Gisèle Huff is one of the nation’s most spirited advocates for the transformation of elementary and secondary education (K–12) through school choice and increased use of computer technology. She is the first to say that she has little tolerance for talk where action is called for. When she was invited to participate in Convergence Center for Policy Resolution’s collaborative problem-solving project—later dubbed Education Reimagined—she told us she “had no illusions about the work product being anything worthwhile.” Even so, she decided that she needed to be at the meetings.
Above all, she wanted to advocate for making technology an integral part of the curriculum in schools. She didn’t want to leave the discussion to organizations such as teachers’ unions, which she saw as adversaries to the change she favored.
But by the end of the process, she was a believer in the power of dialogue to create effective change—and she joined with former adversaries in supporting a bold new vision for what is possible in K–12 education. Perhaps the most surprising transformation that occurred in the room was the new level of connection and collaboration between Huff and Becky Pringle, then the vice president and now the president of the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union, and largest union overall, in the U.S.
Today, Education Reimagined is an independent organization that involves hundreds of educators, policy advocates, students, and other leaders who are working together to spread learner-centered education, which is now present in over 120 learning environments across the country.
In our new book, From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems, we provide a glimpse of how the attitudes of Huff and others shifted toward collaboration and contributed to positive results. The book’s primary goal is to provide readers with mindsets, tools, and processes to achieve higher ground and find consensus solutions for the tough problems they face.
Having had the privilege of supporting many problem-solving processes like the one Huff was a part of, for over two decades each, we have seen firsthand that skillfully applying a collaborative approach can reliably produce wise and widely supportable solutions to intractable problems while also building social capital for ongoing collaboration across differences into the future. Our book is based on four basic assertions:
- We are not as divided as we seem and the premise many people have that for them to win, others must lose, is not accurate for most conflicts.
- It is possible to solve tough problems without compromising values and principles by excavating and integrating the most important needs and concerns of divergent and even conflicting parties.
- The crux of effective problem solving is to put human relationships at the center, fostering communication and understanding to build trust among those whose disagreements stand in the way of progress.
- There are proven means available to organize processes that successfully and reliably achieve “higher ground” solutions of mutual benefit that meet a wide range of interests in a wide array of settings.
The core of our book is composed of three major parts that explain what is needed to successfully conduct “collaborative problem solving.” These parts are called Mindsets, Building Blocks, and Process.
Getting into the right frame of mind
The concept of Mindsets refers to how we think about conflict and about each other, especially people who see the world differently from us. The key mindsets that not only inspire collaboration but also help in doing so effectively are:
Conflict can be constructive. Most people, most of the time, think of “conflict” as being negative—something to be avoided. But we argue that conflict is necessary and healthy for human beings and the creative tension of differing points of view can push people’s thinking to a new, more productive level.
Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt. A key to collaboration is staying open-minded about the views, motivations, and intentions of other people, especially those you disagree with. A good reason to extend the benefit of the doubt is that most people, but not all, are well-intentioned and share fundamental values and goals, but tensions arise over differences of opinion on how to actualize them.
Curiosity is the cure. When you’re skeptical or unsure about other people’s ideas, motivations, or intentions, you can choose to be curious rather than cautious or confrontational. By parking fears and asking questions, you’ll often discover important information you hadn’t been aware of as well as unanticipated commonalities with those who see the world differently from you.
Relationships at the core. While substantive conflicts will always exist, those with whom we disagree need not be enemies; they can—and, many times, should—be our partners in solving problems. Building relationships of mutual respect leads to more openness and creativity in working on any issue. Paying attention to the quality of relationships you form, and not just trying to win arguments on substance, often leads to unexpected doorways for collaboration.
Seek higher ground. This is a crucial mindset for success—a belief that mutual gains are possible, and a wise solution is more important than winning. Holding this mindset makes it more likely people will engage in dialogue with others who see the world differently and more likely that those at the table will stay committed to forging solutions that meet a wide range of needs.
Taking time to build the foundation
The case of Gisèle Huff illustrates that not everyone needs to be in a collaborative mindset before engaging in constructive dialogue. When she joined the Education Reimagined project, she openly admitted she was not in a collaborative frame of mind. So, something remarkable happened, and the steps we lay out below on Building Blocks and Process help explain how Huff and her colleagues moved from clashing to collaboration on an issue close to her heart.
We use the term Building Blocks to refer to the most important actions leaders can take in any circumstance to build trust and forge higher-ground solutions. As with the process section below, how one employs the building blocks will vary on the nature of the problem being addressed, but in virtually all situations, whether the problem being addressed is internal to an organization or is a more open-ended issue of local, state, or national policy, it is wise to attend to all these concepts, briefly summarized below:
This essay is adapted from From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems (Wiley, 2024, 256 pages)
Map the terrain. Before engaging on any issues, it’s critical to develop a full understanding of the range of perspectives on the issue you are trying to solve. Interviews of key stakeholders regularly uncover a treasure trove of buried insights that enable leaders to set up successful approaches to problem solving. They also help identify stakeholders needed to ensure that the full range of perspectives is represented and ensure there is the capacity to implement solutions that are identified.
Nurture trust. Trust is the essential lubricant for successful problem solving. Discovering obscured shared values and identities, as well as understanding why people think the way they do, are keys to achieving trust.
Really hear everyone. We often think we are listening to learn when what we are actually doing is listening to plan our rebuttal. We are locked in debate when what is needed is dialogue to build understanding. Really hearing directly from people about their views, values, and life experiences is likely to produce understanding and empathy and it is far more effective than other efforts to understand each other, like doing research through reading, where there is no interaction or deep communication involved.
Generate options for mutual gain. Splitting the difference often leaves parties’ needs unrequited. By focusing not on each other’s positions (rigid demands) but rather on their interests (the concerns, needs, and values, or “why” behind their demands) and avoiding a forced compromise on issues of deep principle, participants are more likely to find effective solutions, work together to implement them, and end up working together over time.
Take your time. While everyone faces time pressures, it takes time to build trusting relationships and to fully understand the complexity of differing points of view. Taking time to do this will save time and money down the road as participants find durable answers to the problems they are resolving.
In the Education Reimagined process, we tried, above all, to keep a constant focus on what was underneath the positions of various players—what needs and interests they wanted to serve. That led the group to see what values and visions they shared for what young people needed to thrive as learners. Perhaps the most unifying exercise they conducted was to look years forward to identify what effective K–12 education would look like. The visions of the various parties converged to a degree that was surprising. And the group took the time it needed—about 18 months—to build the trust and generate the mutual gain options needed to form shared recommendations.
The keys to thinking together
The final key to effective collaborative problem solving is to understand the Process steps that lead to internalizing collaborative Mindsets and effective implementation of the Building Blocks. Here, there are three major buckets to attend to:
Discovery and design. While the complexity of doing this process step may vary widely on circumstances and setting, this key activity often employs interviews and other research to identify how to frame the issues at hand so that they are inviting for those representing differing points of view; help collaborative problem solvers identify who can fill the key roles of convener, facilitator, and participants; and provide a basis for key design elements such as the location, duration, and flow of meetings. Especially by talking in advance with genuine interest to people who will eventually sit at a dialogue table, trust can be formed that their viewpoints will be fairly heard and that their presence will be valued.
Dialogue and destinations. The largest amount of time in a collaborative problem-solving process is spent in this stage, where participants engage in dialogue to develop shared high-level goals, guiding principles, and a shared vision of a better future, and brainstorm solutions for mutual gain. In this stage, depending on the complexity and passions around the issues at hand, it can be very useful to engage a skilled facilitator who can keep conversations on track, help enforce rules of engagement (like ensuring all voices are heard and avoiding the questioning of others’ motives), and help participants overcome unproductive or even toxic statements that may be made in the heat of the dialogue.
Consensus and impact. In the final stage of collaborative problem solving, participants refine the options they have brainstormed to ensure they meet their guiding principles and maximize mutual gain. Once higher-ground solutions are agreed to, participants often summarize their solutions in a report and then engage in strategies to implement their ideas, such as presenting the report to the leader of a convening organization, engaging in education or advocacy efforts, or seeking changes to national, state, or local laws. Most groups benefit from developing a plan that clarifies who is willing to take on what responsibilities for implementing their strategies, including any ongoing need for collaboration among the participants.
Can we converge?
The Education Reimagined project included practices, such as “connecting questions,” that helped participants move beyond misperceptions of each other, as well as exercises to excavate the underlying values and visions that participants shared, which built a sense of shared mission. The project also needed skilled facilitators who could synthesize what was heard, disarm contentious moments, and design and implement an overall process that met the goals and timelines established by the group.
These are the highlights of the most important ingredients for successful collaborative problem solving. Of course, our book provides a far fuller explanation of how to successfully conduct collaborative problem solving in a wide array of settings. It includes multiple stories that time and time again illustrate that people who think they are unalterably opposed, some thinking they could not even talk with each other, not only achieved consensus solutions but also became trusted colleagues and even friends in the process.
We wrote our book because we have seen that the approach we recommend can create meaningful breakthroughs on tough issues. It also can provide a great deal of something else that is sorely needed: hope that we’ll be able to foster kinder, less contentious, and more functional communities, sectors, and societies now and in the future. Whether you’re a local community or campus leader, a faith leader, a PTA president, a business or nonprofit leader, an elected or appointed public official, or just an interested citizen, the concepts in this book are intended to help you become a more effective problem solver.
At a minimum, we hope that the ideas we present will help a wide range of people solve important problems more regularly and effectively. We hope you’ll see that together we can create a culture of collaboration that serves as an antidote to the all-too-common belief that we can’t come up with solutions that will work for everyone. We need not respond to conflict with the reflexive instinct that we might as well fight or withdraw and retreat into our respective camps. We can work together.
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