www.tocpractice.

com

8th International Conference of the

TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

26-27 October 2013, Moscow

TOC logical tools

for creating and developing
thinking and learning skills

Jelena Fedurko
TOC Strategic Solutions, Estonia
October 2013
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Jelena Fedurko
Jelena has 14 years of TOC experience as a
trainer and consultant providing support in TOC
implementations in the areas of people
management, production, supply chain, project
management.
Jelena has worked in Japan, Poland, Turkey, Italy,
Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Chile, Colombia,
Mexico and other countries throughout the world.
Jelena is the author of the books Behind the
Cloud Enhancing logical thinking and Through
Clouds to Solutions. The books present new
developments in the area of working with
assumptions, UDEs and UDE Clouds.
Together with Oded Cohen Jelena has coauthored the book TOC Fundamentals, recently
published in Russian.
She has authored numerous articles on TOC
concepts
and
implementation,
and
has
contributed to and edited several TOC books.

jelenafedurko.gs@gmail.com
www.toc-strategicsolutions.com

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

The Role of Education

1. Transfer knowledge
2. Build skills
Teaching is only the means to achieve that.

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Using Thinking Processes Tools

in the Educational Environment
Explicitly teaching TOC tools in class
Using the tools to resolve student-student conflicts
Showing the tools to parents to assist in resolving
problematic situations with their children
Using the tools to resolve teacher-student conflicts
Working with students one-to-one in developing
learning and social skills
Using the tools for assisting teachers and students
in setting and achieving educational goals

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Using Thinking Processes Tools

in the Educational Environment
To create and enhance thinking and learning skills
To teach better decision-making
To teach conflict handling
To develop responsibility for ones own actions
To teach how to control and correct behaviour
To assist in evaluating conditions for achieving a desired outcome
To assist in peer mediation
To assist in relationship between parents and kids
Major tools easy to teach and effective:
Cloud
Negative Branch
Desired Outcome Branch

Possible negative
outcome

Desired
outcome

Action/decision

Action/decision

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Major learning skills

1. Comprehension
2. Evaluation
3. Application
4. Analysis
5. Synthesis
6. Deduction
7. Induction
8. Balanced thinking
9. Creative thinking
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Major learning skills

1. Comprehension understanding the meaning, interpretation, ability to state

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

a problem in ones own words

(while knowledge is ability to recollect and reproduce data and information)
Evaluation making judgments about the value of data/concepts
Application using what has been learnt to real-life situations
Analysis breaking down material/concepts into components to detect
relationship among the parts or the parts and the whole (requires comparing
and contrasting); distinguishing between facts and inferences; recognizing
logical fallacies in reasoning
Synthesis forming a whole through building up/connecting elements to
create a larger and more coherent pattern
Deduction moving from general principles to particular instances
Induction moving from particular instances to generalized conclusions
Balanced thinking examination of arguments for and against a particular
data/material/concept
Creative thinking ability to devise innovative solutions
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC Tools for Building

Comprehension

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Comprehension

While Knowledge is ability to recollect and reproduce data and information,

Comprehension is ability to understand the meaning, interpret, and

state a problem in ones own words.

The TOC tool to assist with Comprehension the Cloud

Understanding and verbalizing the situation in which a person or a system
is caught between two mutually exclusive actions or modes of behaviour.
B
A

The common objective

achieved by having
B and C

The need that is

satisfied by the
action in D

Action 1

Conflict
C

The need that is

satisfied by the
action in D

Action 2

In the Cloud we state what for we want to take an action, and what for we
want to satisfy the need. This allows for a conscious reflection of actions, as
well as cause and effect.
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Building Comprehension presenting

a situation as an Inner Dilemma Cloud
A case when a father of a teenage son built a dilemma cloud on whether to
give his son a computer or a motor scooter for his fourteenth birthday.
The father was concerned with the whole situation, especially that the
birthday was coming close.
B

Fulfil the sons long

standing dream

Buy a motor scooter

for his birthday

Be a good
father
C

Ensure
latest educational
and informational
opportunities
for the son

Buy a computer
for his birthday

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Comprehension

Comprehension is ability to understand the meaning, interpret,
and state a problem in ones own words.
The major TOC tool to build Comprehension

the assumptions behind the arrows in the Cloud

Assumptions B-D
B

Assumptions D-D

Assumptions C-D
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

What are Assumptions?

In reference to the Cloud,
assumptions are facts, observations, beliefs,
expectations, convictions, presuppositions,
experiences, interpretations, concepts,
principles, data, general knowledge and other
elements of thinking

with which we support our reasoning

behind a logical connection.

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Building Comprehension
working with Assumptions
B-D 1: The father has frequently told his son many stories about having a motor
scooter as a teenager, and for the son to get the motor scooter will be a symbol of
being accepted by the father as mature and grown-up.

Fulfil the sons long

standing dream

Buy a motor scooter

for his birthday

Be a good
father
C

Ensure
latest educational
and informational
opportunities
for the son

Buy a computer
for his birthday

C-D 1: Most of the information and communication goes through the internet.

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

Building Comprehension presenting a

situation as a Two-Sided Conflict Cloud

The sons side

B

Fulfil the long

standing dream

Receive a
motor scooter

Feel good in
the family
C

Ensure latest
educational and
informational
opportunities for
the son

Give a
computer

The fathers side

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Comprehension

TOC tool to assist with Comprehension the Negative Branch
Understanding and verbalizing possible negative outcomes of a
decision/action.

Possible negative outcome

will happen
Exists/ will happen
independently

will happen

Exists/ will happen

independently

will happen

Exists/ will happen

independently

Decision/action
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC Tools for Building

Evaluation
Application

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Evaluation

Evaluation making judgments about the value of data/concepts.
TOC tool to assist with Evaluation
the protocol of checking the logic in the Cloud
Check the logic: "In order to (tip of arrow).. I must (tail of arrow)"
3.In order to [B]

4. I must [D]

2. I must []
1. In order to []

A
6. I must [C]
5. In order to []

9. [D] and [D] are in conflict

7. In order to []
10. [D] jeopardizes achieving the need in [C]
11. [D] jeopardizes the need in [B]

8. I must [D]

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Evaluation

TOC tool to assist with Evaluation

challenging assumptions behind the arrows in the Cloud
The process is aimed at challenging the validity of one or
several assumption behind the causalities in the Cloud.
ALWAYS? IN ALL SITUATIONS/ENVIRONMENTS?

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Evaluation

Evaluation making judgments about the value of data/concepts.
TOC tool to assist with Evaluation
Categories of Legitimate Reservations (CLR)
The protocol of checking logic in a cause-effect relationship
1.

Clarity

2.

Entity Existence

3.

Causality Existence

4.

Cause Insufficiency

5.

Additional Cause

6.

House on Fire

7.

Predicted Effect Existence

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building Application

Application using what has been learnt to real-life situations.
Major TOC tools to assist with Application

clear rules and guidelines for building logical

structures of the Cloud, the Negative Branch, the
Positive Branch, CRT, FRT
With the purpose of presenting ones own reality or
projection of a future outcome (negative or positive) in the
form of logical structures that present and justify
causality.
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC Tools for Building

Analysis and Synthesis
Deduction and Induction
Balanced Thinking
Creative Thinking
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building

Analysis and Synthesis
Analysis breaking down material/concepts into components to
detect relationship among the parts or the parts and the whole
(requires comparing and contrasting); distinguishing between facts
and inferences; recognizing logical fallacies in reasoning.
Synthesis forming a whole through building up/connecting
elements to create a larger and more coherent pattern.

Legitimate Reservations
play an important role in building
skills for Analysis and Synthesis

UDE

DE
UDE

UDE

DE

UDE

DE
UDE

UDE

D
B

D
C
A

DE
DE

TOC Injections

PIVOT

TOC

TOC direction
of solution

NB
Rs

Future Reality

Also, Categories of

High Performance
Measurements
DE

Current Reality

A major TOC tool to assist

with Analysis and Synthesis
the U-Shape

Low Performance
Measurements

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building

Deduction and Induction
Deduction moving from general principles to particular instances.
A major TOC tool to assist
with Deduction the
protocol of establishing
logic in causality branches
if, and if, then

then
If

and if

Induction moving from particular instances to generalized

conclusions.
B

Major TOC tools to assist

with Induction:
Convergence
Clouds Consolidation
process

A
C

A
C

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building

Balanced thinking
Balanced thinking examination of arguments for and against a
particular data/material/concept.
Major TOC tools to assist with Balanced Thinking:
Checking logic in the Cloud:
D is a necessary condition for
B, but endangers C and
D is a necessary condition for
C, but endangers B
Negative Branch
Looking for a possible negative
outcome of a
decision/suggested
solution/planned (desired)
action

Possible negative
outcome
Decision/ suggested
solution/ planned
(desired) action

8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

TOC tools for building

Creative thinking
Creative thinking ability to devise innovative solutions.
Major TOC tools to assist with Creating Thinking:
B

Developing Injections to the Cloud

Injection

A
C

Developing Supporting
Injections to trim identified
Negative Branches

Possible negative
outcome

+
Supporting
Injection

+
+

Injection
8th International Conference of the TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA