Invited by Janye Mansfield, CEO of RSM Global, a network of audit, consulting and tax experts with over 51,000 staff in over 123 countries and 860 offices.
Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Leadership sessions forWorkdayMBP PartnersPwC Middle EastABP GroupRichmond EventsFirst Abu Dhabi Bank
Featured inBloombergThe Wall Street JournalThe Telegraph
Janye Mansfield, CEO of RSM Global, the network of audit, consulting and tax experts with over 51,000 staff in over 123 countries and 860 offices, asked Matthew to present on the power of Reverse Brainstorming.
RSM's industry is changing beyond recognition, through digitisation, new ways of working, ESG regulation and reporting, and more. Its experts were struggling to keep up with all of it while still advising clients to the standard they expect, and the firm wanted new insights and new ways of thinking to help it build a robust and resilient 2030 plan.
"Rather than looking for solutions, people look for anti-solutions, how to make those problems worse, which they can then reverse in order to find new innovative solutions."Matthew Griffin, Virtual, September 2022
Matthew is usually booked for technologies, trends and wildcards, but he has also written several books on innovation, strategic foresight and strategy. Here RSM wanted him to go further into the power of negativity, to open people's eyes to new ways of thinking and solving problems.
Reverse Brainstorming is an ideation and innovation tool that many organisations use to crack their hardest problems. Instead of looking for solutions, people look for anti-solutions: ways to make the problem worse. They then reverse those ideas to find new, innovative answers.
It sounds counter intuitive, and Matthew's closing challenge to the audience was simple: try it on a real problem and see what comes out.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Negative thinking finds hidden weak points.
Reverse Brainstorming asks people to list ways to make a problem worse. They then reverse each idea to reach a new answer. For a leadership team, this brings out risks that a normal solution-first meeting can miss.
Change is outrunning expert capacity.
RSM's experts faced digitisation, new ways of working and ESG regulation at once, while still advising clients to the standard expected. Digitisation is rated Act now in our data, with wide use from 2012. The pressure on advisers is not new, and it keeps growing.
Rivals and staff add new pressure.
Our data flags Audit-Free Advisory Firms, launched by former Big Four leaders and backed by private equity, as an Explore trend with wide use by 2031. Staff Building Own Apps is rated Act now, with wide use by 2027, and creates a governance challenge. A reverse session can test how each one could hurt a 2030 plan.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
How could we make our biggest problem worse on purpose?
Which of those worse outcomes are already starting to happen?
What would the reverse of each bad idea look like?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
What does the Reverse Brainstorming session mean for organisations?
It shows that a hard problem can be approached from the opposite side. Teams list anti-solutions, ways to make the problem worse, then reverse them into new ideas. RSM used the idea while building a robust and resilient 2030 plan.
How does digitisation relate to Reverse Brainstorming?
Digitisation was one of the forces reshaping RSM's industry. Our data rates it Act now, as it keeps reshaping economies while three quarters of humanity is online. A reverse session can ask how a firm would fail if it ignored it.
How do Audit-Free Advisory Firms relate to this session?
They are a possible pressure on firms that offer audit, consulting and tax. Our data shows former Big Four leaders launching audit-free advisory firms backed by private equity. A team could ask how it would lose clients to such a rival, then reverse the answer.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
311 offers a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. Sessions are in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Innovation re-invented for the exponential era.
How to Build Exponential Enterprises re-invents innovation for the exponential era and sets out what it takes to grow at the speed of change. It is the natural next step for a firm using tools like Reverse Brainstorming to rethink its 2030 plan.
