What is Group Genius™?

Group Genius is the ability of a group to work iteratively and collaboratively to consistently seek, model and put into place higher order solutions. Time compression, systemic work flow, dynamic feedback, individual and collective creativity are core features of group genius.

How does "Decision by Design" differ from traditional decision-making?

Traditional decision-making procedures rely extensively on the data being complete and accurate "up front" and the logic of the decision process being faultless. In organizations, this tends to support authority and credibility based on past accomplishments while discounting new information and ideas. The traditional decision-making procedure tends to go through the process once, in a linear manner, and tries to establish a "permanent" answer.

Decision by Design is a commitment to go through the design process again and again while "reality testing" the parts as they emerge and get applied in the field. If the process of design is properly managed and comprehensively approached then inappropriate design assumptions fall away leaving- from the number of choices originally perceived- the final design most fit for use. Decision by design fully weights new information and ideas balanced against experience; fully explores the whole system by discovering linkages between actions and consequences; and results in solutions big enough to hold all the parts with minimal conflict.

How does knOwhere® produce extraordinary results?

knOwhere releases Group Genius by design. Each component of the workplace is designed to work with all the others to: increase the productivity and energy of individual participants; bring cost-effective technology and knowledge management professionals to bear on increasing group productivity; improve group interaction to produce high quality communication inside improved relationships; and fundamentally transform the kinds of products groups produce to highly robust, thoroughly vetted, systemic solutions that fully deal with complexity.

Establishing flexible environments in which all the physical elements to support individuals and groups are immediately at hand. All aspects of the environment function seamlessly together with the work processes so there is no time wasted gathering needed items. Tools work together by design. The total environment sets the stage for, highly effective individual and group behavior.

Engaging the whole of each individual taking part in the process, generating a more energized, grounded, yet widened perspective. This includes engaging all the physical senses in a rich and varied environment, and engaging a wide range of virtual senses through basic work process and facilitation-for example, senses of values, self-expression, integrity, freedom, related-ness, individuality, adventure, and curiosity.

Focusing a team of highly skilled knowledge workers on events. Using knowledge workers to document events liberates individual participants to engage fully in the moment without needing to take notes or other mementos, freeing up the truly scarce resource of participant time, attention, and creativity. Disciplined documentation also ensures that a single, high-quality record of the event exists, rather than divergent notes and memories that cause confusion going forward.

Inserting new knowledge and perspective into the customer's working group by including carefully selected "wild card" individuals from its extensive network of seminal thinkers, innovators, leaders, and doers; readings from its library; and provocative puzzles, games and toys from its store.

Applying individual and group work processes designed in concert with other components of the environment, to maximize the contribution of each participant to the product, capturing the full value of diversity. This ensures that a more robust solution is generated and tested from abundant perspectives, that widespread ownership and enrollment in the work product is generated, and that the customer accelerates out of the event with strong enrollment, high levels of commitment, and successful implementation.

knowhere's events are designed around a finely honed strategy of multiple recursions, in which issues, strategies, and plans are examined in an intentional sequence of both serial and parallel exercises from different perspectives, iterating successively more robust solutions

What does a knOwhere event feel like to participants?

• Individual participants commonly report that the knOwhere experience is:
  • guiding while being wide-ranging;
  • focused while being holistic;
  • fast while being relaxed;
  • energizing while being productive.
• They participate with a sense of freedom to be, think and act themselves;
• They forge lasting new relationships with team members grounded in shared perspectives and commitments.
• They leave with a confidence that the solution is theirs and achievable
• They leave ready for action, with a sense of peace that they have taken the full measure of complexity in their work and have developed a superb solution in which they won't be stung by unintended consequences.
• They leave newly alert to the full range of signals the world is offering them and increased capacity to interpret and react.

What are the benefits of engaging knOwhere?

• Simple, mechanical gains from improving individual productivity and bringing the right tools to bear at the right time typically add tens of percent to the value of a knOwhere event relative to a typical meeting.
• Improved group dynamics and enrollment produced in the event that persist long after can multiply the value of the event several times simply by eliminating barriers to action and accelerating implementation.
• Finally, the fundamentally robust, systemic solutions that come out of knOwhere events by design are orders of magnitude more value-creating than the product of ad hoc group activity .

What makes knOwhere unique?

KnOwhere is the only provider of seamlessly integrated, complete workplace solutions designed from fundamental principles to produce high-performance operating environments in which high-performance individuals combine their commitment, values, talents, and energy to form extraordinarily successful organizations. There are abundant suppliers of different aspects of the workplace: architects for buildings, interior designers and office furniture manufacturers, organizational design consultants, meeting process facilitators, and management consultants, for example. knOwhere is the only company that integrates all aspects of the workplace-the physical environment, the information environment, the technical environment, the event support discipline, and facilititated processes-to optimize group productivity.

Why can't you conduct an event at my location to save travel cost?

We can. knOwhere's portfolio of products and services are designed to work seamlessly to create a complete high-performance workplace. Part of the high-performance workplace includes the environment and tools that are used with the facilitated work process and knowledge worker support. These tools and environmental pieces are fully capable of being transported and rebuilt easily within most spaces, bringing knOwhere to you.

Why is knOwhere's work environment important?

• Participants are fully engaged with all their senses, not just their intellect.
• Participants are always in motion, interacting with new people in different ways.
• knOwhere's flexible environments allow workspace to be customized to the size and purpose of specific events.
• Contributions are accepted and fully valued in whatever medium the individual participants are most fluent-written or spoken words, pictorial, graphical, musical, theatrical.
• The environment contains all best the tools and resources immediately at hand so there is no lost moment or contribution.
• The environment is rich with information in its extensive library, internet connections with skilled researchers, illustrative puzzles and games. This richness tends to open participants to the world rather than shut them in a room as in typical meetings.

What if my group can't come to Palo Alto?

knOwhere has designed and built custom environments for several companies in various Midwest and East Coast US cities. We can rent these facilities for use with knOwhere customers when it makes logistical sense.

How does the co-design process work?

A customer sponsor group of 5-10 individuals with senior accountabilities for the issue to be addressed meet for up to a half day to experience knOwhere work processes applied to dialog on:

• The state of the customer's organization
• The issue at hand
• Goal for a knOwhere engagement desired by the customer
• Design of the knOwhere event that will deliver the goal.

The result is a detailed design for an event, complete with schedule and cost, that that the sponsor team can take back and use to enroll the rest of the organization. Between the design session and the actual event, one-on-one dialog continues between the lead facilitator and the sponsor team to refine the design. During the event itself, the facilitation team and the sponsor team regularly assess progress and tweak the event for greater effectiveness.

What take-away products do I get from knOwhere events?

You get the products that you want, the ones that you worked with us to design into the event. They might include scenarios for the future, suites of strategic alternatives, major strategic decisions, detail project action plans, time compression plans. The medium of choice in communicating these products typically is a website with the complete multimedia record of the event and documentation of the product. Professionally edited and produced videos, printed matter from brochures to books, illustrations, and photographs also can be produced if needed.

How can I be sure that the benefits of knOwhere persist long after an event?

One product of knOwhere events is a complete interactive website documenting the event and its work. If maintained and moderated (by the customer or by knOwhere) the website evolves to keep alive the evolving body of knowledge or active projects kicked off at the event.

knOwhere's building block products and services can also be combined to boost ongoing momentum, for example inexpensive tune-up sessions to improve communications may be held quarterly to keep a major project launched at a DesignShop Process® on track through the execution.

knOwhere offers one-on-one dialog to transition managers to help them practice Group Genius at their own workplace and effectively implement projects launched at an event.

knOwhere offers events (e.g. Wiring Organizations for Success(sm)) in which the customer designs its own organization and work environment from the ground up to work the knOwhere way full time. ­ Customized environments may be designed, built, and/or operated at the customer's facilities.

What is a really great, low-cost introduction to Group Genius at work, short of planning and holding a complete custom event?

KnOwhere offers an associates program that engages participants in:

• Helping advance the art of releasing Group Genius
• Applying Group Genius to significant issues of local to global significance and developing a voice of influence in the world as well as effective personal and company actions
• One-on-one dialog on strategies for releasing GroupGenius in the participants' own workplaces.

knOwhere offers half-day or one-day discovery sessions for groups of 5-10 to explore their issues and how knOwhere works. The cost of these sessions is deducted from the cost of any later engagement.

What is the relationship of knOwhere to MGTaylor®?

knOwhere is intended to be the full commercial expression of the intellectual property of the MG Taylor Corporation. knOwhere has a full license to the intellectual property of MGTaylor that allows it to use the tools and processes developed and trademarked by MGTaylor, as well as sub-license them to others. Matt and Gail Taylor are major shareholders and boardmembers of knOwhere; both are available to work with customers.

What is the relationship of knOwhere to Ernst and Young's ASE environments

Ernst and Young holds a license from MG Taylor restricted to 3-day Designshop® Process at its own facilities. knOwhere, on the other hand, holds a complete license to all MG Taylor intellectual property and is actively engaged in commercializing the art of releasing group geneius with MG Taylor. There is no formal relationship between knOwhere and Ernst and Young.

How is knOwhere different from management consulting companies?

knOwhere is founded on the principle of Group Genius, a conviction that the individual experience, wisdom, skills, and commitment for success already exist in most organizations and that the key is to create a high-performance workplace that lets it emerge. We do not supply specific technical, business, or other expertise, provide the total work environment that allows the customer to fully engage all its people. We supply the "operating system" for an organization that optimizes the contributions of individual constituents. Our network does include a wide array of diverse expertise that can be called on if needed for specific issues.

Are knOwhere environments and processes effective everywhere?

knOwhere and its parent, the MG Taylor Corporation, have engaged successfully with a wide variety of organizations from the public, private, and nonprofit sectiors; from heavy industry to e-commerce; from start-ups to century-old companies seeking a new way of working.

How do I find out more about how knOwhere can help me?

You can call us at 650-470-1100, e-mail apollo@knowherestore.com, or just drop by for a visit.