As we have written previously, Blue Ocean Strategy is especially important and relevant during economic downturns because it looks for sources of innovation and cost savings simultaneously. More generally it offers organizations an effective way to bypass Red Ocean thinking, or "Deficit thinking," as described by BusinessWeek’s Fred Collopy. This kind of thinking sees organizations focusing on what's wrong and problems that need to be solved. In doing so, they often overlook real opportunities. So, as businesses, governments and individuals around the world continue to struggle during the economic downturn, Blue Ocean Strategy can serve as a ready tool for shifting concern about problems to discovering opportunities.
From BusinessWeek:
A somewhat subtler problem with the de facto emphasis on problems is the long-term effect it has on how managers think about our jobs. By focusing so often and so consistently on problems, we come to adopt a kind of deficit thinking. Plans of action that flow from it are concerned with repairing, fixing, and compensating. We spend so much time considering what is wrong with our organizations that we overlook what is right.
An alternative to Deficit Thinking is Appreciative Inquiry. When we engage in appreciative inquiries, we focus on what makes us feel most alive, on our successes and their determinants, and on the strengths of our organization. Instead of emphasizing repairs, we shift our concern to creating more opportunities for success.
Related links from CreatingBlueOceans.com :
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