Linkedin Group responses to the question, “What is your favorite framing question?”
Two weeks ago I posted a discussion topic on several Linkedin groups. The post was “What is your favorite framing question?”
Many people commented. A few of their comments changed my frame. No surprise. That’s what framing questions (or exercises) are supposed to do.
Here is an edited selection of the comments.
1) Why do you ask?
2) How many different frames can you describe for this problem?
3) “The Pre-mortem Question” from Daniel Kahneman‘s new book. It goes like this: After a group settles firmly on a strategy, then they are asked to assume the strategy is implemented and a year from now it is a disaster. Each person is asked to write a brief history of how the disaster happened.
4) What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
5) What would you do if you had an unlimited budget?
6) Ask the I Ching.
7) Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? (The Toyota 5 whys.)
8) What would you do if you were king/queen?
9) How do you define the space you are currently working in?
Lots of good stuff. What did we miss?
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two that I like:
–what will your successor’s successor’s biggest issue be?
and, very simply
–how’s business?
My favorite, and most used, is from Joel Barker (the guru of paradigm-shifting) To help people understand the profound differences a different lens or paradigm could make, he usually asks the “impossibility question:”
“What one thing is impossible to do today, which if it could be done, would fundamentally change your organization for the better?”
One way I’ve used it can be found at “The One Thing…a simple proposal.”