Unconventional Strategic Thinking

Great decisions are necessary for entrepreneurial survival in the serious economic situation facing the U.S. and the world today. Consequently, home-based entrepreneurs must devise plans for themselves to weather the financial storm that swirls around them.

However, simply thinking big, which we have advocated many times, is not enough. There must be very new plans, of an unconventional nature, to survive and prosper in today’s world. Such plans must also be strategic in nature. That is what this article is about.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Many people who think about the current economic problems facing home based entrepreneurs will immediately say, “Think outside the box.” The idea for this kind of thinking has been around for many years. The origin of this phrase is discussed here. The original meaning was, “Think creatively, unimpeded by orthodox or conventional constraints.”

The phrase started in the U.S. in the late 1960s; it has been used so much in business circles that it is nearly meaningless now. The box implied rigidity, squareness, with constrained and unimaginative thinking. This is contrasted with open and “blue sky” thinking. Thinking outside the box was a reference to the “Nine Dots Puzzle,” from the 1914 book, Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles, Tricks, and Conundrums (With Answers). The instructions were to connect the dots by drawing four straight, continuous, lines that pass through each of the nine dots, while never lifting the pencil from the paper.

By looking at the puzzle, and then looking at one solution, you will easily see how “thinking outside the box” began.

THE PUZZLE BOX:

THE SOLUTION:

In order to solve the puzzle you must be creative and stretch your imagination beyond the boundaries of the dot box. Only then can you find any solution to the “nine dots puzzle.”

HOW TO THINK CREATIVELY

Think outside the box has been used so much that it really means nothing anymore. Not only that, it has become an irritation to many, including your writer–so, I will try to use other words during the rest of this article where possible. The intent of those teaching this in their business counseling is they are actually talking about using unconventional ways to solve a problem or attain some goal.

There are many ways to point yourself in a direction to look at situations in a different way from the view of most observers. This article explores some ideas for unconventional thinking. Here are a few of these thoughts:

• Most teachers learn more about what they are teaching than their students do–my own experience has been that doing the research to prepare for teaching a class has given me an extensive knowledge of the subject. To gain more knowledge about any situation, search Google for information about how other industries or businesses have handled similar situations. The library is an excellent source of information about other organizations with countless books and magazines for you to read. You may find many solutions to your problem already in use by others.
  
  
• Religion defines the way groups of people relate to each other and the world around them. By studying religions different from your own you will gain insight into how relationships affect your own world outside religious thinking.
  
  
• Go to a class and learn about something new. The very process of the class will open your mind to new ways of looking at the world around you.
  
  
• Read a novel about something you don’t normally enjoy. For example, read about romance rather than a spy novel. Doing this may show you how the new author gets you involved in the story, and so, opens your mind to creative thinking.
  
  
• When you draw a picture, you are using your right brain. Such an exercise can help to break your left brain’s hold on conventional thinking and unleash your creative side.
  
  
• Try turning your problem upside down and imagining that the least important parts of it are the most important. This may start you thinking on a broader level of solutions.
  
  
• Start with your goal and work backwards through every step until you get back to where you are today. This disrupts your brain’s normal operation and may steer you in a more profitable direction.
  
  
• For unknown reasons, taking a shower often sparks creative thinking. If nothing else is working for you, take a shower and see what happens.

DIFFERENT THOUGHTS ABOUT UNCONVENTIONAL THINKING

In this discussion, the writer explains, “Why Thinking ‘Outside the Box’ Doesn’t Work.” He acknowledges that most creativity trainers believe their students are hindered by the box around their thinking. They have been taught to do things a certain way, society around them says they can’t do anything differently, and they are surrounded by negative thinking on every side. This is similar to the concept of worldview and it is extremely difficult to change. The trainers say you can conquer every problem if you will just go outside of your box.

The article lists the results of several studies that reveal, even if told they can go outside the puzzle box, most students continue to have difficulty in solving it. Other studies show that prior training in solving puzzles and related problems do help people quickly find a solution. This means that prior training, instead of being an obstacle, can actually aid in problem solving. The point is, being told to get out of your established thinking box is not the complete answer to creative thinking. Training is a powerful addition to your imaginative abilities.

“Stop Thinking Outside the Box” explores another angle on the box. This author says, instead of getting outside the box, you need to stay in the box in order to understand all its parameters. If you don’t understand all there is to know about your box, you are likely to push back on the box, which is exactly what the box wants. Your efforts will not succeed unless you completely understand your box.

The author’s company helps charities raise money through many events. They went through a period where they gave away all kinds of stuff to encourage people to participate in money raising events. Instead of receipts increasing, they began a steady decline. What they realized, after studying their box, was that the things they were asking were impossible for most people, like riding a bike for 600 miles through rain and mud. The company began to emphasize the impossibilities, rather than trying to make it inexpensive and simple. Guess what? The charities’ receipts started to rise.

The point is to stay in your box until you completely understand it. If you attempt to get out before completely understanding everything about your box, you will remain stuck in it.

ADD UNCONVENTIONAL STRATEGIC THINKING

This is the best introduction to unconventional strategic thinking I have seen. It describes how several high school friends entered a math competition, “Calculations with Calculators.” When they arrived at the competition they discovered that none of them had a working calculator, something that would have caused many people to quit the competition. These students, however, thought about their situation and came up with a very unconventional strategy. They realized that many questions did not require a calculator, so they decided to concentrate on those problems and do as many as they could. Their strategy enabled them to complete many more problems than the rest of the competition that methodically went through the problems one by one with their calculators. This strategy won the competition. They obviously told no one what they had done, because they won the next two competitions as well, using the same strategy of solving the problems that did not require a calculator.

That is unconventional strategic thinking at its best.

HOW TO MAKE A STRATEGIC DECISION

In his article, the author describes how you can make good strategic decisions.
To make good decisions you need the best information you can get. It has to be unbiased, and it must represent every aspect of the strategic decision you are about to make. Here are some questions the author says you must ask about your decision making process. To quote him directly:

Have I done adequate research and gathered all of the appropriate information for the subject matter at hand?
Have I considered all of the stakeholders and their probable responses to various decision outcomes?
Have I been honest in assessing my own decision making style and taken that into account?
Have I recognized and acknowledged my personal agendas and bias?
Have I considered the various options available to me in selecting the most appropriate decision making method?
Have I solicited the advice and assistance that was required?
Am I prepared to be accountable for the consequences of the decisions I make?

This analysis focuses on improving your ability to think strategically. The author believes the worst thing a leader can do is to think they know everything, that there are no other valid solutions. Though most leaders today are overwhelmed with problems at work, at home, and in the global economy, and don’t feel there is time to learn anything new, you can become better at strategic thinking in just a few minutes every day. It’s something you must do to be successful.
Here are a few things you can do that take up very little time:

• Socrates furnishes one thing to do to improve your thinking–constantly question every one of your opinions. Listen to those who differ with you and surround yourself with people who will question your opinions, rather than just being “yes” people. If you only listen to those with your way of thinking, you will often miss what is real.
  
  
• It is not enough to just listen to those with different viewpoints from yours. It will be best if you actually surround yourself with people skilled in completely different fields from yours like physicists, chemists, biologists, and the like. It is imperative that not only have them around, you must listen to them and, perhaps, accept some of their ideas.
  
  
• One other thing that helps improve your strategic thinking is to go somewhere completely different; academic people call this a sabbatical. While most of us can’t go away for a year, we can go to different kinds of places and gain new experiences for a week or two. Such trips may tweak our worldview in such a way as to improve our strategic thinking.

CONCLUSION

In this article we have seen the requirement to expand the boundaries of the box surrounding the problem we wish to solve. By itself, that is not enough—you must completely understand everything there is to know about your box. Failing to do this will cause you to remain inside the confines of your box. To gain this knowledge, rather than push back against the parameters of your box, you need to let them do what they want and be a bit flexible.

Unconventional thinking goes beyond your box into the area of strategic thinking. The best example of strategic thinking I know of is the one we discussed above about the high school students who arrived at a math competition without a working calculator. By avoiding the problems that required calculators, they answered so many questions that they won the competition.

There are always different solutions to every problem. Surround yourself with people willing to differ with you, and listen to what they say. Listening will often turn up ideas you never imagined.