Time to Think™
“The quality of everything people do depends on the quality of the thinking they do first.”
Nancy Kline
What is a thinking environment™ and why does it matter?
After years of research and observation Nancy Kline, the founder of the Thinking Environment methodology, recognised that people generate their best thinking when the people around them behave in ten particular ways, ‘The Ten Components™ of a Thinking Environment’. They are Attention, Equality, Ease, Feelings, Appreciation, Diversity, Incisive, Questions, Encouragement, Information and Place.
Every single component makes a difference, but together they have a huge transformative impact. A thinking environment awakens us, as listeners, to our responsibility in listening. That responsibility is to liberate the power and intelligence of others, rather than to close them down.
It matters because every organisation’s success depends on its ability to generate good decisions which ultimately lead to effective actions. Therefore, people need to be able to produce their thinking to deliver great decisions and outcomes. The Thinking Environment not only does that, it also creates a positive, affirming environment where each individual feels seen, heard and recognized.
Time to Think™ Leadership
Leaders often complain that their team members don’t always think for themselves and often come to them for advice, guidance or solutions. A culture created by leaders which incorporates The Thinking Environment ignites the mind, allows people to do their best thinking and come up with their own solutions.
Mastering the expertise to keep people thinking brilliantly for themselves is fulfilling a primary responsibility as a leader.
Expected Outcomes for skilled Time to Think™ Leaders
- Engagement from everyone
- Greater commitment to and better quality decisions
- Higher levels of trust among team members
- Ease in moving into and through conflict
- Increased productivity within the system
- Better quality meetings
- More initiative shown
- Improved responsibility and buy in
Time to Think™ Transforming Meetings
People in organisations spend more than two-thirds of their time in meetings. And most of them arent productive!
By assisting teams to use the Thinking Environment meeting structure they are able to engage each other fully, to generate their freshest and best thinking, encourage respectful, robust discussions that lead to quality decisions and psychologically safe environments.
In the Transforming Meetings programme teams learn how to use the acclaimed meeting structure of a Thinking Environment to generate each person’s finest thinking. This structure ensures robust, un-interruptive creative conversation. Meeting this way, teams experience a co-creative environment that is enjoyable and effective.
The Transforming Meetings Application is a step by step process for leading meetings which includes practice in a real time business meeting.
Expected Outcomes
- Productive, inspiring, enjoyable meetings
- Ease in completing agendas and reduced time in meetings
- Courage to think at the cutting edge
- Engagement by everyone
- Greater commitment to decisions
- Trust among team members
Research & results
The Havers’ Masters study found a 95% consistency in the outcomes of meetings held in a Thinking Environment, which delivers practical outputs like these listed below:
- A pharmaceutical research team rescued a £90,000,000 product in less than an hour.
- A top government agency saved 62% of Senior Management time over six months.
