In general troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in a system. The
problem, or as initially described as symptoms of malfunction and
troubleshooting, is the process of determining the causes of these symptoms. This
is often where people struggle. They
react to what they think the problem is.
Instead: seek to understand more about why they think there's a problem.
Defining the problem: (with input from
yourself and others)
Ask
yourself and others, the following questions:
a. What can you see
that causes you to think there is a problem?
b. Where is it
happening?
c. How is it
happening?
d.
When is it happening?
e.
With whom is it happening? (HINT: Don't jump to Who is causing the problem?) When we're stressed, blaming is often one of
our first reactions. Address issues
more than people. An accurate assessment
of people’s thoughts can be gained by asking three open-ended questions. What should we continue to do? What should we stop doing? What should we start doing? Best results come from one-on- one or reward
for completing answers.
f.
Why is it happening?
Write down a five-sentence description of the problem in terms of The
following should be happening, but isn't ..." or "The following is
happening and should be: . . . As
much as possible, be specific in your description, including what is happening,
where, how, with whom and why. (It may be helpful at this point to use a
variety of research methods.
Defining complex problems:
If
the problem still seems overwhelming, break it down by repeating steps a-f
until you have descriptions of several related problems.
Verifying your understanding of the
problems:
It
helps a great deal to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer
or someone else.
Prioritize the
problems:
a.
If you discover that you are looking at several related
problems, then prioritize which ones you should address first.
b.
Note the difference between "important" and
"urgent" problems. Often, what
we consider to be important problems to consider are really just urgent
problems. Important problems deserve
more attention. For example, if you're
continually answering "urgent" phone calls, then you've probably got
a more "important" problem and that's to design a system that screens
and prioritizes your phone calls.
Understand your role in the problem:
Your role in the
problem can greatly influence how you perceive the role of
others. For example, if you're very stressed out,
it'll probably look like others
are, too, or, you may
resort too quickly to blaming and reprimanding others.
Or, you are feel very
guilty about your role in the problem, you may ignore the
accountabilities of others.
Look at potential causes for the problem
Collect
input from other individuals one at a time (at least at first). Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about
offering their impressions of the real causes of problems.
Write
down what your opinions and what you've heard from others.
Identify alternatives for approaches to
resolve the problem
Select an approach to resolve the problem
Plan
the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan)
Monitor
implementation of the plan
Verify
if the problem has been resolved or not
Identify need
for change
Creating a
vision of the desired outcome
Decide what
change is feasible
Choose who
should sponsor and defend it
· broad based support is important (both formal and informal support)
· identify target individuals and groups whose support is needed
·
identify where each key player
is on the continuum (from "no
commitment", "may let it happen", "help it
happen" to "make it happen"
‘Make it
happen’
·
develop a non-threatening and
preferably participative
implementation process
·
communicate / skilfully present plans
·
involve people and be honest / make information readily available
·
where possible there should be meaningful
dialogue that gives people a
stake in the change. Listen and respect divergent points of view. People change what they do less because they are given an analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are shown a truth that influences their feelings. The purpose of any ‘see, feel change experience is to motivate action. It means finding a way to have others connect with the need to change on an emotional level.
·
explain the benefits for end users
·
start small and simple
·
go for quick wins
·
publicize
·
create a sense of urgency
If
something is a high priority then keep it a high priority
Who is the
largest group who must adopt and adapt to change. Will it happen? How will it
benefit everyone?
New Structures
Encourage
a New Culture
Power
and Politics
Most change inside organizations disrupts fragile
relationships based on power. Some may
gain power and status, some may lose.
This is no small thing. When our
power is threatened, people may do any number of things. They may wilt and approach work with a
“what’s the use” attitude. Others may
fight to hang on or make sure they come out on top. Others get caught in the political crossfire.
Lock in the New
“We
lock the changes into whatever systems we can. Constitution bylaws
What
is working well?
What
is not working well?
What
do we need to adjust?
Implementing Change Is Not Always
An Easy Process.
LOOK
closely at the current state of your club
LISTEN
to input from members
LEARN
where problem areas exist
RESPOND
by implementing appropriate changes
Negative
cliques and club politics can leave members feeling left out and
resentful. It is one of the reasons
members drop out of their clubs
Observe
members during meetings and activities
Keep
things fresh
Make
new members feel welcome
Get
back to basics
KEY
to making changes
Answer potential questions
What are the changes?
Why are you making them?
When
will they be implemented?
How
will they effect members?
Return to NNCC Home Page