Creating Frames and Frame
Switching
Creative people use frames to look at things from
fresh angles.
Leonardo da Vinci framed paint blots on the wall as
landscapes, to get ideas for his drawings/paintings.
Eg. we can develop frames by asking how things
look from a future point of view, say five years from
now.
Use imaginative frames
to get new ideas on a
project
Defining Frames
Type of Frame
Definition
Problem Frame
When everything is seen as
a problem
Learning Frame
When everything is seen as
a learning opportunity
Detail Frame
When the focus is on one
element of an issue
Big Picture Frame
When the focus is on the
whole issue
Type of Frame
Definition
Personal Frame
When you focus only on
what is happening to you
Team Frame
When it is noticed how
events affect the team
Conflict Frame
When the focus is on
disagreement
Negotiation Frame
When the focus is on
resolving conflict
Frame Switching
An issue can appear to be insurmountable.
Encourage team members to view
issues through another frame.
Here are a few useful suggestion to
encourage ‘frame switching’.
Frame switching
Problem frame to Learning Frame
‘‘What could you do about that?’’
Personal Frame to Team Frame
‘‘What is best for the team?’’
Frame Switching
Detail Frame to Big Picture
‘‘ Can we step back from this for a
moment and have a look at the
situation?’
Conflict Frame to Negotiation Frame
‘‘What do you think would motivate
them?’’
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Adapted from Coaching Successfully,
Eaton & Johnson, DK books 2001