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8 Problem Solving
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THE OLD WAY: When bad news arrives, look for someone to blame and punish them.
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We have all heard this one before, usually in its "Blame the messenger" format. Regardless of the precise wording, this old way always has the same goal — to lay blame for our troubles on individuals. It seems like the correct thing to do when some problem has revealed itself. After all, someone has to be at fault, right? |
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Well, the answer is maybe. But more importantly, should meting out punishment be the first concern when things go wrong? Is it even desirable to lay blame anyway?(The Value of Mistakes) |
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To appreciate these questions we must first examine how this blame-game works. The game begins when something goes wrong. Automatically, the fingers begin to point, until they all point at the same person. Once someone is singled out, the extent of the damage is roughly gauged, and if it is bad enough, the culprit is given the ultimate penalty — termination — problem solved. |
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But what about the next time the problem occurs? Or the next? By dismissing the preferred culprit, the organization exposes itself to the same difficulty in the future, because there will be no one with experience in the position to avoid the problem the next time it surfaces. (Systemic Causes of Problems) |
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Moreover, by terminating employees for making mistakes, a clear message is sent that mistakes are not tolerated. But what everyone in the blame game is forgetting is that mistakes make learning possible. Without mistakes, we cannot learn, and therefore we cannot improve either. (The Importance of Customer Feedback) |
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Mistakes then, are a necessary ingredient for improvement. Terminating someone because they made a mistake is the best way to ensure that all those remaining will not take any unnecessary risks, lest they make a mistake as well. This situation spells disaster for companies that rely on their employees to take risks for their very survival. Without risk taking, and yes mistakes as well, no progress can be made (though there are some risks that cannot be taken). In fact, without (measured) mistakes, companies could not thrive, they could not even survive. |
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