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Collaboration - The Next Generation • Replace
compromise with breakthroughs, alignment, and commitment • Radically
increase performance and improve morale • Significantly
reduce costs and shorten schedules • Emphasize
visually intense dialogue rather than
verbal interchange • Solicit
conflict to improve creativity and build on each other’s ideas • Transform
thought into group wisdom to create “best fit” solutions |
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“Structured Thought” is key to The Future of
Collaboration Using Structured
Thought Processes is very different than the use of more traditional round table,
or facilitated, discussion formats.
Structured Thought Processes practically eliminate the inadequacies of
groupthink
and replace the negative aspects of overly dominant personality types with
the positive characteristics of talented individuals who work as a group to
make decisions that are truly wise. (...more) |
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Appreciation - Know your Customers and Stakeholders
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Alignment -
Focus your Resources - |
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We conduct group work sessions
that ideal solutions, We emphasize “learn by doing” so that “Team training” is NOT required We
don’t waste your time |
for groups to Collaborate Create and Converge |
This is We can We answer the |
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We Manage Group Work
Sessions using |
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Advancement - Orchestrate & Replicate Performance Excellence - |
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Create Optimum Results for the Good of All - |
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your group
+ your challenge + our structure = Breakthrough
Solutions We combine Strategy and Technology with Group Wisdom to make Change For The Better It’s
simple: We know how to optimally
merge your tasks, teams, and tools to achieve the results you desire. |
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Topics (click link below) · Structured
Thought is the key · Ideal Solutions on a Strict Schedule · From
“No way!” to “No problem.” · The
ICIT Organization - Characterized · Let’s Schedule a Breakthrough · VID: “The Breakthrough Machine” · Flyer: Collaboration – The Next Generation |
When - Ideas and viewpoints are diverse - New and better ideas are resisted - The task is complex or seems
futile - The stakeholders are all leaders
or are - Commitment requires support rather
than - Progress is too slow or stalled - Conflict within or between groups
is prevalent - The “best” solution must be
created and - Technology must be applied fast
and in a way Then Let ICIT lead the effort and deliver |
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Using Structured Thought
Processes is very different than the use of more traditional round table, or
facilitated, discussion formats.
Structured Thought Processes practically eliminate the inadequacies of
groupthink
and replace the negative aspects of overly dominant personality types with
the positive characteristics of talented individuals who work as a group to
make decisions that are truly wise. During these processes
multiple thoughts are created very quickly and then evaluated by individuals
working together to make lots of initial decisions in parallel. All thoughts and decisions are captured in
a visual format within an environment that permits contention to thrive. When contentious issues arise they too are
transformed into a visual format which enables them to be thoroughly explored
and contrasted with other captured thoughts.
This environment of open contention that is displayed visually helps
individuals to think, learn from each other, and rapidly iterate and improve
their thoughts in real time. This
emphasis on the visual representation of thoughts and decisions helps everyone
to “see” why the final outcome is truly an optimum solution and not just consensus
based on compromise. The techniques used to
conduct Structured Thought Processes are not intuitively obvious and are different
than traditional approaches. Some of
these differences include: ·
A group of 14 or more members can generate
and capture over 150 thoughts and ideas within 10 minutes or less.
·
Larger groups (25 or more) are more
productive than smaller groups (6 to 8) since larger groups can be organized
to perform many more tasks in parallel.
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Finding ways to limit the scope of initial
discussions is strongly discouraged.
One would think that a group can more productively focus if the topics
of discussion are somehow constrained. Instead, the use of structured processes
allows the focus of a group to be achieved faster when the discussion remains
open to a broad range of subject matter areas. This is because the time normally required
to verbally discuss a few topics is replaced with visual dialogue techniques
that consume much less time per topic, allowing all topics of interest to be
explored. Hence, no time is needed to
revisit topics that would have otherwise been prematurely filtered from initial
discussions. This also creates greater
adherence to a focus with less time expended on “second-guessing” once a
direction is decided upon.
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Likewise, creating and evaluating multiple
alternatives (18 or more) is much more productive than creating and
evaluating a smaller number of alternatives (3 to 5) since the time consumed
to limit the alternatives considered by a group for the sake of productivity
is replaced with efforts that cause participants to build on each other’s
knowledge as they work together to create a truly optimum outcome. As a result, the increase in the quantity
of solutions that are submitted at the beginning of an effort are often
morphed into completely new and better concepts that are readily accepted
simply because it is obvious that the most valuable characteristics from many
concepts were combined and used to create new and better solutions. This completely eliminates the time required
to convince a group to accept initial concepts or solutions and has a greater
chance to survive the test of time since subsequent ideas are often found to
be similar to those that have already been considered.
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The process of voting is used to demonstrate
how often majority rule does not result in the best choice. Once the voting process is completed, a
structured process is used to create and select the final resolution. When the group compares this resolution to
the outcome of the initial vote, it is frequently determined that the final
resolution is indeed superior. On a few occasions, the result of the initial
vote will be similar to the final result of the structured process. When this happens it becomes clear that the
reasons for the final selection are much better understood and are therefore
more strongly supported as compared to a resolution selected only through
popular opinion.
· Dissention
is encouraged because, when it is controlled, it enhances the learning
process. Visual dialogue techniques
promote the need to explore the reasons for differences that exist and the
desire to gain a better understanding of all perspectives. Therefore dissention becomes a welcome
contribution to the learning process.
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Groups that cannot be collocated due to
either contentious issues or physical attendance limitations can still work
together productively when they are at locations that are geographically
dispersed. This is because all
thoughts and decisions are translated into a visual format that can be
shared. This enables all parties to
achieve a “greater appreciation and acceptance of the assumptions” that drive
the understanding and gener-ation of problems, goals, and essential tasks as
compared to more traditional “result reporting formats”.
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Structured Processes provide a productive
learning experience for all. Participants
often feel their exper-ience was highly productive and that their insight was
significantly enhanced at the end of their efforts.
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Since the thought process (not the
content) is very structured, estimating the completion time is very accurate
even when breakthrough solutions or resolutions to highly contentious issues
are required.
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Leaders who have experienced situations in
which a group cannot make an optimum decision are surprised to discover that
true wisdom can be achieved by the group when using structured processes. This frees the leader from being forced to
make the final difficult, and potentially unpopular, decision. As a matter of fact, the leader is not
usually required to contribute any content to the decision making process
whatsoever. As long as both adequate
subject matter expertise and the willingness to participate exists within the
group, then the leader can depend on the structured process to produce an
optimum outcome that is truly of highest value to all regardless of the
personality types that are involved.
When this happens leaders find that the support and momentum created
will ensure their success.
A unique
benefit from the use of these processes is that the outcome is often a
breakthrough with characteristics resembling altruism. This is because, as stated above, multiple
perspectives are presented in a visual format which allows ideas to be more
carefully considered concurrently in order to create, evaluate, and build
upon many alternatives. Each
individual is encouraged to think of something that will make things
better. This allows the combination of
several alternatives to be iterated into a breakthrough. In addition, it is important to note that
Structured Thought Processes increase the speed at which different ideas are
created and considered which makes it difficult to associate one’s ego with
each new thought that is contributed.
In combination, these activities promote a focus on producing the
“best-fit answer for all” rather than the search for a solution that is often
intended to only satisfy the “ego-driven needs of a few”. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2007-2008 To get started, contact ICIT www.icitnow.org 858.354.4248 Don Murphy |
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“Ideal solutions, with buy-in, on time” requires
the proper management of complex group thought What makes this possible? · The approach is simple and straightforward · Each step is flexible and easily adapted to different subject matter · The duration of each step is relatively short and the time consumed is consistent · Large groups are constantly broken down into small groups then brought back together · Multiple small groups get lots of work done in parallel · Each participant is fully engaged and can contribute even when the group is large · All ideas and concepts are represented visually rather than orally discussed in detail · Thoughts are visually represented so that new patterns of thought are easily facilitated · Contention and diversity are fully understood and can easily be focused upon for resolution · The visual representation of thought creates a positive learning experience for all · Repeatable
results demonstrate breakthrough solutions in any situation |
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Our Group Thought Constructs include: ·
Strategic planning, problem resolution, and
change implementation (“change for the better”) ·
Collaborative solution architecting and
technology application (doctrine, services, or products) ·
User or customer intimacy creation (using
external assessment and needs appreciation) ·
Opportunities creation, evaluation, and selection
(market, enterprise, or organizational focus) Although each construct is a
powerful tool that can be tailored to satisfy a specific need, |
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We monitor progress in many ways: · Time and Cost Savings (greater than 50%) · New ideas created (patents per hour) · Thoughts and ideas documented and considered (100s to 1,000s) · Situations in chaos that were transformed into
structure with focus (99 out of a 100) · Number of “hopeless” projects saved (4 out of 5) · Number of technology “bottlenecks” or “roadblocks”
that were overcome (9 out of 10) · Number of alternatives evaluated and used to create
better solutions (10 to 80) · Number of solutions created by the group that experts
considered to be better than their original input · Changes to group focus that are accepted as “better”
and were different than original popular opinion · Number of decisions made per hour (100 or greater) · Work sessions completed on time and as planned (90% or better) · Final solution performance improvement and/or complexity
reduction (frequently 80% improvement
or better) · Number of participants that can participate in a
work group and feel fully productive (up
to 50) · Time each participant remains actively engaged
verses idle time (90% engaged) · Number of sub-teams created and number of membership
changes without noticeable productivity loss · Number of conflicts resolved and number of
disagreements everyone accepts as not requiring resolution · Time consumed to recover lost productivity between
work sessions (15 minutes or less) · Time consumed to become a fully contributing new
member (2 to 6 hrs due to well documented
artifacts) ·
Number of high risks
identified and mitigated that were previously unknown |
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Is this important to YOU? Our knowledge base is
becoming so vast and the world is becoming so small that Process Training: A process is only as good as its results. Once you experience this process and are sufficiently impressed by the results, then you may be interested in “Process Training”. Process training is available and can be arranged to satisfy your unique needs. The techniques are simple but they are extremely difficult to fully appreciate and effectively put into practice until they have been experienced in a “real world” situation that includes the full impact of time constraints and group dynamics. For these reasons ICIT strongly recommends training only be provided to groups that have first experienced and applied the techniques to overcome a “real world” challenge. If your group is interested in training contact ICIT. |
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or Cell: (858) 354-4248 Fax: (858) 505-0682 |
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Don Murphy Bio Business Card President / Founder Integrated Creativity and continuous Improvement Technologies - ICIT |
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ICIT Services |
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We conduct group work sessions
that convert diverse needs, complexity, and/or contention This is done by facilitating the use of visually based structured
techniques to conduct We have learned when and how to best apply the proper
decision-making method or tool, |