Reframing To Unlock Innovation

The subtitle to Tina Seelig's new book inGenius is 'A Crash Course in Ceativity' and Fast Company magazine recently featured an adapted excerpt which looked at the issue of how how reframing a problem can in and of itself unlock innovation 

We create frames for what we experience, and they both inform and limit the way we think. Mastering the ability to reframe problems is an important tool for increasing your imagination because it unlocks a vast array of solutions. All questions are the frame into which the answers fall. And as you can see, by changing the frame, you dramatically change the range of possible solutions. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.

You, too, can spark a revolution by looking at the problems you face from different perspectives. Reframing problems takes effort, attention, and practice, and allows you to see the world around you in a brand-new light. You can practice reframing by physically or mentally changing your point of view, by seeing the world from others’ perspectives, and by asking questions. Together, these approaches enhance your ability to generate imaginative responses to the problems that come your way.

This concept of 'reframing' is central to FranklinCovey's 'Basic Change Model', which we have been working with for over 20 years. At the heart of this we focus on the power of paradigms and the 'truth' that "we don't see the world as it is, but rather we see the world as we are". Being aware of this in the first instance is the first step towards being able to change our paradigm and look through a different 'lens' when it comes to addressing problems or achieving desired results. To complement this mindset shift, we also help people to develop specific proactivity skills, which ensure they while they can draw on the power of previous experiences to inform new thinking, they do not become restricted by (or dependent on) these experiences.