This phenomenon is particularly true when relying exclusively on internal teams to innovate: you’re basically asking a group of people who are intimately familiar with their subject matter to think outside their frame of reference and come up with ideas that require cross-industry knowledge. It’s not easy.
As consultants, we’re often brought in to provide new perspectives, usually because, as ‘outsiders’, we can naturally look at things from a distance.
When teams are into the weeds of keeping the business running, that ‘zoomed-out view’ gives us a unique position from which to identify connections that, in turn, can lead to unlocking new ideas and identifying new opportunities.
Equally, in most cases, we aren’t experts in what our clients do which means we can more easily question things that may be overlooked by a well-versed audience. We’re also naturally free of any embedded thinking and internal politics that can make it difficult for a business’s teams to challenge opinions.
We have the licence, usually from the top, to make positive change happen without being tied to anything that exists. This rarely ever happens internally because even when there is appetite for it, the risks involved, plus the time and resources that are needed often place impossible constraints on how people think.
Challenge established assumptions
Creative thinking demands that you look through a different lens, away from what you know your business is today, to think more profoundly about what it could be instead.
Sometimes you can achieve this by engineering a scenario that forces you to respond to it in a new way. Using ‘What if?’ questions can be a powerful way to step away from the current state of things and imagine alternative futures.
You can also use reframing prompts like ‘Your company is on the cover of Wired. Why?’ Or ‘Your company only needs 10 people to run it. How does it do that?’ Responding to these prompts will help you generate ideas but you’ll also get a sense of how this scenario makes you feel. That shift in feeling (like suddenly being excited or intimidated at the prospect) can open up all sorts of new pathways in your brain.
Sometimes, these scenarios actually become a real threat. During the pandemic, some companies whose normal activities had been put on hold had to think creatively to generate new opportunities and invest in their future.
Some restaurants that were forced to close sold sets of ingredients for their best dishes so customers could enjoy their dishes at home. World-renowned Michelin stars delivered their signature dishes to people’s homes. Airbnb expanded their range of experiences to include mindfulness, cookery courses or art therapy… and pivoted their short-stay strategy to more long-term rental.
Most of those changes emerged from adapting to a new scenario and reimagining things that had been the same for decades, setting a new precedent in people’s expectations that will likely remain post-pandemic.
Give yourself time to think
We don’t dedicate enough time as we would ideally need to think. Yet, I often find it can be one of the most powerful tools we have.
Here at Wilson Fletcher, we talk a lot about our 4-day work week , and how the extra time we get each week has significantly improved our thinking and, at times, has completely disrupted our approach to the work we do.
It’s a bit like when you’re stuck on something. The more you focus on it, the harder it can be to find a solution. Sound familiar? Now, leave it for a while, engage your brain in something else entirely and come back to it: often you will see the solution appear.
In the background, your subconscious will have been processing the information and making sense of it all without you even realising. It just needed time and space to make the right connections.
We’re exposed to so much information today, at such a pace, that it can be difficult to find perspective. Taking a mental step back — which is literally defined as ‘to withdraw or remove oneself from something, often in order to consider it from a broader or more objective perspective’ — to allow your mind to switch modes, can provide you with the clarity you need to make a breakthrough.
And although we don’t all get an extra day a week, there are small tricks you can apply to get some time back or artificially create those mental breaks. Simple things like taking a walk outside, having a chat with a colleague about what you’re working on and asking for their input are effective ways to mentally recharge. Work iteratively: break down tasks into smaller chunks and plan blocks of time throughout the day/week, allowing enough time between sessions.
In conclusion
However you think about it, perspective is a critical component of shaping a business fit for the future.
Looking back at the last two years, it’s been difficult to think beyond the immediacy of everyday life as our horizons became shortened in the face of so much uncertainty. But it’s critical, particularly in times of doubt, to regularly challenge the established truth and expose yourself to different perspectives so you can better be prepared for what’s coming your way.
Julie Jouault is a Senior Experience Designer at business innovation consultancy Wilson Fletcher. She helps established organisations stay relevant by identifying and developing new service opportunities using design. Follow Wilson Fletcher on LinkedIn and sign up to their monthly newsletter, The Wrap, to get insights, actionable recommendations and news that will help strengthen your market position in tomorrow’s landscape.
