Altered Perspective: Search Strategies for Innovators (Volume 3): Altered Perspective, #3

ALTERED

PERSPECTIVE

SEARCH STRATEGIES

FOR

INNOVATORS

Volume 3

H. EVAN WOODHEAD

Copyright 2016 Harry Evan Woodhead

Smashwords Edition

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Altered:

adjective

1.Changed;

2.Not the same as it was before.

Perspective:

noun

1.Artist's method for depicting 3-dimensional subjects using a 2-dimensional medium;

2.Point of view. Determines what can and cannot be seen.

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Table of Contents

Preface to Volume 3

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. The Concept of Altered Perspective

Chapter 3. Positive Assumption Theory (PATH)

Chapter 4. Storytelling

Chapter 5. Chaos

Chapter 6. Laziness

Chapter 7. Stubbornness

Chapter 8. Conclusion

End Notes

About the Author

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Preface to Volume 3

"Some see the glass half full.

Others see it half empty.

I see a glass that's twice as big

as it needs to be."

George Carlin

The concept of Altered Perspective is simple to understand. When we step back, or move aside, we see things from a different point of view. From that new perspective, we may see a solution that had been hidden from our view.

On the other hand, achieving an altered perspective that gives a useful and productive viewpoint on a particular problem is extremely difficult to accomplish. Moreover, experience shows that the effectiveness of any given method for this is varies enormously from individual to individual. A technique that works brilliantly and consistently for one person may seem useless to another. Consequently, good problem solvers can never have too many tools at their disposal. This is especially true for facilitators supporting other people in the practice of innovative problem solving.

The purpose of this book is to build on Altered Perspectives Vol.1, Altered Perspectives Vol.2, and the other books in the Hasley problem solving series, by providing additional techniques that can be used to attain an altered perspective on a problem, making it possible to see our way to new and innovative solutions. In order to enable this volume to stand as a complete unit and be useful in its own right, the background and context for Altered Perspective are required. To accomplish this, the first 2 chapters of the previous volumes are repeated here.

Back to Table of Contents

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Chapter 1. Introduction

"The significant problems we face

cannot be solved at the same level of thinking

we were at when we created them."

Albert Einstein

A recurring theme I hear in discussion with clients is that they find themselves in a quandary. Their traditional markets are no longer a safe haven. Economic principles they have relied upon throughout their careers seem to have been swept away leaving a chaotic muddle of perplexing demand, supply and price combinations. Whole industries can arise out of nothing, attract capital without having a value proposition, and vanish overnight. Remember the dot-com craze?

Peter Drucker has been holding up innovation as one of the core functions of every business for many years. In Managing for the Future [1] he goes further, flagging a drop in a company's standing as a successful innovator as the single most reliable indicator of imminent decline. On a grass-roots level, it has become cliché to say that businesses have to do more with less. While that may be true, it is clearly not enough. It is no longer sufficient to be disciplined, controlled, reliable, and predictable. It is not adequate to be outrageously creative and innovative. We need to be both at the same time.

The books in the Hasley innovation series address this paradox, combining the breakout power of innovation and the boundless energy of creative thinking with the discipline and control of a rigorous problem-solving methodology. The series includes:

Problem Solving: Innovation in Five Simple Steps A detailed description of the most effective and efficient problem-solving methodology we have found. The overall problem-solving process is simple and easy to remember—which is important when you set out to drain a swamp and find yourself surrounded by alligators. Each of the steps is clearly explained in terms of what needs to be done and how it relates to the steps before and after it. The critical transition points (at which the management style needs to shift gears) are pointed out and explained. This book also includes a guide to detecting and correcting the most common patterns of failure in projects launched to solve a problem.

Anchor Management: Letting Innovation off the Leash Explains the concept of anchors—the barriers that prevent creative or innovative thinking. Every individual's thinking is anchored to the world they are used to, which blocks them from seeing new and different possibilities. There are many types of anchors, and they are not all created equal. Some are even beneficial. De-anchoring techniques are included to facilitate the creative process of generating new ideas and possible solutions. The re-anchoring process is also covered, to help weed out the impractical ideas and focus on those with the potential for successful implementation.

Altered Perspective: Search Strategies for Innovators and its companion volumes contain practical ideation tools that problem solvers can use to expedite their search for new and innovative solutions. The concept of Altered Perspective is all about finding a fresh viewpoint, from which we can see our way clear to a different solution. Each volume includes methods for use with groups as well as personal techniques for use by an individual working alone. The methods presented are based on successful experience by Hasley consultants and include the results of our lessons learned for optimizing the effectiveness of each method.

In a world where the only constant is change, innovative problem-solving lies at the heart of every successful business. In a world where the biggest change is change itself (because the rate of change keeps increasing) the ultimate competitive advantage is to be the most innovative and creative problem-solver.

As a business leader, you have a vision for the future of your organization. If your experts are spending a lot of time explaining that you can't get there from here, they need to blaze