Why not dare to think out of the box

We all , at one time or another, operate on the belief that we are near perfect. We have found the perfect mate, the perfect job, the perfect organization, the perfect boss. However, it is a false narrative. There is no way for us to be perfect.

We are going to be facing problems in our organizations every day. The key to successful resolution is going to be how we go about solving them. We are left with several choices,

The first is that we can deny that there is a problem. We are in the perfect organization so we could not have a problem. In the long run, this servs no one. By denying the problem does not make it go away.

Second, we can rely on the past and say well if we have a problem, it is similar to this problem from the past. Why don’t we just take that solution and use it to solve the new issue. Again, this might work but the chances are high you will fail because not every problem is the same.

Third, we can take the risk and think out of the box. Charles Handy (author of the Age f Paradox and the Age of Unreason) tells us that “it is easy to listen to a new idea and say why. It is more exciting to listen and say why not. The late Senator Ted Kennedy at his brother’s funeral told us “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream of things that never were and say why not.” Col Edward Hubbard (USAF Ret.) tells us that we need to learn to escape from the box. In each case they are suggesting that we need to take a risk and truly investigate what are all the solutions to the problem at hand and discover the best solutions to the issue.

By thinking out of the box we are willing to open ourselves to a wide range of alternatives. It means that we have o consider thinking differentially than we normally do. For example, thinking about human capital management as a strategic function rather than a transactional function. It means that we avoid the solutions that are chosen because that is the way we do things around here. Think about this- think about the solution from the customer’s perspective rather than our own.

Thinking out of the box is a new methodology for most. It is a vital method for resolving today’s problems. They require solutions which are conceived in a different manner. The methodology looks at the problems through the lens of a new set of tools like collaboration and full marketplace involvement. It means looking at your problems from a broader perspective, not as you see the problems but as the world sees the problem and its solutions.

Thinking out of the box will make you a better problem solver. Remember we resolve our problems as human capital management scientists and question everything. As a scientist we need to think out of the box to avoid being pushed into a rut and resolving our problems in ne way and one way only.

For those of you who may be subscribers t this newsletter and to those seeing it for the first time, here is a little preview of what is to come. In line with the discussion of thinking out of the box, the next twenty(20 editions of the news letter will look at 20 strategies for resolving your organizational problems by doing so out of the box.

About the author: Daniel Bloom knows HR and Change Management. He’s a speaker on transformational HR, a strategic HR consultant and trainer. He is certified as both a Senior Professional in HR and as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Dan has written 7 books, more than 40 articles and has been in the HR social media space since 2006. Dan is currently the CEO and Change Maestro of Daniel Bloom & Associates Inc., where he helps organizations empower organizational change within their organizations.