Introduction

“Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and Help Solve Difficult Business Problems” by Stephen Shapiro is a guide that introduces innovative ways to approach and solve business problems using a set of specific ‘lenses.’ These lenses are essentially different perspectives that enable individuals and organizations to reframe problems and uncover hidden solutions. Shapiro, a renowned business advisor, leverages his extensive experience and offers a practical toolkit for enhancing problem-solving skills.

1. The Concept of ‘Lenses’

The core idea of the book is the use of 25 lenses, which act as different angles or perspectives to look at a problem. These lenses help in reframing, reshaping, and understanding business challenges more clearly.

Action: Whenever faced with a problem, deliberately choose a lens and analyze the issue from that specific perspective.

Example: If a company is facing declining sales, using the ‘Subtraction’ lens could lead them to consider what can be removed from the sales process to streamline and improve it.

2. The Reduce Lens

The Reduce lens encourages simplifying overly complex systems. This often leads to better clarity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Action: Identify parts of your business process that can be simplified. Cut down unnecessary steps to avoid overcomplication.

Example: A software development team might use the Reduce lens to strip down a project to its MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to focus on core features and launch sooner.

3. The Reverse Lens

This approach flips the problem on its head. By considering the exact opposite of the current problem or solution, fresh insights emerge.

Action: For any given problem, write down the opposite scenario and brainstorm potential solutions from that perspective.

Example: Instead of brainstorming ways to gain more customers, use the Reverse lens to consider how you might lose customers. Understanding this can then help to implement strategies that avoid those pitfalls.

4. The Intersection Lens

This lens focuses on finding connections between unrelated fields. Combining insights from different domains can lead to breakthrough innovations.

Action: Look for parallels in unrelated industries and see how their solutions could apply to your problem.

Example: An airline company addressing customer service might explore how hospitality companies like high-end hotels manage guest experiences.

5. The Resequence Lens

Here, the focus is on changing the order of steps in a process. Sometimes rearranging steps can eliminate bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

Action: Map out the current process steps and experiment with different sequences to find an improved workflow.

Example: A manufacturing firm could resequence their supply chain process by ordering inventory in smaller batches more frequently, reducing holding costs and increasing cash flow.

6. The Elimination Lens

The Elimination lens involves getting rid of elements that might be holding back progress. It encourages removing redundancies and obstacles.

Action: Conduct an audit of processes and resources to identify and eliminate anything that’s no longer adding value.

Example: A marketing department might eliminate old, ineffective advertising channels to focus resources on digital and social media marketing.

7. The Reframe Lens

Reframing involves changing the context or the question itself to see different aspects of the problem.

Action: Restate the problem in different ways to uncover new perspectives and solutions.

Example: Instead of asking, “How do we increase sales?” a business might reframe the question as, “How do we add more value for the customer?”

8. The Variance Lens

This lens examines exceptions to the norm. It focuses on outliers, whether they are exceptionally good or bad.

Action: Analyze the high and low extremes in your data to understand underlying factors that contribute to these results.

Example: A retail store might analyze the top 1% of sales days to understand what drove exceptional performance and replicate these factors.

9. Individual vs. Group Lenses

Shapiro emphasizes the importance of switching between lenses suitable for individual analysis and those beneficial in team environments.

Action: Use individual lenses for personal brainstorming sessions and group lenses during team workshops to encourage diverse thinking.

Example: A product development team might use the ‘Intersection Lens’ collectively to come up with novel ideas through collaborative brainstorming sessions.

10. The Magnify Lens

Magnifying involves looking at the problem at a micro level and focusing on small details that might be overlooked.

Action: Break down the problem to its smallest components and examine each part closely for potential improvements.

Example: A restaurant might zoom in on the timing of food preparation to identify bottlenecks and enhance service speed.

11. The Zoom Lens

Conversely, the Zoom lens requires seeing the big picture. By stepping back and looking at the problem from a macro level, new patterns and opportunities can emerge.

Action: Temporarily ignore minute details and look at the overall environment and external factors affecting the problem.

Example: When a tech company faces customer attrition, using the Zoom lens could involve analyzing industry trends and economic conditions for broader insights.

12. The Leveraging Strengths Lens

This lens suggests focusing on existing strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses. This approach maximizes potential based on your inherent advantages.

Action: Evaluate your strengths and find ways to amplify them rather than attempting to compensate for weaknesses.

Example: A small startup might leverage its agility and market responsiveness rather than trying to match the extensive resources of a large competitor.

13. The Integration Lens

Integration involves combining different solutions into a cohesive whole for a more comprehensive approach.

Action: Instead of choosing between alternative solutions, integrate multiple strategies that complement each other.

Example: An online retailer might integrate various customer feedback channels (surveys, reviews, social media) to get a holistic understanding of customer sentiment.

14. The Exaggeration Lens

By exaggerating elements of a problem or solution, this lens encourages thinking outside the box and envisioning extreme cases.

Action: Take a part of your problem or solution and magnify it to an absurd level, then think about potential implications and possibilities.

Example: Imagine offering 24/7 customer support. From this fantastical idea, practical improvements like extending support hours might surface.

15. Strategy Alignment

Aligning the use of lenses with your overall business strategy ensures that problem-solving efforts contribute to your long-term goals.

Action: Map out your goals and use appropriate lenses that align with achieving those objectives.

Example: For a business aiming to boost innovation, employing the ‘Intersection Lens’ and ‘Exaggeration Lens’ can incubate groundbreaking ideas.

16. Flexibility and Adaptability

The effectiveness of different lenses can vary over time and with context. Maintain flexibility in adopting lenses.

Action: Regularly re-evaluate which lenses are yielding results and adjust your approach as needed.

Example: A tech firm might find the ‘Reframe Lens’ more effective during early-stage product development but switch to the ‘Reduce Lens’ during the scaling phase.

17. Training and Culture

Creating a culture that promotes the use of these lenses can foster continuous improvement and innovation within a company.

Action: Conduct workshops and training sessions to familiarize team members with the different lenses and encourage their usage.

Example: Incorporate lens-based problem solving in team meetings and project workflows to regularly practice reframing problems.

Stephen Shapiro’s “Invisible Solutions” equips readers with a comprehensive toolkit to approach and solve business problems from various innovative perspectives. By using the 25 lenses, individuals and teams can cultivate a habit of reframing challenges, leading to more efficient and creative solutions.

Each lens offers a unique way to see problems, promising a pragmatic route from conceptual understanding to actionable strategies. Whether simplifying processes, reversing assumptions, integrating diverse expertise, or leveraging strengths, these lenses provide a versatile mechanism for businesses to navigate complexities and uncover hidden opportunities.