Encyclopedia of Leadership

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“People tend to see what they want to see. Out of the mass of detailed information, they tend to pick out and

focus on those facts that confirm their prior perceptions and to disregard or misinterpret those that call their per-

ceptions into question.”

—Roger Fisher and William Ury, GETTING TO YES

Problem reframing is a powerful tool. The earlier a problem is reframed, the better. The longer

a given problem definition is accepted, and the more people invest in a given way of under-

standing a problem, the harder it becomes to change perceptions and to challenge vested inter-

ests at a later date. Our message is clear: Challenge how problems are defined, and do this early

in the problem-solving process. Here is an example of actual use of this reframing tool–—the

presentation, and the leader’s questions to guide the reframing.

1. The problem is defined too narrowly or presented as a solution.
   Employee: “I need a spreadsheet program installed on my computer.”
   Leader: “Just to be sure I understand, what uses did you have in mind for the spread-
   sheet program?”


2. The problem is defined too broadly or too ambiguously.
   Employee: “We have a companywide communication problem.”
   Leader: “Can you give me a few concrete examples of this problem?”


3. The problem statement leads to an inferior set of solutions or it fails to consider the
   full range of critical concerns.
   Employee: “We need to cut costs.”
   Leader: “While costs need to be contained, can we also look at other possibilities that
   will increase revenue?”

Focus on one problem that has recently been presented to you or that you have presented

to others. Rather than taking the problem definition for granted, a trap we all fall into every

now and then, use the workspace here to establish a more powerful frame for this problem.

Referring to the previous example may help you formulate effective reframing questions.

202 SECTION 7 TOOLS FORPROBLEMSOLVING, DECISIONMAKING, ANDQUALITY

Any frame

will provide

only a partial

view of the

problem.

Once a problem

frame is

accepted, it is

very difficult to

change.

The frame

chosen

determines

where you look

for solutions.