Work Better Together

Founded in 1969, Interaction Associates (IA) is a pioneer in creative problem-solving, collaborative leadership, and group facilitation. Companies around the world use IA tools to engage employees, encourage personal accountability, foster inclusive behavior, and achieve results that matter most to them.

Interaction Associates (IA) introduced the concept and practice of group facilitation to the business world in the early 1970's. During the revolution of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the 1980's, IA developed Facilitative Leadership® to help senior leaders empower teams to "think beyond the box", innovate, and achieve mission-critical goals.  

For over 50 years, IA has provided thousands of leaders and teams with practical, simple, and effective programs, tools and techniques for working better across functions, viewpoints, and geographies.

More than 1,000,000 people have learned The Interaction Method™, a facilitated process for building understanding and agreement so that people can take informed, concerted action.

Today, IA is helping people work better together from a distance -- leveraging collaborative technology, process thinking, and interpersonal behaviors to produce outcomes that matter most to them.

Philosophy and Approach

Enjoyable Ways to Learn

Learning can be enjoyable and relevant. Practical and transformational. Challenging and fun. These are words clients use to describe their learning and team experiences with Interaction Associates.

The Interaction Experience

Better Ways to Collaborate

The Interaction Method™ is a proven approach for making better group decisions and sharing ownership for quality execution. Thousands of companies use IA tools to facilitate meetings and guide collaborative change.

The Interaction Method

Ways to Make a Difference

You'll learn to tap the power of collaborative action. Engage the right people on mission-critical tasks. Empower them with skills and tools. The result will be a better ROI: Return on Involvement.

The Interaction Effect

1970

1970s. Collaborative Problem Solving & Group Facilitation

The Interaction Method™ the 1st systematic approach to collaborative meeting management.

The book How to Make Meetings Work.

Originated the use of a Group Facilitator and Scribe into business settings, e.g., Quality Teams at Ford.

1970
1980

1980s. Collaborative Leadership & Change Management 

Facilitative Leadership®, combining the practices of inclusive management with process facilitation. 

Facilitating Change, The Principles of Collaboration, guidelines for stakeholder engagement.

Cross-functional teams, e.g., TQM at DuPont.

1980
1990

1990s. Self-Facilitating Teams & Managerial Coaching

Teams in Action & Team Sponsorship, integrating shared responsibility and personal accountability with team collaboration.

Managing with Impact & the book How to Make Collaboration Work.

Advanced Facilitation Skills

e.g.,  GE Black Belts.

1990
2000

2000s. Collaborative Design Thinking & Global Teams

Collaborate to Innovate integrating design thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

Strategic Thinking integrating business acumen and fact-based decision-making.

Blended Learning e.g.,  Roche Research Teams.

2000
2010

2010s. Virtual Collaboration & Collaborative Intelligence

Engaging the Distributed Workforce,  virtual instructor-led training  on leading from a distance. 

Online Facilitation, applying The Interaction Method™ to virtual meetings.

Virtual Teamwork  e.g., GE Global Workforce.

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Our Mission 

We help people work together better to achieve the things that matter most to them. We do that by demonstrating the power and transferring the skills of conscious collaboration. Conscious collaboration is a mindful approach for working with others to produce mutually beneficial outcomes.

What We Value

Client Service
To understand client needs and aim to exceed their expectations. 

Professional Excellence
To demonstrate competence and aim to continuously improve.

Principled Action
To speak truth to power and aim to do the right thing. 

Shared Responsibility
To help the team succeed and aim to add value at all times.

Stakeholder Voice
To include people in decisions that affect them and aim for maximum appropriate involvement. 

Social Responsibility
To be an active citizen and aim to stand for inclusion and fairness.

Human Dignity
To respect others in daily interactions and aim to assume the best about their intentions. 

Diversity and Inclusion Declaration

Our mission at IA is to help people work better together to achieve the things that matter most to them. In our work, we facilitate authentic and productive human connections. We’ve witnessed how honest conversations, however difficult, can foster more equitable policies and inclusive behaviors in the workplace.

IA aims to provide equal opportunities to, and prevent discrimination of, any aspiring L&D and administrative professional regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other personal situation or aspect which makes them unique.

We strive to build a company culture where inclusion and engagement is our way of operating day-to-day, not an initiative.

As a company, we have a long way to go to reflect the wonderful diversity of our American community. We invite our employees, partners and clients to support us in our efforts through, feedback, audit and encouragement.

As a U.S. company with global reach, we commit to using our skills and position in the learning and development industry to amplify the practice of conscious collaboration as a tool for equity and justice.

 

Together, we can build more inclusive, just, and equitable workplaces.

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