Meaningful and successful changes are achieved by tuning into the outcome you want to achieve, not the problems you need to solve. Using the inverse mental model helps align people and create an environment that supports innovative approaches to solutions, focusing not just on problem-solving but on a new status quo.
Ivan, a manager in a large organization, organized retrospectives with all teams involved in an organizational transformation. Surprisingly, the retrospectives turned out exceptionally well, both in terms of participation and results. Together, they managed to identify dozens of significant problems blocking and slowing down the organization. They even prioritized them and selected the top 20 issues divided into six areas.
The organization’s members decided not only to identify the problems but also to actively participate in their resolution. They formed working groups, involved board members, and thought about how to eliminate the problems.
To ensure success, they approached the solution with discipline. They analyzed the root causes, identified action steps and activities, divided tasks, and got to work. To keep everything on track, they introduced regular review meetings with status indicators: red, orange, and green.
After weeks of preparation, the actual work on solving the problems began. However, after several more weeks, company leadership became dissatisfied. Problems were still being discussed, and the status remained mostly red or orange. Employees were overwhelmed with dozens of tasks to solve problems on top of their regular work. Skepticism spread among both leadership and employees as results remained elusive and the workload piled up.
Problem or Outcome? This pattern of change is all too common. We tend to focus on problems. From the times we roamed the savannahs, our senses have been wired for potential risks and problems—one after another, creating a loop.
Think back to a successful project you’ve been part of, one where you felt great about the outcome. What do you remember most?
After a long time, like me, you probably remember the outcome and the people you worked with. There were plenty of problems along the way, but you might not recall the details, except perhaps the most significant ones because they directly influenced the result.
Results and collaboration matter most to people.
Inversion Thinking Focusing on problems can be discouraging. Problems tend to snowball, increasing complexity, making solutions harder and more time-consuming.
What if you applied the inversion mental model? Instead of identifying problems, focus on the successful outcome you want in the future. Not the problems you face, but the desired state you want to reach—a new status quo, not just a problem-free state.
How to Apply It? When focusing on problems, people naturally find many “buts.” Their thinking becomes fixed. Vision, on the other hand, inspires and opens the mind. Ideas diverge, and innovative approaches and solutions emerge, often in small initial steps.
In transformations, it’s far better to start from the end—the result you want to achieve. Inversely.
The activities needed to achieve the new status quo will naturally emerge. These might be actions that wouldn’t have surfaced if you had only focused on solving problems.
Moreover, activities will begin to validate and prioritize themselves based on their impact on the outcome. You’ll start seeking simpler alternatives for solutions.
You’ll also find it easier to measure progress—not by the number of completed tasks but by the results achieved.
Most importantly, you, the leadership, and especially the people affected by the change will be able to articulate the purpose of the change and its value.
And this is how meaningful change can be achieved.
Are You Ready? Close your eyes for a moment and imagine how you’d like to work three months from now.
Change starts now…
