With our global experience with African swine fever, classical swine fever, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and Seneca Valley virus, it seems obvious we need to do everything we can to understand how swine foreign animal diseases are being transmitted around the world. One of the beautiful things about the human mind is that it can be refocused on new problems. It’s a stark contrast to facilities and machines that have defined purposes or limits.

Taking time to brainstorm and figure out the unknown links for disease transmission can be a frustrating but ultimately rewarding process. So how can we refocus our minds to address new problems? Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg has suggested that we often diagnose the problem too quickly in our desire to get to action we think will help.1 The result of this is that we spend our time implementing changes that will sadly be ineffective. Traditional problem-solving tools like Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, and 5 Whys are very helpful but can also lead us in the wrong direction because many problems are multi-causal. Likewise, we rely on experimentation too much. Experimentation is great at validating better outcomes, but it can limit us from identifying what may be the best option. The solution to this is problem reframing. What is problem reframing?

There are seven practices to reframing a problem:

1.  Establish legitimacy of the reframing process. Your problem-solving team needs to have a basic understanding of this approach to minimize the frustration of those that want action now.

2.  Bring outsiders into the discussion. Outsiders can help you avoid falling in love with a favorite solution, also known as group think. Look for “boundary spanners,” those who understand but are not fully part of your world. Seek those who will speak freely. Expect input on the problem, not solutions.

3.  Get people’s definitions in writing. Pay close attention to wording because slight differences can elucidate a different perspective on a problem.

7.  Ask what’s missing. Don’t jump to debating details of what’s already been identified.

5.  Consider multiple categories of problems. Are there incentives, expectations, attitudes or usability to consider, not just the hard science?

6.  Analyze positive exceptions. Look for situations where there isn’t a problem and delve deeply into the reasons why.

7. Question the objective. Clarifying the objectives around the problem can help focus solutions with maximal impact.

This method requires different listening skills. It requires us to hold back from offering solutions right away. A deep understanding of the problem is gained from really listening to how people describe and talk about their problem. Really effective thinking and traditional testing can result in radically more effective change. Try this method on some of the problems you’ve been frustrated with, or the new one on our minds right now – African swine fever.

C. Scanlon Daniels, DVM
AASV President

Reference

1. Wedell-Wedellsborg, T. Are You Solving the Right Problems? Harvard Business Review. 2017;Jan-Feb:76-83.