3. The Power of Framing: If You Can’t Answer the Question, Turn It into a Question You Can Answer

Some problems are much easier to solve than they initially appear, and a simple restatement of the problem can simplify it and make the solution obvious. In this chapter, we explore how Reframing and transforming a problem can convert it from a form that is intractable and impossible to solve into one that is easier to solve and may be solved by inspection. This is really important when trying to answer questions that no one has ever answered before, and understanding the digital transformation of everything involves asking questions that no one has ever asked before. This chapter introduces our second pattern, newly vulnerable online markets, or Newly Vulnerable eMarkets. This is the start of understanding the transformation of sales and distribution channels. Online channels transform competition between manufacturers and service providers and their traditional retailers and resellers, allowing them to take over the roles previously held by retailers and resellers. We introduce five concepts for reframing. We start with a problem outside of business, to establish the power of the concept, and then move on to a business problem to demonstrate the concept’s value. We use the technique to generate our second pattern, Channel Competition and Newly Vulnerable eMarkets.