Problems are inevitable in any business endeavor. As long as it exists on Earth, there will be problems from time to time.
The secret to business success and survival isn’t the absence of problems but the ability to effectively solve such problems when they surface.
All sizes of businesses will face various kinds of problems ranging from government to Sector-based ones, from employees to economic ones, and from statutory to internal ones.
One of the keys to business continuity is to be able to solve and survive problems.
Below are 4 important steps to effective problem-solving:
- Identify the problem: Before a patient can be treated, the nature of the sickness must first be determined. Improper diagnosis will perpetuate the sickness but proper diagnosis ensures the right prescriptions are made, which effectively brings an end to the sickness. Likewise, to proffer the right solutions, the real problem of an organization has to be correctly determined. Is it a leadership problem, a revenue problem, a manpower problem, a regulatory problem, etc? In a nutshell, the first step is to identify problem areas and develop appropriate strategies to overcome them. This involves asking the question What? What is the problem? What is causing the setback? What is responsible for the undesired event?
- Analyze the impact of the problem: What this means is that after identifying the problem, consider these 2 options; •What is the ideal situation I.e. What is the preferred state of things? And • What is the current situation or state of things? What impact has the problem had on the business? This analysis reveals the gap that exists between the desired and the available which in turn enables business owners to determine the steps to take to bridge such gaps. You can apply this method to the business as a whole or take it unit by unit. It all depends on the scale and scope of the problem. This simply means that proper assessment should be carried out to gather correct and relevant information for needed implementation.
- Determine Obstacles: At the root of every business problem is a human problem. If you can solve the human problem, you would have effectively solved the business problem. Why are we having this problem? If the first question is What? This is the Why? Why is the business having a drop in revenue? Why do we have the regulatory bodies coming after us? Why are we losing customers? Generally, why are we having the problems that we are having? Why are we having a gap between what we want and what we have? Why are we not where we should be? These questions will lead to knowing the root of the problems and then, solving them.
- Solutions: This is where creativity, knowledge, age, and experience will be needed. From the information gathered(report) a litany of solutions can be proffered to the problems. Solutions such as Recruiting, training, effective communication, change in policies, negotiation, rebranding, relocating, reallocating, reassigning, streamlining, and many more can then be proffered to move the business forward.
Every business will face challenges at some point and at different times. The key to tackling these challenges as they arise is to find the right solutions and apply them accordingly.
This article is an attempt to provide you with insight into some of the ways to identify organizational crises and overcome them with courage and determination.
Do have a growing business!!
Fatubaro Temitope is the Lead trainer at Gestalt Consult, a training academy that offers training in Leadership and Human Resources Management.
