Searching for Success Zones!

By Don Treffinger

Originally appeared in the International Creativity Network Newsletter, volume 2, number 1, 1992, pages 1-2, 7.

Many approaches to creative thinking or problem solving emphasize the importance of defining specific outcomes or action steps that will help translate new possibilities into successful solutions. In Creative Problem Solving (CPS; Treffinger and Isaksen, 1992), for example, the third major component, including Solution-Finding and Acceptance-Finding, involves selecting promising ideas, analyzing them thoroughly, strengthening or refining them, and transforming them into specific action commitments. Many other approaches to problem solving, innovation, and long-range planning emphasize similar steps.

Enthusiasm for ideas on the part of the client, or even among members of a problem solving group or team, does not necessarily assure that those ideas will be able to be carried out successfully in the larger context in which they usually have to be applied. Just because new possibilities are exciting and appealing to those who generated them does not mean that others-especially those who lack the "vested interest" of having participated in the original session- will feel the same way about them.

One way we traditionally attempted to address this important concern of-taking ideas back to others-has been to consider Assisters and Resisters in Acceptance-Finding (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1985; Treffinger and Isaksen, 1992). Assisters are people, places, times, reasons, materials or resources, and methods that will support efforts to implement new ideas; they help encourage successful implementation. Conversely, Resisters are possible obstacles or barriers to successful action.

This strategy can be very helpful when an individual or group client feels confident that the ideas that are really the strongest possible solutions can be readily assessed and chosen. It seems to be most successfully accomplished for ideas which the client has already determined to be important and to have (at least eventually) a reasonable likelihood of support and success. It may not be as immediately helpful a strategy when those two factors-importance and probability of success-have not been investigated.

We have had some initial, informal success with another strategy in recent efforts to guide groups in considering a number of possible action steps. Our experience is based on a small sample, comprised entirely of educators; we have not yet applied it in a variety of different contexts, nor have we conducted any experimental evidence regarding the strategy's success or impact. In sharing it here, my goal is to invite others to try it (experimentally or in practice), and to share with us their results. In addition, other ICN readers may already have variations of their own to share. As a working title for the activity, I'll use Success Zones; alternate title suggestions are also invited. We begin by asking the clients or group members to consider three possible kinds of follow-up action, after scanning all of the material they've generated and analyzed in Idea-Finding and Solution-Finding. These three follow-up areas are:

• Existing Positives. These are the action steps that reflect, support, or build upon other positive actions that are already in place in their own setting ("back home"). These are the ideas that are already acceptable to others and part of their everyday reality. Even the things we're already doing will need some specific actions so they will continue and thrive. Just because they are in place now doesn't mean they always will be. What are some actions that will insure that these positives survive, or even thrive?
• Obvious Potentials. Next, what are some specific possible actions that you believe will be easy to "sell" to your colleagues at home? What possible actions will be readily appealing, so that even though they aren't already happening, they would be very easy to intiate?
• Wish Lists. Third, what are some of the action steps that emerge from this session for which you believe a great deal of time, energy, effort, and persuasion would be necessary in order to bring about? What action steps represent the greatest challenges, or the greatest degree of "stretch" for you to attempt to take home?

Our next task is to examine all of the action steps that have now been listed, and to apply two criterion tests to each of them. These are:

• Importance. How important do you really consider each of these steps, in relation to the overall goal or outcome you hope will be reached? Examine each possible action step, and rate its importance on a zero to ten (0-10) scale, as follows: zero= in truth, this is a trivial outcome that isn't really important to the major goal or outcome; ten= this is an essential action step, without which we may never attain the major goal. The rating of five represents a moderate level of importance. (You are not restricted to these values; you may use the full 0-10 scale as a continuum. )
• Probability of Success. All things considered, and as honestly as you are able to push yourself to be, how well do you like your chances of (eventual) success? Again, rate each possible action step in your list independently, also using a zero-ten scale. Zero now indicates a zero probability of success; your best prediction is that the idea has no chance at all of ever gaining success. (It might have looked wonderful at first, but it just won't ever "fly. ") Ten represents your belief that, eventually, you are absolutely certain of carrying out the action successfully; it's your conviction that there will be a 100% chance of success. The rating of five means that you give the action a 50-50 chance of success. Once again, use the full zero-ten scale.

The third step in the activity involves developing an overall rating for each of the possible action steps in the list. Do this by multiplying the importance rating by the rating for probability of success. For example, a step rated 5 on both importance and probability of success receives a score of 25 (=5x5). A step that is very high (10) on importance, but rather low (2) on probability of success gets a score of 20 (=10x2). Reminder: if either rating is zero, the total score is zero! A step that would be very important, but has zero probability of success, won't go far; conversely, an idea that's easy to sell successfully, but of no real value, also has little to commend itself for action. By looking at these product scores for each possible action step, it may be possible, then, to locate the ideas with the highest values as possible starting points for implementation planning.

Finally, we have also found it helpful to go beyond the overall product scores, and to examine several possible combinations of values in greater depth. To do this, let us divide each of the two rating scales (importance and probability) into three broad categories: high (ratings 7-10), average (ratings 4-6), and low (ratings 0-3). It is now possible to consider a chart in which we can define several possible "success zones. " These are illustrated in the accompanying figure (below).

In relation to the diagram on page two, consider the following general Success Zones:

Zone Name	Zone Label	Description
Promising Opportunities	A	Actions high on importance and average to high in probability of success; These are promising because they are both important and reasonably likely to succeed. They need continuing support, however, or they might begin to wither away. Don't take them for granted.
Constructive Challenges	B	Actions average in importance and average to high in probability of success. Although possible to attain, these may not move you as far as you wish towards your major goal. The challenge? Determining their true worth!
Distractions	C	Actions low in importance although average to high in probability of success. These may take much energy and attention away from actions that are much more important, and doing these may "trick" us into believing we are successful when we're merely doing what's easy.
Submarines	D	Low in importance and low in probability of success. Why bother? These are potential steps that waste everyone's time and effort. They can become "submarines" when we permit them to be used by others to be obstructive or to oppose progress. Don't get trapped into defending steps you don't really care about taking!
Concerns	E	Average or high on importance, but low on probability of success. These are the steps where much hard work will be needed. Major challenge here? Increasing the probability of success!

As you can see, the structure and dynamics of each zone will be unique, and each is accompanied by its own set of constraints and challenges. To help you carry out any Plan of Action successfully, it will be helpful for you to look carefully at all your proposed steps in order to find the "success zones" and the best ways to plan for implementation. In forthcoming issues of the ICN Newsletter, we'll share some ideas for responding to the unique challenges in each zone; your ideas and experiences in any of these areas are also invited!

References Cited:

Isaksen, S. G. & Treffinger D. J. (1985). Creative problem solving: The basic course. Buffalo, NY: Bearly Limited.

Treffinger, D. J. & Isaksen, S. G. (1992). Creative problem solving: An introduction. Sarasota, FL: Center for Creative Learning.