How Do You Engage Employees in Problem Solving?

From involving your team in the conversation to shifting goal ownership to the employee, here are 15 answers to the question, “What are the most effective ways that you engage employees in problem solving?”

• Ask, Don’t Tell
• Promote Creativity
• Use the 5-5-5 Exercise
• Don’t Just Bring the Problem – Include the Solution
• Facilitate Small Group Discussions
• Create a Safe and Inclusive Space to Share Ideas
• Formalize Innovation Labs, Invite All Levels
• Set Up a “Guild”
• Do Not Micromanage
• Consider the Context of the Problem First
• Be a Coach and Mentor
• Collaborate and Conquer
• Provide an Incentive to Employees Who Share Good Ideas
• Ask Better Questions
• Let Employees Own the Goal and the Solution

 

 

Ask, Don’t Tell

 

A great way to engage employees in problem-solving is to ask them what they think the solution might be. Too often, we are quick to provide the solution. We want to help; we think it’s quicker to provide the solution; we don’t believe the employee knows the answer. 

However, the employee will never learn how to problem-solve if we don’t let them try. A lot of times, they do know the solution but aren’t confident in offering it. If they are going to be shot down or dismissed, they won’t offer solutions. Asking them what they think before offering a solution changes that dynamic.

Diane Helbig, Chief Improvement Catalyzer, Helbig Enterprises

 

Promote Creativity

 

I consider it crucial to foster creativity wherever possible. Because simple, logical problems are usually easily resolved, I think it’s important to engage in some abstract thought whenever possible when trying to find a solution. 

You can use as many or as few of the dozens of methods available to encourage innovation in the workplace as you see fit. Put up some abstract art on the walls, play some upbeat music, bring in some plants for some life and color, spice up the break area with some activities, etc.

Edward Mellett, Co-Founder, Wikijob

 

Use the 5-5-5 Exercise

 

If you’re trying to solve a problem and want to engage your team members, use the 5-5-5 exercise. It comprises three five-minute blocks; we spend the first five minutes explaining the problem and providing context. 

Next, the group has five minutes to ask questions that help them understand the circumstances more deeply. It’s a time just for questions. 

We spend the final five minutes getting quick feedback, recommendations, or insights from the other members of the group. This quick exercise gets everyone involved, keeps them focused, and often drives creative solutions.

Logan Mallory, Vice President of Marketing, Motivosity

 

Don’t Just Bring the Problem – Include the Solution

 

As a manager, it is very easy to solve problems that your team has. As the proverb says, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” 

Our role as managers is to help employees learn long-lasting habits. We should identify the problem, consider all relevant information, research as needed, and bring forth a solution. 

At first, it may be a matter of going through the entire process with the employee. Then, set the expectation that this should be the protocol to follow. Employees will see that they can solve the issue before they even get to the manager. When they still need feedback, evaluate their solution to determine whether it works, praise them for the effort, and share why it didn’t work for continued learning.

It may intimidate employees at first, but this process sends the message that you trust their abilities and decision-making skills, and therefore value their contributions.

Patty Hickok , Sr. Director Employee Relations, HRIS, and HR Operations, NANA Regional Corporation

 

Facilitate Small Group Discussions

 

Break your team into small groups, either in-person or virtually, and give them a challenge or a problem to solve. Give them 10-15 minutes to brainstorm a solution, then come back together as a team and share what each group came up with. Small groups can come up with some unique ideas and solutions.

Ed Stevens, Founder and CEO, Scoot

 

Create a Safe and Inclusive Space to Share Ideas

 

Creating a safe and inclusive space is an important step in engaging employees in problem-solving. We can achieve this by creating an open and nonjudgmental environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives. 

Leaders can create this space by modeling open communication and active listening, and by encouraging constructive feedback that focuses on providing critiques of ideas, not people. By creating a safe space, employees are more likely to feel empowered to contribute their ideas and collaborate with others, which can lead to more effective problem-solving outcomes.

Mark Pierce, CEO, Cloud Peak Law Group

 

Formalize Innovation Labs, Invite All Levels

 

There seems to be an inordinate amount of informal innovation happening within organizations. The root cause seems to, ironically, be the virtual workplace, whereby any two individuals can connect across the organization, independent of geographic location or business structure. 

While this leads to some informal innovation and problem-solving, it also has the net effect of disjointed, duplicative processes, as well as under-recognized employees. The way to solve this is to move toward formalizing your innovation programs and create structures/tools as labs. 

And be sure to invite the employees at the ground level who can see the challenges and can contribute solutions. While it may seem like this would stifle collaboration, there is such a thing as inefficient innovation, which is definitely worth avoiding.

Jeremy Ames, Sr. Manager, Accenture

 

Set Up a “Guild”

 

I think Spotify calls them “guilds,” or you could call them resource groups, or a task-force, or whatever you want to say. 

The best way to encourage employees in problem-solving is to give a small team a specific problem that is their responsibility to work out. That group can span multiple departments. 

Ideally, you want to keep it small, agile, and accountable. 

To ensure the problem gets solved, have an odd number of people on your team. That way, there is always a tie-breaker. Groups of three or five people work best. More than that, you can end up with factions, and the accountability piece gets lost.

Matthew Stibbe, CEO, Articulate Marketing

 

Do Not Micromanage

 

Throughout my managerial experience, I’ve learned the importance of empowering employees to engage in problem-solving and take ownership of their work. Providing challenges for your team members can cause more successful outcomes and foster a sense of belonging. 

Don’t micro-manage, as this will only damage morale. Instead, frame challenges as an opportunity for collaboration and create a safe environment for experimentation along with open communication between team members. By doing this, you will help establish trust while allowing team members to come up with creative solutions that are tailored to the specific problem they are dealing with.

Lorien Strydom, Executive Country Manager, Financer.com

 

Consider the Context of the Problem First

 

Employee engagement is one of the best ways to solve problems, but consider the context of the problem first. If it impacts the general staff, welcome suggestions and feedback to guide the conversation to deliver a solution. If it involves select employees, provide a professional space where they can initiate a dialogue among themselves. 

Sometimes, a moderator, or even a mediator, may be needed. It helps when working with open-ended questions rather than probing the problem with binary questions, as this can impede the progress of an impending breakthrough. 

It’s important that employees feel acknowledged enough to contribute their insights. Their lack of engagement can serve as a passive-aggressive tactic to stall the problem-solving, or even lead the participants to side with a specific solution that is not intended nor good for the employees in the long run. Pay attention to who is leading this initiative and how the engagement is executed.

Sasha Laghonh, Founder, Sasha Talks

 

Be a Coach and Mentor

 

When you behave like a coach and mentor, employees trust you. It also encourages them to put forth their ideas. Gain discretionary effort from your team members. Make a schedule to meet every team member regularly and get their feedback. Make them feel you are there to help them and they can ask any question about a problem. 

Also, encourage them to share their positive and negative thoughts about the project. If any idea or thought of an employee proves beneficial for the project’s quality and growth, appreciate the work of the employee. This way, more team members can put forth their ideas freely. 

You should support employees to achieve their goals quickly yet with quality. Don’t forget to give feedback to your team members so that they work in the right direction. Appreciate them for their productive work. For this, use different methods like rewards and bonuses, and you can also express your gratitude on social media.

Saikat Ghosh, Associate Director of HR and Business, Technource

 

Collaborate and Conquer

 

To create a workforce that excels in problem-solving and innovation, organizations must prioritize collaboration, trust, and teamwork. Face-to-face meetings are a powerful tool for fostering a culture of communication and encouraging employees to share ideas and insights. 

This creates a sense of ownership over the problem-solving process, giving employees the confidence to take the initiative and work together to solve problems. 

To maintain momentum, it’s essential to recognize and reward contributions, as well as provide the resources and support employees need to succeed. By prioritizing employee engagement, trust, and collaboration, organizations can build an effective and innovative workforce that is better equipped to tackle challenges and find creative solutions.

Natasha Maddock, Co-Founder, Events Made Simple

 

Provide an Incentive to Employees Who Share Good Ideas

 

Who within your organization knows most intimately what is working and what is not? The employees who live the experience day in and day out. It is exciting to see organizations looking for ways to bring the employee voice and perspective to decision-making and problem-solving. 

In order to make an initiative like this work, though, leaders must ensure that they recognize employees for their contributions. There are many forms that recognition can take, but I think problem-solving, especially when it comes at a cost saving to the organization, should be rewarded with a financial incentive. 

If you show employees you take their input seriously and will reward them when it’s put into action and generates results, more employees will share their ideas and proactively work to improve the organization.

Amy Jenkins, Director of Client Strategy and Success, theEMPLOYEEapp

 

Offer Better Questions

 

It can frustrate you to have your team constantly bring up problems they likely could solve on their own but haven’t spent the time to analyze a workable solution. There’s the old “bring me solutions, not problems” approach, but often that means it’s easier for your team to just not bring the problem up at all. 

I recently read the book Leadership is Language by L. David Marquet, and he emphasized asking good open-ended questions to your team and (perhaps even more importantly) creating an environment in your workplace where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas.

I find this approach helpful because it’s more collaborative and there’s typically more engagement from both sides rather than either a top-down or a “bring me solutions” approach. You can ask questions that will get your team truly involved in thinking big picture and solving the problem, and you’ll most likely learn a lot in the process as well.

Larissa Pickens, Co-Founder, Dapper Confidential

 

Let Employees Own the Goal and the Solution

 

The best way to engage employees in problem-solving is to get them excited and interested in solving the problem and achieving the goal. One obvious way would be to ask questions to the employees about what they would like to achieve or improve in the coming months, what they think is most important for their department, and why it is important. 

By giving them the power to create their own goal, as long as it aligns with the company’s goals, you empower them to want to solve the problem and reach the goal. In this way, the employees will be more engaged, as it was a goal that they created and a problem that they really want to solve.

Magda Cheang, Founder and CEO, MC Coaching