Building Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems
The CogNexus Dialogue Mapping two-day workshop introduces managers, project leaders, facilitators, and consultants to the skill of Dialogue Mapping, and a whole new way of helping groups solve problems and move forward with even the most complex, Wicked Problems. Our Dialogue Mapping workshop is offered publicly 1-2 times per year and privately for organizations as requested. Find out more about this workshop, as well as its pre-requisite, the Issue Mapping Webinar Series. Note that previous Dialogue Mapping Workshop participants may also attend.
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See places that Issue and Dialogue Mapping are mentioned in the world on our Virtual Sightings page!

Paul Culmsee of Seven Sigma blogs (cleverly and engagingly!) about real world applications of Dialogue Mapping.


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In the experts' words:
"... in Dialogue Mapping, we are NOT attempting to corral participants to speak in "logical order"... for example, we do NOT say at any point, 'okay, for the next 15 minutes, as a facilitator I only want to hear the pluses and minuses for this particular idea, so that we can complete that section of our diagram.' INSTEAD, a participant might offer a different solution, or a minus to a previous solution, or a different question altogether.... The power of Dialogue Mapping, in my view, is that it allows you to create a LINEAR, ORDERED display, out of a NON-LINEAR, CREATIVE process."
Rosa Zubizarreta
Author and Management Consultant

"I want to talk about the challenge of our generation. [...] Our challenge, our generation's unique challenge, is learning to live peacefully and sustainably in an extraordinarily crowded world.[...] The way of solving problems requires one fundamental change, a big one, and that is learning that the challenges of our generation are not us versus them, they are not us versus Islam, us versus the terrorists, us versus Iran, they are us, all of us together on this planet against a set of shared and increasingly urgent problems."
Jeffrey Sachs: 2007 Reith Lectures http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2007
A Tool for Wicked Problems: Dialogue Mapping™ 

Dialogue Mapping™ is a radically inclusive facilitation process that creates a diagram or 'map' that captures and connects participants' comments as a meeting conversation unfolds. It is especially effective with highly complex or “Wicked” problems that are wrought with both social and technical complexity, as well as a sometimes maddening inability to move forward in a meaningful and cost effective way.

Dialogue Mapping™ creates forward progress in situations that have been stuck; it clears the way for robust decisions that last. It is effective because it works with the non-linear way humans really think, communicate, and make decisions.

What is Dialogue Mapping™ Like?

Picture a meeting room with the usual tables and chairs and with a computer, display projector, and screen. Now bring in a group of people working on a project or problem. Now bring in a facilitator (also known as a "technographer") who sits at the computer and types.
A typical Dialogue Mapping™ arrangement.
A very good arrangement in a
meeting room at the Knowledge Media Institute, Open University, UK.
As the people in the meeting speak, the facilitator paraphrases and captures what they are saying in a hypertext diagram on the screen. For example, at one moment in the meeting the dialogue map might look like this:
 








The icons represent the basic elements of the Dialogue Mapping™ grammar (called IBIS): Questions, Ideas, Pros and Cons.

This is a very simple map, meant to convey the basics of IBIS. In real meetings and projects the maps are much larger, more complex, and can be nested deeply. Here's an example of some larger maps from a 2-day strategic planning meeting:

This combination of (i) a shared hypertext display, (ii) a trained facilitator, and (iii) a conversational grammar is Dialogue Mapping™. (For a detailed narrative of a Dialogue Mapping™ session, see "The Dialogue Mapping™ Experience".)

In Dialogue Mapping™, as the conversation unfolds and the map grows, each person can see a summary of the meeting discussion so far. The map serves as a "group memory," virtually eliminating the need for participants to repeat themselves to get their points made.

Moreover, Dialogue Mapping™ captures the way that we humans actually converse and solve problems (in a non-linear way), rather than the way most of us wish we solved problems (in a structured way). View a short YouTube demo illustrating how Dialogue Mapping™ does this. (If you have trouble viewing the YouTube site, try this version.)

Some Benefits of Dialogue Mapping™ include:
Each participant's contribution is heard and acknowledged in the map.
Each participant can see how their comments relate to others.
The group sees where they are, where they've come from, and where they are going, and is thus self-correcting if they get "off-topic." (example Agenda map)
The shared display map shifts the dynamic of the group into a collaborative mode ... "What can we think and learn together."
The map focuses the group on a kind of "lightly logical" perspective as they work on the issues at hand.
The map increases the group's shared understanding about the problem at hand, possible solutions, meaning issues, roles and responsibilities ... all of the key elements of a successful project.
At the end of the meeting or during breaks, the group can view various printed snapshots of their discussion.
Thanks to the IBIS grammar, the map summarizes the rationale behind any decisions that are made
Since the map captures the thinking process of the group, anyone who was not at the meeting can be quickly brought up to speed by reviewing the map with them.
The map easily displays all of the open issues and action items at any point.

Find out about our Dialogue Mapping™ Workshop.   Register    Schedule    Learn more

Dialogue Mapping™ is distinct from traditional facilitation. The secret to effective Dialogue Mapping™ is appropriate use by the facilitator of the computer display, so that the group recognizes the Dialogue Map as a value-adding augmentation of their meeting discussion.

They gain ownership in the map, and commitment to collaboratively crafting the clearest and most compelling map of their collective thinking. The art of creating this kind of ownership in the shared Dialogue Map is the subject of the Dialogue Mapping™ book, Dialogue Mapping Workshop, the Dialogue Mapping™ Certification Program, and the Issue Mapping Webinar Series.

A Key to Dialogue Mapping™: Shared Display
Project teams need to minimize fragmentation and maximize shared understanding and shared commitment.

One of the most powerful mechanisms for doing this is use of a shared display.

Mapping is a radical new way to exploit the power of shared display ... to increase coherence, and increase the likelihood of project success.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
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