Cross-Divisional Problem Solving Techniques

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝟗𝟎 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎? 𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅. Customer delivery was failing. Promises missed. Revenue bleeding. The entire meeting: "Whose fault is this?" Sales blamed Operations. Operations blamed Product. Product blamed Sales for unrealistic timelines. Sales blamed Leadership. Round and round. Finally, the COO stopped it: "I don't care whose fault it is. What's broken?" They mapped the process. Found the real issue in 15 minutes: a system handoff no one owned. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 90 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 "𝘸𝘩𝘰." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 "𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵." 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔: Mistake 1: They hunt for WHO instead of WHAT Blame dissipates energy. It feels productive—someone’s accountable!—but it solves nothing. Quality thinker W. Edwards Deming estimated that most failures come from systems and processes, not individual employees. Yet we spend most problem-solving time on people. Mistake 2: They add resources to broken systems "We’re overwhelmed. Hire more people." But if the process takes 47 steps when it should take 12, more people just means more people struggling. 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎-𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 When a problem hits: 𝟏. 𝐁𝐚𝐧 "𝐖𝐇𝐎" 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟑𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 ❌ "Whose fault is this?" ✅ "What's happening? What's the actual symptom?" Focus on facts first. Blame later (or never). 𝟐. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧 Don’t solve symptoms. Use the 5 Whys: → Delivery late. Why? → Backlog. Why? → Orders spiked. Why? → Sales overpromised. Why? → Comp plan rewards speed, not feasibility. 𝟑. 𝐀𝐬𝐤: "𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌?" If 3+ people struggle with the same thing, it’s not them. It’s the process. Fix the system first. Then see if you need more capacity. 𝟒. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠? Problem-solving reveals character. Are you blaming or building? Reactive or strategic? Covering or learning? 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴. 𝑹𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕: → What problem are you "solving" by hiring more people instead of fixing the process? → When did you last spend more energy on WHO than WHAT—and what did it cost? (Next time a problem hits, ban blame for 30 minutes. Watch what shifts.) Next week: 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 — anticipating problems before they become crises. 𝘗.𝘚. 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦? → 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒅𝒈𝒆 https://lnkd.in/gi-u8ndJ 𝘗.𝘗.𝘚. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵-𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮-𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺? 𝘋𝘔 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. #TheInnerEdge #ProblemSolving #RootCauseAnalysis #StrategicLeadership

I told a room of criminal justice leaders they couldn't solve their biggest problem. Silence. One director leaned back. Another crossed her arms. They'd brought us in to reduce jail recidivism in Santa Clara County. And I just told them the solution wasn't in their control. "The major drivers of people returning to jail are housing and employment," I explained. "Not rehabilitation programs. Not what happens inside your facility." "So what are you saying?" someone finally asked. "You need to partner with organizations outside criminal justice. Housing providers. Employers. Workforce development programs." More silence. "You're telling us we can't solve this ourselves?" "No. I'm telling you that you can only solve this by working with people outside your domain." That's the uncomfortable truth about complex problems: The root cause almost never lives in your silo. → The healthcare org addressing food insecurity, not just medical care → The education nonprofit working on stable housing, not just curriculum → The workforce program tackling mental health, not just job skills Most leaders resist this. Because it means admitting: "I don't have the expertise to solve the real problem." Because it means sharing credit, budgets, and decision-making power. Because it's easier to keep doing what you know, even if it doesn't work. But here's what happened when Santa Clara County embraced cross-sector collaboration: They partnered with Goodwill and Catholic Charities for job training. Faith-based organizations for housing navigation. Behavioral health providers for comprehensive support. The result: 14% reduction in jail recidivism within the first two years. 73% of people who got jobs kept them for at least 90 days. Housing participants showed a 22 percentage point lower re-arrest rate. Because they stopped trying to fix recidivism within the criminal justice system alone. They addressed the actual root causes. So let me ask you: What problem is your organization trying to solve that's actually caused by something outside your usual domain? Is your strategy and strategic plan limiting you to solutions that won't work? And are you brave enough to admit you need partners who know more than you do about the real issue?

🔧 8D Problem Solving: From Symptoms to Solutions 🚀 In quality and operations, we don’t just fix problems—we solve them for good. That’s why the 8D (Eight Disciplines) Problem Solving Process is a cornerstone of effective root cause analysis. It’s not just a checklist—it’s a mindset of teamwork, rigor, and accountability. Here’s how it works: 🧩 D1 – Form a Team   Bring together cross-functional experts who understand the process and can drive change. 📝 D2 – Describe the Problem   Define the issue clearly using facts, data, and impact—no assumptions. 🛡️ D3 – Implement Interim Containment   Protect the customer and process while the root cause is being investigated. 🔍 D4 – Identify Root Cause   Use tools like 5-Why, Fishbone, and 7M to dig deep and validate the true source. 🛠️ D5 – Define Corrective Actions   Develop targeted solutions that eliminate the root cause—not just the symptoms. ✅ D6 – Implement & Validate   Put the fix in place and confirm it works—through testing, monitoring, and feedback. 🔁 D7 – Prevent Recurrence   Update procedures, training, and systems to ensure the problem doesn’t return. 🎉 D8 – Recognize the Team   Celebrate the people who solved the problem and strengthened the process. 💬 I created the visual below to support team huddles, CAPA reviews, and leadership coaching. Feel free to use it, share it, or ask for a version tailored to your industry. Let’s keep building a culture of ownership, excellence, and continuous improvement—one discipline at a time. #8DProblemSolving #RootCauseAnalysis #QualityLeadership #CAPA #ContinuousImprovement #OperationsExcellence #Manufacturing #MedicalDevices #Teamwork #LeadershipDevelopment #VisualThinking

I often think about how unnecessary communication hassles and competing interests can mess up teamwork between departments. Clearly, DESIGN THINKING could have been a significant help. Most times it’s due to misaligned objectives or expectations. And while Design Thinking isn't the only framework for this, it's the one I've had hands-on experience for facilitating cross-departmental collaboration. Unlike other problem-solving approaches, Design Thinking doesn't discriminate if you're from legal, sales, or other department. In a corporate world often focused on competition, Design Thinking workshops ensure everyone has a voice, fostering participation in both sharing and listening. You might be thinking, "How can the UX team introduce Design Thinking to departments that have historically been less open to such collaborative methods?" The key is customization and relevance. Here are some examples of how I pitched the idea to other departments: 1. Legal: Enhance contract quality, document management and legal compliance. 2. Risk management: Predict and mitigate risks with collective insights. Finance: Boost record accuracy and efficiency for better financial analysis. 3. Operations: Streamline processes, reduce bottlenecks, and optimize resources with process improvement workshops. 4. Human resources: Design employee-centric policies, benefits, and onboarding processes for a happier and more productive workforce. 5. Sales and marketing: Create buyer personas and develop marketing campaigns in workshops that enhance customer engagement. 6. IT: Uncover user pains and understand technical possibilities and limitations on how to address them. 7. Supply chain: Optimize logistics, reduce lead times, and ensure timely deliveries. What has been your experience when trying to collaborate across departments?

Passionate problem solvers are easy to label as "too negative" or "having an agenda". Here's a good approach to bringing people on the journey: 1. Start with what you see and hear Describe specific behaviors, patterns, or outcomes as objectively as possible (knowing that we can never be truly objective). Be mindful of your potential biases. Are your emotions and perspective narrowing what you bring up? Avoid using loaded or triggering language. Keep it neutral and clear. 2. Invite others to share what they see and hear By starting with your own observations, you are setting an example for the rest of the team. Invite the team to share their perspectives and observations in ways that focus on understanding, rather than labeling or jumping to conclusions. In the right context, it might be better to start here. 3. Look inwards, observe, and listen Just as you describe outward behaviors, turn inward and notice how you feel about what you’re seeing and hearing. Instead of saying, “This place is a pressure cooker,” try, “I feel a lot of pressure.” Avoid jumping to conclusions or ascribing blame. Again, invite other people to do the same. 4. Spot areas to explore With observations and emotions on the table, identify areas worth examining. Avoid rushing to label them as problems or opportunities. Instead, frame them as questions or areas to look into. This keeps the tone open and focused on discovery. 5. Explore and go deeper As potential areas emerge, repeat the earlier steps: describe what you see, invite others to share, and observe how you feel. It is a recursive/iterative process—moving up and down levels of detail. 6. Look for alignment and patterns Notice where people are starting to align on what they’d like to see more—or less—of. Pay attention to areas where there’s consistent divergence—these are opportunities as well. Ask, “What might it take to narrow the divide?” 7. Frame clear opportunities Once patterns emerge, focus on turning them into clear opportunities. These are not solutions—they’re starting points for exploration. For example: “We could improve this handoff process” or “We’re not all on the same page about priorities.” Keep it actionable and forward-looking. 8. Brainstorm small experiments Use opportunities as a springboard to brainstorm simple, manageable experiments. Think of these as ways to test and learn, not perfect fixes. For example: “What if we tried a weekly check-in for this process?” Keep the ideas practical and easy to implement. 9. Stay grounded and flexible Be mindful of how the group is feeling and responding as you brainstorm. Are people rushing to solutions or becoming stuck? If so, take a step back and revisit earlier steps to re-center the group. 10. Step back. Let the group own it Once there’s momentum, step back and hand over ownership to the group. Avoid holding onto the issue as “your problem.” Trust the process you’ve built and the team’s ability to move things forward collectively.