A few weeks ago I got a call from Joe Mathews, our storyteller for the Delta Dialogues, who is a career journalist. Pope Benedict XVI had resigned–the first pope in six hundred years to do so–and speculation was swirling about who would be elected next. Joe asked me a fascinating question: How would an organizational development consultant provide the cardinals with a better decision-making process in choosing the next pope? It was a critical moment for the church. The new […]
Author: Kristin Cobble
Delta Dialogues: Read the Official Story, Get the Backstory
Phase I of our 2012 multistakeholder project, the Delta Dialogues is officially done, with the publication of the story of the process and a lunchtime panel in Sacramento attended by 150 people, including journalists and bloggers. Joe Mathews, professional journalist and storyteller, wrote 12,000 page-turning words, giving Michael Lewis a run for his money. The published story, designed by Amy Wu, includes candids of the participants and photos taken by Groupaya staff of the complex Delta landscape, the silent central figure […]
Come learn about the Delta Dialogues!
For decades, multiple interests have battled out the fate of the Northern California Delta in courtrooms, public meetings, and even private homes. Since April 2012, Groupaya has been working with a wide-ranging group of twenty stakeholders in the California Delta in a process called the Delta Dialogues. From farmers and fisherman, to environmentalists and levee engineers, to state and federal agencies, to locally elected officials, they have been been in conversation to develop a shared understanding of the Delta’s problems, and potentially […]
Groupaya 1.0
Groupaya 1.0 It has been 3 weeks since Eugene’s official announcement to the world that he is leaving Groupaya. Many have asked me, “What is next for Groupaya?” Before I answer that, I want to acknowledge some of what we created together in Groupaya 1.0, the first two and a half years of Eugene, Rebecca, Amy, Betty and I, and more recently, Natalie and Dana, working together on client projects, and in building a company. It has been an amazing […]
Seriously, Can Play Help Organizations?!
Gwen Gordon is one of my favorite people to go to when I am facing a personal or professional challenge. She brings science, art, Buddhism, design, psychology, and philosophy, along with a dash of humor and zaniness, making her a fabulous thought partner. One of the professional challenges she helped us with was coming up with our company name, Groupaya! Play has been a passion of hers for many years. Not only is she one of the most playful people I […]