Many of us get our work done through cross-functional teams. The members of those teams have a few shared goals but also their own work priorities. Each team member, because they are serving different teams and functions, sees the world differently. This can create conflict over tasks, which is quite healthy. Task conflict helps us understand that there are different ways of looking at a challenge and different solutions, each with its own ups and downs.
In these situations, oftentimes, we jump right to a solution and start advocating for that before we even really understand the problem. If folks don’t agree that there is a challenge worth addressing, or have a different opinion on what’s causing it, your proposal will meet lots of resistance. And that’s probably a good thing in this context, because it forces everyone to take a step back and look at this issue together.
Below are the three steps to solving major problems collaboratively, while building shared value among the cross – functional team:
Step 1 – Get agreement that there is a problem
Perhaps, because of where you sit, you see something as a problem that the rest of your team does not yet see. In such cases, it is important to convey the issue with facts, while declaring your hope that the problem can be solved together. You may even want to borrow this helpful phrase from the D-School “How might we” when articulating the challenge, so that it feels like a positive team exercise to all.
Be as clear and specific as possible about what you are seeing and what the negative impacts are now, and potentially in the future, on your shared goals and on your own work. Never make it personal. Avoid being too emotional. Do not attack, criticize, blame or complain. And try not to attach any cause to the problem at this stage, because there are likely several root causes (see Step 2). This is where I frequently see problem-solving break down – jumping to conclusions before exploring root causes. It’s natural to want to do this since we are all busy people. But it won’t get you to the best solution space.
Once there is a shared view of the problem and its impacts, move onto Step 2.
Step 2 – Diagnose the root causes of the problem
Generally, when we face a complex challenge, there can be many causes. Avoid the temptation to attach causation to correlation. Enable each person on the team to provide insights on what they think might be the underlying issues. Ask for disconfirming opinions. If you get to the answer too quickly, you may be missing something. Get used to asking, “what’s another way of looking at this” and “what might we be missing”.
Once there is agreement on what the biggest contributors are to the challenge, move onto Step 3.
Step 3 – Solve the Problem Together
As the (kind of gross!) saying goes, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”. For complex challenges, there’s rarely one correct answer. Instead, there are multiple ways to tackle the root causes to get you better outcomes. Each of these options comes with upsides and downsides, risks and benefits. And it’s likely that none of them will be 100% fool-proof.
Some final tips for solving problems collaboratively:
DESIGN CRITERIA: Before you start working on solutions, it helps to create a short list of “design criteria” in which to evaluate your myriad of options. These are the short-list of qualities any option you define and select will include. The criteria should reflect the team members’ group and individual values and needs. When you do this, you’ll likely see that there are areas of convergence and areas which are critical to only an individual. Identify what is most important to the group and what each member CANNOT live without.
Here’s an example: I’m working with companies and NGOs on developing methods to set science-based targets for nature. One of my go-to design criteria for our solutions is “it must be practical for business to implement”. Some of my technical colleagues’ criteria is “it must be scientifically credible”. Both criteria are critical to the success of our work, but it would be quite easy to lose each other’s threads because we’re coming from different perspectives.
BRAINSTORM: Invite team members to present options for solutions. Get as creative as possible. Don’t eliminate any idea off the bat. You’d be surprised how throwing out seemingly crazy ideas can lead to breakthrough solutions.
FILTER: Using your criteria, eliminate what doesn’t fit. With the remaining options, see if there’s a lot of energy around any particular one. Try to whittle your list down to a handful of viable options.
EVALUATE: as a group, determine the pros/benefits and cons/risks of each of the remaining options. While discussing risks, agree on its likelihood and how you will manage for it, if it happens.
By following these steps to collaborative problem-solving, you will be able to tap into the best thinking and perspectives of the group while also creating shared value and buy-in.
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