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rather than the antiquated win-lose strategies they now employ. Cross-pollination of ideas through the "cafe process" builds on small ideas, links them, uncovers affinities and connections, and creates more possibilities to explore and address. It would be nice to get legislators to use such a process to address the significant issues we face (health care reform, tort reform, etc). I have been a student of "dialogue" for at least 15 years. Einstein wrote, "The significant problems we face cannot be resolved at the same level of thinking that created them." It's time to employ a more enlighted approach.The World Cafe approach is a LEAP in that direction. Very interesting concept. I was first introduced to the concept through the work of Chris Argyris on "inquiry and advocacy." And I even took a course in "The Path of Dialogue" some years ago. "The World Cafe" by Brown & Isaacs is a practical approach to introduce and use the dialogue concepts in business settings to deal with real issues that keep recurring and for which there doesn't seem to be obvious solutions.
They really capture the heart of wht they're writing about. I love the illustrations. And am IN a cafe conversation process with my organization so it's very timely. I am enjoying this book. It is most informative.
I've used it a few times in meetings and it has always been successful. It is bulked up by vagueness, repetitiveness and numerous personal anecdotes that are only occasionally useful. With much more direct and succinct writing, the authors could have given us a clearer picture of how to make the world cafe process unfold.Still, it needs be said that the world cafe idea is a good one. This is an incredibly hard book for me to review. If you're looking for what the world cafe is about, this is the place. On the other hand, despite its deceptively friendly appearance, I find this an incredibly difficult book to read.My main complaint is simple and, again, commonplace among books of this type: it is entirely too long for what it is trying to achieve. As with some other business books I've read in the past, I think the ideas are good and useful. This is a two hundred-plus page book that could have easily accomplished its purpose in thirty pages.
Paul David Walker Unleashing Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and Corporations As CEO Coach, Poet and author of a leadship book that helps leaders unleash the genius of themselves, their teams and their businesses, I recomend this book. I have been through the process described in this book and find it an excellent way to discover the wisdom of a team or a company.
Especially useful for classroom and retreat situations. This book provides useful insight on leading discussions of diverse groups. I found the ideas to be a fresh way of looking at the discussion process.
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