Understanding Human Behavior for Better Problem-Solving

Today, more than ever, leaders are having to quickly resolve complex issues. I am finding that many of my coaching conversations revolve around issues that can benefit from understanding a central truth about human behavior.

Kurt Lewin captured this central truth in his equation for human behavior. His simple equation provides us with a more complete view of why people act the way they do in situations. Lewin’s equation is:

B = f (P, E)

Behavior = function (Person, Environment)

"Behavior is a function of both the Person and her or his Environment"

Lewin and many other Social Psychologists have long understood that when we make judgments about “why people do what they do” we minimize the importance that the environment has on the observed behavior. Our natural tendency is to make judgments about other’s character or personality based on their behaviors, even when these behaviors can be completely explained by the environment or situation. In many cases, the environmental factors will drive a person’s behavior even more than their personality, character and habits.

A common example I see in the workplace is when team members are struggling with conflict. Even though a vast majority of team conflict is because team members have unclear or misaligned goals and roles (Environment), we will often form negative personal judgments (Person) by labeling the others as unreasonable, ineffective, lazy, not caring, or some other conclusion that can quickly erode team relationships and performance. 

Understanding that behavior is a function of both the Person/People and the Environment enables leaders to more effectively assess complex situations and take effective actions towards resolving issues.

Assessing People and Environment

When addressing complex issues, leaders need to take time to accurately assess the challenge at hand. Asking the right questions about both the Person/People and the Environment helps leaders to better assess their challenges.

Questions that can help you learn more about the Person/People include asking about previous experiences, assumptions, values, motivation, habits and knowledge. Below are some examples of questions that increase understanding of the Person/People.

• What would success look like for you?
• What is working? / What is not working?
• What do you see as the biggest challenge?
• What do you think causes ...?

Questions targeted at learning more about the Environment focus on understanding perspectives on the contextual factors (good and bad) that are influencing the situation. Below are examples of questions for understanding perspectives about the Environment. 

• What is difficult about this situation from your perspective?
• Is there a clearly defined shared goal or purpose?
• Are the roles clearly defined and aligned for success?
• How do the processes, policies, procedure, rewards, ect. impact success?
• What constraints (time, resources, etc.) does this situation present for you?

Taking Action for Success

Based on your assessment, it is then important to focus on the one or two big things (either Person/People or Environmental Factors) that get in the way of resolving your most important challenge and identifying the actions you need to take?

Below are some important questions that will help you define next steps

• What am I doing that is negatively impacts my ability to…..?
• What is it that others are doing that negatively impacts our ability to ……?
• What is it about the current environment that I need to influence or change to improve…..?

The answers to these questions may come in different forms. It could uncover areas where you need to demonstrate more leadership behaviors such as delegating, giving feedback, influencing, coaching, and setting priorities. It may bring to light areas where you need to find leverage points for changing other’s habits or behaviors that are negatively impacting the situation. It could also uncover important environmental factors that are impeding you and your team’s ability to address the challenge such as gaps in skill-sets, decision making processes, reward systems, resource allocation, goal and role clarity, and accountability.

Complex issues and ongoing challenges are constantly redefining today’s workplace. Organizations need leaders that can assess complex challenges and take effective actions to address ongoing issues. How can you use Lewin’s Equation to be more effective with solving problems and addressing your ongoing leadership challenges?

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Tony Gambill is the founder and principal for ClearView Leadership, an innovative leadership and talent development consulting firm based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Tony brings more than 20 years of executive experience in leadership development, coaching, and team effectiveness within global for-profit, non-profit, technical, research, healthcare, government and higher educational industries.