KAI Symposium 2025 Review
Below are details of all the presentations, round tables and keynotes. Please Contact us for more information about the symposium or any individual topics.
Next year, 2026, will be the 50th Anniversary of KAI, and we are hoping to do something extra special to commemorate it. Stay tuned for more details!
Keynote Speakers
Keynote
Dr. Karen Bridbord
Intentional Relationships: Generating Big Wins with Small Changes
There will be breakout rooms for 30 minutes after this keynote to discuss and reflect on the message.
Karen will be presenting on Wednesday, February 12, at 2:30 PM (EST)
More about Dr Karen Bridbord
Karen Bridbord, PhD is a licensed psychologist who uniquely combines the expertise of clinical psychology, organizational behav- ior, and counseling. Her approach integrates psychological insights with practical leadership strategies, focusing on building strong, healthy workplace cultures by strategically aligning people, per- formance, and productivity. Through her firm, Karen Bridbord & Associates, she has supported corporations in achieving their people strategy while building their talent pipeline and succession plans. With a robust career spanning a range of industries, including law, technology, construction, finance, and the arts, she currently serves in the role of Chief Talent Officer at Alberici Constructors.
https://karenbridbord.com
Keynote
Dr Guido Prato Previde
Turning Insight into Foresight
There will be breakout rooms for 30 minutes after this keynote to discuss and reflect on the message.
Guido will be presenting on Wednesday, February 12, at 1.00 PM (EST)
More about Dr Guido Prato Previde
Dr Guido Prato Previde is a passionate business psychologist consulting leaders, teams and organizations at a local and at an international level. As a background, he is a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist. Guido has developed a number of professional collaborations with leading organizations (KAI Centre/UK; Creative Problem Solving Inc./U.S.A.; RHR/U.S.A.). He is Country Partner of the European Institute for Workplace Dynamics (IWD) and member of the Working with Resilience Consortium. Guido is the author of the Italian validation of KAI and a senior practitioner. www.decathloncons.it
Keynote
Gregg Ward
How A Once Nice-To-Have Turned Into An Operational Imperative: the key role that respect is now playing in today’s organizations
There will be breakout rooms for 30 minutes after this keynote to discuss and reflect on the message
Gregg will be presenting on Thursday, February 13th, 9:45 AM (EST)
More about Gregg Ward
Gregg Ward is the Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Respectful Leadership and the author of the award-winning, bestselling business fable, The Respectful Leader. He is also a celebrated keynote speaker, consultant and executive coach on respect and Respectful Leadership® and the developer of the Coaching for Respect™ process and The ARC™ (Actively Respectful Culture) Assessment.
https://centerforrespectfulleadership.org
Panel Discussion
Panel discussion – How KAI Helped Me Maximize My Own Style While Minimizing Problem B
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Join our panel of KAI experts and clients ranging from the adaptive to innovative to explore how KAI impacted them both individually and their relationships with others. Learn what they are doing differently, and how they’ve used their knowledge of KAI to effectuate change and minimize Problem B.
Anne Collier
Panelists:
Lisa Centeno
Cynthia Schaffer
Jennifer Ratcliff
More about Anne Collier
More about Lisa Centeno
More about Cynthia Shaffer
https://arudia.com
More about Jennifer Ratcliff
Round Table Discussions
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Dr Samantha Giridhar
Creative Media Minds Matter! How Students Articulate Creative Processes
This roundtable discussion will introduce an upcoming project exploring how creative media students at different points in the university pathway articulate their creative processes. We will discuss how problem-solving style may impact the ways that students use language when describing their approaches to creative projects.
More about Dr Samantha Giridhar
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Dr Sarah Bush, Dr Megan Seibel & Dr Lauren Lewis Cline
Measuring and Evaluating KAI Training Impact on Stress in the Workplace
This roundtable will discuss how KAI training is currently proposed to reduce stress in the workplace by increasing understanding between colleagues and coping strategies. We will discuss proposed means of solidifying KAI training as a tool for reducing overall workplace stress through data-driven outcomes.
More about Dr Sarah Bush
More about Dr Megan Seibel
More about Dr Lauren Lewis Cline
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Abby Cheng
Leveraging KAI to Support Autistic Team Members
This roundtable explores how KAI can enhance understanding and support for autistic team members. We will discuss potential relationships between cognitive style and autism and how KAI insights can foster more inclusive, effective, and collaborative team environments.
More about Abby Cheng
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Nicolas Uwitonze & Dr Rob Sheffield
Every Mind Matters: Leveraging KAI Mentorship Program to Accelerate Learning and Practice for Mentees and Mentors
This roundtable reflects on lessons learned from the KAI mentorship program at Virginia Tech, exploring how mentorship bridges theory and practice. It shares insights from participants and discusses strategies for enhancing and scaling mentorship to better support KAI practitioners.
More about Nicolas Uwitonze
More about Dr Rob Sheffield
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John Bryant
Supporting survival and evolution in a VUCA world with KAI
KAI can support people to not only survive but thrive in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous environment. VUCA brings a ‘world’ of anxiety. Yet it can offer a world of opportunity. Not everyone can see or hear or feel that potential while under-the-pressure it presents. There’s a gift called KAI which can help in responding beyond the challenge to a point of evolving.
More about John Bryant
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Cate Hollowitsch and Dr Iwan Jenkins
Exploring the Roles of Homogenous and Hetergenous Cultures in Organizational Success
This Round Table will explore the strengths and challenges of homogenous and heterogenous cultures. Homogenous cultures excel in efficiency and focus, while heterogenous ones shine in tackling complexity and fostering creativity. Discuss strategies to harness both for organizational success and examine how these dynamics influence business cultures to drive alignment and resilience.
More about Cate Hollowitsch
More about Dr Iwan Jenkins
KAI Circle of Practice Networking
Fostering an Environment Where Every Mind Truly Matters: A Networking Dialogue
Hosted by Anika Davis and Jessica Prater from the KAI Circle of Practice
Objective: This networking session led by the Circle of Practice team explores how organizations can recognize, value, and leverage cognitive diversity to create environments where every perspective contributes to innovation and problem-solving. Participants will examine the processes that enable diverse thinking styles to shape organizational culture and drive progress.
Expected Outcomes:
- Strategies for recognizing and leveraging diverse thinking styles to improve group dynamics and outcomes.
- Connections with peers who share a commitment to fostering environments where diverse perspectives thrive.
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More about Dr Anika Davis
More about Jessica Prater
Presentations
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Anne Collier and Jeff Kahn
How KAI Can Soften the School of Hard Knocks for At Risk Youth and Young Adults
This presentation explores whether the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Framework and Inventory offer educators a tool for teaching our youth how to understand their thinking style as a way to manage and cope with stress. Learn the results of a pilot program, including students’ insights about themselves and the people in their lives.
More about Anne Collier
More about Jeff Kahn
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Maria Vittoria Colucci D’Amato
KAI in action: opening minds and boosting awareness
No individual development can be achieved without an increase in awareness of one’s behaviour, one’s impact on others, one’s effectiveness in different situations. I explore, through a case study, the impact of using KAI in a group Development center to increase self awareness, curiosity towards others, better understanding of their colleagues.
More about Maria Vittoria Colucci D’Amato
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Dr Jerald Walz
Every Mind Matters: Understanding Problems, Coping, and Motivation in the 21st century
While Adaption-Innovation theory and the KAI is complete and even elegant, further application and development continues. Based on recent scholarship, this presentation seeks to further develop the understanding of problems, and when coping is necessary, the motivation that fuels that behavior—topics also important for applying A-I theory.
More about Dr Jerald Walz
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Dr James Anderson & Dr Joy Wiggins
Managing Team Dynamics for Inclusive Collaboration: A Proactive Approach to Problem-Solving
This session equips leaders with tools to manage diverse team dynamics, addressing Problem B—interpersonal challenges in solving Problem A—organizational goals. Explore cognitive diversity, schema awareness, and DEI principles to build cohesive teams. Participants gain strategies for inclusive collaboration, fostering psychological safety, mitigating biases, and driving innovative problem-solving outcomes.