The Slow Elevator Problem

I read a case study in HBR about how most organizations aren’t rigorous enough in defining the problems they’re trying to solve. They jump to solutions, waste resources, and end up pursuing initiatives that address the wrong thing entirely.

One example that stuck with me: an office building with slow elevators. Tenants are complaining. Some threaten to leave. Management assembles a team to make the elevators faster. The fix will cost around a million dollars.

Then someone does something different. Instead of jumping to solutions, they talk to tenants. They ask why waiting is so frustrating.

The answers seem obvious: “The wait is too long.” “I’m stuck with nothing to do.” “It’s boring.” “I have places to be.”

These sound like the problem. But are they?

Surface answers aren’t root causes

The case study mentions something easy to overlook: higher floors complain more, and newer tenants complain more than older ones. If the issue were simply slow elevators or boredom, that pattern wouldn’t exist. Everyone waits. Everyone gets bored.

What’s different about those groups? It’s not the mechanics of waiting. It’s how they feel about it.

  • Expectations, not speed. Newer tenants may have come from buildings with faster elevators. They’re comparing. Older tenants have adjusted. The problem might be unmet expectations, not the wait itself.

  • Perceived value. Higher floors often pay more rent. They might feel they deserve better service. The complaint isn’t “I’m bored” but “I’m not getting what I’m paying for.”

  • Loss of control. Waiting feels bad when you can’t do anything about it. The frustration isn’t boredom. It’s helplessness. Mirrors and TVs might work not because they entertain, but because they give you something to do.

The famous reframe, from “slow elevators” to “boredom,” is better than the original. But it might still be incomplete. The root problem usually has to do with how people feel. Disappointment, resentment, helplessness. Those are harder to name, but they’re often what’s really driving the complaint.

Why this stays with me

I’ve lived versions of this many times. In my work, I talk to clients and sometimes I see the problem differently than the team building the solution. I get an insight that reframes things.

But here’s what case studies don’t tell you: even when you articulate a better problem, you don’t always influence the outcome. By the time you’ve understood something clearly, there’s already a project plan. There’s momentum. Sometimes the answer is: “Good insight, but it’s too late to stop now.”

And even when your insight lands, it might only be a step closer. Not the final answer.

The gap I’m sitting with

I’ve gotten better at understanding problems. I’m still figuring out two things:

  1. How to influence what happens next, before it’s too late
  2. How to stay curious even after I think I’ve found the answer

Reframing isn’t a one time move. It’s iterative. You get closer, but you might never fully arrive. The valuable skill isn’t just seeing the problem differently. It’s staying open to seeing it differently again.