Practical Solutions to Business Puzzles

Earlier this evening, I was reading a guest column from Jeffrey Sachs, director of Earth Institute, in Fortune’s June 9th issue.  Current events like these make great assignments for high school and college students.  They bring home the lessons that are discussed in many classes.

The column is entitled “How I’d Fix the World Bank.”  Mr. Sachs’ suggests that World Bank set goals and hold people accountable for achieving the goals.  He suggests the substantive issue is the lack of infrastructure and services in Africa.  Remember, the article was written about a month after Paul Wolfowitz’s resignation.

What I would do is to ask the students to evaluate the article and, based on their evaluation, to develop a plan that they would use if they were head of World Bank.  It is easy to criticize someone else, but walking in that person’s shoes forces people to see the world a little differently.  Also, people are free to criticize, but they often suggest “solutions” that can’t be implemented.  Students need help creating solutions that can be implemented.  (Perhaps, too, World Bank employees need the same thing.  If so, that is a leadership issue.)

Perspective

It seems to me like this situation might be a good basis for discussion in disciplines like business, economics, history, philosophy, religion, political science, anthropology, sociology, communication, and science.  Here are a few ways that I can see it used, as a starting point… 

In team building classes, students might talk about fear, change, goals, team contracts, building trust, teaming skills, inclusion, communication, brainstorming, techniques for thinking otuside the box, project management, planning, and continuous improvement. 

In economics classes, students might emphasize models, exchange rates, infrastructure, market factors, options for building economies, international trade, and the impact of geopolitical issues.

In history classes, students might talk about how the issues have been addressed in other countries, including our own, and what lessons might be applied in Africa.

In political science, ethics, and religion classes, students might talk about the cultural impact of religion and politics on the decision making and what constitutes correct behavior, or how that is decided.  Golden Rule, Kant’s Categorical Imperative, utilitarian, and rights theories might be discussed in religion and philosophy.  In political science, the answer might be based on different political philosophers and writings.

In law, students might talk about the legal issues that would arise in World Bank’s efforts to help African countries develop or suggest options for dealing with a particular legal issue.

Breaking Issues Down

Regardless of the discipline, people will need to break the project down so they can create a meaningful solution.  When the forest is overwhelming, pick a tree.  Any tree will do.  If the tree is too big, pick a branch.  if the branch is too big, pick a twig.  If the twig is too big, pick a leaf.  And so on…  

The key to starting a solution, is to see possibilities and potential, rather than to see obstacles that have to be overcome.  Mr. Sachs suggested four targets which he believed could be dealt with quickly, too bad he didn’t provide a game plan for doing so with any of the areas.  The areas he identified were:

Raise African food production by 50% by 2010.

Defeat malaria by providing long-lasting bed-netting and medicines by 2010.

Electrify Africa by 2015.

Help Africa finance roads and rail upgrading.

It is hard to say that any of these outcomes are wrong, although it is easy to disagree with the timeline, how the results will be measured, whether they go far enough, and whether they have an obligation to get involved.   

Priorities 

In evaluating options or someone else’s comments, it is important to define priorities, expectations, and assumptions.  They are unique to each of us.  Too often, people make assumptions about others in these areas.  It causes a lot of problems. 

A three-fold approach might be appropriate here.  The three-steps could be:  stop the bleeding, do no harm, and solve the problems.  Let’s touch on these priorities. 

The Bleeding

There are going to be emergencies like famine, malaria outbreaks, economic pressures, and conflict.  How can we deal with them?  Often, the best approach is to have a plan and, when the emergencies arise, implement the plan.   

Stopping the bleeding has been the focus of many efforts over the years.  Seemingly, it has been the sole focus.  It gets a lot of media attention because it sells ads.  The pictures are often graphic and they attract attention.  Many stories suggest ways that we can help.  In the US, we are conditioned to help each other.  

Do No Harm

As with most projects, there is a risk of harm.  It is important to recognize the risk, and to have a plan for dealing with the risks that are reasonably foreseeable. 

Issues will arise that have not been anticipated.  When those issues arise, these contingency plans can suggest options for dealing with the other issues. 

It seems to me that the reasonably foreseeable risks would include such issues as:

World economic conditions

Environmental impacts 

Political instability

Spread of disease

Social unrest

Terrorism

Pollution

There are undoubtedly other risks that need to be considered, as well. 

It seems reasonable to expect students to identify issues that are outside the scope of the class.  The touchpoints often cause problems so people need to realize that their solutions have to work for other groups and to become accustomed to asking other groups for input.  Too often, this doesn’t happen in business and it wastes a lot of money when business units forget that one is the left foot and another the right hand, but they are all part of one body. 

Think too about how the issues will be manifested and how they can be detected and dealt with quickly.  The earlier in the life cycle of the issue that it is identified, the easier it is to solve the real problem, rather than to treat the symptoms. 

Solve the Problem

The solution to many problems is purely logistical.  Much of the problem can be addressed by improvements in infrastructure and logistics.  Infrastructure and logistics are the key to efficient use of resources and sustainability in many situations.  

Solving the problem will require people to address the logistics issues.  Transportation, economic infrastructure, education, culture, laws, and terrain will pose challenges.  At a minimum, students might be asked to address questions like:  

What will be required to get seeds, fertilizer, medicine, mosquito netting, and other things get to the people who need them? 

What will the solution mean for the countries involved, other countries, and for the students?

What infrastructure issues will need to be addressed in order to solve the problem?

What will be required for the countries and economies to be successful?

How will issues arise, be detected, and be dealt with?  

Final Thoughts

The audience would determine whether more (or less) instruction is necessary.  If I were using this in a team building class, I would have people work in teams and use the techniques that are taught in team building to create their solution. 

Would approaches like the one outlined above provide a good way for students to actually think about what the materials in their textbooks mean to them. 

One question that helps me when reading a new item is to ask what the article means for me.  Do you use this technique?

Your suggestions for other ways of using current events to help people learn are welcome.