2 Posts found for Author: Gary Klein

“The premortem technique is a sneaky way to get people to do contrarian, devil’s advocate thinking,” explains psychologist Gary Klein. “Before a project starts, say, ‘We’re looking in a crystal ball, and this project has failed; it’s a fiasco. Now, everybody, take two minutes and write down all the reasons why you think the project has failed.”

Author: Gary Klein | Source: “Taking the Bias Out of Meetings” | Original Publication: The McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

The premortem technique is a sneaky way to get people to do contrarian, devil’s advocate thinking without encountering resistance. If a project goes poorly, there will be a lessons-learned session that looks at what went wrong and why the project failed—like a medical postmortem. Why don’t we do that up front? Before a project starts, we should say, “We’re looking in a crystal ball, and … [ Read more ]

Author: Gary Klein | Source: “Strategic decisions: When can you trust your gut?” | Original Publication: The McKinsey Quarterly | Subject: Management