Imagine standing at the entryway to a large room in which an enormous sum of money has been hidden. If you can find it, it’s yours. You may spend as much time as you like in the room, use any resources you have at your disposal, and there are no competitors.
[Wow! Sign me up.]
As you eagerly approach the door to start your hunt, you are told the room has been divided into two sides, and you must choose only ONE to explore. No further details are given, there’s no guarantee you’re choosing the side with the money, and you need to commit RIGHT NOW.
By the way, now that you’re at the door, there’s no turning back: either you win the money, or you owe the same enormous (but undisclosed) amount.
Suddenly, this easy-win has become a zero-sum game.
As undesirable as this scenario seems, most organizations find themselves in some version of it:
Potential growth / revenue (hidden, enormous sum of money)
Ripe opportunity (unlocked door, resource availability)
Dual-sided risk (fruitless resource investment, immeasurable lost profits)
Ambiguity (no information about the room or its division)
Incomplete approach (choosing one side of the room)
Too often, organizations attempt to pursue opportunities by committing to either a quantitative (analyzing metrics, targets, KPIs, performance measures, leading and lagging indicators) or a qualitative (exploring people engagement, culture) approach. In a world where “ROI” is of primary concern, big data feels robust, while people insights can feel…soft.
The problem, is that no matter which is chosen, it’s still just one part of the story.
At Quilin, we believe opportunities are best understood by working with the whole picture, which means valuing both data and human inputs: setting and tracking metrics, observing patterns, asking why, and understanding what’s happening according to those living it.
Seeing the whole picture is about telling the story behind the numbers; seeing how the pieces fit together and understanding WHY. It’s about exploring both sides of the room.
