The Slow Elevator problem

I read this story recently and immediately saw its alignment to corrective action. 

Imagine this scenario: You are the owner of an office building, and your tenants are expressing dissatisfaction with the elevator. It's old, slow, and causing significant waiting times. Some tenants are even considering terminating their leases if the issue remains unresolved. 

When seeking suggestions, most people immediately propose various solutions such as replacing the elevator, installing a more powerful motor, or upgrading the lift's algorithm. These ideas fall within what is referred to as the "solution space." They share a common assumption that the problem lies in the elevator's sluggishness.  

Interestingly, when building managers were approached with the problem, they proposed a remarkably simple yet effective solution: placing mirrors next to the elevator. This straightforward measure has proven to be highly effective in reducing complaints because people tend to lose track of time when captivated by their own reflection. 

The mirror solution is particularly intriguing because it does not directly address the stated problem of the elevator's speed. Instead, it introduces a different perspective on the problem. 

It's important to note that the initial problem framing is not necessarily incorrect. Installing a new elevator would likely resolve the issue. However, the purpose of reframing is not to identify the "true" problem but rather to explore if there might be a better problem to solve. In fact, the notion that a single root problem exists can be misleading.

Problems are often multifaceted and can be tackled through various approaches. For instance, the elevator predicament could be reframed as a peak demand problem—too many people needing the elevator simultaneously—which could prompt a solution focused on spreading out demand, such as staggering people's lunch breaks. 

Identifying a different facet of the problem can sometimes lead to significant improvements and even generate solutions to seemingly intractable issues that have persisted for years. I recently witnessed this phenomenon in action while studying a frequently overlooked problem in the pet industry: the high number of dogs in shelters. 

The HBR article Are you Solving the Right Problems which shared this Elevator story, goes on to share Seven Practices for Effective Reframing which are: 

1. Establish legitimacy 
2. Bring outsiders into the discussion 
3. Get peoples definitions in writing 
4. Ask what’s missing 
5. Consider multiple categories 
6. Analyse positive expectations 
7. Question the objective 

Corrective Action are the actions we take to prevent recurrence of a nonconformance, so with Corrective Action in mind, read that list again.  

And read it again!  

How do you think this list will help you to understand the problem and come up with an effective corrective action? 

 “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein

I saw an advertisement for Home and Away recently which included a ‘short’ from an episode. Now, you can all pretend you don’t know who these characters are but I’m sure you do 😊 but otherwise play along. There is no judgement here. Back to my story now! The internet wasn’t working at the Surf Club, so John was on the phone to the internet provider and young Nikau was under the bench following the instructions that John was barking at him.

All they had to do was use a paperclip to reset the modem and it was fixed. Nikau said to John “well we can only reset it so many times before the whole thing falls over.” 

In the context of corrective action, this demonstrates the importance of addressing the root cause of a problem rather than relying solely on temporary fixes. The internet not working at the Surf Club represents a nonconformance or an issue within a process or system. John's immediate response is to contact the internet provider, which can be seen as a reactive approach to correcting the problem. 

Nikau's action of following John's instructions and using a paperclip to reset the modem represents a temporary fix or a workaround. This action resolves the immediate issue and gets the internet working again, but it doesn't address the underlying cause of the problem. 

Nikau's remark about only being able to reset the modem so many times before the whole thing falls over implies that relying on temporary fixes without addressing the root cause can lead to a more significant failure or breakdown in the future. 

In the ISO 9001 context, corrective action refers to the systematic investigation of the causes of non-conformances or problems and the implementation of actions to prevent their recurrence. It emphasizes identifying the root cause and implementing appropriate measures to address it effectively.

Instead of relying on temporary fixes like resetting the modem repeatedly, ISO 9001 encourages organizations to take a proactive approach to identify and eliminate the underlying issues that lead to non-conformances or problems. 

We can now understand that corrective action involves going beyond temporary fixes and addressing the root cause to prevent future failures or issues within the organization's processes or systems. 

Ultimately, John, Nikau and the internet service provider worked as a team. This HBR article How to Solve Problems will help your team think about how to collaborate better and come up with the best solutions for the trickiest problems. 

The Relationships and Distinctions of a Nonconformance   

With a nonconformance at the core, the distinctions can be defined as:

1. Corrective Action - the implementation of a corrective action has a higher probability of preventing the issue from recurring.

2. Root Cause - when the root cause is identified there is the potential for it to prevent the issue from recurring, however if the corrective action is not implemented this would not be effective therefore a low probability of prevention.

3. Action (temporary fix) - just dealing with the Issue and the consequences without understanding the problem, the root cause or Implementation of corrective action results In a high probability of the Issue recurring.

4. Reactive - just reacting without even dealing with the consequences results In a low probability of prevention and therefore recurrence.

Your Next Steps

Integrated Management Systems Specialist

AU$2,195.00

This course is designed to train individuals to become Integrated Management Systems Specialists, focusing on ISO standards 9001:2015, 14001:2015, and 45001:2018. It's an online, self-paced program aimed at those looking to specialize in IMS, perform certification audits, or assess organizational compliance across various sectors.

Learn more

1. Understand the nonconformance 

2. Conduct root cause analysis

3. Engage an Expert to support you through this process. 

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