Pig Wrestling by Pete Lindsay

Author:Pete Lindsay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

“Those assumptions might be driven by personal experience or misapplied knowledge,” Kate suggested, “or by entrenched cultural notions concerning how we should go about creating change.”

“Like the strategies for dealing with difficult people that my colleagues suggested, you mean?” asked the Young Manager. “All of which were about educating or motivating the staff in one way or another.” He rolled his eyes. “As if we haven’t been there before!”

“Exactly like that,” said Kate, gathering up the papers again into a neat pile. “Even changing something as simple as the context, or the location of where you attempt your solutions can help. So many solutions to people problems are only ever attempted in a formal, business environment. You’d be surprised by the number of problems that get resolved when the context changes, am I right?” She indicated the playful open plan space beyond the meeting pod.

“I take your point,” said the Young Manager, thoughtfully. “So are there other ways to identify assumptions and potential solutions?”

“Well, here’s another way to think about your previous attempts that didn’t quite crack the problem,” said Kate. “Consider the times where you tried something that had a positive impact on the problem, but the impact did not last. Now ask yourself two things: What part of those solutions really seemed to work? and What stopped you from doing more of this approach? Run through those questions and you’ll soon have a new frame to try out.

“Alternatively,” she went on, “you could look at those attempted solutions that made the problem measurably worse, and consider what performing the opposite of those actions might entail. Just like the people of Hanoi, to bring things back to my earlier story.”

“I’d never thought that my failed attempts contained so much useful information,” said the Young Manager. “When I try something that totally bombs, I tend to tick it off the list, sweep it under the carpet and forget all about it.”

“And it’s precisely that tendency that holds you back from resolving challenging problems,” Kate said, decisively. “Maintain your critical eye. Look at unsuccessful solutions. Engage with your failures to open up new ways of thinking, and find new frames to look through.”

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