THE PROBLEM TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

Every decision involves problem solving. However, our problem-solving ability in management is so limited because our models of problem-solving are devoid of people while actual problem-solving isn’t.

Executive managers can be extremely well educated with many years of experience; they may also be successful managers who have accomplished great things - but frequently their ability to solve a problem is severely limited. That sounds like a paradox, but people cannot define the problem they are trying to solve.

Every decision involves problem solving. In some cases we employ professionals who do that job - they’re called project managers and administrators and so on. They are certainly a part of that process, but what happens when you have to anticipate an issue or when you don’t have an established process or routine to deal with it? You have to define the issue before you can pick a routine to address it.

FOUR WAYS TO SCALE SOCIAL IMPACT

Today, non profit leaders are searching for ways to scale impact beyond adding sites. Put simply, the question now is “How can we get 100x the impact with only a 2x change in the size of the organization?”

Today, there may be no idea with greater currency in the social sector than “scaling what works.” This effort builds on the work of innovative social entrepreneurs and represents an opportunity to address some of society’s most intractable problems. At the same time, non profit leaders and philanthropists are searching for ways to scale impact beyond adding sites. Put simply, the question now is “How can we get 100x the impact with only a 2x change in the size of the organization?”