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Here is a simple quiz:

How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky?  Is it pronounced:

A: Louisville, like Lewisville or

B: Louisville, like Leweyville

 

 

Have you got your answer?

 

 

The correct answer is……

 

 

You pronounce the capital of Kentucky like Frankfort.

Be honest. You at least thought about whether the answer was A or B. If you did…welcome to the majority.  You were a victim of the Framing Trap.  I’ve asked this question to hundreds of people over the years, and even people from the state of Kentucky have proudly defended either A or B as their answer, only to be dismayed when I reminded them it was Frankfort.

The Framing Trap occurs when our decisions are influenced by the way in which information is presented to us….which newsflash….is always.  Consider a few examples of how framing affects our everyday decisions:

• If two yogurt brands are identical in every way, but one is described as 80% fat-free, and the other is described as 20% fat, which one would you buy?
• Are you more likely to accept feedback from your leader on an “opportunity for improvement” or a “performance issue”?
• Would you choose to undergo a medical procedure with a 90% success rate?  What about one with a 10% failure rate?

How a problem or opportunity is framed may be the most influential factor in our Decision-Making Framework.

Throughout my career as an operations executive, I’ve experienced the Framing Trap many times when I’m presented with a recommendation that is essentially a binary choice between either spending money on X or not spending money on X.  And, of course, the consequences of not spending money on X are totally unacceptable, so I really have no choice but to approve the request.  These discussions usually devolved into a debate over whether the assertions about X were true or whether the severity of the consequences of not doing X were realistic.  Frankly, they weren’t very productive discussions and usually ended with the requestor feeling like I wasn’t listening and me feeling like they were too lazy to come up with other alternatives.

However, once I understood the Framing Trap, I could turn these conversations into fruitful dialog that resulted in collaboration and frequently led to breakthrough ideas.  I realized they weren’t being lazy; they just didn’t know how to frame the problem in a way that led to anything other than a binary choice.  Here are some examples of poorly framed decisions that lead to a binary choice vs. examples that allow the team multiple options for solving the problem or capturing the opportunity.

How can you avoid the Framing Trap?

Here are some tips for framing problems or opportunities in a way that will help your team identify more creative alternatives.

Understand the problem: Go see the problem (GEMBA) and interview a variety of stakeholders.

Identify the “Size of the Prize”:  What is it worth to solve this problem or capture this opportunity?  How does it compare to other opportunities?  How should it be prioritized?

Perform Root Cause Analysis: Identify and understand the problem’s root causes.  Address the causes, not the symptoms.

Develop your initial Problem/Opportunity Statement: If you start with a problem, try reframing it as an opportunity. Ask yourself the following questions.  If the answer is yes to any, keep working.

• Does the problem appear to have only one possible solution?
• Does the statement lead to too many possible solutions?
• Does the statement describe a symptom instead of the problem?
• Does the statement suggest the problem is that you don’t have enough time, money, or people?

Test your framing with others:

• Get feedback from various stakeholders, including decision-makers, end users, and front-line employees.
• Don’t automatically accept the initial frame, whether it was formulated by you or someone else. Always try to reframe the problem in various ways. Look for distortions caused by the frames.
• When others recommend decisions, examine the way they framed the problem. Challenge them with different frames.

Framing the problem/opportunity is the first step in our 7-Step Decision-Making Framework. Download our Opportunity Framing Tipsheet for a quick reference to best practices.  Our next article will explore the second step and provide specific tips for using your opportunity statement to generate a list of creative alternatives.  Make sure you like this article and follow our page to see those articles in your feed.

In the meantime, here is a link to a webinar where we provide an overview of the Decision-Making Framework, demonstrate some common decision traps, and give some best practices.

Are you seeking to enable your team to make better decisions? Schedule a consultation with Chris. There’s no cost.

#enablingempowerment #decisionmaking #leadership #empoweremployees #framing

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Chris Seifert is the founder of Enabling Empowerment and an operations leader with 25+ years of experience managing high-risk, complex manufacturing operations and advising senior executives on strategy, leadership, culture, and execution. Most recently, Chris led Enviva Biomass’s manufacturing operations, first as VP HSEQ and then VP Operations, during a 6-year period in which revenue grew from $450MM to >$1B, plant production increased by >200% through commissioning new assets, integrating acquisitions, and organic growth, while reducing safety incident rates by more than 85% and growing adjusted EBITDA by >250%. As a Partner at Wilson Perumal and Company, Chris founded and grew an Operational Excellence Consulting Practice and became recognized internationally as a leading expert on Operational Excellence (OE), Operational Discipline (OD), and Operational Excellence Management Systems (OEMS). Chris has also served as a Plant Manager for Georgia Pacific and Owens-Corning and as a Supply Officer in the US Navy Nuclear Submarine Force.