Chapter Summary Chapter 11, titled "Smoke gets in your eyes," explores the complexities of problem ownership and the dangers of authoritarian problem-solving through the story of a smoke-filled classroom. The narrative focuses on a teacher and eleven students who must resolve a conflict between a cigar-smoker and ten suffering nonsmokers in a poorly ventilated room. Rather than the teacher stepping in to mandate a rule, the students confront the issue collectively, using humor and peer pressure to reach a creative, voluntary solution that benefits everyone. The chapter concludes by illustrating that when authorities attempt to solve problems for others, they often create suboptimal outcomes, whereas allowing the affected parties to solve the problem themselves leads to greater satisfaction and adherence,,.
Deep Dive: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
The Setting and the Conflict The chapter opens by establishing a specific, uncomfortable scenario involving a class on problem resolution. The class consists of a brilliant teacher and eleven students who meet every Wednesday afternoon for a three-hour session. The physical environment is described as a small classroom that is not well ventilated, creating a contained atmosphere where air quality becomes a critical factor.
The immediate conflict arises from the habits of the twelfth participant in the room. While ten of the students and the teacher do not smoke, one student is "hooked on cigars". The text emphasizes the poor quality of these cigars, noting that they are "cheap and ventilated all too well". The result is that within the first hour of the first class meeting, a thick haze descends upon the room. This affects the students physically; the text notes that the shorter students are submerged in the haze, while the taller students begin to exhibit a "grayish-green complexion" from the fumes. Despite the obvious physical distress of his classmates, the smoker remains oblivious, puffing "blissful clouds of odoriferous gas into the haze, absolutely unaware of any kind of problem".
The Question of Ownership: "Whose Problem Is It?" The authors pause the narrative to pose a multiple-choice question to the reader, which is central to the book's theme of defining the problem. The question asks, "WHOSE PROBLEM IS IT?" and offers several potential candidates:
The text then analyzes these options to determine the true ownership of the problem. The teacher (option c) is initially ruled out because he fails to perceive the problem. Having grown up with a father who smoked cigars, the teacher spent his formative years in a similar haze. He is "fully accustomed to foul odors in the air," and views the habit as perfectly normal, rendering him blind—or perhaps nose-blind—to the issue at hand.
The administrative figures, such as the dean and the college president, are dismissed immediately. The text notes that these figures "as usual, were completely out of the picture when it came to solving problems". This leaves the problem resting squarely between the smoker and the nonsmokers.
The Confrontation and Brainstorming The resolution process begins during the second class meeting. The teacher, leveraging his high rank, arrives ten minutes late, forcing the students to wait for him. This absence provides a vacuum of authority that the students fill by taking the initiative. When the teacher finally arrives, he finds a problem-solving meeting already in "full swing," led by one of the nonsmokers.
Crucially, the smoker is not isolated or ostracized; he is "cheerfully participating" in the meeting regarding the air pollution he is causing. Recognizing the value of this organic problem-solving process—and perhaps recognizing that he is outnumbered—the teacher wisely allows the students to continue without his interference.
The group uses the blackboard to brainstorm solutions, listing various "possibilities" to handle the smoker. These suggestions are characterized by humor and a "tit-for-tat" logic:
The Resolution The humor employed during the brainstorming session serves a vital function: it delivers the message to the smoker without triggering defensiveness. It takes "about an hour and a thousand laughs" for the smoker to fully grasp the situation, but because the approach is not aggressive or authoritarian, he is not offended.
Once the message is received, the leader of the student group invites the smoker to choose a solution. The leader asks which of the suggested ideas would be acceptable, or if any could be modified to become acceptable. Spontaneously, the smoker offers his own solution. He agrees to give up smoking in class in exchange for "other less socially annoying (and maybe even pleasant) indulgences".
In the spirit of the creative problem-solving class, the smoker proposes that every week, each student should create a snack to "nibble on." He stipulates that these snacks should be "more orally gratifying than cigars—or at least more interesting" and that they would be shared with the whole class.
This solution is implemented with enthusiasm. The cigar smoking stops immediately, replaced by a variety of interesting foods. The text lists examples such as "camomile cookies, carrot cake, barbecued chicken-wing pizza, green tomato pie," and "double chocolate fudge with alfalfa sprouts". The result is described as "corpulent bliss," with the class finishing the semester intact and well-fed.
Analysis: The Dangers of Authoritarian Solutions The chapter contrasts this successful outcome with a hypothetical scenario where the teacher decides that the problem belongs to him (option c) rather than the students. If the teacher had assumed ownership of the problem, he likely would have issued a mandate "ex cathedra" (from his seat of authority). The text outlines three likely authoritarian approaches and their probable negative consequences:
The text argues that even if the teacher had suggested the exact same solution the students eventually arrived at (bringing food instead of smoking), it likely would have failed. If the idea had come from the teacher, it would not have been accepted with enthusiasm or carried out effectively.
The Core Principle The success of the students' solution relies on the fact that they created it themselves. Because they were the authors of the solution, they were "ego-involved in seeing that it was carried out". They had invested time—specifically 90 minutes out of a 45-hour semester—which gave them a vested interest in the success of the plan.
This leads to the chapter's primary lesson for problem solvers: "Don't solve other people's problems when they can solve them perfectly well themselves". The text emphasizes that the interested parties (the students) knew and felt more about the problem than the authority figure (the teacher) ever could.
The chapter concludes with an anecdote about an absent-minded professor who forgets his money at a restaurant. He tells the owner, "We have a problem," rather than "I have a problem" or "You have a problem". This highlights the importance of shared ownership in resolution. The final dictum of the chapter reinforces the necessity of placing responsibility where it belongs: "If it's their problem, make it their problem".