Here’s a tip for anyone who leads a root cause analysis facilitation. When someone says “This procedure is a piece of junk?” your immediate response should be “Got it.” Instead of arguing, you acknowledge that they’re displeased with the procedure. While looking through the procedure, ask “Every single step in the procedure is wrong?” The person typically responds with something like “No, not every step, but look at step 27.” You can then read step 27 and ask “Is every word in step 27 wrong?” The response is again similar. It’s usually something like “No, not every word, but right here…clockwise, should be counterclockwise.” Then, you can “Got it” once again.The point is to improve the way people communicate, not just about procedure problems, but all problems. People make generic statements like “the procedure is junk” because they have evidence that something is wrong with the procedure. Ironically, when people have specific details, their complaints tend to be general statements: the procedure is junk, the step is wrong, or the label is incorrect. They’re too general. Specific solutions require specific information. An effective root cause analysis facilitator draws out the specifics. They also know there’s no need to disagree with people “in general.” Blamers and complainers speak in general, but problem solvers are specific.
In Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey explains the importance of understanding the other person’s point of view. When two people disagree, each person usually tries to share their view first. The person who can say “We see things differently. Let me first listen to you” controls the exchange. When someone wants to complain about a procedure there’s no need to argue. An effective facilitator starts by agreeing in general so that the discussion can get specific. Once specific problems are identified within the procedure, the complainer can become a resource for offering ideas to improve it. A root cause analysis facilitator should be able to take any complaint and reframe it as an opportunity for improvement.
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