Advice

Two small things most Organisations can get on top of this week

1. Run a 15 minute You don't solve a difficult problem by getting loud , you do it by getting curious. That's blunt, but true. Having coached executive teams from Sydney to Melbourne to Perth for more than a decade, I've seen the script play out over and again: stellar individuals, polite nods and then an OK decision cobbled together from the least risky proposals. Team problem solving is not about the intelligence of the people in the room. It's about setting up the room so that smarter thinking can actually happen.

Why this is important now

Companies are asking teams to be more efficient, innovate despite uncertainty and work across time zones and cultures. That's no small ask. There is also hard evidence that diversity and inclusion drive better results , companies in the top quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams are 36% more likely to have above average profitability compared with companies in the bottom quartile (McKinsey, 2020). That's not fluff. It's hard cash. But it will not happen by magical thinking. You need practices, structure and , crucially , leadership.

Some contrarian lines up top

• Brainstorming as "let's yell out ideas" is stupidly overrated; structured divergence followed by disciplined convergence for the win.
• I'll take hiring for curiosity and grit over hiring for technical skill every single time. Skills can be learnt; curiosity is better taught than caught.

The Effective Team's Problem Solving Tool

At its best, team problem solving is a structured, managed conversation that leads to better choices quickly. This is not democracy by debate where the loudest person wins. It is not a crushing, inflexible process that kills creativity. The sweet spot is combined , pellucid intent and roles, a psychologically safe space, thoughtful idea generation and rigorous evaluation.

What really counts

Now, the

1. Clear, shared goals

Hell bent on taking energetic diversity and interdependent teams for a spin together. If the team has not agreed to what done looks like then everything else is guess work. A measurable aim , even if it is blunt , focuses attention. So many teams begin solving the wrong problem because they haven't stopped and defined the problem they need to solve. A sentence, measurable outcome and a deadline can often burst through hours of circular discussion.

2. Psychological safety

Groups that can speak openly do better. Period. Nothing creates more economic value than "wasting time" in this way. Without safety, you receive polished solutions and suppressed concerns." Its virtue is that it brings actual issues to the fore. And yes, you can coach and practice psychological safety , it's not some squishy, mysterious thing.

3. Role clarity and process

Who is brainstorming? Who is assessing trade offs? Who makes the final call? Staff for the divergent (idea generation) stage and the convergent (selection) stage , differently. Leaders frequently attempt to be all things: catalyst, judge and agent. Shame. Let people have focused jobs.

4. A deliberately diverse view

Diversity counts for outcomes , in this case not only for optics. Diverse backgrounds, specialities and mindsets reveal blind spots and stress test assumptions. But diversity without inclusion generates nothing but noise. And in a noisy world, the greatest driver of growth is innovation. Invite the minority view, and make dissent productive, not personal.

5. Effective facilitation

A good facilitator isn't some HR functionary; it's the one who holds the conversational space , encouraging for the quiet, reining in the loud, monitoring time and ensuring evidence is surfaced. You don't always need any facilitator to be a neutral one. At other times, it is faster and more credible to have your facilitation trained team member take the lead. Either way, make facilitation a position, not a throw in.

Common myths that are slowing your team down

• "The more voices contributing to the decision, the better." Not always. Too much undirected cacophony would produce groupthink in another form , a raucous command centre that sidesteps difficult choices.
• "The leader should drive the decision." Leaders need to define values and make decisions, but mandating the outcome cripples buy in and blinds you to key risks.
• "Brainstorming is enough." Ideas are cheap. Value is delivered through review and iterative testing.

Useful Techniques That Work in Real Life

1. Premortem thinking

Before deciding on a course of action, envision that the initiative has failed catastrophically. Ask the team: Open up a discussion with the team on what could have led to that? It's a way to bring risks to the surface early , and overcome overconfidence. Use it routinely.

2. Structured brainstorming

Replace rampant idea vomiting with structured rounds: silent ideas (five minutes), shotgun sharing ideas (10 minutes) and cluster/synthesis (15). Silent work lets introverts contribute as powerfully as extroverts. Don't skip it.

3. SCAMPER and variation prompts

SCAMPER , Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse , is a helpful lens through which to shake predisposition loose. Deploy when the team craves a new angle.

4. Decision rules and guardrails

It's helpful to agree upfront what serious argument will look like when counterweights/vetoes are authorised , cost, time to benefit, risk appetite, strategic fit. Maintain debate evidence based with an elementary scoring matrix.

5. Quick experiments

Rather than argue interminably, design a small experiment. It's a thriftier and faster way to learn than deliberation. Leaders are afraid of being "seen to fail" , which is a culture problem, not a tactics problem.

Navigating conflict without destroying relationship walls

Conflict is inescapable. Useful teams treat conflict as data, not drama. Determine where disagreements are about facts (we can test those) versus values (we need clear leadership). Use interest based negotiation: Build around why people care, not entrenched positions. And , this is crucial , normalise dissent. Get in the habit of naming a "devil's advocate" with weighty decisions. Rotate the position so that it isn't personal. The goal is better life choices, not taking sides.

Roles that make a difference in a problem solving process

• Catalyst: frames the issue & gets the right people and ideas into the room.
• Diverger: prioritises breadth in generating possible solutions.
• Converger: focuses on making hard choices, weighing trade offs, and grounding everything in practical needs & realities.
• Implementer: designs experiments to take next steps and tracking results along the way.
• Storyteller: synthesises all this mess into a clear story for members of groups that are directly impacted by decisions made here (and others).

If your team lacks these roles, don't assume that they'll emerge. Assign them deliberately.

Measurement and accountability

You cannot manage what you don't measure. Monitor process (time to decision, viable alternatives, diversity of contributors) and outcome (successful experiment rate, time in implementation, satisfaction of stakeholders). Feedback loops are key , build in "lessons learnt" after each decision, not just at the end of a project.

Culture > tools (but good tools make a difference)

Digital tools , Miro, Teams, whatever , made it easier to collaborate. But no tool can overcome a team culture that penalises candor or rewards silos. Spend on teaching people how to work together, not just more software.

A real world vignette

I'd been part of a leadership team in Melbourne where the product group and customer service team had battled for months. There were meaningful looks exchanged at meetings and passive aggressive emails one could write. We implemented three changes: one, a common, measurable Customer outcome; two, a scheduled 20 minute stage gate alignment with strict agenda; three, rotating facilitators. Within three months, the teams had cut customer escalations by an amount they could measure and sped up the process for little fixes. Lesson: even the smallest structural changes can turn a discussion from adversarial to collaborative.

Resilience and Adaptability

The teams that solve problems well are learning teams. They aren't wedded to any one plan. They pay attention, adapt and, critically, stop quick when something isn't working. Turning around isn't about grit; it's about course correcting at the right time.

One provocative take: sometimes you want less expertise in the room

Most leaders seek out domain experts for every conversation. I disagree. If You are looking for creative, system wide solutions, too much domain expertise can tether thinking. Bring in your expert to clarify and validate , not to squish the early stage idea generation.

Two small things most Organisations can get on top of this week

1. Run a 15 minute "problem definition" before any strategic discussion. Do not advance the meeting if the team can't articulate the problem in one sentence.
2. Add an unspoken idea stage to all ideation sessions." 4. Employ post it notes or a shared doc. You will be amazed at how many good ideas surface , and dominant voices shut up.

Where Organisations get it wrong:

They think about problem solving as a meeting, not a process. Meetings are a few snapshots; problem solving is iterative work.

• They mistake consensus for quality. Consensus is frequently lowest common denominator decisions.
• They don't resource the follow through. A great decision that isn't resourced to make it happen dies a slow, loud death.

How we help, and why it matters

We work with teams to create the right conversational architecture , the roles, rituals, measurement and facilitation skills , so decisions generated are both innovative and implementable. It's not trainer magic. It's practical, repeatable capability building. The teams that embrace these behaviours move faster with less drama and more sustainable results.

Final thought , and I do mean thought

People want to be helpful. Provide them clarity Preserve the conversation and keep them accountable. It's not rocket science. It's craftsmanship. Solve it like you mean it.

Sources & Notes

McKinsey & Company (2020). "Diversity wins: How inclusion matters." This report discovered that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to have above average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile.