Odyssey Program Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How did the Odyssey Program come about?
Dr. Eli Goldratt initiated the Odyssey program 15 years ago to teach critical thinking skills to young adults at the important stage in their life when they have to decide “what to do with the rest of my life”. While it was originally targeted at children and spouses of Theory of Constraints practitioners, The Odyssey Program was reintroduced and significantly upgraded in 2005 under the leadership of Dr. Alan Barnard and opened to anyone that believe they can benefit from the application of TOC to set and plan to achieve ambitious life goals and/or simply to analyse and find simple yet powerful ways to close expectation gaps within their personal lives.
2. Who can benefit from the Odyssey Program?
Attendees of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities find the Odyssey program helps them discover how to achieve their goals. No matter how diverse the backgrounds, participants find connections to each other and discover new ways to learn from each other’s experiences. A 65 year-old may face the same challenge as an 18 year-old. Someone from India may be dealing with the same concerns or conflicts in their life as someone from Germany.
3. What will I gain from the program?
The program, which includes the latest knowledge and developments in Theory of Constraints takes participants through a step-by-step process using the latest Thinking Process tools to help participants set goals, analyse expectation gaps, understand the unresolved conflicts and limiting assumptions that block them from breaking these conflicts and closing the expectation gaps as lastly to develop a robust plan to make the needed changes and achieve a process of on-going improvement. Once learned and applied to their own lives, these tools become a permanent part of participants ‘ ”toolboxes” for leading happier, more successful lives.
4. Is there any problem with people from the same organization attending and/or couples in a relationship?
Past experience has shown that in fact there are no negatives, but many positives to the program, especially when participants from the same organizations or within a relationship attend the Odyssey program together. The largest group from a single organization was 35 senior and middle managers. The outcome of the program was so good that they requested a special in-house Odyssey for lower levels of management that same month. They claimed it provided them with a unique opportunity to experience the same process together with those they work with and/or care for. It gives people the same language and process to help them better deal with stressful expectations gaps that can develop in any relationship at home or work and provides them with a frame of reference to find and develop win:win solutions together. All those participants that have attended with colleagues and spouses/partners have reported a significant improvement in the harmony within their relationships.
