Watch this one-minute intro video!

(This video has background music, but no voice-over.

Here is a transcription of the on-screen text.)

"In the 17 years that the knowledge contained in these Catalytic Thinking Labs was taught at the radical but fully accredited GreenMBA Program,* we never had a student come in with the skills and capacities that they subsequently learned with us, even though we drew students from schools such as Harvard, CalTech, and UC Berkeley. In truth, our students found themselves shocked and even slightly outraged, that in all their years of schooling, no one had taught them how to think in such a useful, coherent, and comprehensive way."

Jane Lorand, Founder

Investing in people everywhere who only need the ganas,
the desire and perseverance, to strengthen their thinking.

Read about the Roots of the Thinking Practices

Examples of Skills

We need insights, skills, and methods with frameworks that serve as a common reference. The Labs help us converse with others using common language and frameworks. Here are a few examples:

What assumptions am I making, and how sure am I about their certainty?

How do I explain why I think what I think?
How do I test an idea to see if it is a good idea?
How do I approach complex issues, distinguishing them from chaotic or routine issues?
How do I leave behind problem/solution thinking and adopt a new set of strategies for complex issues?
What does Deep Listening ask of me? Why does it matter?
How do Assessment and Accountability relate to each other, and our work?
Why does Social Innovation need a disciplined, systems view?
How does Intellectual Humility help us become leaders that are not standing on charisma or flash, but on legitimate and authentic capacities to be inclusive, and to shape and guide group efforts?

Applied Critical Thinking

Navigating Complex Issues

Self-Knowledge for Leading and Supporting

Nuts and Bolts of the Labs

There are more than 120 Labs in 4 different Arenas:

Applied Critical Thinking
Navigating Complex Issues
Self-Knowledge for Leading and Supporting
Disciplined Social Innovation

Each Lab is 60-90 minutes; 80% of that time you and your team are in activities where you are reflecting, practicing, storytelling, mapping, synthesizing and building trust through sharing your unique perspectives.

The Labs are designed to be sequential yet flexible. Groups can add a Lab on to each staff meeting, or follow our pre-designed full-morning or full-day Lab Event. Certificate programs are available.

There are lots of new ideas to add value immediately, but these ideas build on each other over time.

Participants build confidence by being able to re-watch the 15 minute presentations.

The thinking practices are unique in each Lab, and they weave an empowering pattern among the 4 Arenas.

Do You and Your Teams have the Ganas?

There are many destructive and dehumanizing forces outside our control today. However, developing our thinking is within our control - if we are willing to invest our effort and time to build a solid foundation.

No Expensive Outside Consultants

Prestigious Yet Affordable for Your Teams

Finally, your organization’s professional development path can be long-term and comprehensive. You can follow the sequence of the Labs, shaping them around your time availabilities.

Can our organization afford it?

The professionals behind the Catalytic Thinking Labs believe that we won’t change how we act until we change how we think. Thus, the pricing structure for the Labs is very affordable. The tuition alone for the GreenMBA, 2-year program, was $50,000 per student. The conventional higher education structure kept that in place. The Catalytic Thinking Labs do not sit behind such a high pay wall.

It's hard to describe the power of Catalytic Thinking Labs.

I do social justice work and bringing disciplined critical thinking to the complex problems I'm trying to solve in the Bronx has completely changed the way my team and I approach our work. Learning the difference between accountability and assessment has helped us to bring intentionality into how we collaborate and partner with stakeholders. CTL unlocks creativity and shines a light on a completely fresh way to work and approach and productively work with large, systemic, complex issues. The Navigating Complex Issues Labs introduce a rational model that uncovers nuances and promotes the inclusion of community voices/perspectives so we can better understand how to dismantle structural racism.

The reality is, many of us are conditioned to use only a fraction of our capacity by accepting and doing 'what's always been done.' CTL unlocks us, both individually and collectively.

Rose DeStefano

GreenMBA, 2014

Senior Director of Collective Impact, Children's Aid
New York City, NY

To heal our societies and organizations, we need to work more openly and directly with our rich inner life resources: our thinking, our feeling, and our motivation to act and actions.

To imagine and build truly alternative futures, we need to know ourselves and each other at deeper levels. We have inner resistance and outer distractions everywhere.

These Labs provide a wealth of long-term, developmental experiences and insights for individuals to share as each strives for freedom. It directly supports the collective power that stems from respect and love of the work and of each other, of humanity and the Earth. Jane is making her great gifts available to guide those who are seeking. I participated as a mentor in the GreenMBA and the loving culture that I experienced among the students and faculty was unprecedented.

Orland Bishop

Executive Director Shadetree Multicultural Foundation

The Labs offer help to participants who are not strong readers and to those who benefit from colorful visual cues during the 15 minute presentations.

PDFs of the chalkboards come with each lab.

Unlike a live classroom, the presentations can be revisited multiple times to deepen and expand understanding.

We believe in giving as much as we can, sharing, and taking as little as we need.

View Our Pricing

We want to help people create lives of meaning, in their own way and on their own time.

Who We Are

Catalytic Thinking Labs

It’s time to move beyond just talking about change.

We’ll change how we act when we change how we think.

Strengthening my thinking now is something tangible I can do.

Applied Critical Thinking

Navigating Complex Issues

Self-Knowledge for Leading and Supporting

Disciplined Social Innovation

Orienteering

Guide to all Arenas

Catalytic Thinking Labs

Thinking for Change that Matters

Your Experience in the Catalytic Thinking Labs

No Expensive Outside Consultants

Prestigious Yet Affordable for Your Teams

Can our organization afford it?

For Individuals. At your own pace. On your own terms.

I’m a solo learner. Can I study the Labs too?

But, can I afford it?

Yes!

Explore the Arenas Pricing Who We AreCertificatesEnroll My TeamI'm Flying Solo

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Catalytic Thinking Labs

Thinking for Change that Matters

Your Experience in the Catalytic Thinking Labs

No Expensive Outside Consultants

Prestigious Yet Affordable for Your Teams

Can our organization afford it?

For Individuals. At your own pace. On your own terms.

I’m a solo learner. Can I study the Labs too?

But, can I afford it?

Yes!

Explore the Arenas Pricing Who We AreCertificatesEnroll My TeamI'm Flying Solo

Click "Edit Contents" and start uploading your learning material.

Select a course first to display its contents.

No available contents for

Registro y Pago

Registro

Producto

There are no free, paid or coming soon courses in your school yet.Why don't you create one?

The school owner is working hard preparing the courses for you.

Oops, you haven't created any courses yet.

No blog posts found in your blog. Why don't you create one?

There are no free, paid or coming soon courses in your school yet.
Why don't you create one?