Exploring is a headspace where we're not sure we have enough context yet, and sometimes we're not even sure we have the right problem to solve - think "what are we missing and what might we learn?" ==The core mindset of exploring is to try to widen the field of context, problems, and possibilities for the subject we're exploring.==
Exploring can be very helpful for getting input from a wide range of perspectives. However, staying in exploring for too long can result in stagnation, an inability to narrow the field of possibilities, and inefficiencies in our decision-making.
## Effective exploring
Exploring is most effective when the group of people exploring:
- Don't believe they have enough context on a subject
- Represent a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives
- Need a kind of bootstrapped, emergent "lay of the land" that groups can create through, for example, [Liberating Structures](https://www.liberatingstructures.com/).
Exploring is often contrasted with [[Solutioning]].