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Expand Your Critical Thinking Toolbox: How to See Your System

Have you encountered particularly stubborn problems at work? You think you “fixed” or “solved” it, but the problem rears its ugly head again. Worse, maybe you have no idea how to solve it. That’s when you know you’re dealing with a complex adaptive system. Too often, those kinds of systems reinforce themselves to continue to get these results. The problem seems unfixable or unsolvable.

However, you can add more critical thinking skills to your toolbox. Those skills can help you clarify the underlying issues and help you solve them.

This workshop is about seeing the kinds of issues that allow or prevent change, starting with what you know and do not (or cannot) know about the situation:

  • An introduction to Cynefin, so you can see the kind of problem you’re dealing with.
  • Force Field Analysis. This tool exposes the organizational forces that encourage and prevent change.

After I introduce these ideas, you will test your problem with Cynefin. Then, you'll break into teams to practice Force Field Analysis. After a half-hour of practice, we will debrief and discuss any remaining questions.

Bring at least one specific organizational problem so you can practice. (Make sure your problem is “big” enough for you to learn from.)


Johanna Rothman

About Johanna Rothman

Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” offers frank advice for your tough problems. She helps leaders and teams learn to see simple and reasonable things that might work. Equipped with that knowledge, they can decide how to adapt their product development.

With her trademark practicality and humor, Johanna is the author of 18 books about many aspects of product development. She’s written these books:

  • Project Lifecycles: How to Reduce Risks, Release Successful Products, and Increase Agility
  • Become a Successful Independent Consultant
  • Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer
  • Modern Management Made Easy series: Practical Ways to Manage Yourself; Practical Ways to Lead and Serve (Manage) Others; Practical Ways to Lead an Innovative Organization
  • Write a Conference Proposal the Conference Wants and Accepts
  • From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams (with Mark Kilby)
  • Create Your Successful Agile Project: Collaborate, Measure, Estimate, Deliver
  • Agile and Lean Program Management: Scaling Collaboration Across the Organization
  • Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects, 2nd edition
  • Project Portfolio Tips: Twelve Ideas for Focusing on the Work You Need to Start & Finish
  • Diving for Hidden Treasures: Finding the Value in Your Project Portfolio (with Jutta Eckstein)
  • Predicting the Unpredictable: Pragmatic Approaches to Estimating Project Schedule or Cost
  • Manage Your Job Search
  • Hiring Geeks That Fit
  • The 2008 Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management
  • Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management (with Esther Derby)

In addition to articles and columns on various sites, Johanna writes the Managing Product Development blog on her website, jrothman.com, as well as a personal blog on createadaptablelife.com.

More About Johanna »

ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED?

Two and a half days of insightful sessions, inspiring ideas, and meeting your peers. Learn the skills and methods that will take your organization to the next level.

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