Do you have a sticky, complicated problem in your organization; something that has no clear answer, and is intensified by inter-personal relationships? When a problem feels unsolvable, often the best approach is to take a step back and look at it through a new lens. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. That’s where Peer Consultation comes in. Bring your most complex problem to this session where we will work through a structured, facilitated process to identify the core issues and brainstorm possible solutions. Peer Consultation is a collaborative technique, designed to encourage new interpretations of seemingly unsolvable problems. Through the process, peers provide observations about the way you have framed your problem—unpacking your motivations and biases—and provide outside perspectives that help you to see the situation in fundamentally different ways. In this session, Susan Edwards and Arielle Sherman will explain how staff at the Hammer Museum are using this powerful tool to identify and address the social and cultural issues at the root of many of the museum’s most challenging problems. They will then lead participants through the Peer Consultation exercise. Working in small groups, participants will listen to one of their peers describe a problem. The peer consultants then gather more data by asking questions from the presenter. Then, the presenter “moves to the balcony” (i.e., turns her back) and listens while the peer consultants do diagnostic brainstorming offer potential solutions. In the end, the presenter has a chance to debrief with her group and reflect on the new solutions offered. Speakers Session Leader : Susan Edwards, Associate Director, Digital Content, The Hammer Museum Co-Presenter : Arielle Sherman, Assistant Manager, Digital Communications, Hammer Museum MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA