1. the 7 habits of highly effective decision makers
habit 3: use visualisation
“improving lives
Genesis Management Consulting Ltd. through better decisions”

2. this slideshow might
change your life
so, in the words of David Bader:
“be here now.
be someplace else later.
is that so complicated?”

3. the underlying purpose of the series is …
… about helping you to improve people’s lives
by helping you to make better decisions!

4. the introductory slide show gave us an overview…
found at The 7 habits Overview

5. reminding us that strategic decisions
have a far-reaching impact
The decision ring
of influence

6. and summarized the 7 habits of highly
effective decision makers
1. get the basics right
2. actively manage knowledge
3. use visualisation
4. prioritize ethical implications
5. embrace complexity
6. “think like a shrink”
7. use tools and technologies

7. in the first habit we looked at:
where organizations can - and do - get the
basics wrong
how getting the basics right involves
answering six key questions
what actions can be taken to get it right
found at : The First Habit

8. in the second habit we looked at:
the common knowledge management
traps
how to improve decisions through
effective knowledge management.
some of the behavioral challenges and
some of the tools available
found at : The Second Habit

9. now, in the third habit we look at:
the enemy: complexity
communication and creativity
the hero: visualisation

10. enter the enemy … complexity

11. complexity
…. probably the greatest challenge in strategic decisions.

12. complexity
it appears in many guises …
conflicting demands
interrelated systems
uncertainty
information
overload large datasets

13. complexity
and it is not going away …
currently experiencing
high/very high levels 60%
of complexity
expect high/very high
levels of complexity 79%
over next 5 years
feel prepared to
deal with expected 49%
complexity
Source: IBM CEO research 2010

14. our ability
to make a rational decision
is inversely proportional
to the complexity
of the information
upon which
the decision is based.

15. communication
the essential element of group decisions
Debate
explain discuss
share
persuade
guide deduce
plan
ideas
concepts
feelings perceptions
guide
question dialogue organise
challenge
rationalise
behavioral economics + language + culture + silver-tongued devils

16. communication
is further challenged by complexity …
saying what we
mean to say
hearing what we
want to hear

17. creativity
… critical in developing competitive advantage

18. creativity
plays a key role in the decision process
envisioning
the future
developing
business models disrupting
the status quo
challenging
perceptions
designing options

19. our hero … visualisation

20. visualisation
combating complexity
clarifying communication
catalyzing creativity

21. visualisation
supporting words, data and thinking
almost any concept can be better shared
and communicated by visualisation

22. visualisation
supporting words, data and thinking
charts
almost any concept can be better shared
and communicated by visualisation

23. visualisation versus complexity …

24. visualisation
combating complexity
=

25. visualisation
combating complexity
seeing the wood, the trees
(AND the elephants!)

26. visualisation
combating complexity
systems dynamics :
identifying relationships, key issues, patterns
Example from CONSIDEO GmbH

27. visualisation
combating complexity
in
1 cm2
or
50 characters in a table 10,000 data points in a chart

28. visualisation
combating complexity
patterns
trends
outliers
human visual processing skills are well-developed

29. we are taught (and often rewarded)
to think and argue in a linear manner
unfortunately
we live in a non-linear world

30. visualisation
clarifying communication
mental models translation
focus
direction

31. visualisation
clarifying communication
Example from EIDOS
by Parmenides Foundation

32. visualisation
catalyzing creativity

33. visualisation
catalyzing creativity
great strategic decisions
demand creativity

34. using “the force”
applying
the tools and rules
harnessing
the technology
tapping
the hidden powers
daring
to be different

35. using the tools and the rules
data clarity
workshops with
visualise a difference
your story

36. harnessing the available technologies
lower tech

37. harnessing the available technologies
visual
reasoning
software
online
workshops
Systems
higher tech modeling
Knowledge
management
visualising
data

38. tapping the hidden powers
visualisation facilitates
information sourcing

39. daring to be different
Here’s to the crazy ones,
the misfits,
the rebels,
the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes …
the one’s who see things differently
they’re not fond of rules …
you can quote them,
disagree with them,
glorify or vilify them,
but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them
because they change things…
they push the human race forward,
and while some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius,
because the one’s who are crazy enough to think
that they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

40. using this slide show
… looking around your organization …
Yes No your question:
the level of complexity in the business is increasing can our
complexity is understood and well-managed organization
internal and external communications are clear and compelling improve the
i never want to fall asleep in presentations
effectiveness of
the creativity within the organization is fully utilized
ad hoc sketches are frequently used to communicate our thinking
my team can draw our business model and decision
the charts used in communications are unambiguous and clear making by
we manage via dashboards
improving our
all available visualisation tools and technologies are used
we use systems thinking in the business use of
the status quo is frequently challenged visualisation?
If any of these questions raise a doubt, perhaps one or some of your
team may like to improve their visualisation techniques?

41. training programme:
using visualisation in your organization
probably the most fun (and the best training) since the crisis began!
day 1: training: introduction to visualisation
visualisation in communication
harnessing the creative power of others
day 2: training: visualisation in creativity and innovation
visualisation in data analysis
the best visualisation tools, technologies and games.
day 3: workshop: using visualisation techniques to build a business model
(optional)
planned timing
Madrid: November 2011
Barcelona: November 2011 more information
London: December 2011 at end of this
Cape Town: January 2012 slide-show.
Johannesburg: January 2012

42. for more information about the 7 habits series and
other decision making support…..
The 7 habits of highly effective decision makers
- the overview
Habit 1: get the basics right
Habit 2: manage knowledge
Genesis web-site
download all the slideshows at our web-site

43. “The world is non-linear, so the ability to cut through
complexity relies on processing a large amount of
information quickly and extracting nuggets to make
quick decisions.
Building advantage will be an outcome of dealing with
complexity better than our competitors.”
Julian Segal, CEO, Caltex Australia Limited

44. Genesis Management
Consulting Limited
Genesis is a strategy consulting firm with a mission of
“improving lives through better decisions”
We do this by building individual and organizational competency through:
• Decision coaching
• Decision consulting
• Decision training
• Decision support
This presentation is one of a series of articles that discusses strategic decision
making in more detail.
For queries on in-house presentations or further information, please contact
Simon Gifford at sgifford@genesis-esp.com
or visit our blog at www.genesismc.co.uk/blog
Editing & graphics: M. Conidaris

45. Thanks to:
Franz Steiner for his amazingly cool robot pictures
George Lucas for the Star Wars theme pictures
Steve Jobs (RIP) for much of my inspiration
Xènia Viladás for design input
Mandy Conidaris for graphics and editing
Note: we have had positive experience with all the books and software referenced. There
are certainly other (and perhaps even better) products in these categories. Those referenced
are simply some tried and tested examples of this wider range of products.
We receive no income for referencing them in this document.

46. training programme:
using visualisation in your organization
probably the most fun (and the best training) since the crisis began!
day 1: training: introduction to visualisation
visualisation in communication
harnessing the creative power of others
day 2: training: visualisation in creativity and innovation
visualisation in data analysis
the best visualisation tools, technologies and games.
day 3: workshop: using visualisation techniques to build a business model
(optional)
special offer
if you are interested in attending, click on the link below.
this in no way obliges you to attend but is intended to give us an indication of
possible numbers.
as a reward, you will receive a 15% discount if you later decide to attend.
in addition, as places are limited to a maximum of 25 people per session, you
will receive a priority place in the queue.
I may be interested in participating

47. training programme:
using visualisation in your organization
further information
purpose: pricing (per person, all 3 days):
to equip delegates with skills, tools and Spain: € 1,500 per person
techniques in the use of visualisation in UK: £ 1,400 per person
their business (and personal) life. SA: R 18,000 per person
(Price includes lunch, refreshments and all
materials).
designed for: planned timing
anyone who would like to improve their Madrid: November 2011
personal performance through visual Barcelona: November 2011
thinking. London: December 2011
particularly executives and management New York: January 2012
in mid to large size organisations. Cape Town: January 2012
Johannesburg: January 2012
benefits: liberate your ability to use visualisation and improve your business skills
across a range of areas including communication, problem-solving, strategy
development and communication.

48. copy of this presentation
available for free download from our
blog at
GenesisMC blog