Dealing with a problem under pressure
Problems often arise in unpredictable ways. Urgency must then prevail and solutions must be found. Here is a solution to manage a problem under a high level of pressure.
Set the rules for managing the team's emotions
Pressure creates emotions that can cloud judgment and analytical thinking. You can agree with your team that, given the situation, the group should adopt an "emotionless and rational" way of thinking. The declared objective will be to avoid bad decisions and potential conflicts during the resolution of the problem.
Determine the origin and circumstances of the problem with your team
Before you throw yourself into the resolution, conduct an analysis of the problem. You can use other practices to analyze the causes of the problem:
If you don't have the time:
- Clarifying: Search by Brute Force https://www.opendecide.com/learn/practices/13
If you have some time:
- Clarifying: The Art of Multiple Formulation https://www.opendecide.com/learn/practices/16
- Clarifying: The Tree of Possibilities https://www.opendecide.com/learn/practices/17
Prioritize according to future damage with the team
List the causes of the problem and assess the potential short and mid-term damages. By prioritizing causes, you prioritize problems and, therefore, solutions.
Create a simple to-do list for each step of the resolution
Present the problem(s) to your team and find a solution in the form of a list of actions to accomplish. Once the tasks have been defined, start distributing the tasks within the group. Position yourself as the "conductor". Centralize exchanges so you can quickly orchestrate actions.
Once the resolution is finished, write it in a practice
Once the crisis is over, create a practice on OpenDecide with all the steps you had to take to solve the problem. This will make it easier for you and your teams to solve the problem the next time.
