Facilitated Thinking Technology

The invention of Facilitated Thinking Environments (FTE’s), functions in much the same way the invention of the assembly line improved manual-worker labor productivity.

FTEs use this guiding rule: Choosing the right cognitive tool (thinklet) for knowledge-workers follows the same principle for selecting the right physical tool for manual-workers: “pick the tool appropriate for the task at hand”

The FTE publishing architecture delivers within a precise thought process the right questions to ask, the correct tools to use, and the proper thinking methods to enhance personal or team thinking capabilities. It surrounds knowledge workers with the tools and methodologies needed to do their jobs in the following ways.

1. Personal Intelligence

While we have all learned to some degree how to think, few of us have been taught to fully use our intelligence on a regular basis. FTEs facilitate self-directed, self-mentored, and self-corrective thinking processes.

2. Collective/Team Intelligence

Collective intelligence means that teams, groups, and entire communities can think and act intelligently as whole living systems. FTEs facilitate collaborative thinking that leverages employees’ collective knowledge, ideas, and wisdom to produce results that could not be achieved by any one person alone.

3. Organizational Intelligence

An organization is not just made up of a collection of people but also business processes, systems, networks, and organizational structures … the ways of conducting business. FTEs facilitate organizational intelligence by enabling development of well conceived, up to date, and carefully managed processes, systems, and networks.

4. Contextual Intelligence

Personal or team thinking abilities do little good … if the data and information we are thinking about is incomplete, inaccurate, or misunderstood because it was taken out of context. FTEs promote understanding the contextual nuances of any situation, which is essential for correct thinking to occur.

Facilitated Thinking Environments (FTEs) – An assembly-line for the mind?

At the heart of every MindSights FTE is a Thinking Emulation grid, see below. For a full FTE description see the white paper Facilitated Thinking Technology: A fifty-fold increase in thinking productivity. A few quotes that support the evolution of FTEs.

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, give them a tool, ...” - Buckminster Fuller

And as Don Norman puts it, “The power of the unaided mind is greatly exaggerated. It is "tools" that make us smart, the cognitive artifacts that allow human beings to overcome the limitations of human memory and conscious reasoning.“

Note on Artificial Intelligence: FTEs are not a substitute for human thinking and are actually just the opposite of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The purpose of AI is to automate human thinking in ways that lead to deterministic answers. FTEs enhance natural human intelligence by taking the mind out of scripted thinking patterns. This leads to new mental associations, thoughts, ideas, and solutions.

Thinking Emulation Grid: How Facilitated Thinking Environments workfttgrid

At the heart of Facilitated Thinking Environments are Thinking Emulation Grids™. These grids emulate how a human consultant, teacher, or coach functions when providing intellectual guidance. With a just-in-time approach, the grid delivers the right questions to ask, the correct thinking tools to use, and the proper thinking methods to enhance personal or team thinking performance.

In some respects, this grid works the way our brain does and functions like Google using key words to find information. MindSights’ emulation grid uses thinklets to facilitate finding the right cognitive tools and questions to ask for better thinking.

1. Thinking Processes

Thinking Processes are the mental structures or frameworks in which thinking occurs. Like a human facilitator, these processes guide thinking by helping people focus on what is important and prompting them to think through situations more effectively.

Correctly identifying the right thinking process to use is a critical first step for successful thinking. Proper identification is vital because different thinking processes are needed depending on the situation you are trying to address or resolve. MindSights is based the following eight basic thinking processes:

Reactive thinking process: Quickly resolves urgent problems or situations.
Corrective thinking process: Returns problems/situations to their past or original condition.
Futures thinking process: Anticipates and prepares for unknown future problems/opportunities.
Creative thinking (CPS) process: Finds new ideas/solutions to an existing problem/situation.
Analytical thinking process: Analyzes problem parts and resolves the broken or failed “part.”
Systems thinking process: Analyzes the interaction of the parts and resolve the “whole” problem/situation.
Innovative thinking process: Develops valuable and sustainable “prosumer” products and services.
Planning thinking process: Identifies goals and develop action steps to get there.

Thinking, of course, generally does not following one process but is a combination of processes. That is why the grid is designed to use “Thinking Points” that enable jumping around as needed.

Note: Today, the Creative Solving Problem (CPS) process developed by Alex Osborn in the 1950s is really the only process used. However, using CPS for every thinking task is like using a sledgehammer for ever hammering task.

2. Thinking Task

Within each Thinking Process are Thinking Tasks … the basic building blocks of thinking. Understanding the sequence of thinking tasks within a “thinking process” significantly influences knowledge worker thinking. Skipping or missing a task can lead to ineffective thinking, for example:

Choosing the right thinking process … affects what questions you ask.
Asking the right questions … affects what information you gather.
The information gathered … affects how you understand the problem/situation.
The way a problem/situation is understood … affects how you analyze it.
How the situation is analyzed …affects how you develop ideas or solutions.
The ideas and solutions that were developed … affect your actions.
Your actions … affect the quality of your work/life!

3. Thinking Points

Thinking points are the cross section between “Thinking Processes” and “Thinking Tasks.” These points are where cognitive tools (thinklets) are applied, just as if the human teacher or facilitator were working directly with you and providing intellectual guidance to help you find your own best solution.

4. Thinklets - Tools for the mind.

So what are thinklets? Thinklets can be viewed as mental triggers or “thought switches” that activate thinking patterns not commonly used. In its purest sense a Thinklet can be as simple as asking the right question at the right time. Or, a Thinklet may provide small bursts of thinking stimuli (expert “facilitation” questions) embedded in traditional thinking techniques, templates, and worksheets.

These thinklets help the thinker alter routine thinking patterns and activate not commonly used patterns leading to new associations, relationships, and ultimately new innovative ways of thinking. There are four basic kinds of thinklets.

Trigger Questions: Ask the right question helps the mind find the right answer.
Thinking Techniques: Instead of routine thinking, use fresh thinking patterns
Templates: Guide thinking with forms, worksheets and models.
Tutors: Clarity and just-in-time understanding is essential for effective thinking.

5. Thinking Information & Content

From a knowledge-worker perspective, information can be viewed as the “raw material” of thinking. For the most part, a direct correlation exists between data and thinking. Effective thinking occurs only if a person acquires the right “critical mass” of relevant background data and information to think upon. Applying good thinking upon bad information results in ineffective thinking and in poor quality results.

Let us help you set up your FTE integrated publishing architecture. For more information send an email to dj@nthdegreesoft.com.

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