Steve L. Robbins, Ph.D.'s Page

With help from my friends at NASA (Langley) I am using a new term to describe how we tend to go to our friends to confirm ideas that we like and disconfirm ideas with which we don't agree.. It's called the "Homie Principle." (And for you who have never been called a homie, a homie's a good thing)

Think about this a moment. We tend to hang out with people who are like us. Who think like us, act like us, look like us and who generally share the same values and beliefs. A subset of these folks are… Continue

1) Mine for new problem-solving approaches. If problem solving at your organization is routinely dominated by one approach or faction, try this. Ask every group member to write down a solution to the same hypothetical problem on a sheet of paper. Collect the answers, read them aloud, and discuss ideas that stray from the usual approach. Note the value of offbeat solutions.

2) Invite an outsider. Routinely seek out a colleague who isn’t part of your usual “team”—and perhaps seems w… Continue

I had the wonderful opportunity over the last month to conduct two train-the-trainer sessions in Michigan (May 13-15) and New York (June 2-4) with a total of 60 participants. Those two sessions were a great time of learning and reframing for all involved, and confirmed for me the importance of creating a message of diversity and inclusion that resonates with everyone. One of the main things that participants in the sessions looked at early on was the need to help those who they will be training… Continue