140 desIgn IdeatIon We often have trouble conceiving innovative business models because we are held back in our thinking by the status quo. The status quo stifl es imagination. One way to overcome this problem is to challenge conventional assumptions with “what if” questions. With the right business model ingredients, what we think of as impos- sible might be just doable. “What if” questions help us break free of constraints imposed by current models. They should provoke us and challenge our thinking. They should disturb us as intriguing, diffi cult-to-execute propositions. Managers of a daily newspaper might ask themselves: What if we stopped our print edition and went to entirely digital distribution, through Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader or through the Web? This would allow the newspaper to drastically reduce production and logistics costs, but would require making up lost print advertising revenues and transitioning readers to digital Channels. “What if” questions are merely starting points. They challenge us to discover the business model that could make their suppositions work. Some “what if” questions may remain unanswered because they are too provoca- tive. Some may simply need the right business model to become reality. The Power of “What If” Questions 140 bmgen_final.indd 140 6/15/10 5:40 PM