CONFERENCES
Convergence 99
"Using Storytelling to Create
Powerful Problem Definitions"
Hand-Outs from the Session with Marian Thier and Joe Miguez, Expanding Thought
"Nothing serves a leader better than a knack for the narrative. Stories anoint role models, impart values, and show how to execute indescribably complex tasks."
Thomas A. Stewart, Fortune, September 7, 1998
Steps:
o Receiving a partially cooked problem
o Telling your story about the problem
o Identifying aspects of the problem
o Combining aspects of problem
o Gaining group consensus about the problem definition
o Next steps
" I don't have any solution, but I admire the problem."
Ashleigh Brilliant
Step 1:
Receiving a partially cooked problem written by problem owner or owners on a 4 x 6 card
Purpose: Accept a problem to engage in.
Instructions:
o Read the problem card
o Jot down words that come to mind about the problem
o Prepare to talk (use step 2 guidelines to prepare)
Note: The amount of time spent telling the story in step 2 will vary according to the number of people and the amount of time allotted.
"To tell a story you must first of all construct a world. Furnish as much as possible down to the slightest details."
Umberto Eco
Step 2:
Telling your story about the problem
Purpose: Create shared understanding about the problem.
Instructions:
o Use your notes from step 1.
o Follow these guidelines:
- one person speaks at a time without any interruptions
- each person adds to what has previously been said without repeats
- begin your story with the word "and"
- do not go in order, speak when your additions seem most appropriate
- talk about what you know: history, your involvement, experiences, people affected
- state assumptions you or others might hold about the problem
Note: You will use all of the information in the next step, so LISTEN well.
"The right anecdote can be worth a thousand theories."
Warren Bennis
Step 3:
Identifying aspects of the problem
Purpose: Use collective knowledge from stories to allow the real problem to emerge.
Instructions:
o Divide into trios
o Talk about the stories. That is, what patterns and themes arose?
o Identify as many aspects of the problem as you can using what you heard during storytelling. That is, if the problem were a bowl of sauce-covered pasta, how many strands of spaghetti can you pull apart until the entire bowl is unraveled?
o Write your ideas on the paper-covered wall
o Walk around and read all entries
"Listen to others responses. As in the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, you'll probably discover that your question reveals blind spots and assumptions that deserve to be challenged."
Daniel Goleman, Paul Kaufman, Michael Ray
Step 4:
Combining aspects of problem
Purpose: Display the group's thinking about the breadth of the problem.
Instructions:
o Combine repeated ideas
o Cluster like ideas
o Title each cluster
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Step 5:
Gaining group consensus about the problem definition
Purpose: Agree upon the key aspects of the problem to solve. That is, what, if solved, will produce the highest rate of return.
Instructions:
o Recall the fervor of the stories
o Talk about the clusters and select 3-4 critical aspects of the problem. Consider:
- passion for the point-of-view
- making a difference
- breakthrough thinking
- worthy of time spent
- available resources
Note: In an actual situation, the group establishes its own criteria
o Ask for agreement from each participant. That is, each person says, "Yes, I agree we've identified the problem in ways that consider my story."
"When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row."
Alice Paul (American social reformer)
Step 6:
Next steps
Purpose: Decide how the group will proceed with the problem.
Instructions:
o The group identifies roles, responsibilities, resources, and timeframes
Note: In an actual situation, the group creates a chart or map to move forward.
Stuff list:
Handouts
Stickies
Enlarged handouts
Tape
Colored pens
Pencils
Magic markers
Name tags
Music
Business cards
Brochures
The Situation:
In the town in which you reside there is a large grocery store, Alfalfa's, which has been a part of the community for twenty years. It sells mostly organic food, herbs, health supplements and high quality prepared foods. Two years ago it merged with two smaller stores and this new entity, Wild Oats, is opening up other stores in other cities.
Last year a national organic food chain, Whole Foods, opened a super store about three miles from Alfalfa's. The Whole Foods' opening was an event and the store enjoyed immediate success. Within weeks the Wild Oats operation was hemorrhaging market share.
You are a part of a group of experts brought in to assist the Wild Oats operation regain market share.
Tomorrow morning you have to present your client with a definition of the problem.