当经理教导员工如何解决问题和提出解决方案时，帮员工的同时也是在帮自己。
When managers teach and coach their employees how to solve problems and present solutions, they do themselves and their employees a favor.
#Thinkstart#
案例分析：
一家酒店集团前台如何争取到电脑的，第一次，小组没有经过深思熟虑，直接上去问：总经理，给来一台电脑吧？回答很直接：不，我们不买。
第二次，小组接受教训，建立商业案例，罗列了一系列电脑可以做的事情清单，同时也制定了电脑使用规则，并且研究了电脑使用次数以及对客户服务带来的改进。所有的信息整合后交给了总经理，结果显而易见。
如何教你的员工建立商业案例？
如果你是领导，可以对提议的员工这样说：“拿纸笔来，写下我想让您做的：找到你想要的，多少钱，什么类型和大小。然后上网找一些供应商，毛估估多少钱。再来，这些新资源如何给你的部门和公司带来好处？会帮助你节约时间吗？省多少？会降低不良品率吗？省多少？把这些都搞定，然后让我们周五坐下来喝杯茶一起过一遍。”
有同学说，这不就是套路吗？ 没错，就是套路，关键在于你愿不愿意这样做。
预计结果：
如果领导能够用这样的方式来带领团队，一个推崇解决问题的企业文化就会慢慢形成，最后能变成企业的核心竞争力。
#Thinkend#
原文：Your Employees Can and Should Build a Business Case for New Ideas
Many years ago, I worked for a hotel firm, helping them create a culture of employee involvement. We had established a number of employee teams and one of them was comprised of young men and women who worked at the front desk.
At the time, this firm did not have computers at the front desk. The company felt that front desk associates should be looking at and engaging the guest when he or she was registering, not looking at a computer screen, so the old "card and rack system" was used. The team of front desk associates, though, had the idea that a computer at the concierge desk, on which would be stored such things as directions to local restaurants and attractions that could be quickly printed out, would be beneficial to both the associates and guests. For example, the guests wouldn’t have to wait for the concierge to look through a large binder for the directions, then walk to the copy machine and back.
During its deliberations, the team needed a bit of background information and asked the general manager to one of its meetings. I was facilitating the team and told the members, "Just stick to the questions you have. Under no circumstances are you to, at this point, tell the manager that you want a computer for the concierge desk." The team met with the general manager and, in spite of my explicit instructions, asked him directly if the hotel would purchase a computer for the concierge desk. The general manager told them, "No. We don't put computers at the front of the house."
At the next meeting, the members put aside their disappointment and worked on the business case for the computer. The members developed a list of the information that would be put on the computer. They created a clear set of policies and protocols for the computer's use. They conducted a quick study as to how often such an asset would be used and the impact it would have on customer service. The team presented all this information to management. In the end, the computer was purchased and a database of information was installed.
Too often, employees say things to me like, "Yeah, we sure could use X, Y or Z, but they won't pay for anything like that." In other instances, they'll tell me, "We've asked for X, Y or Z, but we’ve always been turned down." It's easy to put the blame on management in these cases, but managers get lots of requests for new equipment or improvements, and they don't have the time to do all the necessary ROI analysis. In any case, employees themselves are often in the best position to carry out such analysis. There are two reasons they don't do so:
They aren’t taught to present a “business case” for their ideas because…
They aren't expected to present a “business case.”
Teach Employees How to Build a Business Case
It’s one thing to tell employees, “Don’t just bring us problems, bring us solutions.” It’s quite another to ensure that employees actually know how to formulate and present a business case for those solutions. Mind you, I’m not talking about making employees jump through hoops to prove the need for each and every request. If an employee needs a new broom to keep her work area clean, get her the broom, for gosh sakes. But it’s legitimate to expect employees to analyze the costs and benefits of larger investments. And it’s important to teach them how to do that. It’s not hard to do.
Here’s the lesson a manager could provide to an employee who has an idea that will require a bit of a financial investment:
“Get a pencil and take some notes so you get all this. Here’s what I want you to do: Figure out what you need, how much, what type and what size. Then go online and find a few vendors. Get some ballpark costs. Also, pull together some information as to how the new resources will benefit your department and the company. Will they help you save time? How much? Will they help reduce scrap or delays? How much? Will they help us improve throughput? How much? Put all this info together and let’s sit down this Friday and go over it all.”
Putting together an argument in favor of an idea isn’t hard, but it takes a bit of work, as managers well know. Give your employees a quick lesson as to how to go about it and, quite often, they will.
Expect Employees to Provide the Business Case for Ideas
A shipping employee at a client once told me, "We sure could use some new racks in the department, but I'm pretty sure they won't spend the money." I asked if he had looked around to find exactly what type of rack the department needed, how many, where they could be purchased and the total cost. No. I asked if he had put together any information as to how the racks would benefit the department and the company. No. All he had done was hint to management that he'd like some new racks.
Management's job, in cases like these, is not to say, "We'll get you your new racks." Management's job is to give serious consideration to the business case the employee presents for new racks. It all starts with a manager who says something like, "That's an interesting idea. Put together a plan that includes what you need, what they'd cost, where we'd get them and how they'll help improve flow and throughput. Then let's sit down and look at it."
The next step (and this is very important) will be to actually sit down later with that employee and review the business case that he or she puts together. If the employee hasn’t managed to put anything together, hold his or her feet to the fire. Tell them that you expect to see something soon.
When managers teach and coach their employees how to solve problems and present solutions, they do themselves and their employees a favor. Managers and companies benefit as employees become more engaged in developing waste-reducing, capability-building ideas. Employees benefit as their morale improves when they see their ideas being taken seriously. Eventually, a culture of appreciative problem solving is developed that provides a strategic competitive advantage to the company.
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