Collaboration
Discovery & Action Dialogue
This exercise helps teams tackle tough problems by involving those closest to them. Four targeted questions uncover hidden solutions and foster ownership.
Duration
2 hours
Group Size
10-50
Category
Collaboration
Difficulty
Easy
Participants will:
- Collaborate to solve problems.
- Discover solutions from within.
- Increase commitment to improvements.
- Identify existing effective strategies.
Participants will produce:
- A completed Discovery & Action Dialogue.
- Practical solutions ready for implementation.
- Increased engagement and a readiness to act.
To ensure success:
Question 2 Tips:
It's normal for people to resist admitting contributions. Here's what I've found helpful:
Question 3 Tips:
This question reveals existing solutions. Ask:
These are innovations worth sharing.
Facilitation Tips:
When to Use:
Expected Insights:
Success: Front-line staff identify and commit to improvements. Q2 can sometimes be a sticking point, but respectfully working through it yields great results.
- Include those who experience the problem daily.
- Create a safe space for vulnerability, especially for Q2.
- Be patient; Q2 and Q3 are often the most valuable.
- Frame issues as system problems, not individual failures.
Question 2 Tips:
It's normal for people to resist admitting contributions. Here's what I've found helpful:
- Model vulnerability by sharing your own contributions first.
- Emphasize the "unwitting" aspect – we're all products of the system.
- Use humor when appropriate.
- Acknowledge the difficulty, but encourage honesty.
Question 3 Tips:
This question reveals existing solutions. Ask:
- "Despite the system, how do you manage to make things work?"
- "What prevents things from getting worse?"
These are innovations worth sharing.
Facilitation Tips:
- Be curious, not an expert.
- Trust the knowledge of those on the front lines.
- Help people articulate what they already know.
- Avoid presenting pre-made solutions.
When to Use:
- For chronic problems that haven't responded to top-down solutions.
- When you need buy-in.
- To tap into local knowledge.
- If past solutions failed during implementation.
Expected Insights:
- The problem is more complex than leaders initially thought.
- Solutions often already exist within the team.
- People feel more responsible and capable.
- Participants show increased energy and ownership.
Success: Front-line staff identify and commit to improvements. Q2 can sometimes be a sticking point, but respectfully working through it yields great results.
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