What is exploring? Exploring is actively trying to find a better way of doing something – sometimes in large projects, but usually in quite small, but many, steps forward. Exploring is paddling.

The difference between exploring and just checking-something-out is that exploring is systematic. Not complicated, but systematic. The purpose is learning, and being systematic makes it easier to draw conclusions.

There is a simple process for exploring; it’s six questions:

1. What opportunity or problem do we see?
2. What are some ideas on how to capture the opportunity or solve the problem?
3. How can we test key factors of the idea in a simple, inexpensive way?
4. Who else may want to be involved? (This question can come any time in the process, earlier is often better.)
5. How can we evaluate results from the test?
6. What did we learn?

An example: In NCAB Group Functions, Cecilia Snell was 1) frustrated by the amount of e-mail in her inbox every day. A lot of it was internal, so she 2) thought up an idea of a simple e-mail policy that could, potentially, fix the problem for good. She 3) decided to test it and 4) asked her colleagues in NCAB UK and Norway if they would participate, and they agreed. After two weeks she 5) asked for feedback. It was 6) positive, so the policy was implemented with some adjustments, and now our colleagues in UK and Norway save valuable hours.

Ideas don’t have to be huge, technical, or mind-blowing. Exploring can improve the company on any level. Everyone can paddle.

Be aware that exploring is unpredictable. Most ideas don’t provide the expected results – it’s too hard to think of all aspects in advance. That’s why testing early is important, so go for it as soon as you have some ideas. Then you learn sooner, and can decide to go forward, to try again with some adjustments, or to forget about this idea and spend your time on something else.

Cecilia could have spent months working on the perfect policy; instead, she tested it to get quick feedback. Way to go, Cecilia!

So, are all areas open for exploring? In principle, yes, but there are some practical limitations.

With some things, it is important that they are done in the same way all over the company. Examples are accounting, logotypes, IT-systems, etc. These are factors that help us benefit from our size. It’s difficult to explore changes in a global system locally. And suggesting things for others to explore, that’s not exploring at all.

However, most things evolve better through many different explorations. Just make sure to involve other functions and locations – contacts across borders will increase your chances of finding something useful, and it will spread your learnings to others. Meeting and sharing.

And remember: Exploring can be useful even when the outcome is not what you wanted. Exploring is successful when you learn something.