Problem Solving
Life & Business – It’s All About Problem Solving
It’s true: what sets humans apart from all other forms of life is our ability to solve problems. In fact solving problems is all we doand we solve problems for one reason. Humans solve problems to meet their needs and fulfill their wants, thereby reducing stress (or anxiety). So what does that have to do with business? Every corporation in the world exists to make money, but there is a fundamental underlying function by which businesses perform.
Businesses exist to meet human needs and meeting human needs is best characterized as problems to be solved. Consider the history of business and economic development. It is synonymous with the history of finding ever more ingenious ways to travel, be entertained, control the growth of grass in the yard, find a mateand get rid of your old furniture. (Think jet airplanes, iPods, lawnmowers, match.com, eBay).
As businesses, we’re always trying to push the envelope of innovation to meet human needs better, whether that entails a low-end solution and price reduction, or whether it entails a higher-end solution for which customers are willing to pay a premium. In either case there is one thing you can always count on problems to be solved.In this sense problems are good, not bad as the word implies. There is no escaping problems in a world that changes constantly—in markets and in the strategies and operations of a corporation. Therefore, if there’s one overarching competency for corporations to possess, that competency is problem solving.
In this sense problems are good, not bad as the word implies, because they are the necessary atoms of evolution (human, plant and animal). There’s no escaping problems in a world that changes constantly—at the subatomic level, in the realm of the natural environment, in markets and certainly in the strategies and operations of a corporation. Therefore, if there’s one over-arching competency for corporations to possess, one that lies most squarely at the center of what a company has to do well, that competency is problem solving.
We might add that in a world where consultants are constantly branding methods, and honing lenses through which to view the business at hand, a problem-solving orientation can sustain a workforce through these various programmatic gyrations and iterations. All the tools, techniques and methods and the names that go with them (like Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen and so many others)— are nothing more than repackaged programs for solving the business problems of the day. BMGI understands the problems businesses face, and we know where the problem-solving power ends and the packaged programs begin. In fact, we have spent years partnering with clients to drive Six Sigma and Lean deployments in many industries. But as anti-consultants we recognize that particular changes in Lean Six Sigma as well as the tools Black Belts wield have now been commoditized.
The question is: Who will be the great practical thinkers and problem solvers to lead us into the next economic era? How will we solve the problems we now face or will be facing in the next five years?
At BMGI, we solve problems only because we know how to define them, analyze them and bring the very best tools and knowhow to bear on the solution. Having compendiums of tools and techniques alone doesn’t make one a world-class problem-solver. Something more is needed if a business is to better meet human needs with profitable products and services that take their customers’ pain away. We all know at our cores that only an organization can transform itself, only sometimes with some help from the outside when needed. BMGI understands this and has realigned its services and its experts to help others solve their problems. BMGI’s Problem Solving capabilities have made it known world over as the best operations excellence consulting firm in the following consulting services:
Companies use Six Sigma to reduce variation in products and processes- but the net impact of any Six Sigma intervention is what people really look for- fewer defects, shorter cycle times, increased capacity and throughput, lower costs and reduced capital expenditures
Companies uses Lean to diagnose their “Value Stream”, eliminate non-value added activities from processes resulting in Faster and responsive delivery
Generate opportunities for top line enhancement Making offering cost competitive Involve everyone and create a culture of passion for perfection
Companies turn to Lean Six Sigma when they are looking for both short term and long term solutions. While Lean helps in delivering short term results Six Sigma prepares the organizations for long term targets
Basic Problem Solving is used when your process or system under study is complex because no one person in your practice knows all the dimensions of an issue, when your process involves more than one discipline or work area or when your solution requires creativity or when you need your employees’ commitment
Mega Process Redesign helps companies in rethinking modules of a large process problem, solve the basic human needs thorough the process by designing solutions in a radically new way that eliminates waste by breakthrough levels in the system and gives rise to a entirely new process that works in the best way possible
For problem solving, call BMGI today.