A14: EDGE ALTERNATIVES*

...once the STRATEGY TABLE columns are confirmed, and during brainstorming of strategy themes in the rows, encourage genuinely wild approaches and ban early hybridization so that you can truly explore the edges of a wild idea.

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Limited perspectives and status quo bias may lead to creating alternatives that are similar to each other. That limits the possibility of creating more value.

Decision makers can generate alternatives that are similar to each other, and that limits the possible value that can be generated from the project. One reason is having a limited perspective. For instance, a group of engineers would generate alternatives around how to improve the technology while a group of marketing people would think more about how to sell the product. You would need both groups to be in the room to explore a more extensive set.

Another reason for creating alternatives in a limited range is the status quo bias. Any deviation from the status quo would make the stakeholders nervous. Exploring new possibilities that change the business as usual is perceived as much riskier than it really is, leading to a limited search set for alternatives. If we use a party problem as an example, where the alternatives proposed for location are indoors, outdoors, and porch, we can also think about having a rooftop party (would not that be fun?), or having a party in the basement, for instance to think about the extremes.

In an interview with a decision professional, he mentioned that going broad in alternatives can sometimes be like "pulling teeth." He said that mid-level management is usually focused on day-to-day operations and bringing their thinking to a higher level which might help them see a broader range of alternatives can be challenging. However, bringing them to that level adds value to the decision problem at hand.

Therefore:

• Therefore, first explore extreme possibilities before focusing on the alternatives that initially come to your mind.
• These extremes might help you see a way to increase the value (i.e. wearing a purple suit with a purple tie would make you look like Willy Wonka and you may never dream of trying it. However, trying it on might reveal to you that a purple suit may still not be your thing, but a purple tie by itself could work.).

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