Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

that is bad as if it were a problem, thus wasting time and resources while real problems remain
untouched.
It is extremely easy to make a mistake in problem diagnosis. Some of the most common mistakes
are described below:
• A Pseudo-problem appears when somebody who wants to be considered essential or
wants to convince others that something is very necessary (and often believes this
himself), tries to persuade others that a problem exists where there is actually no problem.
Many sorts or ‘dangers’ that were difficult to prove still served as good justifications for a lot
of stupid things – from using certain medicines to building up an army.
• A Symptom is a visible consequence of certain hidden but still controllable factors. A
symptom may serve as evidence of the existence of a real problem, but it is not a problem
itself - like a child’s high body temperature, caused by illness. In this instance, it is
senseless to treat only the temperature; that may only mask the problem while situation
continues to deteriorate.
• An Uncontrollable cause is the usual justification for pseudo-managers. When they cannot
manage the current state of affairs – then they look for an ‘objective reason’ for why the
situation is bad. Their favourite ‘problems’ are ‘bad weather’, the ‘political situation’, ‘poor
legislation’, ‘geographic location’, the ‘exchange rate of the dollar’, etc. – whatever they
cannot change; in this way they try avoid responsibility for the problem.
• Another problem is just a mistake in defining the actual cause. Poor performance may be
caused by a lack of qualifications, but understood as the consequence of a lack of
motivation. All corresponding measures, if based on a wrong diagnosis will not solve the
problem, but may create another problem by altering parameters that should not be
altered.
• A Solution is something that may eliminate a problem. When somebody wants a specific
solution, he may deem the absence of this solution as a problem. For example, somebody
may claim he is often late to the office because he has no car. However, changing
apartments to a location closer to the office would be an alternative solution, possibly much
more rational – but it will not be seen if the absence of the car is solely considered to be
the problem.
• Opportunity is a good and worthwhile thing to use. Opportunities missed today may cause
problems tomorrow. Still, there are some principal differences between opportunities and
problems. It is not possible to ignore problems; they must be addressed - and exactly
those problems which actually exist. Opportunities may be used or not, or one opportunity
may be substituted for another. Nothing else prevents managers from using opportunities
as much as unresolved problems. On the other hand – nothing prevents a manager from
solving problems as much as constantly and excessively hunting for opportunities. For
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