Option Solving Blog

With his online survey becoming a reality, this writer then found the next challenge was to encourage participants to respond to it a timely fashion. However, depending on the personality of each participant determines how long it takes them to respond and complete the survey. An open-ended window creates a certain amount of tracking chaos, and some clients are likely to become frustrated if it takes too long for a team exercise to become complete. He therefore started wondering about the optimum motivators.

He then turned to create another appropriate rational question, as follows, to begin the process of finding yet another optimal solution for this survey project. That question became: “What could be the optimum ploy for motivating people to participate in an online survey, soonest, using PEACAM; considering 1) natural tendency to postpone, 2) inclination to be reticent about the outcome, 3) a new situation not experienced before, and 4) wanting to know if it will be valuable time spent?” Other considerations were clearly apparent, but these were the key ones without making the exercise overly complicated.

Now he was back to draft two unlikely “bookends”, the yin and yang, in order to focus his intuitive capabilities and stimulate his creative thinking toward producing a range of viable options. The bookends he chose turned-out to be: “Give open-ended timeframe” and “Use heavy financial incentive,” both not particularly viable in the circumstances. The reasons for why these outliers would not be chosen are given in our worked example. However, using option-framers like these help to focus participants’ brilliant intuitive minds, which can so easily be distracted, before figuring out their most likely and realistic options – again, see our Latest Worked Example.

Since it’s vital to come up with at least five realistic options to stretch ones thinking, you will see this writer produced six. Look at our Latest Example and you will see those six options, with one of them being: “Option P – Spell out purpose – that is: Tapping team potential and possibilities” With his “pictogram” in place, indicating his range of six options, this writer now set aside some time to allow for emotional distancing. Emotional distancing would allow his intuitive mind to sub-consciously ponder those six options, while doing other things, and enable him to be more objective when he returned to it.

Since one’s intuition enjoys pictures, a pictogram aids fast intuitive absorption. He then allowed his intuition to work on it. An hour later, he returned to it for helping with an optimum choice relative to all the four question considerations. Which option would you have chosen, if you were in his shoes? As his morning got underway he moved ahead with any related working principles, while all the factors were fresh in his mind and, an hour or so later, he returned to it to make his choice.

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: “Peeling the Onion – What might be the optimum ploy to motivate people to participate in the survey as soon as possible (PEACAM factors)?” 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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