Creating Workplace Problem Solvers

If improvement is everyone’s responsibility, why does problem solving so often end up belonging to a select few?

Consultant Niall Coney explores what stops people taking ownership of improvement, including barriers within systems, measures and management habits that often go unseen. Drawing on first-hand experience, he shares how organisations can create the conditions for problem solving to spread, so that spotting issues, taking action and driving change become part of everyday work.

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Creating Workplace Problem Solvers

Episode Highlights

Join Niall in the studio with our Uncommon Sense host, Susannah Clarke, as they explore what it takes to create workplace problem solvers. You’ll hear about:

Why the goal should be to enable everyone to become a problem solver, not just a select group of experts
How “abnormality at a glance” helps organisations make problems visible before they can be solved
Why understanding your value stream is key to exposing issues that affect customers and teams
How Lean tools can help reveal hidden problems by improving flow and visibility
Why managers should focus on asking better questions rather than providing all the answers
Why organisations must make time for improvement if they want people to solve problems effectively

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We know that to develop and sustain a strong continuous improvement culture, you must enable employees at all levels of the organisation to be involved in improvement initiatives.

This, of course, is more than a suggestion box scheme. To participate effectively in improvement projects and their implementation, they’ll need to share a common language and understanding of the process and tools that are being used.

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