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Topic: When "People Problems" Won't Go Away

"People problems" are often defined as interpersonal conflicts or individual behavioral and performance issues. They result in a lack of team collaboration, missed project deadlines and too much management time spent dealing with the problems. Persistent or escalating problems with employees and teams can undermine strategic initiatives and daily operations and damage customer relationships. Most companies have HR policies that address people problems, including employee performance plans, team building exercises and even reassignment or separation of an employee. When these measures aren't successful, managers are held accountable and careers are put on the line.

What managers need to know about people problems is that sometimes they are driven by systemic issues, and no amount of individual intervention or team building can resolve them. "Systems" are the underlying rules by which every organization runs, but they are usually invisible to people working within them. Systems reflect the culture, values and leadership style of a company. More importantly, systems operate according to the unwritten policies, biases, politics, unofficial decision making and informal communication channels of a company. When systems begin to work against a company's objectives, they can undermine the ability of a person or team to follow through with assignments or collaborate effectively on a project. What managers then see as a people problem is really a symptom of a deeper systemic issue. Note that even the best employees and managers can become part of a "people problem" when they run up against a negative system.

Managers who try to resolve people problems without considering the systemic drivers of those problems are destined to fail. We've developed a method for identifying and mapping a company's systems. We then look for the systems that are having a negative impact on people and performance, or that have become obstacles to problem resolution. We find the leverage points that will give a manager the maximum amount of influence over the systemic causes, so they can move past them and on to more productive endeavors.

Helping managers and employees see the true source of problems allows them to contribute to solutions, and to prevent problems in the future. Serious systemic issues may require longer-term efforts to change the culture or politics of an organization.

Companies can waste considerable time and resources working on the symptoms of systemic issues. Managers who are proactive about rooting out the source of issues and making the necessary changes will be more productive and successful in the long run.

Blog Author: Marlys Tamte

About the Author: Marlys Tamte is a Rock Ledge Resources affiliate specializing in identifying and resolving the root causes of people and performance issues.