Section 3. Defining and Analyzing the Problem - Community ...

The way a problem is worded and understood has a huge impact on the number, quality, and type of proposed solutions. In this section, we'll begin with the ... Skiptomaincontent Togglenavigation Navigation Submit Home»TableofContents»AnalyzingCommunityProblemsandDesigningandAdaptingCommunityInterventions»Chapter17.AnalyzingCommunityProblemsandSolutions»Section3.DefiningandAnalyzingtheProblem»MainSection Chapter17 ←TableofContents12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546 Section3.DefiningandAnalyzingtheProblem Chapter17Sections   TheToolBoxneedsyourhelp toremainavailable. Yourcontributioncanhelpchangelives. Donatenow.   Seekingsupports forevaluation? Learnmore. Togglenavigation ChapterSections   TheToolBoxneedsyourhelp toremainavailable. Yourcontributioncanhelpchangelives. Donatenow.   Seekingsupports forevaluation? Learnmore. Learnhowtodeterminethenatureoftheproblem,clarifytheproblem,decidetosolvetheproblem,andanalyzetheproblemwithourprocess.   Thenatureofproblems Clarifyingtheproblem Decidingtosolvetheproblem Analyzingtheproblem We'veallhadourshareofproblems-morethanenough,ifyoucomerightdowntoit.Soit'seasytothinkthatthissection,ondefiningandanalyzingtheproblem,isunnecessary."Iknowwhattheproblemis,"youthink."Ijustdon'tknowwhattodoaboutit." Notsofast!Apoorlydefinedproblem-oraproblemwhosenuancesyoudon'tcompletelyunderstand-ismuchmoredifficulttosolvethanaproblemyouhaveclearlydefinedandanalyzed.Thewayaproblemiswordedandunderstoodhasahugeimpactonthenumber,quality,andtypeofproposedsolutions. Inthissection,we'llbeginwiththebasics,focusingprimarilyonfourthings.First,we'llconsiderthenatureofproblemsingeneral,andthen,morespecifically,onclarifyinganddefiningtheproblemyouareworkingon.Then,we'lltalkaboutwhetherornotyoureallywanttosolvetheproblem,orwhetheryouarebetteroffleavingitalone.Finally,we'lltalkabouthowtodoanin-depthanalysisoftheproblem. Thenatureofproblems So,whatisaproblem?Itcanbealotofthings.Weknowinourgutwhenthereisaproblem,whetherornotwecaneasilyputitintowords.Maybeyoufeeluncomfortableinagivenplace,butyou'renotsurewhy.Aproblemmightbejustthefeelingthatsomethingiswrongandshouldbecorrected.Youmightfeelsomesenseofdistress,orofinjustice. Statedmostsimply,aproblemisthedifferencebetweenwhatis,andwhatmightorshouldbe."Nochildshouldgotobedhungry,butone-quarterofallchildrendointhiscountry,"isaclear,potentproblemstatement.Anotherexamplemightbe,"Communicationinourofficeisnotveryclear."Inthisinstance,theexplanationof"whatmightorshouldbe"issimplyalludedto. Astheseproblemsillustrate,someproblemsaremoreseriousthan others;theproblemofchildhungerisamuchmoresevereproblemthanthefactthatthenewyouthcenterhasnoexerciseequipment,althoughbothareproblemsthatcanandshouldbeaddressed.Generally,problemsthataffectgroupsofpeople-children,teenagemothers,thementallyill,thepoor-canatleastbeaddressedandinmanycaseslessenedusingtheprocessoutlinedinthisChapter. Althoughyourorganizationmayhavechosentotackleaseeminglyinsurmountableproblem,theprocessyouwillusetosolveitisnotcomplex.Itdoes,however,taketime,bothtoformulateandtofullyanalyzetheproblem.Mostpeopleunderestimatetheworktheyneedtodohereandthetimethey'llneedtospend.Butthisisthelegwork,thefoundationonwhichyou'lllayeffectivesolutions.Thisisn'tthetimetotakeshortcuts. Threebasicconceptsmakeupthecoreofthischapter:clarifying,deciding,andanalyzing.Let'slookateachinturn. Clarifyingtheproblem Ifyouarehavingaproblem-solvingmeeting,thenyoualreadyunderstandthatsomethingisn'tquiteright-ormaybeit'sbiggerthanthat;youunderstandthatsomethingisvery,verywrong.Thisisyourbeginning,andofcourse,itmakesmostsenseto... Startwithwhatyouknow.Whengroupmemberswalkthroughthedooratthebeginningofthemeeting,whatdotheythinkaboutthesituation?Thereareavarietyofdifferentwaystogarnerthisinformation.Peoplecanbeaskedinadvancetowritedownwhattheyknowabouttheproblem.Orthefacilitatorcanleadabrainstormingsessiontotrytobringoutthegreatestnumberofideas.Rememberthatagoodfacilitatorwilldrawouteveryone'sopinions,notonlythoseofthemorevocalparticipants. Decidewhatinformationismissing.Informationisthekeytoeffectivedecisionmaking.Ifyouarefightingchildhunger,doyouknowwhichchildrenarehungry?Whenaretheyhungry-allthetime,orespeciallyattheendofthemonth,whenthemoneyhasrunout?Ifthat'sthecase,yourproblemstatementmightbe,"Childreninourcommunityareoftenhungryattheendofthemonthbecausetheirparents'paychecksareuseduptooearly." Comparethisproblemstatementonchildhungertotheonegivenin"Thenatureofproblems"above.Howmightsolutionsforthetwoproblemsbedifferent? Gatherinformationontheproblem.Youmightcollectanyofseveraltypesofinformationavailable.Mostcommonly,whatyouhearorreadwillfallintooneofthefollowingcategories: Facts(15%ofthechildreninourcommunitydon'tgetenoughtoeat.) Inference(Asignificantpercentageofchildreninourcommunityareprobablymalnourished/significantlyunderweight.) Speculation(Manyofthehungrychildrenprobablyliveinthepoorerneighborhoodsintown.) Opinion(Ithinkthereasonchildrengohungryisbecausetheirparentsspendalloftheirmoneyoncigarettes.) Whenyouaregatheringinformation,youwillprobablyhearallfourtypesofinformation,andallcanbeimportant.Speculationandopinioncanbeespeciallyimportantingaugingpublicopinion.Ifpublicopiniononyourissueisbasedonfaultyassumptions,partofyoursolutionstrategywillprobablyincludesomesortofinformationalcampaign. Forexample,perhapsyourcoalitioniscampaigningagainstthedeathpenalty,andyoufindthatmostpeopleincorrectlybelievethatthedeathpenaltydetersviolentcrime.Aspartofyourcampaign,therefore,youwillprobablywanttomakeitcleartothepublicthatitsimplyisn'ttrue. Whereandhowdoyoufindthisinformation?Itdependsonwhatyouwanttoknow.Youcanreviewsurveys,interviews,thelibraryandtheinternet. Definetheproblem.Withtheinformationinfrontofyou,you'rereadytowritedowna"problemstatement"-acomprehensivedefinitionoftheproblem.Beforeyoudo,remembertwogeneralprinciples: Definetheproblemintermsofneeds,andnotsolutions.Ifyoudefinetheproblemintermsofpossiblesolutions,you'reclosingthedoortoother,possiblymoreeffectivesolutions."Violentcrimeinourneighborhoodisunacceptablyhigh,"offersspaceformanymorepossiblesolutionsthan,"Weneedmorepolicepatrols,"or,"Morecitizensshouldhavegunstoprotectthemselves." Definetheproblemasoneeveryoneshares;avoidassigningblamefortheproblem.Thisisparticularlyimportantifdifferentpeople(orgroups)withahistoryofbadrelationsneedtobeworkingtogethertosolvetheproblem.Teachersmaybefrustratedwithhightruancyrates,butblamingstudentsuniquelyforproblemsatschoolissuretoalienatestudentsfromhelpingtosolvetheproblem. Youcandefinetheprobleminseveralways;Thefacilitatorcanwriteaproblemstatementontheboard,andeveryonecangivefeedbackonit,untilthestatementhasdevelopedintosomethingeveryoneispleasedwith,oryoucanacceptsomeoneelse'sdefinitionoftheproblem,oruseitasastartingpoint,modifyingittofityourneeds. Afteryouhavedefinedtheproblem,askifeveryoneunderstandstheterminologybeingused.Definethekeytermsofyourproblemstatement,evenifyouthinkeveryoneunderstandsthem. TheHispanicHealthCoalition,hascomeupwiththeproblemstatement"Teenpregnancyisaprobleminourcommunity."Thatseemsprettyclear,doesn'tit?Butlet'sexaminetheword"community"foramoment.Youmayhaveonepersonwhodefinescommunityas"thecityyoulivein,"asecondwhodefinesitas,"thisneighborhood"andathirdwhoconsiders"ourcommunity"tomeanHispanics. Decidingtosolvetheproblem Atthispoint,youhavealreadyspentafairamountoftimeontheproblemathand,andnaturally,youwanttoseeittakencareof.Beforeyougoanyfurther,however,it'simportanttolookcriticallyattheproblemanddecideifyoureallywanttofocusyoureffortsonit.Youmightdecidethatrightnowisn'tthebesttimetotrytofixit.Maybeyourcoalitionhasbeenweakenedbybadpress,andchanceofsuccessrightnowisslim.Orperhapssolvingtheproblemrightnowwouldforceyoutoneglectanotherimportantagencygoal.Orperhapsthisproblemwouldbemoreappropriatelyhandledbyanotherexistingagencyororganization. Youandyourgroupneedtomakeaconsciouschoicethatyoureallydowanttoattacktheproblem.Manydifferentfactorsshouldbeapartofyourdecision.Theseinclude: Importance.Injudgingtheimportanceoftheissue,keepinmindthefeasibility.Evenifyouhavedecidedthattheproblemreallyisimportant,andworthsolving,willyoubeabletosolveit,oratleastsignificantlyimprovethesituation?Thebottomline:Decideifthegoodyoucandowillbeworththeeffortittakes.Areyouthebestpeopletosolvetheproblem?Issomeoneelsebettersuitedtothetask? Forexample,perhapsyourorganizationisinterestedinyouthissues,andyouhaverecentlycometounderstandthatteensaren'tparticipatingincommunityeventsmostlybecausetheydon'tknowaboutthem.Amonthlynewsletter,givenoutatthehighschools,couldtakecareofthisfairlyeasily. Unfortunately,youdon'thavemuchpublishingequipment.Youdohaveanoldcomputerandadesktopprinter,andyoucouldtypesomethingup,butit'sreallynotyourforte. Abettersolutionmightbetoworktofindwriting,designand/orprintingprofessionalswhowoulddonatetheirtimeand/orequipmenttocreateanewsletterthatismoreexciting,andthatstudentswouldbemorelikelytowanttoread. Negativeimpacts.Ifyoudosucceedinbringingaboutthesolutionyouareworkingon,whatarethepossibleconsequences?Ifyousucceedinhavingsafetymeasuresimplementedatalocalfactory,howmuchwillitcost?Wherewillthefactorygetthatmoney?Willtheycutsalaries,orlayoffsomeoftheirworkers? Eveniftherearesomeunwantedresults,youmaywelldecidethatthebenefitsoutweighthenegatives.Aswhenyou'retakingmedication,you'llputupwiththesideeffectstocurethedisease.Butbesureyougointotheprocesswithyoureyesopentotherealcostsofsolvingtheproblemathand. Choosingamongproblems Youmighthavemanyobstaclesyou'dliketoseeremoved.Infact,it'sprobablyaprettyrarecommunitygroupthatdoesn'thavealaundrylistofproblemstheywouldliketoresolve,givenenoughtimeandresources.Sohowdoyoudecidewhichtostartwith? Asimplesuggestionmightbetolistalloftheproblemsyouarefacing,andwhetherornottheymeetthecriterialistedabove(importance,feasibility,etcetera).It'shardtoassignnumericalvaluesforsomethinglikethis,becauseforeachsituation,oneofthecriteriamaystronglyoutweightheothers.However,justhavingalloftheinformationinfrontofthegroupcanhelptheactualdecisionmakingamucheasiertask. Analyzingtheproblem Nowthatthegrouphasdefinedtheproblemandagreedthattheywanttoworktowardsasolution,it'stimetothoroughlyanalyzetheproblem.Youstartedtodothiswhenyougatheredinformationtodefinetheproblem,butnow,it'stimetopaymoreattentiontodetailsandmakesureeveryonefullyunderstandstheproblem. Answerallofthequestionwords. Thefacilitatorcantakegroupmembersthroughaprocessofunderstandingeveryaspectoftheproblembyansweringthe"questionwords"-what,why,who,when,andhowmuch.Thisprocessmightincludethefollowingtypesofquestions: Whatistheproblem?Youalreadyhaveyourproblemstatement,sothispartismoreorlessdone.Butit'simportanttoreviewyourworkatthispoint. Whydoestheproblemexist?Thereshouldbeagreementamongmeetingparticipantsastowhytheproblemexiststobeginwith.Ifthereisn't,considertryingoneofthefollowingtechniques. The"butwhy"technique.Thissimpleexercisecanbedoneeasilywithalargegroup,orevenonyourown.Writetheproblemstatement,andaskparticipants,"Whydoesthisproblemexist?"Writedowntheanswergiven,andask,"Butwhydoes(theanswer)occur?" "Childrenoftenfallasleepinclass," Butwhy? "Becausetheyhavenoenergy." Butwhy? "Becausetheydon'teatbreakfast." Butwhy? Continuedownthelineuntilparticipantscancomfortablyagreeontherootcauseoftheproblem.Agreementisessentialhere;ifpeopledon'tevenagreeaboutthesourceoftheproblem,aneffectivesolutionmaywellbeoutofreach. "Forcefieldanalysis."The"butwhy"techniqueasksyoutodigdeeptofindthecauseoftheproblem.Withforcefieldanalysis,youwillbelookingmorebroadlyattheissueandtheforcessurroundingit. Startwiththedefinitionyoupennedabove. Drawalinedownthecenterofthepaper.Or,ifyouareworkingwithalargegroupofpeoplewhocannoteasilyseewhatyouarewriting,usetwopieces. Onthetopofonesheet/side,write"RestrainingForces." Ontheothersheet/side,write,"DrivingForces." Under"RestrainingForces,"listallofthereasonsyoucanthinkofthatkeepthesituationthesame;whythestatusquoisthewayitis.Aswithallbrainstormingsessions,thisshouldbea"freeforall;"noideaistoo"farout"tobesuggestedandwrittendown. Inthesamemanner,under"DrivingForces,"listalloftheforcesthatarepushingthesituationtochange. Whenalloftheideashavebeenwrittendown,groupmemberscaneditthemastheyseefitandcompilealistoftheimportantfactorsthatarecausingthesituation. Clearly,thesetwoexercisesaremeantfordifferenttimes.The"butwhy"techniqueismosteffectivewhenthefacilitator(orthegroupasawhole)decidesthattheproblemhasn'tbeenlookedatdeeplyenoughandthatthegroup'sunderstandingissomewhatsuperficial.Theforcefieldanalysis,ontheotherhand,canbeusedwhenpeopleareworriedthatimportantelementsoftheproblemhaven'tbeennoticed--thatyou'renotlookingatthewholepicture. Whoiscausingtheproblem,andwhoisaffectedbyit?Asimplebrainstormingsessionisanexcellentwaytodeterminethis. Whendidtheproblemfirstoccur,orwhendiditbecomesignificant?Isthisanewproblemoranoldone?Knowingthiscangiveyouaddedunderstandingofwhytheproblemisoccurringnow.Also,thelongeraproblemhasexisted,themoreentrenchedithasbecome,andthemoredifficultitwillbetosolve.Peopleoftengetusedtothingsthewaytheyareandresistchange,evenwhenit'sachangeforthebetter. Howmuch,ortowhatextent,isthisproblemoccurring?Howmanypeopleareaffectedbytheproblem?Howsignificantisit?Here,youshouldrevisitthequestionsonimportanceyoulookedatwhenyouweredefiningtheproblem.Thisservesasabriefrefresherandgivesyouacompleteanalysisfromwhichyoucanwork. Iftimepermits,youmightwanttosummarizeyouranalysisonasinglesheetofpaperforparticipantsbeforemovingontogeneratingsolutions,thenextstepintheprocess.Thatway,memberswillhavesomethingtoreferbacktoduringlaterstagesinthework. Also,afteryouhavefinishedthisanalysis,thefacilitatorshouldaskforagreementfromthegroup.Havepeople'sperceptionsoftheproblemchangedsignificantly?Atthispoint,checkbackandmakesurethateveryonestillwantstoworktogethertosolvetheproblem. InSummary Thefirststepinanyeffectiveproblem-solvingprocessmaybethemostimportant.Takeyourtimetodevelopacriticaldefinition,andletthisdefinition,andtheanalysisthatfollows,guideyouthroughtheprocess.You'renowreadytogoontogeneratingandchoosingsolutions,whicharethenextstepsintheproblem-solvingprocess,andthefocusofthefollowingsection. Contributor  JenetteNagy PrintResources Avery,M.,Auvine,B.,Streibel,B.,&Weiss,L.(1981).Ahandbookforconsensusdecisionmaking:Buildingunitedjudgement.Cambridge,MA:CenterforConflictResolution. Dale,D.,& Mitiguy,N.Planning,forachange:Acitizen'sguidetocreativeplanningandprogramdevelopment. Dashiell,K. (1990).Managingmeetingsforcollaborationandconsensus.Honolulu,HI:NeighborhoodJusticeCenterofHonolulu,Inc. InteractionAssociates(1987).Facilitatorinstitute.SanFrancisco,CA:Author. Lawson,L.,Donant,F.,& Lawson,J.(1982).Leadon!Thecompletehandbookforgroupleaders.SanLuisObispo,CA:ImpactPublishers. Meacham,W.(1980).Humandevelopmenttrainingmanual.Austin,TX:HumanDevelopmentTraining. Morrison,E.(1994).Leadershipskills:Developingvolunteersfororganizationalsuccess.Tucson,AZ:FisherBooks.