The Action Design Institute
Competence building programs
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The Institute is our flagship curriculum
of open enrollment programs. These are intensive, three- to
five-day workshops designed to help leading practitioners deepen their
competence.
Five-day programs:
Three-day programs:
This page describes: Themes in the curriculumStep-change improvement in human affairs starts with individuals, develops in relationships that sustain inquiry into crucial issues, and builds to institutions that work fundamentally differently. These three domains are interdependent, and ideally an organization would work on all of them simultaneously. But even to start on this challenging task, individuals must reflect together, design joint action, and exercise leadership from whatever their formal positions. Action Design Institute programs are for these individuals and for those who would help them.Developing oneselfWe gain greatest leverage by starting with ourselves. The casework methodology featured in each Institute program powerfully reveals how one's own ways of thinking, feeling, and acting may limit effectiveness and how one might reframe situations to create new possibilities for action. Concepts for designing effective action, coupled with intensive practice and feedback in small groups, provide a clear and practical way forward. More advanced work includes identifying and altering one's "behavioral footprint" or characteristic ways of reacting to emotionally charged situations. (Note: This theme is developed in both the Reflecting in Action and Creating Productive Conversations programs.)Making business dialogue workConversation is the medium of organizational intelligence. We talk together to understand complex situations, consider options, and make choices. Too often we talk in ways that reinforce disagreements or allow misunderstandings to persist. Each Institute program includes concepts for diagnosing and correcting conversational breakdowns and intensive practice in putting these concepts to use. (Note: This theme is developed in both the Reflecting in Action and Creating Productive Conversations programs.)Building productive relationshipsWorking relationships create the context in which issues are discussed, options considered, and choices made. Each relationship has a structure that influences whether it can sustain inquiry into the most important and difficult issues. Some of our programs offer concepts for mapping relationship systems and intensive practice in intervening to alter these systems. (Note: This theme is developed only in the Creating Productive Conversations programs.)Institute facultySenior faculty include partners of Action Design and colleagues who have worked with us for many years. Associates, experienced practitioners who have worked with Action Design for some time, facilitate smaller break-out groups. Some programs feature guest faculty, recently including Chris Argyris and Robert Kegan.High faculty-participant ratioThe defining experience in this work is to reflect on personal cases in a small group with a senior faculty person. At the Action Design Institute these groups are limited to ten participants. In addition, participants work in Learning Trios each day, and we can usually provide an experienced facilitator for each trio. We know of no other program that offers this level of faculty support.
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