Do I need to solve this problem? Let sleeping dogs lie

I have experience of providing an effective solution when there was no need for it, or better to say when nobody asked me for this.

Years ago, with colleagues, I created and piloted an innovative knowledge management solution that allowed all parts of the company to understand its own products and enabled the company to deliver them faster and at lower costs, all while improving client readiness and the client experience. It was a great idea and we proved that it worked. Costs saving, knowledge sharing, product improvement, increase in client satisfaction – all these sounds great, does not it? But after presenting our idea and the proven results from the pilot study, we were told to stop everything and close it down. What was even more surprising was that we all got negative feedback.

You cannot even imagine my frustration and emotional stress I suffered. As I did this work during spare time, after work and lunch hours, as I was so passionate to help the company I worked for.

I thought that we were offering answers for the challenging situation that everyone was interested to resolve, as the solution would help the company and clients. My aim was never to make anyone look bad. But that was how it was seen. The department I thought we were trying to help considered our project intrusive and unnecessary. This damaged my reputation as I was seen as a trouble maker. I personally was shocked as the solution was designed to provide combined cost savings and income of millions euros a year. I was not looking for financial reward or professional recognition, I just wanted to help.

Here are some of my conclusions based on this experience.

All business and social relations are built on agreements, so to avoid unexpected situations and to make cooperation more stable. The agreement helps to coordinate the behavior and to make it predictable. On one hand agreement allows employees to understand, to learn and to perform their role. On the other it makes employees reactive, foreseeable and dependable on their position. When I tried to step out from my role, without understanding how new ideas were viewed in the company, I acted against the established order.

As well it was naïve in believing that I was capable to solve the problem without having the whole picture of the current situation, without comprehension of why the problem exists and how many people were directly involved. I failed to understand the bigger picture.

Our team presented the solution to the people whose work we were trying to improve. We did not involve a third party or management representation who could provide an independent view on the problem and solution.

Finally, in conclusion, I had solved a problem that no one asked me to solve.

This is the concept that I would like to transmit by writing this article – It is important to only provide solutions, to give advice or to help when you have been asked. Nowadays this idea seems unusual, as there are messages to be proactive, helpful, to put interests of others in front of your own. However, good intentions can bring big trouble.

This may sound strange, especially to project managers who are the kind of people who continually want to improve processes, make things better and embody the spirit of continuous improvement. It may also sound illogical when you believe that you have the solution to a problem that will generate income or reduce expenditure.

So how to solve the problem, to settle the situation or to optimize the process? What to do?

For me, I developed a certain algorithm which consists of two parts.

In the first part there are questions for which I provide complete and sincere answers too. As I cannot afford to damage my reputation and to be seen as a complainer and trouble maker.

1. Do I need to solve this problem?

– What is the cost to me and are there enough resources (time, knowledge, experience, etc.) to solve it?

– Why does this problem exist? I study background and history of the problem as many things happened in the past that resulted in the present. This is because ‘’yesterday’s solutions are today’s problems’’ (Peter Senge – The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization).

– What is management’s strategy? Maybe management’s strategy is to minimize profitability or even loose some money in order to expand the activity and capture new clients or there is a process of global restructuring.

– Do I have an independent third party that will evaluate my solution and provide nonjudgmental and unbiased assessment?

2. How, when and to whom should I present my solution.

The second part needs more detailed explanation and I will write about it in my next article “when to present my amazing idea”