The presenting problem or the actual problem?

Managing change

In a rush to get it done, get relief, tick the box and move on, very often we end up addressing the presenting problem instead of the actual one.

In organisations there are any number of issues that rear up, demanding attention, clamoring for time, resources, and solutions. But often these issues are only the surface problem, not the underlying one.

Giving employees unlimited annual leave to address stress and burnout won’t help if they are operating in a culture where there are insufficient staff, dark triad leaders, or a culture where taking time off confers an unspoken penalty.

Addressing the actual problem takes more time, requires deeper thinking, more effort, and a willingness to tackle things we might want to ignore or pretend don’t exist.

Solving the presenting problem won’t help.

In my MBA class on managing change, we run a live simulation on implementing organisational change in a high-pressure situation. Before we start, I ask the students whether they would ever consider using the influence tactics at the end of the continuum with their employees - coercion, manipulation, threats.

100% say no.

In almost every case, those elements are in play in the first 10 minutes.

Rushing to get a solution, putting the band-aid on, or doing something trendy, won’t solve the real issues - a bad culture, or a system that is out of alignment.