School, work, and our entire lives push us to perform under the pressures of the clock. But all too often, deadline pressures can exploit our psychological biases and lead us into decisions before we’re ready.
This four-part online workshop is designed to help your organization make better decisions by eliminating our tendency to jump to conclusions. Participants will learn a powerful, four-step process for ensuring that you deeply understand the problem before pursuing any solution.
Each one-hour session will be devoted to one of the four steps, with a week between each to allow you time to practice the concepts in your own workplace. We’ll also take time to reflect on your experiences implementing the ideas so that we can address any obstacles.
The workshop will be led by Dan Markovitz, author of The Conclusion Trap: Four Steps to Better Decisions. The author recommends purchasing the book. It will be a deeper dive into the content he presented as part of a two-part webinar series in 2020. Upon registering, participants will receive Dan’s 25-page workbook (PDF) that accompanies the book and workshop.
The four sessions focus on:
- Go and See. The best detectives go to the crime scene. Likewise, we’ll discuss the importance of gathering data from where the work is done and not simply relying on spreadsheets reviewed in your office.
- Problem Framing. This session will cover the importance of problem framing, how we commonly err in writing problem statements, and how to correct those errors.
- Thinking Backwards. This session introduces fishbone diagrams and cause maps – two powerful tools for untangling the contributing factors that can make complex problems so difficult.
- Finding the Root Cause. This session will explain how the Five Whys can help you explain why the contributing factors are there in the first place.
This is an interactive workshop that will require attendee participation. In each session, you’ll be expected to work through case studies and discuss them with your classmates. We’ll also devote a portion of each session to reflection and analysis of your experiences implementing the ideas at your workplace.
Workshops will be held on January 12, 19, 26, and February 2.
