More Root Cause Stories

There was such a great response to the Dwindling Owl Population in India root cause story that I decided to share a few more.

We were initially inspired by Paul Preuss’ book, School Leaders Guide to Root Cause Analysis. He had some sample root cause stories within his book. We kicked off our event with the Boat Accident example. We have participants read the story and then brainstorm root cause. What’s interesting is that folks almost always blame the family – sound familiar? However, if we stop our problem-solving with the family, nothing changes. If we start to see the organization, in this case the coast guard as culpable, is there a chance victims from a future boating accident will be saved?

The point is once we as educators take responsibility for student learning outcomes and focus solutions on items within our circle of influence, we can greatly impact results.

Inspired by the Preuss’ book, we created a few of our own:

Roseto – story centers on the importance of relationships (thanks to Sue Kinney)

Gotham City – RtII and large district reform

Korean Airlines – importance of communication and common language

Thomas Jefferson Memorial – Five Whys (recommended by Don Burkins)

Click here to view our root cause resources. Scroll down to see the examples. Please share your own resources and ideas!

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