Change Perspective
for organizations
This Domain-Level Guide is designed to be used based on the Core Model. Please refer to the Change Perspective Core Practice before exploring this guide.
overview
Organizations are made of people — different people, often in various roles. Organizations are also likely to interact with external stakeholders like customers. Changing Perspective in the organizational context is therefore, first and foremost, your ability to place yourself in other people’s shoes and Observe things from their point of view. Another aspect of Changing Perspective is to put yourself in your own shoes, but at different times.
When you acknowledge the perspective of others or the perspective of a future version of yourself, you don’t only gain new insights on the Observed subject — you gain new insights about the Observer. These insights are priceless ingredients in any creative idea.
guide
Observe From the Perspective of Various Stakeholders
Different people are likely to see the same subject differently. Each person has their own distinct perspective, especially, but not only if they have different roles and goals. People from other teams and disciplines, different managers, and the customers and users of what you create or provide can see the same thing with entirely different glasses.
Observing things as if you are a different person or acting in a different role yields new insights that are likely to affect how you address the subject or how you can use it in the future.
- Observe the subject as different people would.
- Put yourself in their shoes, consider what is important to them, what they will notice, and how they will perceive it.
- Consider both internal and external stakeholders.
- Notice the the difference between the way you Observe the subject from different perspectives. The difference itself can be the source of valuable insights.
Observe the Subject in Different Times
Time may change how you see something and how you perceive it. By jumping in time, either as an imaginative exercise or by revisiting the subject at different times, you will gain new insights that can open new opportunities to address or use what you Observe.
Even if decisions were already made and the subject is no longer relevant to your immediate goals, revisiting it at different times will provide you with a fresh and often useful perspective.
- Observe the subject from the perspective of different times, both in the past and in the future.
- Revisit the subject at different times and Observe it again.
examples
Example 1
When thinking about a new service you are about to provide or a new feature of the product you develop, consider how other stakeholders will see it. The customers and users are obviously the first ones to consider, but if you Observe it from the perspective of additional stakeholders, meaningful insights might emerge. Consider, for example, how your competitors will see it, how other teams working on different products in your organization will see it, and so on.
Example 2
When observing a piece of information, try to see it as if you watch it at different times. How would it have looked in the past? How will it look in a year from now?
Even if you don’t have actual trend data, imagining how the subject will evolve (or has evolved) will likely result in new insights.