CHOICE-CREATING... WHAT IS IT?
It’s the quality of thinking that often happens after a crisis, when people drop their roles, express their true feelings, and join with others to creatively seek what’s best for all. Then…
- Reaching consensus is fast and easy.
- The results are win/win – better than anyone thought possible.
- Each person feels brilliant and involved, knows what to do, and is committed to helping.
- The thinking process builds individual capabilities, enthusiasm, and empowerment.
- The group builds trust, the spirit of community, a feeling of “We.”
“Choice-creating” is a heartfelt, creative quality of thinking where non-linear “shifts” and breakthroughs are natural. It is an energy-based process where the “real” issues are identified and solved, and where consensus is normal. Choice-creating is particularly well-suited for addressing and solving “impossible to solve” problems and for building trust and new capabilities in the organization. This process celebrates the unique perspectives of each person.
Contrast choice-creating to decision-making:
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Decision-making
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Choice-creating
|
|
Where the best option is
sought from a pre-set number of options
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Where all join to
continually create better options
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| A rational process –
weighing and selecting
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A creative process with
insights, changes of heart, and other shifts
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| Emotions are suppressed
– people try to maintain a “professional” demeanor
|
Emotions leverage
shifts, e.g. a passion for ideas
|
| Works for well-defined
issues that are possible to solve
|
Works for whatever
issues people care about, including those that are
unclear or seemingly impossible
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| Breaks BIG issues into
smaller ones
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Can make issues bigger
or smaller – but, even when they get bigger, people
feel more empowered
|
| Uses objectives, plans,
and guidelines to keep control of the process
|
Assure safety and
creativity and the process is self-controlling
|
| Measure all progress
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Uses measures when
appropriate, otherwise use dialogue to assess
progress
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| Often breaks down into
rational-seeming arguments, endless data analysis,
going in circles, frustration, or lack of
authenticity
|
May seem chaotic at
times, but yields faster and better results, plus
people grow into a team or community
|
Criteria… How do we recognize Choice-creating?
In a meeting, people are addressing the really important issues and each person is:
- Authentic… there are no roles or hidden agendas
- Open-minded… people are interested in different ideas
- Open-hearted… feelings and attitudes grow
- Learning… each person gains in capability
- Engaged… everyone is involved and wants to be a part
- Efficient… decisions are reached with less time and effort
- Creative… breakthroughs are normal
- Respectful… each person and his/her uniqueness are appreciated
As with any creative process, Choice-creating involves periods of seeming chaos, punctuated by enthusiasm and closure to better results. Progress happens in quantum leaps – with new ideas, jumps in trust, shifts in capability, or changes of attitude.
Click here to see examples of breakthroughs from Choice-creating.
How it works?
The dynamic facilitator orients to choice-creating vs. decision-making. S/he does this by allowing group energy instead of extrinsic factors like agendas, guidelines, or objectives to manage the process. S/he uses four charts – Solutions, Problem Statements, Concerns, and Data – to help people be fully heard. No one is judged, each comment is valued. As the group starts thinking creatively together, people build trust.
