immediate impact - endless possibilities
January, 2016
In This Issue
Structured Debate with G-UIDE
Important Dates
Client Development
Quick Links

It's a brand new year - and we've got a lot to be excited about.  If you're like many of us, some of the things you had planned for last year just didn't work out the way you planned. That's OK - like the note on the right says - we've still got the rest of the alphabet to play with and it's a whole new year!

We've only got a few more days before registration closes for our first Insights Discovery Accreditation session of 2016 in Calgary, so if you're thinking about bringing Insights inside your organization, don't delay. Contact us now to reserve your spot! Deadline is Friday.

We've got a short article on using Structured Debate combined with the Insights G-UIDE model to help your organization grapple with the thorniest problems.  And we're reviewing feedback from our Live and In Colour Conference as we prepare for learning events this year. We'll have news about upcoming learning opportunities in next month's newsletter.

For now, we invite you to take 5 and catch up on the latest news from Insights Learning and Development.  
The Insights G-UIDE model
When individuals, teams and organizations continue to see today's world through the lens of yesterday, they are very likely to keep using yesterday's strategies even though they may no longer be effective.  It can be quite difficult for management teams and their organizations to acknowledge that the paradigm around them has changed, and instead of responding in an adaptive manner, many organizations redouble their investments in legacy business models or technologies. 

One strategy that can significantly help teams avoid the dangers of 'Groupthink' and respond successfully to emerging threats and opportunities is to create structured debates. These debates can be enhanced by using the Insights G-UIDE model to set direction and solve problems with individuals or teams.  The G=UIDE model takes the following steps:  

G - Set theGOAL of your conversation. 
U - Create UNDERSTANDING of the current reality.  Establish the facts. 
I - Explore IDEAS and options to encourage creativity.  Ask open-ended questions
D - Question to DEEPEN and explore feelings about different ideas.  Reflect on how the ideas and options fit with shared values. 
E- Question to facilitate EXECUTION and create forward momentum and action. 

In the basic form of a structured debate, which can take place either during a regular team meeting or at an offsite location a team can randomly select members to two or more subteams, each of which is tasked with making specific arguments. For example, the senior management team of an industrial equipment manufacturer conducted an exercise during which the organization's structure was discussed and debated. 

Half of the team was asked to argue that the organization's current design made sense, and the other half of the team was asked to argue that the organization's design needed to be changed. As a result of the open consideration of alternatives, the senior management team decided to disband a mid-level operating team that no longer served a purpose, freeing up those managers to focus on their individual areas. Without going through the exercise of rigorously debating whether changes needed to be made, the no-longer efficient status quo would have been maintained. For the complete article on Structured Debate, check out the Harvard Business Review article by Ben Dattner.  

For a deeper exploration of the Insights G-UIDE model, please contact our office. 
Upcoming Events              
 
Discoverylogowithglobe
Insights Discovery Accreditation, 
Calgary - February 8-11, 2016 (M-Th)
Vancouver - May 10-13, 2016 (M-Th)

There are now over 30 public and internal Accreditations each year across North America, which demonstrates how many organizations are choosing to bring Insights Discovery 'in house'.  In fact, we always end up with a waiting list for IDA sessions, so if you're considering attending either the IDA session in either city, don't hesitate.  Register today. 
Note:  Deadline for the February session in Calgary is January 8th! 

Full details and registration information is located here.
Conference Feedback 

Thank you to everyone who took time to complete our post-conference evaluation.  We've had some creative and constructive comments on our Live and in Colour December conference, and we're taking your feedback into consideration as we plan our learning events for 2016.  Over the next few weeks, we'll be announcing a number of practitioner events and opportunities for you to brush up, renew, and enhance your Insights Discovery portfolio and tool kit. We've heard your comments - and concerns - and we're considering how best to incorporate your suggestions into our plans going forward.

In the meantime, we're looking for 6 to 8 Client Practitioners to help our Learning Development team brainstorm best ideas and help us develop a plan to provide support to all our client practitioners.  If you have ideas, and a little time to spare, we'd love to have your input on how we can make your Insights learning more effective.  Contact us with your availability, and we'll respond as quickly as we can. 

Let's Be Social 
Join us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.  We'll be using these links to provide updates in-between our monthly newsletters and we'll also be re-posting or re-tweeting stories and articles we find interesting. 

If you have comments or suggestions for articles in upcoming newsletters, please  contact me directly. 

Dale Nelson, 
Insights Learning and Development