Challenge Dialogue System
Bringing diverse groups together by mastering the art of purposeful dialogue
Collaboration Tools for a Changing World
The roots of CDS™ go back to 1990 when Don took on the role as Vice President at the Banff Centre. He was tasked with creating a new kind of breakthrough approach to leadership that would help people learn how to be successful in the new, highly competitive, fast-changing, global, knowledge-based economy which was evolving.
In this role, he observed that many CEOs felt they were facing increasingly complex and often ambiguous challenges that took them beyond their own training or work experiences. To address these challenges, the CEOs invited diverse groups from both inside and outside their organization to discuss solutions and create action plans.
However, when the teams did come together, they were frustrated by the time wasted in numerous unproductive team planning meetings.
Don realized that most CEOs and their team members had little or no access to operating principles, processes and collaboration tools that would support these teams to function in a high-performing manner using critical skill of dialogue, collaboration and co-creation.
The efforts of Don and his team to design and develop these support resources led to the creation of CDS™.
Creating the Challenge Dialogue System
LogBook 12 provides an overview of how CDS™ was created and codified as a program to support collaborative innovation.
What is the Challenge Dialogue System (CDS™)?
CDS™ is a flexible but comprehensive organizational performance improvement system. It’s a proven 8-step methodology for more effective communication that can be used to improve the performance of a 3 hours strategic planning session, a 3 week team project, a 3 month collaborative dialogue to co-create an action plan for major organizational transformation or as a guiding framework for mentoring a multi-year organizational improvement effort.
It is built on a simple but profound principle: structured collaboration is the best way to overturn traditional ways of thinking and achieve breakthrough results.
CDS™ is a collaboration tool and framework supported by 3 powerful components:
Online Learning Program
Become a CDS™ practitioner through self-directed modules that cover how to use the 8-step framework to co-create innovative solutions.
Tools & Resources
Templates and collaboration tools to help initiate a Challenge Dialogue, mentorship and support from CDS™ Practice Masters and more.
Pathfinder Network
A collaborative and diverse community of practitioners who are trained, accredited and using CDS™ in their own work or for clients.
A Brief History of the CDS™ Methodology
1991 – 2000
CDS™ was developed and applied by Dr. Don Simpson, founder and Chief Explorer of the Innovation Expedition. It reflects his 50 years working with and learning from colleagues in all sectors around the world on complex, multi-stakeholder challenges and opportunities.
2000 – 2004
Don Simpson, Jan Simpson, Steve Murgatroyd and Keith Jones codified all the insights and resources into a disciplined process to begin teaching others to use it.
2004 – 2014
CDS™ is applied and refined with clients, practitioners, and learners in a wide variety of challenge areas, sectors, and locations throughout North America and the world.
2014
Keith Jones and Tom Ogaranko founded the Pathfinder Network as a way to bring together the collaboration tools of the CDS™ methodology, applications, Learning Program, and a growing group of CDS™ practitioners. Find out more at www.challengedialoguesystem.net.
Learn More About CDS™
Interested in learning more about CDS™, the different ways it can be applied or in being trained as a CDS™ practitioner?