Listen to this articleTim Lewko is the CEO of Thinking Dimensions Global (TDG) and managing director of the global strategy practice. He works with senior leaders of private equity, Fortune 1000 and multi-national businesses to help them resolve strategic growth and profitability challenges. In his 20 years of international experience he has assisted over 100 CEO’s and senior executives across four continents with their strategic and leadership issues.
Below is our recent interview with Tim:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to Thinking Dimensions Global Consulting?
A: Apollo 13, Walt Disney, JFK and the Cuban Missile – what do these monumental names and historical events have in common? ….Dr. Charles Kepner
Dr. Charles Kepner – one of the founders of Thinking Dimensions Global (TDG) – worked with and consulted on each of these situations to help bring a successful outcome – all using our critical thinking tools.
Why were they critical? Because they needed better, clearer, faster outcomes to:
•find root cause
•make better decisions
•assess risk
•quickly set priorities
•expertly engage stakeholders
The same needs exist in the workforce today.
Our Global Reach and Regional Expertise
With proven tools as a starting point, 1997, Kepner decided to start – Thinking Dimensions – with Dr. Matt Fourier and launch KandF™ Problem Solving and Decision Making workshops to fill the need of building better critical thinking skills. The tools make immediate impact because they blend and bring out rational, creative and intuitive thinking patterns. To date over 250,000 people in 9 languages have been trained and use our tools to make their organizations perform better. We help individuals, teams and companies to move from average to EXCEPTIONAL
Recommended: Digital C4 (D/C4) Uses Search Engine Optimization To Help You Improve Your Website’s Organic Traffic
We help individuals, teams and companies to move from average to EXCEPTIONAL
Today we are headquartered in London, UK and have more than 20 Partners and Certified Training Associates with a pool of 300 expert resources. From the United States, to the UK, to Italy, China and India, Singapore, and Australia- we offer full coverage. Our global network helps individuals, teams and entire organizations improve the quality of thinking, decision making, and measurable results.
I would like to add two quick points for your readers.
TOOLS FIT WITH GLOBAL TRENDS:
One, while our mission is to focus on helping key decision makers – we aspire to become more of a household name. Mckinsey, BCG, PWC, and EY have all done a great job of instilling their brands in the forefront of “mind share” with buyers of consulting and training spaces and we must do this hard work as well.
How can we do this? – by ensuring buyers know our tools help them resolve their most pressing issues and fit perfectly to exploit or mitigate the global trends and challenges of:
•data overload,
•virtual work environments
•shorter cycle times for results
• do more with less faster
• customized and self-driven e-learning
In fact, I would say our KandF™ tools are the original mobile analytics and frameworks board members, executives, managers, and front line employees need to meet new environment challenges head on.
NO REPORTS or RECOMMENDATIONS
Second, we work with clients differently than most consulting and training companies. We don’t pretend to be the smartest “heads” in the room – but rather collaborate with your management to unleash meaningful results. We don’t prescribe. Our thinking tools connect your team – that is why we are the MEANS to RESULTS – for individuals, teams, or companies.
Companies come to us for help with Strategy, IT, and Operational issues. We offer innovative ways to quickly improve the performance of your company. Critical thinking is critical to performance, our tools always work, and we bring clarity and simplicity to business.
When I started in this industry over 20 years ago, I was amazed how many companies purchased seven figure advisory services only to leave them on a shelf or in a secure computer file. This is why our firm focuses on helping you and your team find the best solutions. Our expertise is NOT based on prescribing answers ( which end up as unused reports and PowerPoint Presentations).
Clients choose us because our process approach combined with an efficient global network expertly supports your needs. No one in the world has a better critical thinking pedigree than our founder and our carefully vetted Thinking Dimensions network.
Q: Who is your ideal client and why?
A: As the CEO of Thinking Dimensions – shaping a network of over 300 resources on five continents– I have to answer this important question through a few filters
1.CONSULTING: For our consulting services – our buyers are C-Level, their company size is 200M+ and we serve MNCs, Private, and Public companies as well as family offices across all verticals. We don’t have to be industry experts because we don’t prescribe solutions.
2.LEARNING & DEV’T – we work with HR leaders in MNCs to develop capabilities for managers and employees working on resolving live issues and immediate, measurable payback. In person, virtual and e-learning are all methods we use for blended solutions.
3.NEXT GEN: From an internal perspective we are evaluating high quality strategic partnerships, new platforms, and consultancies who can be a good fit for our global network.
Q: Can you tell us something more about your services?
A: Let me provide a little more flavor in terms of formats and outcomes.
For our clients today – across all service lines we are working to shorten the duration of worksessions ( e.g. Strategy session used to be 2 days – now they are 1) and move to a more retainer versus project approach with clients.
These shorter cycle worksessions matched with longer retainer durations have dramatically helped us serve clients better because we can work on adoption, coach to a higher standard on tool use and ensure measurable results are confirmed relative to revenue, cost or profit metrics. We help clients with outcomes, not charge for activities.
In short – we help clients these ways through our practices
A. Strategy – provides a proven system to build and execute strategy, one that we embed in their organization – to date we have helped clients deliver over $1Billion USD in incremental profit gains. We do this working with the CEO and leadership team
B.IT – we work with CIO’s and IT service managers to embed a repeatable problem solving methodology to reduce down time, Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) and overall prioritization of incidents. We also integrate our tools into ITIL and DevOPs programs.
C. Operations – this practice works to ensure plant, equipment, processes and products perform as intended. This could be through problem, decision and risk training or embedding our tools into existing Six Sigma, Lean or Agile programs. Again focusing on measurable cost, time and productivity results.
Q: Can you give us more insights into your KandF™ programs?
A: Sure – it’s a question I get asked a lot and as mentioned above it’s the DNA of our business.
Let me share this first – try asking someone HOW they solve problems or make decisions?
– you will usually get a blank stare or a “ what type of problem or decision” response. Meaning they don’t know themselves the method or sequence or questions or steps they use to resolve issues.
Ask this question to a large group of executives or managers and the response is the same and but the danger is amplified. If companies don’t have a common, visible, repeatable transportable set of tool to solve problems, make decisions, prioritize concerns, and protect actions – aren’t you setting yourself up for slower resolution of issue, more shoot from the hip responses and less collaboration?
KandF™ tools are our suite of critical thinking tools – really a sequence of simple questions that help people gather, organize and use relevant ( vs. irrelevant data) faster. Our tools are not software, they are not long manuals – simply, the right sets of questions that can be used by individuals and teams to resolve business issues faster and with more confidence.
Our KandF™ ThinkingWorks Suite(shown below) – are the made up of proven, battle-tested questions, to find the right data and involve the right people. If you use them in this context they always work and you will always get better out comes. They all are 1 page manuals!
•CauseWise: for finding WHY in root cause
•PriorityWise: for evaluating WHAT FIRST to work
•ThinkingWise: for understanding WHAT’s GOING ON in a complex situation
•SolutionWise: for choosing or finding solutions in a WHAT NOW situation
•RiskWise: for protecting plans and actions when you need to ask WHAT IF
This suite represents the powerhouse of thinking patterns of the most successful organizations – if you or your company use something like this – great – but if they don’t have a common method you should contact us to get more information on how we can help your company get better, faster and more repeatable results.
Recommended: Parking Access Helps You Find The Perfect Parking Space At Airports And Cities Worldwide
I think our time is up. I trust this interview provided your reader with some additional insights and food for thought on how they and their organization can be more aware of and improve their critical thinking and importantly, business results. I would end that if you are immediately interested in more on our strategy practice – take a look at my new book – Making Big Decisions Better: how to set and simplify business strategy.
Activate Social Media:
