Resistance to solve Issues

[Graciel]

Hi,

how to avoid the situation where people get resistant during a problem solving, cause analysis meeting? For example, when the meeting gets to the point of just doing finger pointing to each other.
Thank you.

 

[Miner]

The solution is to get the discussion going around facts and evidence at the gemba, not on opinions in a conference room. The fishbone tool and 5 why are often used to justify opinions instead of facts and evidence.

I prefer using a convergence approach supported by data and evidence. This approach is called a Diagnostic Tree in the book Statistical Engineering: An Algorithm for Reducing Variation in Manufacturing Processes or a Solution Tree by Shainin (example attached). The concept is based on creating logical splits in the sources of variation, eliminating branches of investigation through data/evidence until you arrive at the cause. This takes opinions and finger pointing out of the discussion.

 

[Ninja]

For example, when the meeting gets to the point of just doing finger pointing to each other.

I submit that effective meeting management is the way to avoid this.
When I got a bunch of PhDs and Engineers and Technicians with High School diplomas in a meeting to solve a problem...the meeting was about "What", not "who"...
They often redirected by the participants into finger pointing ("who")...and I stopped the session and reminded them that "Who" is not what this meeting was about...I wanted "What".

The next comment was, invariably, another finger point toward "who"...and I stopped the meeting again and said the same thing...

Most times, the next comment after that was another finger point toward "who"...that person was asked to leave the meeting since they clearly weren't paying attention.

Finger pointing stopped pretty fast after that.

This is not a "system" thing, or a QMS thing... it is meeting management skills.

Meeting management is like getting the winning bid playing Bridge or Euchre...(Take control, Keep control...or you lose).
Note that "Take control" does NOT mean you do all the talking...it means that everyone in the room knows who's in charge.

 

[qualprod]

Hi,

how to avoid the situation where people get resistant during a problem solving, cause analysis meeting? For example, when the meeting gets to the point of just doing finger pointing to each other.
Thank you.

In my experience...
The best results for this practice involves these main things.
-Management compromise
Strong pushing of top management to practice CAs and analysis
(Frequently employees refuse to participate on this)
-Deep knowledge of analysis (8d, Fishbone,5 why) in all the people.
(Is very common that people dont´have an understanding of these wording.. symptoms, root cause, effects.
-Participation of people who really have a deep understanding of the problem in the analysis.
Sometimes people involved don´t know the real problem.
I heard somewhere "At identifying the real problem you have solved 50 % of the problem)
-Compliment in a timely manner.
(it happens.. CA is analyzed but action plans and the closeout ... are forgotten.

Having covered these issues you might have better results.

Hope it helps

 

[John Predmore]

Sometimes people become resistant to problem-solving efforts because they feel their input is being ignored. A good way to calm people with ideas which do not fit into the current problem-solving thrust is to capture these on a parking lot list (the Shainin people call this a clue list). You are not refusing to listen to their input, you are capturing their ideas for consideration at a more opportune time, so they are not forgotten.

Ideas to capture are observations (as @Miner recommends - facts not finger-pointing), such as: we have been in production for 2 years but we never saw this problem before August. The second shift never seems to have this problem. The problem is worse after the beginning of the month.

There is often more than one path from the discovery of a problem to the solution. The connection between a clue and the cause of the problem may not be apparent, at first. Later, when the team has a working hypothesis on the cause of the problem, revisit the clue list and see how many observations are explained by the working theory. Sometimes people accept the solution to a mystery based on a preponderance of evidence, because it ties up loose ends and no other explanation fits the clues.

 

[hogheavenfarm]

Force Field Analysis (FFA) is also a good tool to have in the arsenal, it can provide some insights into the why that otherwise go unseen.

 

[Ed Panek]

I consider it part of my job to "sell" solutions to the team. If we have a correction identify how it previously cost the company in customers, time, cash, employees, complaints. If you cant create this argument then perhaps you are reviewing the wrong issues.

 

[Anthony-P]

Hi,

how to avoid the situation where people get resistant during a problem solving, cause analysis meeting? For example, when the meeting gets to the point of just doing finger pointing to each other.
Thank you.

It's important to remember that you are dealing with human beings who will always resort to the most primitive instincts of safety and self-preservation. I always start out a problem solving meeting by noting that we are not there to engage in a "whose faulty is it" campaign, but to identify what went wrong and why. I repeat that throughout the meeting and also note that if a mistake was made it is probably due to a process or SOP issue that needs to be changed rather than the incompetence or failure of an individual. If it turns out that it was indeed due to the incompetence or failure of an individual that will become self evident and I discuss with that person or their supervisor privately.

 

[Mikael]

For example, when the meeting gets to the point of just doing finger pointing to each other.

It is not optimal, but in worst case if it has already gone wrong, the last option might be to separate them. 1-1 meetings and redirect the focus whenever they start the blaming.