Sustainable and Intelligent Solutions to Organisational Problems

Article - by Hamid Soltani

 

ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES

It is certain that in the life span of an organisation, there will be a variety of occasions that it will be seriously confronted with problems relating to business performance, stagnation of essential supplies, stakeholder management /engagement /satisfactions or capability management. Such problems can occur anywhere within the overall organisational maze of interrelating networks, conduits, and end-to-end processes. The common practice in such situations can be a direct management intervention and speedy rectification of problems. Organisations commonly use the concept of “project” as a viable driving vehicle for delivering the required solutions.  

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CHALLENGES OF FINDING SOLUTIONS TO ORGANISATIONAL PROBLEMS

In addressing the heightened business problems or blockage, the question on the mind of enlightened management would be – in the process of addressing the presenting blockage, should management directly deal with the complex root causes of the problem, or should they ignore the extra steps required for a detailed and thorough investigation? Some may justify a quick-win solution as a viable option to reduce project costs, and time or potentially protect their “can do” reputations in their organisation. Some management may wishfully believe they have a good grasp of their complex challenges. The reason for such limited response or attitude may be attributed to: 

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•     Obligation- either management is pressured by their superiors, or they may be personally driven to take shortcuts for short-term gains. 

•     Apathy – Management’s lack of interest in the wider organisational complex context, needs, aspirations and challenges. 

•     Lack of 'Know how' – Management’s lack of necessary comprehension/business intelligence to explore the real solution to their complex challenges. 

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If an organisation decides to holistically deal with its particular complex problem: 

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•    How does it know how far and wide to go to uncover the root causes?

•    How does it know what the actual problems are and where to organisationally look for them?

•    What effective methods could they use to measure, analyse and solve them? 

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The fact is that when organisations fail to identify the real reasons for their given problem(s), the potential consequence (the resulting simplistic assessment) will undoubtedly find its way in firstly, the business requirements that will undoubtedly lack the necessary substance needed to address the real needs and secondly, the developed solutions will naturally behave with a predestined deviation from the desired outcomes. Such solutions, at best, will give the organisation a short respite and in most cases, the problem will reappear and potentially with more complications and potency. The clear loser in such scenarios is the organisation.

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Our practical experience reveals that even with the right intentions, most organisations fail to convincingly explore the real causes of their impending complex problems and for this reason, their solutions often fall short of eradicating the real issues and lack the integrated and comprehensive approach to complex problem-solving. It is no surprise that many organisations often try to fix a problem on more than one occasion and sometimes spanning their costly effort over decades.

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WHAT CAN AN ORGANISATION DO?

The most appropriate action that organisations can take is to Restore Order & Intelligence in their management practices. The following are intended to provide some guidelines for organisations to focus on while trying to solve their problems: 

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GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE

Establish and support the practice of “let’s get to the Root of the problem before solving it”. Be aware there are always many underlying factors that give rise to a particular outcome. Each factor by itself may also comprise of other causes until we unpeel further and further to reveal the final root causes. If a given organisation’s experience or outcome is undesirable, the causes supporting the process that produced a given outcome need to be identified and subsequently changed. Imagine the possible ramifications of not exploring the real causes of complex problems in your organisation.

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CONSIDER ALL POSSIBILITIES

The causes may comprise of a combination of logical, psychological or technical factors. All possibilities are within the realm of genuine investigation. Note the solution may also lie in a holistic view around the sustainability of stakeholders, ecosystem, capability and the supporting culture. 

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EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE

Be aware that the overall well-being of your organisation is in your hands. If for whatever reason, your management does not allow you the necessary opportunity to investigate the real causes and requirements for a given problem, ensure your well-intended concerns are noted and communicated clearly to the right levels of management.

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PEOPLE ARE THE MAIN FOCUS

All organisational designs and solutions should be structured around the people and the environment. People are your shareholders, customers, staff, suppliers, regulatory bodies and community. The environment is the natural environment that sustains the organisation, plus the operating space that satisfies and balances the needs of the stakeholders. Remember these are a complex set of behaviours that will need to be carefully balanced and sustainably work together. 

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MIDDLE MANAGEMENT RULES

The leadership role of middle management is highly critical in educating and guiding their executives’ and subordinates’ awareness of a holistic approach to complex problem-solving. A variety of research studies continually indicate that middle management possesses the appropriate key to help shape the organisation for better outcomes and greater sustainability. Middle Management possess a greater understanding of their business practices, potential and issues. Further, they are generally in a great influential position to lead their subordinates and advise executives. When they do not step up to take a leadership role, the organisation’s opportunity for effective change becomes severely curtailed.

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NEW LIBERATING CULTURE

Restore people’s faith in organisations' direction for creating a better world for everyone- namely the “common good” (Business research shows that organisations have higher and more productive people engagement when they apply and embed the mechanics of liberating culture into their organisation). This may include the empowerment of staff and the creation of an environment of trust and transparency. In this paradigm, staff at all levels will be listened to and allowed to assist in improving the organisation and shaping the ideal learning and participating culture.

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EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Organisations can only grow, improve and prosper under effective management practices. In order to propagate the “liberating culture” where issues are freely allowed to be investigated to their complex root causes, where individuals can feel empowered to effectively voice their views and make a notable difference in the organisation. There needs to be a major deviation from the traditional reductionist style of command-and-control practices to open, collaborative and systemically responsible practices that are intelligently centred around organisational complex behaviours.

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 POWER OF COLLABORATION

The systemic (linear and nonlinear) philosophy and practice of mutual collaboration at all levels of the organisation can significantly lift general productivity and promote a sense of unity in teams, departments and the whole organisation. The concept of people collaboration can span effectively over the new strategic initiatives as well as facilitate the day-to-day complex problem-solving activities. It can also become a strategic tool in supporting and maintaining a positive working relationship amongst the internal and external stakeholders. 

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LEARN FROM HISTORY AND REDUCE REPLICATIONS

When we learn from past mistakes, we grow individually and organisationally. However, the learning effectiveness depends on how well we can decipher and understand the root causes of what went wrong so we can avoid a repeat in future. Linear systems are easier to investigate due to their causal nature, but in complex behavioural systems, it is not that easy as they are dispositional and never happen exactly the same way. Our current organisational reductionist methods and tools are not designed to deal with complexities. It is also important to mention that the major risks for organisations are caused by complex behaviours that are never understood, measured or managed by organisations. However, there are novel ways of addressing complex behaviours (refer to Organic Intelligence pioneering methods).

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VALUE CORPORATE MEMORY

The organisational strength & capability lies in its people’s knowledge. High costs are associated with staff unduly leaving organisations. The cost may include past staff training & development, potential disruption to sustainability (e.g. customer negative impact), recruitment costs for new staff, and new staff training. 

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SUMMARY

Blockage in organisational flow can systemically undermine the performance of the organisation and if they are not addressed promptly, over time, it can severely reduce or halt the throughput/ performance of the entire organisation. 

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The solution lies in a basic philosophy of “get to the roots of the complex problem before solving it”. Failure in doing so is the biggest impediment to organisations' current and future success. As a matter of urgency, all levels of management should shift the balance from what is popular to what is “best for a common good” as they weigh up their decisions for appropriate action. 

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This is a highly exciting time for organisational leaders to courageously explore, embrace and sponsor a new management culture of openness and transparency amongst their staff. This culture combined with the adoption of supporting management practices of staff freedom of expression can directly promote and propagate the application of real intelligence to organisational decision-making processes and problem-solving activities.