228. How might subtraction help to solve our stickiest problems?

This season, every episode of OMG focuses on a question that directors really need to answer.

OMG is written, produced, narrated and scored by Matt Fullbrook.

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Question #26: How might subtraction help to solve our stickiest issues? Back in episode 189, I talked about the amazing work by Leidy Klotz and others on a cognitive bias called “subtraction neglect”. Basically, subtraction neglect describes that our brains find it really easy to consider solutions to problems that involve adding stuff and really hard to think of solutions that involve taking things away. Unlike most cognitive biases, we can short circuit subtraction neglect just by asking “how might we solve this problem through subtraction?” So that’s what I’m urging you to do in today’s episode. Think of a typical board meeting – and I don’t care if your meetings are one hour long or three days long – I think it’s safe to assume that you discuss approximately two important problems per hour. Maybe more, maybe less, but two-ish on average. Every single one of those problems will be compromised by subtraction neglect. Even more important are the problems that you’ve put up with forever – maybe you even assume they *can’t* be solved. Things like information overload or getting stuck in the weeds or whatever. Instinctively, we can see that trying to solve those problems through addition could sorta work, but will probably unintentionally make things a bit worse. But if we get into the habit of asking “how might we solve this problem through subtraction?” We’re opening ourselves to a whole new world of ideas.