A Service Design Principle for better communication and problem-solving.
Showing a work problem is often not enough.
When you share a problem, people often say: "Oh yeah, sure. That's a problem." And the conversation stops there. The problem then gets forgotten.
This happens because we expressed the problem with facts, explanations and analysis, and it seems we humans are pretty bad at remembering those elements.
But there is good news! We are pretty good at remembering stories!
So, instead of saying:
"There are too many stakeholders with too many different needs, expectations and too much interest".
We could say:
"The situation feels as if there was one baby with 200 different parents".
And that makes it obviously very hard for the biological parents to educate that kid coherently.
This is an example of a story metaphor or image that I use at work to transform a problem from an intellectual statement to something easier to remember (1).
That's also something that I do in order to help people understand Service Design principles (2).
I often try to show that if we transpose how organisations behave with other people to how we behave with friends and family, it would be extremely strange and even disturbing.
This helps people to realise that something that felt normal in the business world suddenly is something that they feel: Hmmm, this isn't so natural after all!
A good image or a good metaphor can definitely help understand problems, make them easier to remember, and, therefore, easier also to tackle.
For which type of work issue could you use metaphors, images or stories to try to create more awareness about the situation?
(1) You don't always have to be the one that comes up with the image or metaphor. You can also ask people how they feel about the situation and even how they would explain the absurdity of it to a 3-year-old.
(2) If you have followed me for a while, you know that I often translate business or service experience situations into everyday life situations. Like the relationship, you have with your kid or with your wife.
This is a first draft of a principle that might end up in a book of the "Service Design Principles" series.