Solving problems at workplace as a team using root cause analysis

  

Date Posted: 6/4/2019 12:27:30 PM

Posted By: Dominic keino  Membership Level: Bronze  Total Points: -15

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We face problems and challenges in almost every aspect of our lives,be it at home,workplace,while travelling amongst other occasions.

Imagine a world where there are neither problems nor challenges?
How will it look like?
Of course it would be very boring.

Challenges and problems evoke creativity and progressive thinking in our minds,hence,they keep us on toes.

This,therefore, necessitates an imperative responsibility of learning to encounter and solve problems and challenges.
Problems solving is an indispensable skill that every human being should possess.

Organizations and institutions face challenges. Managers tasked with the role of mentoring junior subordinates,to improve performance and raise profile of the organization,ought to be up to date with what is going on in regards to the activities within the workplace.They have no choice but to think critically and creatively in establishing workable strategies of identifying and solving problems and challenges.

The problems and challenges can be addressed as a team,with the supervisor being the facilitator, perhaps, in staff meeting,using the root cause analysis.

Steps of solving challenges/problems using the root cause analysis by a manager,involves knowing the problem, establishing the root cause,brainstorming on possible solutions then making decisions.The steps are explicitly discussed in their respective order as follows:

a) Knowing the challenge/problem- Once a staff comes up with a problem/challenge or the manager observes a problem associated with their junior subordinate,one should be well versed with it (they can even note it down),for instance, a staff who likes arriving at work late.

b) Establishing the root cause-After knowing what the problem is,the manager should find out what caused the problem using the interrogatives 'whys'to dig deeper,in order to discover the root cause.In the example given in the first step,the manager could ask why he/she is always late.They may say that there are constant traffic snarl ups on the way.The supervisor should proceed to interrogate further, like questioning if

there could be another action that could be taken to avoid the traffic.The team could then be offered chances to contribute.

c) Brainstorm solutions as a team-After understanding the problem, the supervisor/facilitator of meeting should go ahead to give every staff an opportunity to give a solution.

d) Making a decision-From the diverse solutions obtained from the team,the manager should critique each,select the best options and finally advise the affected staff basing on them.


When a habit of solving challenges in an organization becomes a routine,performance will improve,leading to employee motivation and satisfaction.

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