Option Solving Blog

Many companies and organizations could find themselves wondering about what would give their customers or clients the greatest degree of satisfaction? It would be useful for them to consider the key options that customers might seek. Getting the right people together in the company to determine this would be a valuable exercise. Of course, they would need to initially be briefed on the option solving technique and then set to work on resolving their initial question.

A typical question could be as follows: “What is likely to provide the most impact on our customers/client satisfaction today; considering 1) a recovering economy, 2) organizations are reinventing themselves, 3) an election year, and 4) adjusting to a changed media/promotional approach?” Again, there are other possibilities, too, but these considerations are likely to be the top four choices without overly complicating such a dilemma question.

With this question now in place, they would devise two likely yin and yang “bookends” for focusing their intuitive minds to produce the most viable options. Typical bookends could be as follows: “Keep a low market profile” and “Get in your customers’ faces.” Take a look at these in our Latest Worked Example.

They would then produce a minimum of five options for ultimate consideration. Option Solving expects that you produce at least five, in order to stimulate the broadest genuine thinking.  In this instance we have defined six alternatives in our Latest Example – one is: “Option F: Your market image.” Having put this “pictogram” in place, your chosen group would need to set aside time for some emotional distancing. Emotional distancing would allow the group time for their intuitive-minds to compare this pictogram with their life- long experiences, which are recorded in their 3 pound brains.

Give them at least 20 or more minutes to focus on other company or organizational issues, while their intuitive minds subconsciously review their pictogram. Then you would ask them to return to a visible view of that pictogram – our intuitive minds prefer to absorb pictures rather than words – to allow them to quickly decide their best option. Those choices are then aggregated to determine their optimum choice. Which option would you have chosen?

Once they have made their choice, they will be encouraged to put together an action initiative straight away to optimize their chosen option while everything is still ‘top-of-the-mind.’

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two weeks time: “What is my best rental car option on a forthcoming UK trip” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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