1. 1 Dialogue Mapping: Dialogue Mapping: Dr. Jeff Conklin CogNexus Institute cognexus.org Revealing the Deep Structure of Conversations

2. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 2 Overview n Opportunity Driven Problem Solving n Wicked problems nDialogue Mapping: mapping linear process into non-linear media Surface Structure – how we communicate about an issue Linear Process & Media Deep structure – the organization of the content Non-linear Process & media

3. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 3 Work is planned as a linear process … Time Gather the data about the problem Analyze the data Formulate a solution Implement it

4. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 4 … but cognition is non-linear. Time Guindon, R. (1990) Designing the Design Process: Exploiting Opportunistic Thoughts, Human- Computer Interaction, Vol. 5, pp. 305-344. Opportunity Driven Problem Solving

5. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 5 Key Characteristic of Wicked Problems Every proposed solution … reveals aspects of the problem … Conklin, J. (2006) Wicked Problems and Social Complexity, white paper, Chapter 1 of Dialogue Mapping book Problem wickedness trumps linear process that cause revision of the solution

6. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 6 Characteristics of problem wickedness ncannot be easily defined so that all stakeholders agree on the problem to solve; nrequire complex judgments about the level of abstraction at which to define the problem; nhave no clear stopping rules; nhave better or worse solutions, not right and wrong ones; nhave no objective measure of success; nrequire iteration-every trial counts; nhave no given alternative solutions-these must be discovered; noften have strong moral, political or professional dimensions.

7. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 7 Some consequences of not distinguishing wicked problems nLess clarity and agreement about the problem space nMore non-linear problem solving process nLess productive communication nMore fragmented and polarized stakeholders nLess trust, more blame and second-guessing nMore power and politics dominate the process nDeeper issues go unaddressed (avoidance, denial)

8. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 8 Issue Mapping nIBIS - Issue Based Information System nHorst Rittel nBasic argumentation structure: –Questions (issues) –Answers (options, alternatives) –Pros & Cons (arguments)

9. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 9 Conversational structure versus Issue structure The basic unit of conversation is a comment The structure of conversation is turn taking – each persons comment follows the one before a comment

10. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 10 Conversational structure Issue-based structure Structure based on individual judgments of relevance and importance Structure based on mappers judgments about implicit relationships among comments

11. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 11 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

12. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 12 Conversational structure Issue-based structure Issue mapper infers the question that the comment addresses

13. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 13 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

14. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 14 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

15. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 15 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

16. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 16 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

17. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 17 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

18. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 18 Conversational structure Issue-based structure Again, inferring the missing question clarifies the map

19. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 19 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

20. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 20 Conversational structure Issue-based structure

21. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 21 Conversational structure Issue-based structure Structure based on individual choices about relevance and importance Structure based on mappers judgments about implicit relationships among comments

22. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 22 Meeting notes Issue Map Which structure is more coherent? Which structure is more meaningful? Which structure better supports exploration of complex topics? http://www.youtube.com/DrJeffConklin

23. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 23 Linear vs Issue Based Structure Linear structure Issue-based structure Normal surface structure Content deep structure Traditional, familiar Specialized, dense Chronological: each successive element based on salience & relevance with previous Elements organized by key questions - sequence factored out Optimized to minimize load on working memory Optimized for large scale coherence

24. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 24 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process

25. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 25 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process The problem is that process X doesnt work well.

26. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 26 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process The problem is that process X doesnt work well. Im not so sure. I think the real problem is that Y doesnt work very well.

27. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 27 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process The problem is that process X doesnt work well. Im not so sure. I think the real problem is that Y doesnt work very well. Yeah. There have been big improvements in X lately. …

28. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 28 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process The problem is that process X doesnt work well. Im not so sure. I think the real problem is that Y doesnt work very well. Yeah. There have been big improvements in X lately. I think we should just implement Plan A, like we discussed months ago!

29. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 29 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process The problem is that process X doesnt work well. Im not so sure. I think the real problem is that Y doesnt work very well. Yeah. There have been big improvements in X lately. I think we should just implement Plan A, like we discussed months ago! Plan A wont work, because it doesnt address process Z. The truth is, Z doesnt work at all!

30. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 30 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process I agree. We need to start over with a new Plan B and start getting upper management input.

31. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 31 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process I agree. We need to start over with a new Plan B and start getting upper management input. Wait a minute. Whats the problem with Z? I thought we had that fixed?

32. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 32 Dialogue map follows the non-linear conversation process I agree. We need to start over with a new Plan B and start getting upper management input. Wait a minute. Whats the problem with Z? I thought we had that fixed? Z costs too much, and the costs are increasing, and in any case it doesnt meet the new interoperability standards.

33. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 33 Non-linear cognition means jumping around between issues Time What is the problem? … What are the criteria? … What does xxxxxx mean? … What should we do? … What are the facts? … How should we do X? …

34. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 34 Bridging the Structural Gap We need tools that show both surface & deep structures and the connections between them Surface Structure – how we communicate about an issue Linear Process & Media Deep structure – the organization of the content Non-linear Process & media Article about global warming Map of deep structure of article

35. © 2008 CogNexus Institute 35 CogNexus Institute Knowledge Mapping for Nonlinear Processes http://cognexus.org The book