5 Levels Of Problem Solving: A Framework For (First-Time) Managers

Edwin Jansen and Luz Iglesias from Raise sat down for a Corporate Rebels interview and admitted they had become the go-to fixers for every issue in their subsidiary. The realization that their own habit of solving problems for the team was blocking growth sparked a search for a better approach. They discovered a five-level framework that maps the journey from total dependence on a leader to full independent problem solving. The levels range from not even recognizing a problem, to identifying it, considering multiple solutions, proposing one, and finally acting and reporting the outcome. The framework gave Edwin a language to diagnose where each team member was operating and a clear path to move them higher. In practice, the advice is simple: whenever someone brings a problem, ask them to respond from one level higher; if you're not a manager, bring the issue at the highest level you can. This nudges people to think more critically, own decisions, and reduces the temptation for leaders to step in as fixers. The result is a more decentralized decision-making process where teams learn by doing, leaders shift to coaching roles, and the organization builds a culture of self-management and continuous improvement.