The Problem Isn’t the Problem | Jessica Diaz | TEDxClaremont Graduate University

When something goes wrong, we rush to fix it. But too often, nothing changes, not because we lack solutions, but because we never stopped to ask what was actually broken. In this talk, organizational psychologist Jessica Diaz introduces a deceptively simple framework that reveals what’s underneath the problems we keep trying to solve: when things aren’t working as intended, it almost always traces back to one of three root causes, a gap in knowledge, skill, or mindset. Drawing on two decades of work with leaders and organizations, and one memorable refrigerator incident, Diaz shows how a misaligned solution doesn’t just fail to fix the problem, it quietly creates new ones. The people with the greatest power to solve our most pressing problems aren’t the ones who always have the answer, they’re the ones willing to turn the framework on themselves first. Because in doing so, they shape the conditions that determine whether anything actually changes. Jessica Diaz, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist focused on helping leaders diagnose and reshape the conditions driving employee experience and performance. She is a professor & researcher at Claremont Graduate University, where she directs ExCo: The Employee Experience Collective, a research and practice lab dedicated to advancing authentic and empowered experiences at work. With over two decades of experience leading teams and developing people, she partners with organizations to strengthen leadership, culture, and the underlying systems that shape how work gets done. Jessica’s approach blends rigorous research with practical tools, grounded in data and systems thinking, to help leaders move beyond quick fixes and get to what’s actually driving results. She is known for helping leaders see patterns others miss and for making complex challenges understandable and actionable. Her work helps leaders move beyond surface-level solutions to address the conditions that shape outcomes. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx