Why treating symptoms is a costly mistake for modern leaders

Design · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Most executives struggle to diagnose organizational flaws, often resulting in significant financial costs. Instead of jumping straight to solutions, effective leaders use root cause analysis to uncover the actual drivers of problems, ensuring they address the source of an issue rather than merely managing its superficial symptoms.

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a diagnostic process used to uncover the main contributing factors of a problem to suggest specific, effective solutions. In business, failing to identify these causes is a widespread issue; research from the Harvard Business Review indicates that 85 percent of executives believe their organizations are poor at diagnosing problems, a flaw that 87 percent believe carries significant costs.

To avoid these costs, leaders can employ the congruence model, developed by organizational theorists David Nadler, Michael Tushman, and Charles O'Reilly. This model helps structure data to identify performance gaps—where an organization fails to deliver—and opportunity gaps, which represent potential for innovation. The model examines five key elements: component tasks, interdependencies, employee capabilities, formal organization hierarchy, and organizational culture.

The process distinguishes between the root cause—the factor that, if removed, prevents the problem from recurring—and causal factors, which are contributing actions that affect an outcome but do not guarantee prevention of recurrence. While reactive management focuses on treating symptoms quickly after an event occurs, proactive management uses RCA to prevent problems entirely. This proactive approach prioritizes diagnostic accuracy and precision over speed, aiming to identify the single leading cause or a set of factors that drive the issue.

Effective RCA is often a collaborative effort. By working with colleagues to gain diverse perspectives, leaders can enhance the quality of their analysis. This prevents the dilution of results that occurs when too many problems are addressed simultaneously, allowing leaders to focus on the most urgent, essential, and stakeholder-aligned challenges.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

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