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THE SAGE PROCESS

THE SAGE PROCESS

Here is a modified version of the SAGE process that you can do alone and then in conversation with your adversary.

Step 1. Step Back

What is and isn’t working in terms of the business, the process, the people?

Why?

What actions have I and others taken that might have unintentionally caused problems?

What are the goals of the other stakeholders in the conflict?

How would the others answer the previous questions?

Step 2. Assess

What do our hypotheses look like when they are mapped out?

Where do our assumptions about the conflict overlap? Where are they different?

Where do we need to collect more data?

What hypotheses can we develop about the causes of the conflict?

Whose perspective is missing?

Which archetypes might help us to understand the situation?

Step 3. Get Personal

How am I contributing to or perpetuating this problem?

What decisions do I make regarding this problem?
What dilemmas do I face as I make these decisions, and how do I resolve them? Are there alternative ways of resolving them?

What assumptions/beliefs do I hold that I have not said out loud?

Step 4. Experiment

What are we trying to create?

What are the possible solutions?

What are the possible unintended consequences of those solutions?

What experiment can I commit to in order to develop a new skill?

What organizational learning experiments can we all commit to?