Don’t think outside the box, find new boxes. Bring about strategic change

The ability to thrive in a world of accelerating change and challenges requires increasing creativity, and this requires a shift in the way we think. We can’t just “think outside the box” as the buzzwords suggest. We have to think along New Boxing” to influence the transition we want and generate real competitive advantages.

Psychologists tell us that behavior is a function of previous events or, more simply, how we have behaved in the past guides or determines how we will behave in the future. This also applies to the thought that when you try to find a new crate, they start a smack at you.

To further complicate the process, we build models to legitimize and support these preconceived constraints. We work to rephrase complex issues in a way that makes them simpler and easier to understand, and unfortunately we often obscure them. And who doesn’t know that “we’ve always done it this way”, after all, that’s what brought us the success we enjoy today.

Thinking outside the box is mentally stressful, because by crossing the box we also leave our comfort zone. A whole new box takes you back to the early stages of your business. Will our customer base leave us? Is our pricing model right or flexible? How will the competition react?

Why put yourself and your business through the ordeal of creating a new normal? They do it because the old normal isn’t working or has completely disappeared. A daunting task, but doable.

During the COVID shutdown, we’ve seen restaurants deliver full or sometimes limited menus to curbside customers, art galleries showcase their wares to potential buyers via video, and libraries deliver books with online reservations and curbside delivery. Social distancing and meeting size limits add apps like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to the lexicon and standard operating procedures. Telemedicine is also being expanded. That only scratches the surface.

But what if you don’t have a virus as a propellant? What if you simply see the need to revitalize or transform your business model? But how remains the big question. It can be as drastic as redefining the business. A car company becomes a transport company, which justifies a move into the truck sector. A bank becomes a more ambiguous financial institution and begins to make speculative investments. It could mean:

• Looking for new customers or a new market for old products,

• Creating new products for old customers, or

• New products for new markets and customers.

Experimentation and/or unknown methods might be required to achieve these changes. There are a number of best practices that will increase the likelihood of getting what you want, but consider the following.

• Ask one or more non-interested people who know absolutely nothing about your business what they think or what they recommend. Your thoughts are not influenced by what you have done in the past or what you think will or will not work.

• Consider hiring a design firm, consultant, or other ideation specialist. You are not the first company to be forced into this position.

• Hire a facilitator who is knowledgeable about change management techniques.

• Ask existing customers what they want or want to see from you.

• Ask prospects what problems they are having, what impact they are having, and what solutions they would like to see solved.

This is not an all-inclusive list and as far-fetched or outrageous as some may seem, they might just work for you. Remember someone invented the pet rock and someone thought of putting a man on the moon. Also remember, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

Thanks to Dan Light | #Dont #box #find #boxes #Bring #strategic #change