Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)
Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD) helps groups uncover existing, often overlooked, solutions to persistent problems by focusing on positive deviance within the group. It fosters ownership and encourages the adoption of effective practices by those closest to the challenge.
Use DAD when you need to address a recurring problem where conventional solutions have failed, and you suspect that some individuals or teams are already achieving better results despite similar constraints.
Solves: Resistance to change, lack of buy-in for top-down solutions, failure to leverage existing knowledge within the group.
- 1
Step 1: Introduce the purpose of the DAD and the specific problem to be addressed. (5 min)
- 2
Step 2: Ask the following seven questions to the whole group, allowing everyone to contribute: 1) How do you know when problem X is present? 2) How do you contribute effectively to solving problem X? 3) What prevents you from doing this or taking these actions all the time? 4) Do you know anybody who is able to frequently solve problem X and overcome barriers? 5) What behaviors or practices made their success possible? 6) Do you have any ideas? 7) What needs to be done to make it happen? Any volunteers? Who else needs to be involved? (15-60 min)
- 3
Step 3: Have the recorder recap the key insights, action ideas, and identify individuals who need to be involved. (5 min)
- Encourage storytelling and active listening.
- Maintain eye contact and create an informal atmosphere.
- Focus on understanding the 'how' behind successful behaviors, not just the 'what'.
- Use TRIZ-like questions to identify practices that worsen the problem before exploring solutions.
- Adapt the questions for one-on-one conversations.