The Circle Of Assumptions

By strategic

What is the circle of Assumptions? The circle of Assumptions is an effective tool in helping people look at and realize what ideas they can actually justify having and which ideas were simply preconceived by situations they had been in or things they had simply heard.

At the core of all of our conclusions there is always data of some kind; and author Eric Douglas, in his groundbreaking new leadership book Leading at Light Speed describes the 10 Quantum Leaps which are ideas such what we are now discussing that build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

So when it comes to assumptions what should we as leaders do? For example, in talking about the future of the U.S. auto industry, someone might say: “The U.S. auto industry is not able to create high-performance and economically fuel-efficient cars. The industry simply isn’t structured that way.” In reaching that conclusion, this person relies on their data: First-hand experience shopping for cars, tidbits picked up from the news, a chart in the Wall Street Journal showing the relative shares of the world market over the past decade.

But while those data are valid, they may not be sufficient to support the conclusion.

Someone else who may have different data, for example, someone knowing the growth in the battery industry in the U.S. or the investment levels of new fuel-efficient technology may expose data that supports another conclusion. For example that: “The U.S. is indeed capable of making fuel-efficient cars, and I’ll bet that it owns more than 50 percent of the world market in ten years.”

We now have a standoff. Both parties started with their conclusions without sharing the data leading to those conclusions. Nor have they explained their interpretations and evaluations of the data. Using the Circle of Assumptions, one could take a systems approach and begin to seek out the truth. Asking questions like: “What was the data that led to that conclusion?”, “Can you help me understand your reasoning?” etc.

Rather than trade opinions back and forth, the data-based approach asks people to explain their reasoning and to trade in data. The Circle of assumptions helps us visualize that inside every action and conclusion sits a closet full of assumptions, and it is only by digging through those assumptions that we will come to have a better understanding and ultimately to better decisions.

Article Source: http://interpret.zar.vg

About The Author
Leading at Light Speed is a must-have leadership book describing the 10 Quantum Leaps to accelerate trust, empower innovation, and develop a high-performing organization. Take this free work survey to assess your organizational strengths and weaknesses.