Asking Why? – Related to the Findings
Understanding the “why” typically becomes the first step in
a) Addressing the issue
b) Ensuring that the Root Cause is addressed &
c) Looking for opportunities to deliver an organisational improvement
Reasons for the non-conformity (deviation) include – Unauthorized Actions, Illegal or regulatory non-compliant behaviours, incorrect, or inappropriate and shortfalls or breakdowns in routine operational processes.
Consider that the first line of defence for an effective manager is to actually manage the risks which means to take steps to reduce the probability that the potential deviation may actually materialize.
Essentially this requires the delivery of a Quality Control (QC) oversight process, to ensure we deliver strong & effective organisational processes (which are not only efficient and effective) which serve to manage competence, training, process & procedures to minimise exposures.
*Note: It is possible that rather than mitigating any risks, management serves to incubate the risk through acceptance or normalization where we develop a tolerance of minor failures and defects effectively missing the opportunity to act early.
The Leadership Challenge
One way of looking at a finding is to accept that the “manager” has taken his or her eye “off the ball” otherwise why the finding?
The business owner may also be challenged whilst addressing the findings to find that required actions are outside the normal activities of “managing business in the way the manager wishes too”.
Such focus on dealing with issues and exposures also focuses on the negative rather than potential opportunities and successes. Moreover, the act of mitigating exposures and findings typically involves utilising resources and even funding outside of the immediate focus of the business manager.
For this reason, it is essential for the Quality Assurance System is positioned to ensure that the actions taken fully address the exposures by understanding and mitigating both the contributing and root causes.
Avoiding Confirmation Bias & Groupthink
Groupthink: Once a course of action has gathered support within a group, those not yet on board tend to suppress their objections—however valid—and fall in line.
Groupthink is especially likely if the team is led by an overbearing or overconfident manager who wants to minimize conflict, delay, and challenges to his or her authority.
Confirmation bias, which drives us to favour information that supports our positions (typically successes) and suppress information that contradicts them (typically failures).
When events depart from our expectations, we tend to escalate commitment, irrationally directing even more resources to our failed course of action—throwing good money after bad.
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