Solutions…

The security guard welcomed with this question साहब, आज रविवार है! आज दफ्तर मैं? (Sir, its Sunday today! You came to office?)

With a sigh I looked at the guard, asked him if someone is around ask him to give me a cup of coffee and some water. I’d not tell him – my wife and I fought, nothing new happens in almost all families. We were struggling with our personal relationship and there came another dispute of her relatives and my relatives. I could not stand that problem, came to office thought it would be a change and I can catch up with some of my deliverables.

Neither coffee came nor water, it made me little annoyed adding fuel to fire. Well, I understand office boy was not in office on weekend. A couple of days went by, same thing happened next weekend. Again no water or coffee came in. Now I was very furious. No solace here too. I decided to join our office’s team which has organized a recreation trekking event the next weekend. My wife wanted a change she had already gone to her parents home.

For a first timer like me the trek was tough. An accident happened and I sustained fracture and few bruises. I had to spend some days in hospital. My wife rushed to the hospital however there were same issues at the back of the mind. Those few days at hospital gave me time to think.

I was running away from problems. I avoided one problem, just to meet with another. Running from this other problem, ended up in being hospitalized.

How often this happens that we run away from one problem instead of solving that problem, just to bump into other. Solutions require patience and a serious thought. Why the problem occurred? What are the possible reasons, can we fix the reasons? In Operations Management these fixes are called – preventive actions and corrective action. According to ASQ corrective action deals with a nonconformity that has occurred. A preventive action addresses the potential for a nonconformity to occur.

I observe short term quick fixes – patchwork (in Hindi – थूक पट्टी) everywhere. Look at the reaction to 2008 financial crisis. We should have strictly handled the responsible however some of the culprits made millions and left the world tattered. No action taken against them. We’re fixing the economies by pumping money, those who could not game the system earlier, came and made their millions. Now once things seem hunky dory, QE may going to put us back in trouble.

The solutions we device in our desire for quick fixes are – avoid the problem. The same happened in above example at micro level, same is happening at macro level in national and international levels.

Post Script – Author is unmarried. Story narrated is a work of fiction, any resemblance to living/dead is merely a coincidence.