Chief Learning Officer - May 2006 - (Page 22)

CO0506.qxd 4/18/06 11:14 AM Page 22 guest editorial Forensics Simulations Irving H. Buchen, Ph.D Forensics taps Throughout, forensics taps into an older but Simulation increasingly has surfaced as an effec- now redefined tradition of the detective story. tive training tool, especially for team building into an older but To be sure, the methodology of a brilliant and and problem-solving. It is a powerful fusion of n o w redefined solitary Sherlock Holmes is now team-based, knowledge and relationships to the point where more lab-driven than intuitive, more patterning tradition of the the two become one. Favorite simulations are than eureka moments. But the key remains the perilous or disastrous situations structured to d e t e c t i v e story. classic drama of dead ends. The operating thesis dramatize the extent to which working together To be sure, t h e fails. The favored suspect has an alibi. The oper- requires and ensures survival. Although such ating assumptions have been misleading. The m e t h o d o l o g y of a white-knuckle projections are unlikely to occur call is for a return to square one. Questions and in real life, the current fascination of popular b r i l l i a n t and solitary assumptions not previously asked now surface. media with survivorship has provided realistic S h e r l o c k Holmes is New perceptions emerge. Suddenly a new direc- reinforcement. But another pervasive media tion appears. To be sure, it incorporates previous pattern has surfaced, which might be equally n o w team-based, knowledge painstakingly acquired to anchor absorbing and participatory but sustain a more m o r e lab-driven and guide the new thesis, but now all is per- difficult and desirable outcome. ceived in a new light. Prior failure imparts to the t h a n intuitive, m o r e All effective simulations typically dramatize new and final solution the quality now of a team p a t t e r n i n g than and align two basic operational processes: breakthrough. Indeed, much of its success might e u r e k a moments. problem-solving and interpersonal interac- be overcoming the lock-step of initial group tions. The first involves probing analysis, the thinking. Finding the villain requires finding a second forming and sustaining relationships. new paradigm. To be successful, forensic teams not only have to be innovative, but also have to The common denominator is teaming. reinvent themselves constantly, each serving as Ultimately they are fused as collective prob- the means to the other. lem-solving. Simulations generally do not focus on the individual but on tapping and The distinction of the current forensic model is optimizing the quality of group solutions and its inquiry mode. To be effective, the essential decisions. But as impressive as such gains are, detective focus has to be enriched and extended they might not encourage divergent or out-of- by multiple specializations. But such variety of the-box thinking. Indeed, one of the unfortu- applications requires failure to compel a new nate and negative conclusions of disaster simu- creative redirection. Center and circumference, lations is that groups tempted by that creative inquiry and context, meet for breakthrough as option usually wind up dead. The net result not the integration of mutuality occurs. Indeed, syn- surprisingly is that most simulations mirror thesis itself is often innovative. company preference for steady incremental If creativity is valued as a driving training goal, gains rather than eureka moments of creativity. then the forensics model has much to offer. It Instead, team-based forensics should be consid- not only accommodates heterogeneous teams, May 2006 ered. Its information base is scientific, its but also facilitates their integration. The chal- Irving H. Buchen, Ph.D., is favorite psychology is profiling, its team range lenge of team management is finding the com- director of international is multidisciplinary, its driving mode integra- I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer programs for IMPAC mon ground of an inquiry system that facilitates tive. Unlike task forces, its scope is never final University and senior research specialists working together as generalists. Such associate of Canis Learning or fixed but is shaped and reshaped by every integration together with problem reformula- Systems. Buchen will write new challenge it faces. Then, too, even its tion is the threshold for innovative team solu- an expanded version of this research-driven knowledge never limited but tions. But for the detective model of team cre- Forensic Simulations piece in constantly amplified. Its leader is not so much ativity to take hold, the focus has to be mini- his forthcoming book, Doing a super sleuth as a gadfly compelling documen- mally on the integration and optimally on the Whatever It Takes: The 21st tation and reformulation. The former provides fusion of incremental and divergent thinking. Century American Work convincing court evidence, the latter reframes Forensic simulations might provide the rites of Ethic. Buchen can be reached the problem for solution. passage of such synthesis. at ibuchen@clomedia.com. 22  http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - May 2006

Editor's Note
Table of Contents
Letters to the Editor
Take Five
Selling Up, Selling Down
Imperatives
Strategies
Guest Editorial
Learning Solutions
Robbins-Gioia University
Environment
Deloitte & Touche USA
CLO Profile
Productivity
Washington Gas
Case Study
Human Capital
Health Care Service Corp.
Tactics
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Business Intelligence
In Conclusion
Advertiser's Index
Editorial Resources

Chief Learning Officer - May 2006

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