Mooses, Puzzlers & Peeves

If you’re looking for a great idea on how to get top management (and staff) to address tough issues, check out the Gap’s “Moose Sessions” described in a recent Melcrum blog post.

It reminded me of a facilitation exercise called “Puzzlers & Peeves” that, with management’s support, you can do with small groups of employees or in staff meetings. Here’s how it works:

  1. Ask the group to quickly identify what they think are the 4-5 biggest challenges facing the company (the “puzzlers”).
  2. Repeat the process with what they think are the 4-5 most irksome or irritating aspects of the company’s operations (the “peeves”).
  3. Combine the two lists and select the top 3-4 items that need to be addressed. (In my experience, at this point it’s best to acknowledge everyone’s limited time & resources and that it’s unrealistic to attempt the entire list. So the group will need to get consensus on which items they most want to tackle.)
  4. Follow up with an action plan for each and go at ‘em.

It’s a great way to focus staff on dealing with the issues and can be effective in turning gripe sessions into positive action.

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