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Anticipate the full implications of your decisions ahead of time – Use the solution-effect diagram to accentuate the positive

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Why take this challenge?

Prototype the impact of your decisions on your team and organisation

Preserve the cultural and behavioural values that are important to you

Better understand causality and how to achieve the effects you really want

Graphic image reflecting different pathways to take the adventure

Whether a decision is good or bad is largely determined by its implications and consequences. It is sadly an all to common experience for a change intended to improve something in one area to create issues elsewhere. When it does, the common refrain is ‘didn’t they realise …?’. And the answer is usually ‘Frankly, no’

The ripples emanating out from any decision can spread far and wide. And it can be difficult to see them all beforehand, unless you are systematic about it. The Solution Effect diagram (also known as the reverse fishbone) is just such a systematic tool.

Used effectively, it enables you to see everything that might be impacted. Both the good (usually intentional) and the bad (usually accidental). This means that you can better see how to mitigate the negative impacts. And to prepare people to take full advantage of the positive ones.

Furthermore, the tool can be used to prototype a decision. This is sometimes the fastest (most agile) means of designing a good decision. Start with a bad decision – one that is raw and not been thought out – but is in the intended direction. Then apply the solution effect tool to understand what would be likely to result in practice. And use this information to rework the prototype bad decision into something good.

+ Green track - taking it in your stride

Solution Effect prototyping

This is an opportunity to try out the Solution Effect diagram personally as a prototyping tool.

In the box on the left, we put the intended change. And for the purposes of this illustration, I want to propose that we take an immediate decision to “Make our work ecologically net positive”. Don’t try and improve that decision yet. Just map out the implications and consequences of making it – good and bad. Download the template (right) by clicking on it.

The legs we are going to propose for our prototyping experiment are: Relationships; Performance/Impact; Learning/Wellbeing; Anything Else

Then use these legs to list out all the implications you can think of making that decision in the way that we propose. Both good and bad (You can subsequently recolour these to differentiate between them). Then think about the extent to which you could accentuate the positive implications, and mitigate the negatives. For example, the confusion over “what does it mean” could be addressed in part by workshops.

Simply making a bald decision to “Make our work ecologically net positive”, may still be a bad choice. But having gone through the exercise, I imagine it has opened up your thinking to some new possibilities within it.

+ Blue track - a bit of a workout (click to open)

Solution Effect for real

The blue track is about trying out the Solution Effect diagram on a real decision you are intending to make or to put into practice. You can use the legs proposed for the green track, or you can define a different set that are more relevant to the decision you are taking.

Then explore the potential positive and negative implications of your decision.

Assuming you are still going ahead with your decision, you have several options for ensuring its consequences are net positive. These include:

Adjust the decision itself, and how it is worded
Consider how it will be communicated and explained
Determine when, where, and under what circumstances it applies
Provide preparation or support around the decision
Think through how the right behaviours will be valued

+ Red track - stepping up to bat (click to open)

Team based approach

The red track is about extending the use of the Solution Effect diagram to your team.

You can use the Solution Effect Virtual Flipchart for this. Or engage your team more directly with the Solution Effect Whiteboard. (Find links to both of these in the pack section).

Then simply take a decision or a change that the team is currently working out. And use the Solution Effect diagram to explore its potential implications together.

You may find the following resources helpful in tackling your challenge or in gaining further benefits from the skills and insights you develop

To catch up on past adventures you may have missed, feel free to browse our Adventures Library

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Useful links:

Introduction to Leading by Adventure  |  What we mean by spirituality?  |  Why Adventure
Adventures to date   |  I did it, but it didn’t work very well   |  How do I know if it is working
Bringing this thinking into your meetings   |  Adventure & Mental Health
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