Reducing the Barriers to Great Problem-Solving Collaboration
Some problems are impossible to solve—at least, it seems that way sometimes. Has your industry or profession had a big, hairy problem that has been a source of consternation for a while?
We’ve been discussing the reasons for offering more opportunities to collaborate (problem-solving is one of those reasons) and various formats for collaboration—some synchronous and others asynchronous. But how do you prompt the collaborators to solve problems, especially big, hairy problems, without devolving into the usual hand-wringing, worried conversation?
One answer lies in a post Seth Godin recently wrote called, Other People’s Problems:
“It’s surprisingly easy to be generous and find solutions to our friend’s problems.
Much easier than it is to do it for ourselves. Why?
There are two useful reasons, I think.
FIRST, because we’re unaware of all the real and imaginary boundaries our friends have set up. If it were easy to solve the problem, they probably would have. But they’re making it hard because they have decided that there are people or systems that aren’t worth challenging. Loosening the constraints always makes a problem easier to solve.
And SECOND, because resistance is real. Solving the problem means moving ahead, confronting new, even scarier problems. It might be easier to stay where we are, marinating in our presence.
When we care enough to solve our own problem, we’ll loosen the unloosenable constraints and embrace the new challenges to come.”
Just like friends and individuals, groups can also get stuck solving problems. Here are prompts that I often use to avoid stuckness:
Another industry or profession faces a nearly identical challenge. What are some things they could do?
Imagine you are the CEO of a competitor. What would your first move be? How might you make the most significant positive change? What might you prioritize?
A friend works for a partner company. What would you recommend to them?
Instead of having collaborators solve the problem head-on (which might produce some resistance), approach it from the side to reduce friction.
