A Three Month Project in Three Days!
An Interview with Alison Grigg, Lead Facilitator, Capgemini Consulting.
For over 15 years, the consulting, technology and outsourcing company Capgemini have been using a process called the ASE (Accelerated Solutions Environment) to help their clients to solve complex problems involving many stakeholders literally days.
I was fortunate to chat with Alison Grigg, the lead facilitator in their Sydney Office. She showed me around the purpose built space which exudes colour, movement, music, art and energy.
What is the idea behind The Accelerated Solutions Environment?
Alison explains that many organisations that are confronted with complex difficult and urgent problems require something more than the traditional workshop or project management type solution. The problem with these approaches is that there is no widespread (horizontal and vertical) ownership of the solutions and that a standard approach can take too long. We have found that placing a large number of key people in a room, working single-mindedly on a problem and using our process and tools will bring better (rigorously tested from multiple vantage points) and certainly faster results.
This reflects my experience as well. The more the client can uncover the solution themselves the more they will own, engage and ultimately deliver the change required.
The other value of this approach, Alison highlights is the symbolic one. Building a version of the approach, called an ‘Acceleration Zone’ in the client’s office, for example is a tangible statement that this project is important and we are committed to finding a supported solution in a compressed time frame.
Why does The Accelerated Solutions Environment Work?
Alison mentioned a number of reasons why this process, called a DesignShop, is effective. These include:
- The clients are pre-screened depending on the importance and urgency of their challenge – the use of this process needs to be for an urgent and challenging problem. There is no business-as-usual here.
- There is an extensive and thorough pre-work design phase to ensure that the objectives are clear and the right people and data will be there.
- The facilitators are neutral. They are not wedded to any particular outcome. As Alison explains, the solution emerges within the group—from a non linear process (shades of chaos and complexity theory for those who are interested).
- There are specialist facilitators who handle particular parts of the process.
- There are many pens not just one pen (i.e. many people are working at the same time)
- The process has a structure (the three core stages are Scan, Focus and Act) but there is flexibility and opportunities to explore different possibilities.
- A diverse group of people are together for a compressed, intensive length of time (12 hour days Alison reminds me).
- People love what they design – this means the implementation phase (post the Design Session) has momentum and support for the tested solution.
- If the group cannot have fun with the problem you cannot solve it! Creating an environment that encourages playfulness (particularly with a tough and serious subject matter,) can be tremendously liberating for a group struggling to find a solution
Does the quality suffer from the short period of time?
This is an important question I am often asked about my Speed Thinking work. Most of us believe that somehow the longer time we spend on something the better the outcome. But if you think back to your university days when did you do your best work—often the night before. Or think about those long laboured meetings which seem to go on for ever then someone says there is only 15 minutes to go. Don’t you find it amazing that often the most profound insights emerge in those last few minutes?
The idea behind Speed Thinking is that you can turn on and off (like a Switch) the intensity you feel in those remaining minutes.
Anyway, I asked Alison the same questions and she replied that the Design Shop® (a one to three day event) in particular often provided better solutions than the traditional approach because:
- The process is intensive and compressed. This creates a greater sense of urgency. New ideas, solutions and plans are discussed in a few days rather than being spread over weeks.
- A diverse group of people are single-mindedly working on this problem and not distracted by what is happening at the office – no phone or email distractions allowed.
- The process is iterative. Ideas are developed then revisited and road tested over the few days in an iterative process.
- The space and space is a safe one. Through the skill of the outside, neutral facilitators and the three stage process people are encouraged to discuss new approaches in a vigorous yet collaborative way.
- The process moves people out of their comfort zones and shifts ingrained patterns of engaging – do what you’ve always done; you’ll get what you’ve always got!
These observations all resonated with me with my Speed Thinking Workshops. Participants using the two minute challenge feel very uncomfortable at first but when they start they often become totally absorbed in meeting the challenge. It is also paradoxically ‘safe’ because everyone else is in the same boat (i.e. they are just focussed on reaching nine responses rather than judging the quality of the ideas).
And finally the time available to people is compressed in a dramatic fashion. Perhaps nine responses in two minutes is not that much different from a three to nine month project into three days!
For more information on the Capgemini process visit:
http://www.capgemini.com/collaboration/tools/ase/
Dr. Ken Hudson,
Founder & Chief Starter
The Speed Thinking Zone