Implications Wheel®: Case Studies and Testimonials

Case Study: Identifying and Assessing the Impacts of a Transport Pricing Change

On August 19 2005, an Implications Wheel® exercise was conducted by Don Dunoon with 50 students at the Graduate School of Government, University of Sydney, in the Graduate Diploma of Public Administration course taught by Prof David Richmond.  ( David Richmond was also CEO of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.)

The students were asked to generate and assess possible implications of the introduction of a particular pricing change, designed to encourage movement of freight by rail rather than road in and out of Port Botany in Sydney.  The issue was a real one in the sense that such a proposal has been under consideration by the NSW Government; however, the students relied on materials which have been in the public domain.

In the space of 2 hours, the students - mostly experienced managers but all without prior familiarity with the Implications Wheel® tool - generated 120 implications of this change, scored the implications for desirability and likelihood, fed back the findings of small-group work to the larger group, and participated in a debriefing discussion.

David Richmond comments on the Implications Wheel® exercise:

“The Implications Wheel® process, skilfully facilitated by Don Dunoon, proved to be a highly effective vehicle for rapidly and systematically capturing and appraising possible consequences of the pricing change being considered.  As well as actively engaging the participants, the process demonstrated the value that people in operational and middle management roles can add to strategic thinking, when a suitable opportunity and structure is provided.  I can see the Implications Wheel® tool having widespread application in government and business.”

Testing Concepts in a Government Department

Testimonial

After using the Implications Wheel® in his own organisation, Ross Woodward , Deputy Director-General of the Department of Local Government, NSW, observed:

"The Implications Wheel® is an extremely useful tool for an organisation to methodically and quickly test a concept in order to understand the risks and opportunities it presents before embarking on a course of action. Don Dunoon is doing an excellent job of embedding this way of thinking into our organisation so that understanding implications becomes second nature and results in more informed decisions and better outcomes."

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