Question

Ury and Fisher provide a prescription for inventing creative options They say we need to:

separate the act of inventing options from the act of judging them

broaden the options on the table rather than look for a single answer

search for mutual gains

invent ways for making the decision easy

Please provide a brief explanation on how you would approach each step in the process laid out above.

Answer 1

separate the act of inventing options from the act of judging them means using different methods of coming up with new options. For example, a group discussion in which people brainstorm different ideas to come up with a new and innovative solution. Ensuring that there is no competition in this process is imperative.

broaden the options on the table rather than look for a single answer means that sometimes problem situations are so heterogenous that there is no correct answer to this. It may require combining two or more methods to tackle it. FOr example, in a situation that requires mass layoff, it may be possible that laying off worker for a few months and then rehiring them in a different work location maybe a better solution.

Search for mutual gains implies that reaching a solution that provides benefit to both parties is not very innovative but intutive in all negotiations. This would be something like making a deal that no one would want to reject or specifically catering to the most pressing needs of both parties.

invent ways for making the decision easy means apart from making the options innovative, there must be new ways of deciding which option should be chosen. Hence, for example, in a very risk averse organization, taking a risk of investing in a niche market would be new.