In today’s fast-paced and increasingly digital world, people often find themselves feeling disconnected from others, both in the workplace and their personal lives. The rise of remote work, the constant bombardment of information on social media, and the divisiveness of politics have only exacerbated these feelings of isolation and detachment. This disconnection is not only detrimental to our well-being but also poses significant challenges for organizations seeking to foster a collaborative and innovative environment. Now, more than ever, we must recognize the importance of fostering connection and nurturing relationships at work to repair the fractures that have formed in our society.

“We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.”

– Albert Schweitzer

By acknowledging the current state of disconnection and actively working to promote understanding, empathy, and collaboration, we can create a more inclusive and productive workplace that benefits everyone involved. In this article, we will explore the consequences of disconnection, the power of connection and understanding, and the role of facilitation in fostering these essential relationships.

The consequences of disconnection

Disconnection can be observed across various aspects of our society. In politics, the polarization of opinions and the entrenchment of viewpoints create a divide that prevents productive dialogue and collaboration. Social media platforms contribute to this divide by amplifying echo chambers, wherein individuals are exposed primarily to information that reinforces their pre-existing beliefs, further deepening the rift between differing perspectives.

Disconnection also permeates the workplace and organizational structures. Within companies, miscommunication, a lack of understanding, and unaddressed conflicts can create disconnects between individuals and teams, hindering progress and innovation. These consequences are not limited to large-scale issues; even seemingly minor incidents, like a disagreement over conference room usage, can cause lasting resentment and erode workplace relationships.

A striking example of the dangerous consequences of disconnection is the recent classified document leaks via Discord. The individual responsible for the breach was motivated by feelings of isolation and a desire for recognition. This act of cyber espionage demonstrates how disconnection and the need for validation can drive individuals to take extreme risks and engage in destructive behaviors.

The consequences of disconnection can even be observed at a cellular level. In a recent Rich Roll Podcast episode, Dr. Zach Bush discussed the origins of cancer originating from cellular disconnection in the human body. When cells become disconnected from one another, they may begin to malfunction and grow uncontrollably, resulting in cancer. This biological phenomenon parallels the societal consequences of disconnection, wherein isolation and detachment can lead to radicalization and unproductive behaviors.

“The eternal quest of the human being is to shatter his loneliness.”

– Norman Cousins

The power of connection and understanding

By fostering connection and understanding, we can counter the negative consequences of disconnection and create an environment where growth and collaboration thrive. Research consistently shows that diverse teams perform at higher levels when united by a shared purpose and understanding. Embracing and engaging with different perspectives not only sharpens our own viewpoints but also allows us to innovate and produce better products, services, and solutions.

A sense of belonging and purpose is crucial in the workplace. Employees often cite the team and the people they work with as key factors in job satisfaction. By building genuine connections and strong relationships, employees become more invested in the organization’s mission and feel a deeper commitment to their work. This sense of purpose is amplified when colleagues are able to collaborate effectively, respect each other’s opinions, and find common ground despite their differences.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

– Helen Keller

There is extensive evidence supporting the importance of connection and relating at work. For instance, a study published in the Harvard Business Review found that employees who reported feeling more connected at work were more likely to be engaged and productive while also demonstrating higher levels of well-being and job satisfaction (1). Furthermore, research has consistently shown that diverse teams perform at the highest levels thanks to their ability to generate innovative ideas and foster a culture of learning and growth (2).

Several books highlight the significance of connection and relating at work. In “Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect,” neuroscientist Matthew D. Lieberman explores the ways our brains are hardwired for social connection, emphasizing the importance of developing strong relationships in all aspects of our lives, including the workplace (3). Similarly, in “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” Chip and Dan Heath discuss how creating meaningful, memorable experiences can foster deeper connections among coworkers and lead to a more engaged and satisfied workforce (4).

Connection and understanding are also vital for creating healthier organizations. Employees who feel connected and supported are more likely to engage in productive behaviors, contribute positively to the workplace culture, and stay committed to the organization’s goals. As a result, fostering connection and understanding not only benefits the individuals involved but also the organization as a whole.

Real-life examples of connection and relationships

Facilitators and leaders play a crucial role in fostering connection, understanding, and relationships within organizations. Creating the conditions necessary for open dialogue and collaboration can bridge divides and encourage growth through diverse perspectives.

Elena Farden is a Voltage Control Certified Facilitator, and her work as the Executive Director (ED) for the Native Hawaiian Education Council provides a compelling example of fostering connection and relationship building. As the ED, she is responsible for advocating for resources and support for Native Hawaiian education: expanding indigenous voices at the federal level.

One key aspect of her work is anchoring her vision in the connection to the land, with her entire portfolio serving as a metaphor for connection to land with sense of place. In a recent conversation, Elena shared an insightful quote about this connection: “Our connection to the land is the foundation of our identity and purpose. As we nurture this connection, we strengthen our relationships and responsibility to work together for the betterment of our community.”

Elena utilizes the ʻauwai, a Hawaiian irrigation system, as an approach to facilitation. She discussed how one part of the irrigation process involves tempering the water to avoid damaging the crops. This approach resonated with her as an analogy for addressing controversial topics in her work. Elena explained, “Just like the water tempering process, facilitation requires a gentle approach when dealing with sensitive issues. By creating a safe space for open dialogue, we allow for growth and understanding to emerge.”

In her role as the Executive Director, Elena has demonstrated the power of connection and relationships in driving positive change. She has gone to bat for the Native Hawaiian community, facing challenges and building connections between different stakeholders. Through her work, she has shown that fostering relationships and understanding are crucial elements in addressing complex issues and finding solutions that benefit everyone involved.

One of Elena’s most significant achievements has been creating opportunities for collaboration and dialogue between the indigenous community and the government. This has not only facilitated the allocation of resources for Native Hawaiian education but has also strengthened the ties between the two parties. In her words, “When we build connections and relationships with people from different backgrounds, we create a solid foundation for collaboration and understanding. This, in turn, leads to more effective solutions and a stronger sense of our collective responsibility to community.”

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Elena’s story is a powerful testament to the importance of connection and relationships in both personal and professional settings. By nurturing these connections, we can create healthier organizations and communities where individuals feel supported, understood, and empowered to reach their full potential.

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established in 1995, serves as another powerful testament to the importance of connection and relating in the healing process of a nation. Born out of the wounds of apartheid, the TRC aimed to provide a platform for victims and perpetrators alike to share their experiences and confront the harrowing truth about the country’s violent past. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the chair of the TRC, famously stated, “Forgiving and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones is not about pretending that things are other than they are… It is about finding a way in which to accept that which happened as that which happened, and then to move beyond it and to be willing to develop a new relationship.”

Through a process of public hearings, amnesty applications, and reparations, the TRC fostered understanding, forgiveness, and, ultimately, reconciliation among South Africans. The public hearings were instrumental in giving voice to the voiceless and allowing individuals to share their stories in a supportive environment. As one survivor, Nomonde Calata, poignantly said during her testimony, “Now that I have told the story, I feel like a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders.”

Despite its achievements, the TRC’s work was not without its challenges and controversies. Critics argue that the commission failed to hold all perpetrators accountable and that the reparations provided were insufficient to address the deep-rooted inequalities that persist in South African society. Nevertheless, the TRC’s efforts showcase the power of human connection in repairing deep-seated divisions and fostering a sense of unity.

By offering a space for individuals to engage with diverse perspectives and confront difficult truths, the TRC played a crucial role in helping South Africa move toward a more inclusive and equitable future. It demonstrated that open dialogue, empathy, and understanding can help build bridges between communities and lay the groundwork for healing.

The lessons learned from the TRC can be applied to various contexts, including personal relationships, community initiatives, and corporate environments. By fostering a culture of open communication and empathetic listening, we can encourage understanding, bridge divides, and create more harmonious relationships both in our personal lives and in the workplace.

In the workplace, facilitators can apply these principles by creating an environment where employees feel safe to express their ideas, engage with diverse perspectives, and collaborate effectively. This can be achieved through active listening, encouraging empathy, and fostering an atmosphere of trust and respect.

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

– Ralph G. Nichols

Here are some tips for facilitators and leaders to foster connection and relationships at work:

1. Encourage open dialogue: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas, even if they differ from the majority. Set group agreements or commitments that ensure this openness. By encouraging open dialogue, we create opportunities for understanding and learning, which can lead to more informed decisions and innovative solutions.
2. Cultivate empathy: Make an effort to understand the perspectives and experiences of others, even if they’re different from our own. By practicing empathy, we can break down barriers, reduce prejudice, and build stronger connections with those around us.
3. Engage in community-building activities: Participate in initiatives that bring people together, both within your organization and your local community. This could include team-building events, volunteering, or joining local clubs or groups. These activities can help strengthen bonds between individuals and promote a sense of belonging.
4. Practice active listening: When engaging in conversations, make a conscious effort to truly hear and understand what the other person is saying without judgment or interruption. Active listening helps to build trust and rapport and can lead to deeper connections and more productive discussions.
5. Be mindful of the language we use: Words have power, and the language we choose to use can either build connection or create division. Be mindful of the words you use in your communication, and strive to choose language that is inclusive, respectful, and empathetic.
6. Embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging: Make a conscious effort to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and included, regardless of their background, beliefs, or perspectives. And lean into conversations and issues of identity, power, privilege, and justice. By embracing these approaches, we can benefit from the rich tapestry of ideas and experiences that each individual brings to the table and create a culture where all team members belong.

The Importance of Connection and Relationships 

The importance of connection and relationships at work cannot be ignored. By recognizing the negative consequences of disconnection and actively working to foster understanding, empathy, and collaboration, we can create a more inclusive and productive workplace that benefits everyone involved.

Facilitators and leaders play a critical role in promoting connection and relationships within organizations. By applying principles of empathy, active listening, and trust, they can bridge divides and encourage a culture of collaboration and growth.

As we continue to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world, nurturing connection and understanding at work is essential for building healthier organizations, driving innovation, and creating a more inclusive society.

“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

– Brené Brown

As we move forward, it’s essential to prioritize connection and relationships at work. Reflect on your own experiences and consider the ways in which you can nurture stronger connections and understanding within your organization. Remember, you have the power to create a positive impact on your team and the overall work environment.

Consider the following steps as you work towards fostering connection and relationships:

1. Assess your current work environment: Identify areas where you can promote understanding, empathy, and collaboration.
2. Engage in open dialogue: Encourage open and honest conversations about the importance of connection and relationships within your team.
3. Seek opportunities for growth: Look for ways to learn from diverse perspectives and foster personal and professional growth for yourself and your team members.
4. Share your experiences: Share your own experiences of connection and understanding with others, and learn from their stories as well.
5. Stay committed to the process: Building and maintaining strong connections and relationships takes time and effort. Stay committed to the process and recognize that growth and understanding may not happen overnight.

By actively working to build connection and relationships at work, we can create healthier organizations, foster innovation, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.

Let’s make a conscious effort to prioritize connection, empathy, and collaboration in our workplaces and beyond.

The post Creating Connection in a time of Detachment and Isolation appeared first on Voltage Control.

Last week’s facilitation lab session aimed to explore the potential and challenges of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the field of facilitation. Participants expressed a range of perspectives and emotions, from eagerness to fear and anxiety, but curiosity remained a common thread. This blog post serves as a synthesis and summary of the session for those who missed it and a source of reflective insights for those who attended.

After they joined, participants were asked to rate their confidence in using AI in facilitation thus far. Participants at the Facilitation Lab had varying confidence levels regarding using AI in facilitation. Some were curious to see where the technology would lead, while others had already experimented with a few tools, such as ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, and Dal-E. A few participants had experience building AI models for businesses and using AI for fine art creation.

Some expressed skepticism about AI’s potential, questioning its reliability and usefulness. Some participants were in the middle of their AI journey, excited to learn more, and eager to build workflows for applications like social media content generation.

Others mentioned using AI for tasks like writing acceptable use policies, experimenting with ChatGPT in facilitation and consulting, and overcoming writer’s block while creating content. Some participants were researching and testing AI applications but faced limitations in how they could implement AI at work.

Overall, the group’s confidence in using AI in facilitation ranged from beginners to experienced users, showcasing the diverse spectrum of engagement with AI in the facilitation community.

Breakout Groups

Following this exercise, they were divided into small groups of three to share their previous experiences with AI and discuss their thoughts on its application. After the group discussions, participants reconvened to share their experiences and insights with the larger group.

Some participants noted that AI could generate a “general consensus” of public knowledge, while others remained skeptical about its benefits. A few participants mentioned using AI as a drafting tool and found it helpful, although not always perfect. Some expressed concerns about the ethical implications of AI and the potential for rapid misinformation cultivation.

Examples of AI tools mentioned included Fireflies.ai for video meeting transcription and summary analytics, Otter.ai for transcription, and ChatGPT for research and content development. Participants highlighted the importance of writing effective prompts for AI and leading with curiosity versus dishing out commands. 

Overall, the discussions in the Facilitation Lab revealed a diverse range of opinions and experiences with AI, from those who found it useful in various applications to those who were more cautious or skeptical about its potential impact on facilitation and other fields.

AI Tools and Techniques in Facilitation

During the session, participants explored various AI tools and techniques that could be integrated into the facilitation process. These innovative tools promise to streamline and augment the facilitation experience in different ways:

1. ChatGPT for brainstorming, content creation, and summarization: ChatGPT can generate ideas, help draft content, and even summarize lengthy discussions. These capabilities can save time and enable facilitators to focus on higher-level tasks.
2. DALLE-2 for visual facilitation and generating images: DALLE-2 can generate images from text descriptions, enabling facilitators to create compelling visual aids without needing to be expert artists themselves.
3. Miro AI for automated sorting and grouping of content: Miro AI can automatically analyze, sort, and group content, making it easier for facilitators to synthesize information and identify patterns.
4. AI presentation builders for creating engaging presentations: AI-driven presentation builders can help facilitators design visually appealing and dynamic presentations that keep their audience engaged and focused.

After a general discussion, participants were asked to spend time silently generating ideas for 3 different use cases following the structural elements of Magical Meetings: Before the Meeting, During the Meeting, and After the Meeting. After solo generating, we again discussed as a group. Here’s what we learned: 

Before the meeting

How AI can assist facilitators in designing more effective and interactive sessions, easing the workload and allowing them to focus on the human aspect of facilitation.

1. Streamline preparation by generating agendas, email drafts, and meeting outlines.
2. Brainstorm activity ideas, challenge statements, and interview questions to drive the session.
3. Create emotive visuals and engaging Miro boards for better participant experience.
4. Synthesize research and help customize content for specific audiences or cultures.
5. Generate discussion questions and refining language to improve clarity and engagement.

During the meeting

Applications showcase the potential of AI in supporting facilitators during meetings, enabling more effective communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

1. Provide real-time translation and language support, facilitating communication among diverse attendees and summarizing meeting content for better tracking.
2. Instantly synthesize diverse perspectives, fostering richer discussions, and assisting in brainstorming, idea generation, and collaborative decision-making.
3. Monitor participant engagement, offering icebreakers or interventions based on detected emotions, and suggesting breaks as needed.
4. Streamline group organization, forming teams based on shared interests or random allocation for effective collaboration.
5. Enhance meeting visuals with tools like DALL-E, creating images or metaphors to effectively illustrate concepts.

After the meeting

Techniques for keeping participants engaging, looping in others,  sharing insights, testing ideas, and storytelling once the meeting has concluded. 

1. Develop prototypes and generate ad campaigns with landing pages for Design Thinking feedback and quick A/B testing.
2. Create 3D models for integration into Unity or VR environments.
3. Evaluate meeting effectiveness, identifying areas for improvement and generating summary reports of outcomes.
4. Recommend next steps or action items in alignment with meeting objectives and results.
5. Automatically schedule follow-up meetings, taking into account participant availability.

As exciting as these AI tools may be, attendees also recognized the importance of maintaining a human touch and being mindful of ethical considerations.

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The Human Factor in Facilitation

Ravit Yanay, one of the participants, eloquently expressed her concerns about the human factor in facilitation. She emphasized that the process of sorting through ideas and building consensus is essential for fostering cohesion, understanding, and empathy among participants. Ravit’s thoughts highlighted the need for facilitators to strike a balance between embracing AI tools and preserving the valuable human aspects of facilitation:

“My biggest issue is that as facilitators, we’re going to have to be smarter in what parts of the session we want to speed up with AI and in what areas we have added human value that requires the work to be done by the people in the room because it does something to their thinking.”

The Ethics and Concerns of AI in Facilitation

Attendees expressed diverse perspectives regarding AI. Some expressed concerns about losing the depth of thought and insight, a rise in laziness, loss of craft, and even theft or ownership of art and creative output. These concerns sparked important discussions about the ethical implications of integrating AI into the facilitation process.

To address these concerns, it is crucial for facilitators to carefully consider how and when to incorporate AI tools into their practice, always prioritizing the well-being and development of the people they serve.

Our conclusion as a group was that facilitation will become more critical as AI becomes more sophisticated. We’ll be required to help everyone navigate what it means to be human in this new era. It’ll be a time of renewed humanity that takes curiosity and patience. 

The Future of Facilitation and AI

As AI continues to evolve and develop, facilitators need to stay informed about the latest advancements and be prepared to adapt their methods accordingly. By staying up-to-date and open to change, facilitators can ensure they are providing the best possible support for their clients while maintaining the human connection that is so vital to the facilitation process.

One way to stay ahead in the field is to invest in professional development, such as our facilitation certification program. This comprehensive course covers not only the traditional facilitation techniques but also addresses the emerging role of AI in the industry. By participating in this program, facilitators can deepen their understanding of AI, explore its potential applications, and learn how to maintain ethical considerations in their practice.

The facilitation lab session on AI in facilitation was a thought-provoking and insightful experience for all who attended. It revealed the potential of AI tools to enhance the facilitation process while also emphasizing the importance of preserving the human touch and addressing ethical concerns. As we look to the future, it is crucial for facilitators to be proactive in understanding and integrating AI technologies into their practice, ensuring they continue to provide the best support possible for their clients.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some commitments our attendees made:

1. Explore using AI for “before meeting” activities such as generating ideas, refining language, and creating agendas
2. Look into using SpeakerCoach and ChatGPT for facilitation and workshop design
3. Collaborate with other facilitators and learn from their experiences with AI
4. Experiment with prototyping using AI tools and practices
5. Learn more about using AI for interactive learning design and content creation
6. Put time on the calendar to explore more AI tools
7. Find others who see the potential for AI in facilitation and collaborate with them
8. Participate in an AI hackathon

If you’re interested in expanding your facilitation skills and exploring the intersection of AI and facilitation, consider joining our facilitation community or applying for our facilitation certification. This 12-week program will provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to excel in the ever-evolving world of facilitation. By investing in your professional development, you’ll be well-prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the rapidly advancing field of facilitation.

The post Exploring AI In Facilitation appeared first on Voltage Control.

AI-driven tech signals the age of radical digital transformation. Our Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course unlocks the power of AI for a variety of innovative applications.

Statistics agree that AI’s impact on business stands to boost productivity by 40%, with 54% of executives already attributing increased productivity to AI initiatives. 

The rise of AI wunderkind ChatGTP is a testament to the potential this tech holds. While AI itself contains a multitude of complexities, its diverse applications are easy to understand in the right context.

In this article we discuss Voltage Control’s Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course and the power of assistive tech in the following topics:

• Changing the Digital Landscape 
•  AI 101: The Data Revolution
• AI and Digital Transformation

Changing the Digital Landscape 

The arrival of AI-driven tech and interest in machine learning heralds the revolution transforming today’s changing digital landscape. 

This automation renaissance is propelled by three concepts: machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence. To better appreciate AI and its benefits, we must understand these terms at their core:

• Artificial intelligence:

In theory, artificial intelligence refers to computer systems capable of performing tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. 

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In practice,  artificial intelligence hinges on algorithms created for decision-making powered by real-time data. These algorithms use remote inputs, digital data, and sensors to comb through information, analyze the material, and act on these insights. 

• Machine Learning

Machine learning refers to computer systems that are able to learn and adapt without the use of explicit instructions. In machine learning, statistical models and algorithms are used to analyze data and make inferences.

• Deep Learning

A subset of machine learning, deep learning is a complex neural network containing three or more layers of algorithms and models. These networks’ complexities work to simulate the human brain’s behavior, allowing the tech to ”learn” after processing massive amounts of data.

In the realm of assistive technology, Generative AI is the game-changer leading the forefront of this digital transformation. Generative AI is a form of AI tech that produces various types of content in large quantities. Such content includes imagery, audio, text, and synthetic data. Learning from and reorienting data to create new and unique content is the hallmark of this technology. Technology capable of creation will undoubtedly revolutionize the way we work. 

While AI’s creative capabilities are truly innovative, the process behind this tech is truly impressive. Such automotive systems stand to increase productivity and efficiency, allowing for rapid ideation and innovation. In truth, generative AI stands to make us more creative, collaborative, and innovative than ever before.

AI 101: The Data Revolution

“They can produce original content in response to queries, drawing from data they’ve ingested and interactions with users. They can develop blogs, sketch package designs, write computer code, or even theorize on the reason for a production error.”

– Michael Chui

The power of artificial intelligence lies in our understanding of how to use it. While creativity is inherently present in the original content generative AI produces, it’s up to us to understand the inner workings of machine learning. By asking the right questions, we can define better problems and utilize generative ideation to create something truly innovative. 

That’s where the Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course comes in.

AI 101 teaches that a deep knowledge of linear algebra is not a requirement for understanding and utilizing AI. This artificial intelligence course is designed to help students, facilitators, and all other AI enthusiasts understand artificial intelligence and its applications in layman’s terms. 

Voltage Control’s Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course goes beyond mere technical explanations of machine learning, taught by Reed Coke, an expert in Natural Language Processing. An industry legend with a background in linguistics, text mining, and conversational AI, Coke is passionate about how communication, AI, and language converge in the tech landscape.

The Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course is designed to help you better understand the language, concepts, and applications of artificial intelligence. In this innovative course, you’ll learn:

• Why now is the best time to Incorporate AI into your work
• How to measure ROI for AI Initiatives
• How to identify data quantity and quality
• To better understand machine learning problem-solving
• How to add long-term value through AI

Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org teaches that the wide range of AI applications stems from a single element: data. 

As such, learning how to apply AI to our organizational systems boils down to the question: “how can we better organize our data.” This leads us to ask better questions, engage in better planning, and ultimately arrive at better data.

In Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org, students learn to make data-driven decisions and how to navigate AI in the most effective and productive ways. To illustrate, ChatGPT is celebrated for its impressive use of conversational AI. Facilitators can maximize this assistive tech with Voltage Control’s ChatGPT prompt aide. 

Learning to craft the most appropriate questions allows us to make the most of what AI has to offer. As the basis for such technology hinges on processing vast amounts of data, well-crafted and intentional questions allow AI to tailor its responses to meet our needs.

AI and Digital Transformation

“ What we’re seeing about AI more and more every day is that it can apply to anything…pairing AI with language and education has been really powerful compared to just knowing AI in isolation.”

-Reed Coke

Statistics agree that AI is the new frontier: 91%  of leading businesses are investing in AI on an ongoing business, and 42% of companies are exploring AI for its future implementation, with 45% of companies already actively using AI. 

In time, AI usage will only continue to expand exponentially. While AI is inherently influenced by math and science, anyone can learn the basics and apply them to any industry. In addition to covering the foundational elements of data-driven tech, the Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course allows students to best identify opportunities to integrate AI into their practice.

In the Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course, you’ll learn the language and concepts needed to navigate assistive technology and transformation as AI plays a key role in shaping change management with the potential to measure activity in real-time and access relevant data for predictive analytics, facilitators and change-makers like to use AI to design innovative change. With AI’s overwhelming effectiveness in collecting, collating, and analyzing data, we’re able to rely on assistive technology to focus our change initiatives where they matter most: people.

The reality is that technology has always enhanced our uniquely human capabilities, taking over rote and routine tasks that are better delegated to computers and artificial intelligence. Such technology allows us to dedicate ourselves to things that are uniquely human: empathy, hands-on innovation, and human emotion. When explored in conjunction with AI’s ability to gather, analyze, and interpret data, we’re able to do what we do best: engage in real human connections and foster a deeper sense of meaning and purpose for ourselves and our teams.

The digital transformation is only just beginning. Explore the Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Your Org course to learn how to incorporate assistive tech in your practice. At Voltage Control, we’ll help you unleash the power of AI.

The post Unleashing AI: An Artificial Intelligence Course for Digital Transformation appeared first on Voltage Control.

Successful facilitation is reliant on the right processes – a series of actions and systems that enable us to think, create, and problem-solve more effectively. To achieve this, facilitation must be led by those who understand the importance of process. Master facilitators have honed their skills over years of practice, becoming experts at attuning to the energy, attention, and conflict in a room and guiding it toward the best outcomes. Looking ahead, successful facilitation will also involve mastering the art of collaborating with machines. 

Human-centered leadership teaches us that facilitation doesn’t end in the c-suite. These processes and practices must extend to an organization as a whole, and adapting and extending existing practices to maximize new potential with AI must be woven in by leaders and teams alike.

“The facilitator’s main task is to help the group increase effectiveness by improving its process and structure.”

– Roger Schwarz, author of The Skilled Facilitator.

In this article, we explore facilitation and the power of process in the following topics:

• Defining Leadership
• The Power of Process
• The Everyday Facilitator
• Relationship-Building for Radical Innovation

Defining Leadership

In defining leadership, many organizations consider a top-down approach. Traditional workplaces follow an autocratic or democratic model for leadership. In such organizations, one person is tasked with making decisions, delegating responsibilities, and pushing an organization in the direction of their choosing. Such an environment can create dissension amongst team members as they feel they’re just a cog in the machine. 

Facilitation gives us the opportunity to design leadership in service to others. Leaning into a facilitative approach to leadership creates a more balanced workplace. 

Transformative leadership efforts look to facilitative methods to completely shift the balance of power. This way, influential leaders can engender a sense of passion and desire as the driving motivators for team members. 

Facilitative leadership is a uniquely social endeavor that centers on shaping the hearts and minds of employees:

“Rather than being ‘something that is done to people’, facilitative leadership involves working with and through other people to achieve organizational goals.”

– Jane Humphries, E-learning specialist at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University

Leaders understand that facilitation is rooted in co-creation, and team members are invited to participate in decision-making. In facilitative leadership, leaders act as a guide to help other team members navigate workplace challenges, including stepping into future tech and carrying out a shared vision and purpose. 

The Power of Process

In the art of facilitation, process is king, and those processes are translatable in the future of work, and collaboration with AI. 

Effective facilitation allows leaders to make otherwise enigmatic processes as concise and clear as possible. In defining leadership in such iterative ways, leaders allow others to contribute to, critique, and improve shared initiatives. By harnessing group energy as an innovative strategy, leaders work to promote equality and diversity in the workplace, leading to a more positive and innovative future. 

In exploring facilitation, leaders learn to declutter processes. Facilitators need to make decisions quickly and create strategies that can be applied time and again. Equipped with the right set of processes, facilitators easily get meetings back on track, spearhead projects with team members, and address others’ concerns and challenges.

Many facilitators champion design thinking as an innovative change management process. This co-creative process places the thoughts, needs, and feelings of all participants at the center of a change. Expert facilitators support design thinking as a creative and holistic approach to defining leadership. 

Consider the following strategies in approaching facilitation through the lens of design thinking:

1. Be transparent

Distributing power through every level of an organization starts with honest transparency. Top-level leadership should practice openness to cultivate a sense of trust among all team members. 

2. Engage all levels

The power of design thinking lies in its ability to engage all members of an organization. As collaboration is a core component in design thinking, leaders and team members should contribute equally to the decision-making process. 

3. Enhance company culture

Organizational culture drives the team dynamic and shapes the tone of your organization’s environment. Enhance your company culture with design thinking: encourage team members to try new ideas, practice iterative innovation, and fail forward. 

4. Define critical processes 

The most effective facilitative processes help guide team members to the next step. For example, design thinking follows five steps: empathizing, defining, ideation, prototyping, and testing. By clarifying each part of this process, leaders empower team members to adopt a design thinking perspective.  

The Everyday Facilitator

In defining leadership skills, it’s easy to consider facilitation a secret weapon. The secret is out: facilitation is for everyone, not just leadership. 

Learning the art of facilitation gives both leaders and team members the necessary skills to make real change. While leaders are often the go-to change-makers in an organization, all stakeholders should have the knowledge to innovate, problem-solve, and iterate independently. 

In defining leadership, we must look beyond a top-down approach. Adopting the concept of the “everyday facilitator” is an essential element in organizational transformation. The reality is that the most powerful leaders empower others to become leaders themselves. 

Facilitative leaders and team members excel in the following:

• Clear communication
• Asking questions
• Unbiased objectivity
• Group decision making
• Establishing focus
• Timekeeping
• Active listening

Through facilitation methods, all team members have the opportunity to understand, implement, and teach effective methods for facilitation. Though maintaining the clearly defined role of ‘leader” is a key part of pushing an organization forward, it’s the responsibility of each leader to equip those they lead with facilitation skills to increase others’ autonomy and capacity for decision-making. 

While there may be one leader in a group, a team trained in the art of facilitation is better equipped to create innovative change. 

The capacity to pose genuinely insightful queries is unique to human beings. Moreover, as we engage in introspection, self-examination, and empathy towards others, we establish a stronger connection with our humanity, which enhances our comprehension of our beliefs, emotions, and principles, as well as our interconnectedness with those in our vicinity. Purposeful questioning fosters a heightened sense of consciousness, empathy, and rapport within our teams, organizations, and even the artificial intelligence that coexists with us.

As change is inevitable, encouraging team members to start defining leadership through the lens of change management is crucial. While the unknown presents many variables, facilitative teams learn to run head-first into creative challenges. Through facilitation, leaders promote a distributed leadership structure that allows for a more fluid approach to change management. By giving team members more agency, leaders automatically encourage an atmosphere of increased collaboration.

Relationship-Building for Radical Innovation

“How exciting as a facilitator to kind of be in those moments where your assumptions are challenged or where all of a sudden you have this whole new metaphor to view something in the world.”

–Elizabeth Weingarten, Head of Behavioral Science Insights at Torch

Human-centered facilitation promotes intentional relationship-building. By validating team members and empathizing with their experiences and emotions, we create an environment of actionable vulnerability. This sense of increased psychological safety is a critical component in driving radical innovation. These tools are an essential component of defining leadership strategies for creative change management. Such training allows leaders to better navigate challenges, design better solutions, and strengthen positive relationships among team members. 

Additionally, to court innovation, we must facilitate rapid ideation. In exploring various facilitation frameworks, leaders learn to create repeatable recipes that allow for accelerated innovation and successful change initiatives.

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If you’re a leader or interested in learning about AI, one of the most critical initiatives to lean into, it’s important to prioritize facilitation in your work and start by familiarizing yourself with the capabilities and nuances of the tools. Begin with tool-specific tutorials to become familiar with the tool’s user interface and functions. Once you’re ready to experiment, take some time to learn how to craft effective questions that produce optimal results. Consider your audience’s context, their knowledge, the purpose of your question, and the ideal format and type of response you’re seeking. Avoid asking questions that could produce unsatisfactory answers. Keep in mind that we’ve spent our lives communicating and asking questions to other humans, so mastering questions for machines will take some time and experimentation.

Defining leadership through facilitative methods is an essential step in shifting toward an innovative future. Consider investing in facilitation training to transform your company culture as you learn more about the power of process. Voltage Control can help you work towards a career in change management through a variety of workshops. 

The post The Power of Process: Defining Leadership Through Facilitation appeared first on Voltage Control.

OpenAI released ChatGTP on Nov 30th, 2022, which has captivated the public due to its applicability to various needs and asks and near-human accuracy at astounding efficiency. AI has traditionally elicited mixed reactions, ranging from excitement and anticipation to fear and hesitation. With the introduction of this revolutionary technology, questions about its implications are beginning to arise. How will this affect knowledge workers? Which career paths are likely to become obsolete? What new knowledge do marketers, creators, programmers, etc. need to acquire to make the most of this changing landscape?

These are valid and important questions to consider, and it is essential that we have open and honest conversations about the potential impacts of AI on the workforce and how its emergence is making us and our co-workers feel. As the workplace continues to evolve and adopt more of these tools, It is critical to explore some common fears people have about AI and discuss ways that individuals and organizations can adapt, maintain the best parts of our humanity, and thrive alongside these technological advancements.

The tools now available to the public are incredibly powerful and are ushering in a momentous time of discovery. The availability of such powerful AI tools has opened up new avenues for discovery and innovation in various fields. GPT-3, Claude,  Sparrow, and the technology they will inspire all have the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate, learn, and interact with information. If we approach this game-changing tech with humanity, curiosity, and excitement, we can easily step into a world where AI is not only a tool but also a collaborator.

A common reaction to experiencing the power of AI is a feeling of cheating or that we are replaceable, this leads to discussion and debate about whether people will lose their jobs. It’s important to remind ourselves that this feeling is not new or unique to AI. Consider innovations like the printing press or the internet. While initially seen as disruptive, more opportunity has always been generated than lost. New roles and markets emerge in times of massive change. 

One unique thing about AI technologies, in particular, is that there are advancing and improving at an astonishing rate. This means that it’s an exciting time to play and watch and learn what can be done with these tool and how they might shape our work in the future. As we learn more and gain clarity and confidence, we are better suited to experiment with new approaches to our work. From there, we can consider how our jobs might shift and take on new requirements and meanings. If the AI can now automate 80% of your work, what can you do with that 80% that is now gifted back to you? Are you able to spend focus on the 20% that really provided the most value? The part that speak to your humaness? 

While many people will shift habits and behaviors, some will shift into complete new roles with new titles that never existed before. We’ve already seen this happen in the AI ecosystem. A role that has specifically caught my attention is the “Prompt Engineer” I fondly like to refer to them as AI Facilitators. If you’ve spent any time with ChatGPT, you’ve learned that getting great results from Chat GPT is similar to getting great results from a room of people you are facilitating. You have to ask GREAT QUESTIONS. 

Software companies seeking to add GPT capabilities into their products are hiring Prompt Engineers to create the best prompts for GTP to tailor the responses for their product use cases. Think of it like constructing the perfect MadLib. Consumers of a product will interact with the product and maybe fill in some data or make some requests in the app. The app will then submit that request and data to GTP by inserting the pieces into this perfectly crafted MadLib that will generate the ideal result for the end user. Prompt Engineers design these prompts and Madlib-like structures to get desired outcomes from the AI model. 

It’s fun to watch the job boards and careers pages for AI consultancies and AI-forward tech companies to see what trends are emerging around new job titles. Reflecting on these observations and considering what that means for overall trends and how those might emerge in your work can lead to valuable insights. Take a look. What ideas surface for you when you consider potential new roles in this emerging landscape? 

If nothing else, remember to be curious! It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, confused, scared, frustrated, dubious, and generally concerned. Take time to move past those reactions and cultivate the generative curiosity needed to learn and understand the technology. When we are curious, we see connections that are non-obvious, and when these pathways are illuminated are able to design our future more effortlessly.  

Putting It Into Action

As I mentioned previously, questions have always been paramount in facilitation, which is still true for ChatGTP and other language modules. While these tools are amazing, you won’t get far if you don’t know how to ask good questions or know what questions you should be asking. Questions are uniquely human. No other being discovered has this ability. And, when we engage in self-reflection, introspection, and empathy towards others, we connect more deeply with our humanity—leading to a better understanding of our thoughts, emotions, and values as well as how we are connected to those around us. Thoughtful inquiry cultivates a greater sense of awareness, compassion, and connection within our teams, organizations, and, eventually the AIs alongside us.

Master facilitators have spent years honing their skills and developing their ability to attune to and guide the flow of energy, attention, and conflict in a room. Successful facilitation in the future will also require mastering the art of collaborating with machines. Adapting and extending existing practices to maximize new potential with AI will be the norm. In preparation for this new age of collaboration, we’ve started experimenting by employing proven facilitation techniques while interacting with ChatGPT and other tools. The familiarity of the tools provides some comfort and confidence as we experiment with the unknown. 

Start with classic facilitative questions to help guide ChatGPT toward your outcomes: 

• How might we clarify and align the goals and objectives?
• How might we identify the tone and perspective?
• How might we recognize empathetic requirements that are considerate to our audience?
• How might we brainstorm and generate ideas for prompts and test them?
• How might we evaluate and prioritize prompts with core values in mind?

If you are a leader, facilitation is key to your work, or you are curious to grow into these areas, start by familiarizing yourself with the capabilities and nuances of the tools. You’ll want to start with any tool-specific tutorials to familiarize yourself with the UI and functions of the tool. Once you are on the tool and ready to start experimenting, take a moment to explore and learn how to craft questions that yield the best outcomes. As with any good question, think about the context of your audience, what do they know, the purpose of your question, what’s the format of a really good response, and even the types of answers you’d like to avoid.  Remember that we have spent our entire lives asking, communicating, and presenting questions to other humans, and it will take some time and experimentation to master questions for machines. 

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT and have made some progress on how to get the most interesting results. 

• Always make sure to start with your purpose, and think clearly about why this is important. Find ways to incorporate your why into the questions and prompts you construct for ChatGPT.

• Consider the personality of, or style of, the response that might be most valuable to you. Would you like to have your meeting summarized from the perspective of an investigative journalist, Charles Dickens, or Gandhi Think about the tone, attitude, and mindsets you seek to convey.

• Remember that ChatGPT is there to perform tasks for you. What is the thing you want it to generate? An essay, a poem, a love letter, a summary, a report, or computer code.

• One noteworthy feature of ChatGPT is that it can reference up to approximately 3000 previous words from the conversation. Take advantage of this is beneficial for requesting revisions and getting the tool to generate variations and adaptations until you get results you are happy with. Give it specific instructions on how to improve.

• Include specific qualities or requirements you have for defining a good response. This may not be immediately apparent when you first start, and you’ll need to rely on iterating and refining to get the answer you want. Over time you’ll get a handle on the criteria and instructions that are important to you. Save these for the next time you use ChatGPT. 

We have created a template laying out these steps in further detail so you can play with ideas and help streamline this process.

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Collaborating With AI

Practice, practice, practice! Learn to ask the right questions and become more comfortable collaborating with AI. This is key because, eventually, AI will work with us on our teams. We need to become accustomed to how they operate and how they “think”, as it will be different than collaborating with humans. We have generations of experience collaborating with humans, and now is the time to start building that same experience with machines.

Imagine you are on a team of five, four humans and one AI. 

• What does collaboration with AI look like, and how does it feel?
• What questions will the team ask the AI?
• How will we learn to work and collaborate in new ways?
• What does it mean to invite AI in as a team member?
• How might we notice and encourage it to have more ethical and inclusive answers?

Inviting the AI in as a team member means giving it context and teaching it how to work best with us. We can help it learn our culture and values to better align with our mission, vision, and purpose. Building a strategy to incorporate AI as a team member is not unlike working with people in an organization. When a company’s strategy is aligned with its values and purpose, it can create a more meaningful and fulfilling work experience for employees. AI can be an extension of this, reinforcing desired norms and behaviors. Creating a safe environment allowing people to bring their whole selves to work and tap into their innate sense of purpose and connection with others. This can, in turn, help employees lean deeper into their humanity and contribute to a more positive, ethical, and sustainable organizational culture.

Transcending The AI

There are many examples of how technology has allowed us to put aside trivial matters and  elevate as humans. AI is currently simplifying tasks of all kinds by efficiently performing mundane tasks on demand. For example, AI design tools are able to nearly eliminate the creation of UI design, allowing designers to spend their time considering the strategy, conceptual design, how to elevate user experience, and how to address accessibility or other concerns. While the simple example is handy for examples sakes, the potential is much greater than just moving from tactical work to strategic work. As these tools advance and provide deeper functionality for us, we will shift into a higher state of work, finding deeper connections and relating at levels never before experienced in the workplace. 

Humans are exceptionally adaptable organisms, and the AI revolution is a time that calls for us to lean into that ability. As with any change, we must also be considerate of long-term systemic implications and sustainability of our actions and work. As you embark on your journey, consider the ethics of what you or your organization are asking of the AI.  Think about the second and third-order effects of what you are asking. If the AI excels at doing this task, what might result from that and so on and so forth? What are the long-term consequences of that? Finally, consider if we might want to pick a different starting point or provide more conditions to properly guide or constrain the AI. 

I’m excited about what the future holds for us. As we explore these times together, join me as I focus on appreciating and respecting the diversity of experiences and perspectives that make us all unique. As we begin to create our first relationships with AI, remember to reach firmly into the deepest depths of our humanity.

The post Becoming More Human With AI appeared first on Voltage Control.

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the world we live in. From healthcare to finance, from manufacturing to education, AI is transforming the way we work, communicate, and interact with the world. The potential benefits of AI are enormous, but so are the challenges. To ensure that AI is developed and used in a responsible and ethical way, we need to educate ourselves about this transformative technology.

We have partnered with Kungfu.ai to bring you a learning course that will dive deep into understanding AI and leveraging its benefits for your company. Understanding the way this tech can assist your specific business problem starts with the data. Ultimately the data we use to train our AI will determine the quality of your results. AI can solve many unique challenges presented to individual businesses. It also has the potential to take on many menial tasks, allowing us to transcend AI and focus on higher strategy, higher value projects, and elevate our creativity in the workplace.  

What is AI 101 

AI 101 is an educational program designed to help business leaders understand how to integrate artificial intelligence into their organizations effectively. With the rapid development and adoption of AI technology in recent years, there is no better time than now to incorporate it into your business operations. However, for many leaders and their teams, the prospect of integrating AI can be daunting. That’s why the program emphasizes the importance of fully understanding key aspects of AI implementation, such as identifying which opportunities are good opportunities for AI and measuring the return on investment of your AI initiatives.

Integrating AI into your business can offer significant benefits, such as increased efficiency, improved decision-making, and enhanced customer experiences. But to fully realize these benefits, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of the potential risks and costs associated with implementing AI. By learning how to measure the ROI of your AI initiative before integrating it, you can ensure that the benefits of AI outweigh the costs.

In addition to ROI, AI 101 also covers topics such as identifying which areas of your business could benefit from AI, understanding the different types of AI, and selecting the right AI tools and platforms for your organization. By taking these steps to understand AI implementation fully, you can make informed decisions about incorporating this powerful technology into your business and reap the many benefits it has to offer.

To tackle the challenges facing a business, it is important first to understand what those challenges are and then structure the team in a way that minimizes risk. One challenge that many businesses face today is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence effectively. AI can only be as good as the quality of the data that is inputted into it. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how to ensure the quality of the data used for AI. This course will guide you through the process of fully comprehending why data quality is just as important as data quantity and how to ensure that the data used for AI is accurate, reliable, and appropriate for the intended use. You will learn about different data quality metrics, data cleaning techniques, and best practices for data management. By the end of this course, you will have a deep understanding of data quality’s role in AI and the tools and strategies needed to optimize your data for successful AI implementation.

To effectively communicate and collaborate with an organization, it is crucial to have a proper understanding of the role of a machine learning engineer. Developing this understanding can give you a competitive edge and help you integrate effectively into the team. Machine learning can add significant value to an organization in the long term, but it is important to recognize that success in an experimental context with machine learning problems may not necessarily translate into lasting value. Therefore, it is essential to consider a broader range of factors beyond just technical expertise, such as understanding the business goals and requirements, identifying suitable datasets, developing robust models, and ensuring scalability and maintainability. By keeping these factors in mind, a machine learning engineer can help an organization derive value from machine learning solutions that are not only experimental but also sustainable and impactful in the long term.

Reed Coke, NLP expert, and Principal Machine Learning Engineer

This new course is taught by an expert in Natural Language Processing, Reed Coke. With a solid industry and research background in conversational AI, text mining, and linguistics, Reed is the ideal instructor for this course. Reed is passionate about how language, communication, and education about AI shape our world and brings that enthusiasm to his teaching.

Reed has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, which has provided him with the technical expertise necessary to excel in the field of AI. He is currently the Principal Machine Learning Engineer for KungFu.ai, a company that specializes in AI solutions for businesses. With his extensive experience in AI project development and implementation, Reed will guide students through each phase of AI 101. This will include helping students determine the right AI project, setting up the necessary tools and infrastructure, mitigating AI risks, and moving forward with AI in a responsible and ethical manner.

Overall, with Reed’s deep knowledge of NLP, passion for AI, and experience in the field, students can expect to gain a comprehensive understanding of AI fundamentals and the practical skills necessary to pursue AI projects of their own.

How Relevant is AI Today?

Artificial intelligence has become increasingly relevant in the business world as companies seek to optimize their operations and gain a competitive edge. ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, is particularly important in the era of big data as it enables businesses to process and analyze vast amounts of textual information. However, it is crucial for businesses to understand the capabilities of ChatGPT to leverage its potential effectively. Without proper understanding and management of ChatGPT’s outputs, businesses may receive inaccurate or irrelevant information, leading to poor decision-making and potentially damaging consequences. Therefore, businesses must invest in skilled engineers who can effectively manage and analyze ChatGPT’s outputs to ensure that they are accurate and relevant. By doing so, they can fully utilize the potential of ChatGPT and AI to drive innovation and success in the modern business landscape.

Facilitating with AI

As AI revolutionizes countless roles across industries, skills, and roles will shift in dramatic ways facilitation will not be unscathed. With the emergence of GPT-powered features across almost every application available, there are so many opportunities to experiment. At Voltage Control, we use Notion to collect and organize our processes and documentation. Notion’s AI features have been helpful when documenting processes or agendas. Even the “improve my writing” feature is a really fast way to condense and disambiguate, which is something we should always strive for in our facilitations. The new Bing is also a place to pay attention to. Use it to discover methods and activities. AI-powered searching allows direct access to specific results versus having to read through web pages and documents to find the stuff you are looking for. 

ChatGPT is a fun way to introduce some lateral thinking into your sessions and can be fun for the team if you set up the context and the prompt in a way that invites curiosity and play. Consider when you might have the team pose some questions to ChatGPT and how you might use the answers for provocation and debate. I can imagine a not-to-distant future where we’ll have an AI, perhaps a ChatGPT descendent, that is in the meeting listening, responding, and contributing. How will that shift how you facilitate?  What potential do you see? I’m curious to know. Let’s talk about it!

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The nature of innovation is that it is a hyper-fluid force that is never fully predictable. A well-curated change management strategy helps to harness the power of innovative change.

Innovation plays a significant role in driving positive change, as 51% of organizations attribute their success to innovative initiatives, all of whom also experienced an 11% increase in revenue.

In this article, we trace the pathway to innovative change in the following topics:

• The Plan for Change
• Designing Strategies for Change 
• An Agile Approach to Transformation
• Getting Curious About Change

The Plan for Change  

In charting a course to bigger and better ideas, a clear change management strategy helps to identify a direct path forward. Creating a thoughtful change management strategy allows you to plan several steps ahead and steer change in your favor. 

The most intentional change management strategies focus on proactive change. The following are key elements in creating a proactive path for change:

1. Prepare to Plan
Preparing to create a change management strategy is essentially planning to plan. As you consider the best approach to creating change, take time to map out each step of your strategy. While it may seem more effective to just dive in, remember that intentionality is the name of the game in lasting change. 

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2. Cultivate Transparency
Many changes are unexpected and unwanted. For this reason, many organizations make the mistake of keeping changes quiet from the rest of the team. However, this type of secrecy can sabotage your organizational transformation.

Make it a point to cultivate a sense of transparency at every level of your organization. By including all parties in your plans for change, you’ll get a head start on driving innovation. When team members feel included in major decisions like a big change, they are more likely to accept and support it going forward.

3. Encourage High Tolerance
Tolerance for change is a muscle that should be exercised. Challenge your team members to fight their resistance to change by sharing the benefits of change. Explaining “what’s in it for me” gives team members a reason to root for change while increasing their tolerance for the unknown. 

4. Monitor and Measure 

Just as true change is a long-term endeavor, creating a change management strategy isn’t just a one-time event. Successful strategies for change will never be static, making monitoring and measuring key performance indicators a perpetual part of the change management process. 

Design a fluid change management strategy by teaching your team to measure success, monitor potential problems, and resolve issues as efficiently as possible. This way, your strategy for change will evolve according to your needs.

Designing Strategies for Change   

A design thinking change management strategy places team members at the heart of a change. This people-first approach to purposeful change lets team leaders curate a strategy with the greatest benefits for all parties involved. At Voltage Control, we explore design thinking as a change management practice to inspire the most innovative ideas, allowing team members to shape new initiatives together. 

Apply design thinking to your change management strategy in the following ways:

1. Find the “What” of Change

Design thinking facilitates purposeful change. Shape your change management strategy by determining the “what” of your change to inform your path to the most viable and innovative solutions. 

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2. Center Empathy

Successful changes tap into our emotions. Design thinking cuts to the heart of a change by prioritizing empathy from the very beginning. Harness empathy in your next change by considering your team members’ mindsets and perspectives before implementing change. Continue to research how all participants will be impacted by a change as you incorporate empathy into your change strategy.

3. Use Divergent Thinking

Employ divergent thinking in your change management strategy. Through a design-centered approach, shape a plan for change that encourages collaborative thinking, integrated innovation, and holistic decision-making. 

4. Practice Constant Experimentation

Experimentation is the beating heart of design thinking. Make the strategizing process more tangible by testing new ideas and running experiments to see what works. By testing an idea on a small scale, you’ll be able to make the necessary changes to help shape your initiative for real change. 

An Agile Approach to Transformation

An agile approach to change management zeroes in on a faster, more urgent need for transformation. Agile principles offer a valid framework for transformation. Agile is tailor-made for systemic problem-solving, allowing team members to find the most groundbreaking solutions to the most persistent problem. 

According to Carie Davis, a corporate innovation specialist, inventing new methods for problem-solving is the key to driving innovative change. Regardless of how powerful an initial initiative is, lasting change won’t take hold until it truly transforms an organization. For this reason, Davis suggests that businesses initiate long-term shifts by starting small and by making little changes at the core of the company. These smaller changes are a key part of Agile change management strategy and are instrumental in catalyzing lasting transformation. 

Consider applying agile methodology to your change strategy in the following ways:

1. Go Lean

Focus on a change strategy that provides increased value and positive change. Going lean allows for rapid transformation by limiting factors that waste resources, energy, and time.

2. Practice Continuous Improvement

Agile champions continuous improvement through small changes over time. These small changes lead to the most significant shifts. 

3. Encourage Employee Authorship
   Innovative change doesn’t happen with a top-down approach. Create an agile-informed change management strategy by bringing your employees into the decision-making process. This way, all team members can determine the most pressing areas for improvement and make meaningful contributions as they work together to co-create the next change. 

4.  Practice Reflective Improvement 

In shaping a change management strategy to grow with your organization, practicing reflective improvement guarantees consistent long-term change. Regularly evaluate your organization’s performance and initiatives as you continue to shape your change management strategy into a better, leaner plan.

Getting Curious About Change

In designing the most innovative change management strategy, don’t forget to consider a sense of curiosity. Thrive through change and drive innovation by cultivating a curious desire to be better than ever. 

Research shows that curiosity allows us to welcome new experiences with less defensiveness and aggressiveness. By responding to the unknown in uniquely positive and inquisitive ways, your teams can dream up the most imaginative solutions on their path to lasting change. 

In addition to helping teams accept change, facilitating a sense of curiosity is an essential component in designing an innovative workplace. In creating a culture of curiosity, you’ll encourage team members to become change agents themselves. With a desire to learn more, be more, and do more, you’ll be able to reframe the potential pitfalls of change and the fears that come with it as an opportunity to get better and better. 

Innovation and change are infinitely interconnected. Harness the power of both by designing a change management strategy that continues to transform your organization in the best ways possible. Explore our offerings to learn more about taking change management to the next level.

The post Hyper-Innovation: A Change Management Strategy for Better, Faster Ideas appeared first on Voltage Control.

Is change management certification worth it? The answer is yes. 

Change management certification offers the most relevant and timely strategies to face change. By training to change we learn best practices to navigate the ever-fluid transformation process. 

In this article, we’ll explore the value of change management certification in the following topics:

• Training to Change
• Is Change Management Certification Worth It?
• The Human Element in Change

Training to Change

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin

The aftermath of change brings a new normal and shift in the status quo with many ever-changing variables. Learning to navigate such a transitory process requires a deep dive into change management. Change management certification allows for a more extensive look into the dynamic process of organizational transformation. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to change, change management courses lays the foundation for transformation, equipping leaders with the best tools and methods to implement change on their own. 

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Change management courses teach leaders the best approach to successful organizational transformation. While many leaders already possess the skills necessary to guide a team through change, effectively navigating change management requires a more refined skill set. Certification courses help bolster participants’ communication skills,  strategic thinking abilities, and active listening capabilities. 

Is Change Management Certification Worth It?

If you’re wondering, “Is change management certification worth it?”, the numbers don’t lie. GlassDoor shows the average change management salary to be just over $100,000. 

Beyond the monetary value, change management training has a significant impact on an organization as a whole. Certified leaders can create an ideal process for implementing, managing, and cementing change. Moreover, this practice can become part of the company ethos as the team develops an affinity for cultivating innovative change. 

Additionally,  30% of clients that hire change management specialists ask for certification. While 30% may seem inconsequential, this certification plays a distinct role in implementing lasting change. 

As you assess the value of investing in certification, consider the following benefits of change management certification:

1. Validate Skill Development

Change management is considered a very fluid practice, making this certification a valuable way to validate your skills as a specialist in organizational transformation. Ultimately, concrete proof of your skill development proves certification to be a worthy investment. 

2. Boost Your Salary 

Professional certification has a significant impact on your earning potential as a change agent. With a certification in change management, you stand to earn more and set your rates as you see fit. 

3. Improve Morale

Facilitators that are trained in change management methodology understand best practices to lead their teams to success. As a result, these leaders prioritize their team’s needs, leading to an increased sense of loyalty and improved morale.

4. Reduce the Cost

Implementing a successful change management framework can reduce the overall costs related to organizational transformation. Moreover, a commitment to a successful change strategy can increase ROI.

5. Risk Reduction 

In determining, “Is change management certification worth it?”, consider its impact on risk reduction. The reality is that change can’t take place without risk. Investing in certification helps to mitigate these risks as much as possible. Through training, facilitators learn new frameworks for change. 

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Change Management as a Practice 

Change management methodologies are varied. From change agent courses to the CCMP, there are multiple options for change management certification. At Voltage Control, we are committed to showing others how to embrace change. As change brings a fair amount of uncertainty, the true value of certification is learning how to navigate the pitfalls of change with an arsenal of tried and true tactics to champion transformation. 

Our change management courses teach leaders to implement change. Participants in certification courses can expect to:

• Illuminate a path for ideation
• Transform their organization with design thinking
• Build and retain collaborative teams during growth
• Excel in remote and hybrid work through immersive collaboration
• Shift organizational culture and facilitate systemic change

In these facilitation courses, we use Liberating Structures as a framework to help leaders mitigate the challenges of change and adopt a posture of curiosity for the unknown. Liberating Structures act as a change management framework through a series of 33 methods to help organizations initiate small shifts. These tiny changes alter protocols of how team members meet, decide, learn, plan, and relate to one another. 

“Liberating Structures are participatory methods that disrupt conventional patterns in how we work together. One Liberating Structure changes a meeting; the repertoire can change an organization.”

Is change management certification worth it? Beyond teaching Liberating Structures, change management courses provide facilitators with multiple ways to navigate change. In change management training, you’ll be equipped with a variety of models and methods to manage sustainable organizational transformation successfully. 

The Human Element in Change

Change management training goes far beyond the technical aspects of change management. Successful transformation requires leaders to win the hearts and minds of the people most affected by the change.

True change management encourages us to humanize the transformation process by centering the needs of others and inviting them to design a new normal alongside us. In centering others in this collaborative approach, leaders can promote the most innovative ideas from a diverse group of contributors. 

The truth behind change management methodology is that lasting change is person-first and people-driven. While a human-centered approach to change is highly effective, it isn’t the most intuitive response to change management. Ultimately, we must be taught to change.

Is change management certification worth it? Of course! With training, we learn to put others first in our efforts to design a new way of working. 

Voltage Control’s facilitation courses offer participants a clear idea of how to lead human-centered change through design thinking. Enlisting design thinking for change management encourages us to change on purpose, as team leaders and members alike follow a procedural process in implementing change. 

In addition to harnessing the creative aspects of collaborative change, design thinking for change management allows us to lead with emotion. Emotions are at the heart of human-centered change management.

Navigating a human-first approach to change encourages leaders to build a stronger sense of emotional intelligence. As a result, facilitators learn how to identify unspoken feelings, communicate with team members effectively and empathetically, and collaborate with all stakeholders to co-create change. 

Is change management certification worth it? Yes! Voltage Control can help you in your change management journey through a variety of workshops. Contact us to learn more about change management and best practices for human-centered change.

The post Learning to Change: Is Change Management Certification Worth It? appeared first on Voltage Control.

Organizational transformation is a uniquely human endeavor. Navigating the journey to change starts with understanding the employee experience and creating space for emotional safety in the workplace.

According to organizational behavior expert Sigal Barsade, emotions are the key to encouraging higher performance and achievement. Her research shows that emotions influence employees’ wellness in addition to driving productivity. Thus, to influence organizational transformation, leaders need to take a closer look at how emotions factor into the employee experience.

In this article, we’ll discuss emotions and their role to change management in the following topics:

• The Employee Experience
• The Transformation Timeline
• Emotions at Work 
• An Engagement of Consciousness

The Employee Experience

Without a keen understanding of the employee experience and your team’s emotional state, sustainable change is more fantasy than reality. In your efforts to initiate organizational transformation, consider first transforming employees’ work experience to promote a sense of emotional well-being. 

In shaping the employee experience, it’s critical to understand employees’ expectations for emotional safety in the workplace. As most employees value their mental health above all else, they expect their working environment to promote trust, purpose, and social cohesion. Moreover, they want to know that leadership recognizes their contributions and that there is room and opportunity for sustainable growth and development. Similarly, team members want their personal sense of purpose to be in alignment with the organization. 

With increased emotional wellness comes higher employee engagement and a more motivated workforce. With a stronger sense of emotional safety in the employee experience, leaders will find that their team is prepared to engage in organizational transformation.

The Transformation Timeline

 “You have to attract people… you can’t bribe or coerce transformation.”

Greg Satell

Once you prioritize the employee experience in your change strategy, you can begin the organizational transformation timeline. Organizational transformation is a process that happens through gradual change, resulting in sustainable behavioral transformation. This type of comprehensive change can only occur through a series of repeatable actions and innovative systems, not one-time initiatives.

Take steps towards sustainable change with the following phases of organizational transformation:

Phase One: Fight Resistance

To sustain organizational transformation, leaders and team members need a solid strategy for managing resistance. Resistance often stems from the discomfort that change brings.

To move beyond this fear, leaders should explain that while transformation involves many unknown factors, the forthcoming change will bring overall positive results. By showing team members how they will benefit from a change, leaders can overcome resistance and encourage their employees to support the initiative. 

• Freezing of Behaviors
  In Lewis’ Change management model, change is broken into three steps: freezing, changing, and refreezing.
  
  In the first phase of organizational transformation, the “unfreezing” process will occur. This involves recognizing one’s need for change and defining new behaviors that replace the former methods and practices. During this very fluid phase, team members and leaders identify and share data that supports a need for change.

Phase Two: Facilitate Adjustment

After strategically managing resistance to change, the next phase in achieving organizational transformation is facilitating the adjustment period. During this phase, team members are no longer actively resisting transformation but still need time to adjust to the changes the new initiative brings. 

In the adjustment period, changes are discussed in detail, and team members are invited to provide criticism and feedback. This phase allows team members to personalize the change as they recognize their individual roles in achieving organizational transformation. In a successful adjustment phase, every team member is aligned with the necessary actions for the next phase: acceptance. 

• Changing

Within the adjustment phase of organizational transformation, team leaders will actively change their old habits. At this time, all stakeholders work to replace undesired behaviors with desired ones. 

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Phase Three: Foster Acceptance

In phase three of the organizational transformation timeline, you’ll lead your team into the acceptance phase with a solid vision and strategy for sustaining the changes over time. 

• Refreezing

In the foster acceptance phase, refreezing occurs when changes are stabilized and become the new normal. As the organizational transformation nears completion, team members are in the best position to cement these changes by ensuring a legacy of growth.  

Phase Four: Ensure Consistency

The fourth phase of organizational transformation establishes consistent and sustainable growth. Consistency is a direct result of repeatable actions from strategic processes, intentional routines, and innovative practices that allow each team member to enact changes that carry into the future continuously. 

Emotions at Work 

A clear strategy for long-term change is only a roadmap to organizational transformation. After setting the stage for change to take place, leaders must engage in the emotional work of transformation.

Change takes emotional labor, requiring an environment that is uniquely attuned to address employees’ emotional needs. In the workplace, emotions can be an accelerator for transformation. To engage emotions in the most effective way, leaders can create conditions that ensure psychological safety.

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Research shows that to solidify organizational transformation, we must mitigate emotional harm and, in doing so, foster emotional commitment from team members. While emotional harm isn’t tangible, it presents itself in certain ways that can create anxiety, fear, and similar negative responses in employees. Essentially, working to facilitate positive experiences alongside potentially negative emotions is the key to harnessing a safe space for transformation. Leaders that are able to manage the effects of stress successfully can transform a high-pressure environment into a space for high performance.

Sonja Kresojevic, the founder of Spinnaker Co. and a proponent of using agile principles for organizational change, firmly believes that true transformation is a product of an empowered organization. According to  Kresojevic, the more we humanize change through emotional labor and healing initiatives, the more we are able to influence others and start shifting organizations in the direction of transformation.

Leaders can promote healing and psychological safety by allowing employees to share their thoughts and criticisms freely and without retribution. With an increase in support and emotional safety, your team will be ripe for organizational transformation.

An Engagement of Consciousness

An organization’s penchant for the unknown is essential in driving organizational transformation. In your efforts to humanize change management, it’s crucial to understand and accept human nature’s role in experiencing change. In understanding our natural inclinations toward risk aversion in the face of change, we can work to replace this avoidance of uncertainty with curiosity, vulnerability, and authenticity in the workplace. This approach to change management will transform the way we work, the risks we take, and our willingness to accept change.

Much of organizational transformation is dependent on accepting uncertainty: that the future is unclear and we don’t have all the answers. The real secret to driving organizational transformation is empowering people to develop and accept new ideas on their own. Managing the uncertainty of organizational transformation takes time, allowing for the unfreezing, changing, and refreezing process to take place as stakeholders consider their options. 

Rob Evans, Master Coach of Collaboration and Transformation Designer, shares that giving people a chance to court the unknown, is essential for change acceptance as it allows new ideas to seep in and take hold.

Practicing patience during the change management process allows for “engagement in the full consciousness,” in which leaders can kickstart the organizational transformation timeline and encourage employees to buy into the change. By pairing deliberate strategy with time for authentic employee engagement, radical transformation is an inevitability. 

Ready to start the journey to organizational transformation? Consider a new approach to the employee experience. Voltage Control can help you and your team define the best path for your organization’s transformation. 

The post Engaging Consciousness: The Emotional Work of Organizational Transformation appeared first on Voltage Control.

True transformation comes with sustaining organizational change. Ensure your initiatives have a long-term impact by designing your future with change sustainment in mind. 

According to a 2019 Google study, the most effective change programs focus on sustainability before and after the initiative launches. 

In this article, we explore change sustainment in the following topics:

• The Need for Change
• Leading Change Through Authorship 
• A Model for Sustainable Change
• Focusing on the Future

The Need for Change

From small-scale shifts to large-scale transitions, change is a necessity. Sustainable organizational change can only occur when we recognize our need for it. 

By embracing change as part of the process, we’re able to better prepare for what comes next. This willingness to accept change is a key component in creating an environment that sustains change. Learning to respond to the challenges that come with change and designing a change management strategy will encourage long-term growth and acceptance of these changes to allow for long-lasting transformation. 

In adopting a willingness to change, explore these best practices for sustaining organizational change management:

1. Clearly define the most pressing problems and take steps to solve them.

2. Change can be unexpected, but the most successful changes occur as a result of the most pressing issues. Kickstart sustainable organizational change by leading with innovation. 

3. Transform your organizational culture to fight resistance to change. Company culture defines how an organization experiences change. Lead sustainable organizational change by encouraging your employees to adopt a culture of continual change and an openness to adaptability. 

4. Unify your team from the top down.

Leaders must align themselves in their initiatives to communicate changes clearly and effectively. This united front should extend to lower-level team members, so the entire organization is on the same page. 

5. Encourage engagement from all parties.

Involving every member of the organization in a change allows leaders and managers the opportunity to understand all aspects of change, including the repercussions. Moreover, company-wide engagement gives team members the chance to be part of the coming changes. 

6. Utilize change agents to lead change.

Change agents act as influencers to encourage all employees to buy into a change. 

7. Identify critical behaviors and replace bad habits.

Patterns and behaviors are critical to implementing change. Encourage team members to adopt positive behaviors as they integrate new initiatives.

8. Reinforce change with consistent processes. 

Continue to reinforce new initiatives to encourage stakeholders to support changes in the long term. 

Leading Change Through Authorship 

The success of this initial transformational moment is determined by how change is delivered. Transforming your delivery method of change can take on many forms, but the most successful is achieving authorship from team members.

Authorship is the key to co-creating new processes as you invite every member of your organization to participate in the unpredictable process of making change. While the outcome is yet unknown, having the opportunity to shape the future is essential to achieving acceptance and facilitating sustainable organizational change. 

As every member works to co-create their new reality, innovation becomes a priority in the co-creation process. Ultimately, facing the unknown together is key to long-term change sustainment. 

According to a team member from the startup Anaplan,  the military ensures sustainable organizational change by engaging this co-creation process with three areas of focus:

• Training
• Readiness
• Preparedness for change

In the military’s approach to change management, each member contributes to their short and long-term goals as they lead change through the ranks, empowering team members and leaders at every level to make important decisions. Thus, in leading change together, organizations can create the blueprint for systemic change that allows for necessary cultural transformation. 

A Model for Sustainable Change

For businesses to sustain a willingness to learn and openness to constant change, they need to design a culture driven by change agents.  

In developing a model for sustainable organizational change, consider the following strategy:

1.Support from the Top

Accountability is essential for organizational change to take place, starting with executive leadership. Leaders should establish a clear agenda to set the foundation for future success. Team leaders and members should support continuous improvement and development efforts to ensure that desired changes are sustainable and become part of the company’s core culture.

2. Use Change-Sustaining Approaches

When a project ends, and through the lifecycle of a program, organizations must make intentional efforts to sustain such change. 

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3. Shift Paradigms When Needed

A shift in mindset is necessary to ensure sustainable organizational growth. Maintain this shift in mindset by making continuous efforts to discuss the benefits of changes and allow individuals to accept and adjust to their new reality continually. 

4. Talk and Communicate

Continual dialogue allows for sustainable organizational change as individuals further understand how certain behaviors, processes, and actions can completely transform an organization.

5. Assimilate and Integrate

Change sustainment can’t happen on its own. Change agents within an organization help shift a company’s culture and allow others to adopt the same readiness for change. These agents act as influencers and help achieve buy-in from other team members when it comes time to implement new initiatives.

6. Invest in Planning for Sustained Results

Planning is the key to every successful strategy for change sustainment. This strategy should include a high level of adaptability that allows an organization to modify its plans accordingly. While the future remains yet unknown, a solid strategy for sustainable organizational growth allows for the greatest innovation.

7. Negotiate Results

With a plan for change in place, team members should assess their readiness for change and tweak their strategies as needed. As new plans are put into practice, team members must still be willing to adapt to changing conditions as they occur. 

Focusing on the Future

A change management strategy that allows for the greatest change sustainment accepts the reality that the future will always be unknown. With this uncertainty in mind, organizations can plan for sustainable organizational change by safeguarding against potential challenges. 

Target the risks and consequences of a potential change to help your organization ease into the unknown. 

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Adopting a forward-minded perspective doesn’t erase the fear associated with change. In fact, it encourages team members to feel the fear and make changes anyway. By identifying the fears, risks, and rewards associated with change, organizations can shore themselves against the challenges that the future may bring. 

Fight common challenges to change in the following ways:

1.Understand the nature of change and its challenges.

Oftentimes, organizations face resistance to new initiatives. Leaders can ensure sustainable organizational change by taking the time to understand why their team members are resisting change. 

2. Communicate why change is needed. 

In getting your team on board for the future, it’s essential to communicate what changes need to be made clearly. Bring team members on board by using the “What’s in it for me” strategy. This will allow your team to adopt a personal need for change. 

3. Encourage early involvement.

By encouraging participation early on in the implementation process, team members will feel responsible for the outcome of the change. This way, change isn’t just something that’s happening to them. It’s something that’s happening because of them. 

In identifying these challenges, you can develop the most appropriate strategies to usher in new initiatives. Heading into the future isn’t without its risks. By incorporating your vision with an eagerness for the unknown, you’ll be ready to accept whatever the future may bring. 

Need help creating a strategy for change sustainment? Voltage Control can help you and your team define the best path for your organization’s sustainable change. 

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