Work alternatives alternatives analysis

The trainer should make every effort to elicit different options from the person or team he or she is training and, to do so, should first create an environment in which participants feel safe to express their ideas without fear of judgment from the trainer or other participants.

Trainers should take note of all options presented, even if some seem silly, they should be considered random, to avoid categorizing them hierarchically.

Sometimes, when an alternative appears, we refute it on the basis of our assumptions, which we are not sure are fully in line with reality, and should be avoided.

Some of these examples would be:

• We don't have enough staff.

• It will cost us too much money.

• They will never agree to that.

Faced with these statements, the trainer can ask the planning question ">What if?":

• What if you had more employees?

• What if you had enough budget?

• What if this obstacle did not exist?

In this way we avoid censorship and encourage creative thinking, and it may also happen that we find one of these obstacles less difficult than it seems at first glance.

Once you have configured a long list of options, you select the most appropriate one. For this, it is necessary to carefully review the list and evaluate the costs and benefits. Candidates should score each option from 1 to 10 depending on whether they are convinced or not.

In case the trainer does not come to a satisfactory conclusion about the selection, the trainer, if any, simply says:

• "I have some other possible options. >Would you like to hear it?"

If the beneficiary agrees, they should be treated only as options for the beneficiary.