The 5 don’ts of employee problem-solving

I’m the human resource (HR) manager of a business process outsourcing firm. Our newly-appointed American chief executive officer (CEO) is puzzled why our typical worker does not volunteer to solve a problem even if it’s adversely affecting their work. I told our CEO that we need to be patient, as workers may be waiting to figure out the new CEO’s management style. What’s your take on this? — White Flower.

He who waits to do something good will never accomplish anything. Management is not a waiting game. You should be the first to know that in HR, being the in-house specialist in people management. If you’re a regular follower of this column, you’ll find that the common thread in much of my advice is to be proactive with the workers.

That’s why I’m not a big fan of exit interviews, which are too little, too late. They are reactive and reveal few hints about what’s wrong with management. That’s assuming that resigning employees are willing to share their frustrations. Most of the time, they don’t want to rock the boat in order not to delay the release of their terminal pay, employment certificate, clearance and recommendation letter for their next employer.

You can do a lot to encourage people to problem-solve. Start by coming up with a corporate-wide program to establish a formal framework, in which the workers must identify their everyday operational issues and make recommendations to management about their proposed solution.

FIVE DON’TS
However, the real issue is that workers will have many solutions in mind. The trouble is that they’re not sure whether management is receptive to their ideas if the work environment is not conducive. Sometimes, when prompted to propose solutions, they bring up measures that are too expensive for the organization to accept and apply.

I’ve talked to many workers whose main recommendation is hiring additional manpower as work piles up, or buy expensive software to improve productivity. These are typically rejected by management even if the money is there.

In many cases, however, organizations don’t have enough funds for those solutions. So, what can we do? As I’ve said earlier, management must create a work environment where problem-solving and decision-making are delegated to the workers to a certain extent. You may have heard of the employee suggestion program, kaizen teams, quality circles, labor-management cooperation or a combination of any two or three of those.

Whatever name you may want to call it, start something by empowering people with an improvement program outlined in a simple policy, a suggestion form to be used, the role of line executives, the approval process, and the reward system. You can start from there and innovate as you go along. In general, management must be cautious of the following:

One, don’t be trigger-happy in rejecting employee ideas. Emphasize in the policy that management will only accept low-cost solutions. It’s up to you to define the meaning of “low-cost.” Don’t take it literally. A budget of say, $200 or even $500 may be acceptable if it solves a recurring $1,500 problem. It’s your call.

This is the true essence of kaizen (continuous improvement). It includes maximizing current resources to solve certain issues. Give examples of the type of preferred solutions that are welcome and likely to be approved. I have a list of these examples that I could share with you.

Two, don’t monopolize the discussion when convening the group to solve a problem. Don’t be a victim of “groupthink.” This is a principle in psychology that when a boss, a senior team member or a bully voices an opinion, it tends to disrupt critical thinking in other people. If you’re tempted to say something, recast it as a question, or else ask “why” lots of times to challenge the logic of various proposals.

Whatever you do, establish a low-key position. Let the workers shine on their own. If you start announcing your preferred solution, chances are, it will be misinterpreted as something that you would want done.

Three, don’t interrupt team members as they lay out their ideas. If you don’t agree with a proposal, let the group decide for themselves as long as they follow the established guidelines. The same principle applies even if you agree with something. This is the logic behind co-ownership.

It would be easy for everyone to support an idea if they’re allowed to weigh in on the pros and cons without active management intervention. Such group participation also helps to convey the message that management trusts the system and the people who are working behind it.

Four, don’t allow the discussion to erupt into disagreement. In many cases, this is inevitable, but practical solution is always available. If there’s a conflict between team members, try to placate everyone by acknowledging that the opposing parties’ positions are both valid. Then review the rules if they contain a path to resolving the conflict.

Another approach is to solicit ideas from a passive member who might see things differently. As a last resort, allow all team members to conduct a secret ballot to arrive at a final decision.

Last, don’t forget to show your appreciation to the team and to individuals. Kind words are easy to utter and work well in any situation. Don’t sound insincere or phony. Depending on the nature or importance of the issue at hand, you can say something like — “That’s an excellent idea. Let’s explore it with the help of the team.”

Ensure that other group members hear your words of praise. By doing so, you’ll be encouraging everyone to develop more ideas with the help of the team. Management must seize every opportunity to promote teamwork in situations where the workers are allowed to manage their own processes.

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