The team keeps seeing the problem the same way
Start here
Three Definitions First
Name the problem three ways before anyone proposes a fix
Before the team discusses solutions, it writes at least three different statements of what the problem is. Each statement points to different evidence and different fixes.
Try this first
Ask the group, "What else could this problem be?" Do not move on until there are three different answers on the board.
Borrowed from management researcher Paul Nutt's studies of how managers in hundreds of organizations actually made decisions, and why about half of those decisions failed. Read the original source.
Other moves for this problem (7 of 7)
Kind of change
- The Success Audit · Check what past wins taught the team to stop questioningFor when: The team's ideas keep coming back to the approach that worked before, even though the market, the customer, or the tools have changed.
- Disprove, Don't ConfirmFor when: The team is anchored on the AI's confident single answer.
- How Might We…For when: Teams jump to solutions before the problem is framed.
- Listen From the House · Step outside the work to see itFor when: The team is too far inside the work to see it, with no outside-in view.
- Working Backwards (PR/FAQ)For when: A team is starting from a tool ("let's use AI for X") rather than a customer outcome.
- Scout Before You ShareFor when: Everyone anchors on the same first answer, often the AI's.
- The Bar RaiserFor when: The quality bar slips under delivery pressure and the shippers are also the judges.