Ban the “Yes, But…”

By The SHSMD Team posted 01-17-2018 03:34 PM

Like

As business strategists, whether in healthcare or another field, we’re always seeking more high-quality input from our team. To do that, we need to find ways to increase collaboration and reduce cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are subconscious mental shortcuts we use in problem-solving that limit our thinking in ways we don’t realize. These mental shortcuts result in less creative thinking and can make conversations less productive.

And once we have actually come up with ideas for addressing our challenge, we then have to sort out the best ideas and to refine the ones that have promise but aren’t quite there yet. The same cognitive biases can get in the way during the selection process, too. To advance innovation, we need methods that help us avoid these pitfalls.

What Can We Do?
To ensure we’re getting the most out of team discussions, we need to change the framework of the conversation. One of the best ways is to ban the phrase “yes, but” and replace it with “yes, and.” As Benjen Stark (Game of Thrones) said, “Nothing someone says before the word ‘but’ really counts.” The simple neuroscience brain hack of replacing “yes, but” with “yes, and” will dramatically increase creative thinking.

However, making this seemingly simple change will require conscious effort. The reason this is so difficult is because of the Negativity Bias. The Negativity Bias is a cognitive bias that all humans share, although most of us probably don’t like to admit we have it! One aspect of the Negativity Bias is that we subconsciously assume that any uncertainty equals danger. So our subconscious reaction to every new idea is to instantly seek out the potential danger. This is why “yes, but” is so common – we’re trying to avoid any potential danger in a new idea. Changing this instinct takes some dedication and persistence.

To facilitate the switch, start with a quick interactive exercise that will allow people to experience how limiting “yes, but” really is. Ask people to plan a party by responding to every suggestion with “yes, and…” and then building on the idea. Do this for about 3 minutes. Next, have them plan a different party, but this time, ask them to respond with “yes, but”. Afterward, have a brief discussion about the difference between the two processes. Your team will immediately identify significant differences.

Yes, And	Yes, But
Fun	Frustrating
Productive	Don’t get very far
Ideas flow easily	Difficult to come up with ideas
People are happy to participate	People want to (and do) drop out
Collaborative	Combative
Fast & efficient	Slow and painful
Exciting party!	Boring party

The vast majority of the “yes, and” process is highly beneficial. The one problem is that there are no real-world constraints, so the idea sometimes gets out of control. It might be ridiculously expensive or physically impossible, like a party on the moon, for example. And the only advantage of “yes, but” is that it results in an idea that’s possible to implement (even though it’s probably not very exciting).

So we need a method that gives us all the fun, positive flow of “yes, and” but also gives us the reality that we’re trying to inject with “yes, but”. The solution is what I call the “Good, Problem, Solution” process. Here’s how to do it.

When a new idea comes up, first list everything that’s possibly Good about it, remembering that it’s not perfect and we will address the problems in a moment. But FIRST, we’re going to think about all the potentially positive aspects.

Next, identify the Problems, but with an important critical difference. You must articulate the problems in the form of a “How to…” question. So, instead of saying “It’s too expensive”, instead say “How can we make it more affordable?” This is another neuroscience brain hack that significantly enhances creativity.

Finally, move on to creating Solutions to the problems. Remember that you have permission to change the original idea in any way, as long as you keep something that was beneficial.

Good, Problem, Solution Process

Good	Problem	Solution
What’s interesting?	How to…?	Change the idea to solve the problem
What do you like?	How might we…?	Be sure to keep something Good
What’s beneficial?	What are all the ways we might…?
WHAT’S THE POTENTIAL?

Use these exercises as a warm up before moving on to the topic you actually want your team members to address. Starting any collaborative meeting with this mini-training will help foster creativity and generate new ideas. No matter what the topic is, it’s important to frame challenges as questions and continue to enforce using “yes, and” instead of “yes, but.”

However, you can (and should) keep it fun. Once everyone’s creativity is sparked by these exercises, you’ll find that fun and funny ideas also start to come out. Don’t shut them down; research has shown that laughter and fun will enhance creativity and improve outcomes.

For more tools and information about creative thinking, visit www.SharpenInnovation.com.

For a recording of Susan Roberton's presentation at SHSMD Connections 2017 in Orlando—and more than 60 other session recordings—sign up for the SHSMD Connections Virtual Conference.

By Susan Robertson | Posted January 17, 2018
Sharpen Innovation & Instructor - Harvard University, Division of Continuing Education

0 comments

181 views

Blogs

Ban the “Yes, But…”

By The SHSMD Team posted 01-17-2018 03:34 PM

Permalink