The Vending Machine Workshop: A problem-solving workshop for leadership teams

A Problem-Solving Workshop That Makes Work Visible

The Vending Machine Workshop – a day to make the real problems visible — and choose what actually matters next

Most teams don’t struggle because they lack ideas, ambition, or effort.

They struggle because they’re putting energy in — meetings, initiatives, plans —
and not getting value out.

It can feel a bit like a vending machine at work:

You follow the instructions.
You press the right buttons.
You put the money in.

And… nothing comes out.

When that happens often enough, people start to assume the problem is them:

• We’re not aligned enough
• We need to work harder
• We must be missing something

This workshop is designed to slow that moment down —
and help you see what’s actually going on.

Not to fix everything.
Not to roll out another programme.
But to name the problems that have been normalised, and decide — calmly — what’s worth tackling next.

What this day is really about

This is not a workshop about solutions first.

It’s a workshop about seeing the current reality clearly, without blame.

Together, we make the problems visible, connect them, and look for the few root causes that quietly generate many of the frustrations you’re living with day to day.

Once those root causes are named, we give them form.

We imagine them as products inside a vending machine.

Not because work is a transaction —
but because it reminds us of something important:

You can’t vend everything out at once.

How the day works (in practice)

1. Making the current reality visible

We begin by mapping your current reality using a Root Cause Current Reality Tree.

All the problems — big and small — are listed and connected, until a small number of root causes emerge.
Typically, there are far fewer than expected (usually 5–10).

This step alone often brings relief:

“Ah. That’s why everything feels harder than it should.”

2. Building the vending machine

Each root cause becomes a product in the vending machine.

For each one, we design this “product”:

• we name the problem
• we're clear what problem needs to be addressed
• we're clear about how we know this is a problem (measures + metrics + insights)
• we're sure that this is a problem worth solving (the why)
• and practical solutions that would solve the problems

We keep this deliberately constrained — no more than 4–6 products in total.

We build them physically:

• drawing
• doodling
• sticking
• printing
• making

This is where clarity starts to turn into possibility.

3. Choosing what not to do

The most important insight usually comes near the end of the day:

You cannot — and should not — tackle everything at once.

Trying to do so doesn’t speed things up.
It drains energy and confuses teams and dissipates focus.

You’ll be encouraged to select no more than one or two products to take forward initially.

Those become experiments:

• implemented deliberately
• measured
• learned from

Once something is genuinely resolved, you can come back to the machine for the next product.

What you leave with

By the end of the day, you’ll have:

• a shared view of your real problems
• a small set of clearly defined root causes
• a visual “vending machine” of possible next steps
• agreement on what to tackle now — and what to leave alone for now

Most importantly, you’ll have language.

And language changes how people think, talk, and act together.

Practicalities

This is a hands-on, physical workshop. Space matters.

I provide the materials.
You provide the brains.

A suitable room with plenty of surfaces (tables, walls, floors) works best —
your office, a hotel room, a factory space — somewhere with coffee, parking, and room to think.

Suggested schedule

• 08:30 – 09:00 — Set-up
• 09:00 – 09:30 — Introductions
• 09:30 – 10:45 — Current Reality Tree
• 11:00 – 12:30 — Building products
• 13:30 – 15:00 — Building products
• 15:30 – 17:00 — Loading the machine & agreeing next steps

Before the day

• Spend a little time reflecting on the problems you’re facing — be specific
• Bring any evidence that shows they’re real and worth solving
• Clear diaries: full attention matters
• Leave politics at the door
• Come prepared to disagree and commit

This is a problem-resolution workshop.
The problems have to be right.
People don’t.

After the day

• One person should transcribe the agreed products into your work management system for tracking
• I’ll write up observations and notes from the day and share them within 2–3 working days
• Action matters: each product should be treated as an experiment and measured properly

As you move toward your painted future, new problems will appear.

That’s normal.

The vending machine gives you a way to return to them —
without overwhelm —
and with choice.

Contact
howdy@cultivatedmanagement.com