In his book titled
‘How People Harness Their Collective Wisdom and Power, author Bausch and
Christakis explain how he believes the Structured Dialog Process more
efficiently overcomes Bruce Tuckman’s classic burdens of dialogue (Forming,
Storming, Norming, and Performing) with an integrated mix of facilitation
processes and software support developed over the last 35 years (Christakis
2006). He condensed his ideas further in the paper, the New Agora: New Geometry of Languaging and New Technologyof Democracy.
Structured
Design Process
Just what is
the Structured Dialogue Process (SDP or SDDP) that Bausch and Christakis speak
about? SDP is a methodology based on a structured, inclusive and collaborative
dialogue that develops a sense of co-designing and co-ownership of both the
process and the contents. The process was created to assist non-homogenous
groups in intense brainstorming discussions and should be an essential step in
any plan for innovation or change. One might ask why this is important. The SDP
promotes focused communication among the participants in the designing process
and in the ownership of and commitment in the outcomes. It is therefore a
relevant practice that can be implemented where effective engagement of stakeholders
is crucial.
I don’t take
this position alone; it’s shared by the three most recent recipients of the
Northern Virginia Technology Council-Washington Technology CTO Innovator Awards
(Tim Hoechst, co-founder and CTO of Agilex, H. Gilbert Miller, corporate vice
president and CTO of Noblis, and Neil Siegel, vice president and chief engineer
of Northrop Grumman’s Technical and Engineering Group,). When interviewed, they
admit to reliance on structured approaches and strategies to stay on top of
technology and market trends. They reason their way through the hype and come
up with effective solutions to the most pressing problems currently facing both
industry and government (Hayes 2012). Referencing the diagram below, the CTOs
can be credited for using the beginning steps of SDDP where you replace the “hype”
with (a) Complex Situation and “pressing problems” with (b) Frame and Focus on
a Triggering Question.
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| http://www.harnessingcollectivewisdom.com/new_agora.html |
Structured Designed
Discourse has an impact the....
FINANCIAL - Participatory
democracy is a powerful tool in all social enterprises. The business community
has long had monetary incentives to make democracy work ... at least at the
level of collective planning. For this reason the link between business
strategy and civic discourse will have some profoundly convergent moments.
CULTURAL - We know decision-Making
is central to human activity. Thus, we are all decision-makers. However,
"good" decision-making starts with a repeatable, purposeful,
strategic-thinking process or structured dialogue. At first glance, SDP may be
seen as method to overcome the difficulties within cultural constraints. It
does more, much more – it provides a model for identifying what we need to evolve
cyberspace into Philanthropolis.
References
Christakis, A. (2006). How People Harness Their Collective Wisdom
and Power to Construct the Future in Co-Laboratories of Democracy. New
Delhi. Atlantic Publishers and Distributers.
Hayes, H. (March 2012). Top CTOs on
the keys to innovation. Retrieved August 11, 2012 from http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2012/03/12/techtrends-cto-innovators-mainbar.aspx
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