When should we ask for evidence behind new offer ideas?

Requiring precedent or a fully justified return before colleagues can explore a new offer can rule out the unfamiliar possibilities the exercise is intended to uncover. The Frameworks argues that data provides valuable insight into past patterns, but collective imagination gives people room to conceive possibilities beyond those patterns. The practical distinction is between asking colleagues what might be possible and requiring them to prove immediately that an idea will work. In early discussions, make room for tentative suggestions and questions about what the business could do differently. The Frameworks advocates conversations in which people feel safe sharing ideas they might otherwise withhold. Evidence still has a role, but it should not become an entry requirement that prevents an unfamiliar possibility from being discussed.

Evidence should help examine a creative possibility, not serve as a reason to avoid imagining it. The Frameworks describes analysis as essential for testing and rationalising ideas, and says its own practice considers how data and technology can develop and strengthen creative thinking. For a new offer, bring analysis into the assessment of the possibility rather than expecting analysis alone to generate it. Testing also requires acceptance that an experiment may be unsuccessful: The Frameworks argues that accepting the risk of failure is part of finding ways to improve. A 2025 survey by PwC found that 54% of workers, from senior management to the front line in 48 countries and regions, say their team treats failures as opportunities to learn and improve. The aim is to examine possibilities and learn from results, not demand certainty before exploration.