In many organizations, problems don’t disappear—they resurface. Again and again.
In the latest GLSS + Lean Tech webinar collaboration, Karlo Tanjuakio, Founder & Chairman of GLSS, and Sissel Lundeby, CEO of Lean Tech, dive deeper into why quick fixes are so tempting—and why they so often fail. Building on their previous discussion about firefighting and its hidden costs, this session focuses on a critical shift: moving from fixing symptoms to addressing root causes so organizations can create truly sustainable solutions.
Through relatable examples from healthcare, manufacturing, and everyday work life, Karlo and Sissel show how treating symptoms—like adjusting a machine, blaming people, or adding temporary workarounds—creates a never-ending “hamster wheel” of rework. They explore why our brains are wired to favor fast, reactive responses, how organizational reward systems reinforce firefighting behavior, and why stress makes it harder to slow down and think systemically. The key insight is simple but powerful: you cannot prevent what you don’t understand. Until teams clearly distinguish between symptoms and root causes, the same problems will keep returning.
The webinar also introduces practical ways to diagnose problems more effectively, including the “carrot vs. tree” analogy to help determine whether an issue is a rare special cause or a complex system problem. By choosing the right tools—such as asking better “why” questions for simpler issues or using process mapping for more complex ones—teams can break free from reactive cycles and start building stability, resilience, and long-term performance.
Sections (links will open in YouTube):
- Why This Webinar? (01:27–04:10)
- Why Quick Fixes Are So Tempting (04:11–09:33)
- But Here’s the Problem (09:34–14:39)
- Step 1: Diagnose Your Problem Type (14:40–25:31)
- Step 2: Understand the Root Causes & Fix It (25:32–34:51)
- From Firefighting to Lasting Solutions (34:52–41:03)
- Exercise: What’s the Most Common Quick Fix In Your Team? (41:04–42:14)
- How to Shift From Quick Fix to Prevention (42:15–47:19)
- Summary: What to Do Next (47:20–50:42)
References:
Build Skills for Sustainable, Root-Cause Problem Solving
If you want to move beyond quick fixes and build the skills to identify root causes, choose the right problem-solving tools, and create lasting improvements, explore GLSS’s Lean Six Sigma courses and start developing the mindset of a proactive, prevention-focused problem solver today.
