, and thus profits fall instead of rising.
- Research customer satisfaction, i.e. CSI indicator. If you don't, they may be dissatisfied and walk away from you. They may not like something that is easily repairable. However, you need to know what it is!
What model does your company operate according to? The old assumptions may not work anymore. Over time, the vision and ambitions blur, and then even good strategies lose their effectiveness. Effective tools that can help you quickly identify threats and opportunities facing the company, including PESTEL analysis, SWAT analysis or Porter's five forces. They will help you to creatively work through the difficulty and find ways to solve problems in your organization that you would not have thought of before.
Methods for solving problems caused by staff errors
Problems with employees are the second most common difficulties in the company. There are bosses who treat employee mistakes as a personal failure and find it very difficult for them to come to terms with them. Meanwhile, in a healthy work environment, well-known rules apply: the worst truth is better than the best lie, and also: everyone has the right to make one mistake, the only thing is that the same mistake should not be repeated a second time.
The employee is not always to blame
Such trite messages can be considered clichés until you see how effective they are. Openness in dealing with employees and partnerships are the methods of conflict resolution in an organisation that make the team unafraid to admit if something goes wrong.
In companies where terror reigns, employees don't make fewer mistakes at all - they just don't admit to them... This is precisely the risk that comes with employee sifting models such as sieve model. If there are many mistakes and mistakes, it is possible that it is not the employees themselves that are to blame, but the methods of their training, recruitment or assigning duties.
To select the appropriate procedures and methods internal communication to the needs of your company and employees, please contact us.