ReRethinking Self-Organizing Innovation

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The ReReThinking Series

ReReThinking Self-Organizing TODAY Innovation erated cocreation Overcoming the High-High-Low Effect Growing Past 200% Emergence

By GK VanPatter

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AHA!

GO!!

Humantific

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ReReThinking Self-Organizing Innovation

We love self-organizing initiatives and recognize that there are many ways to self organize innovation efforts in organizations and in society.

The difficult truth is, in the marketplace we see a lot of innovation initiatives being referred to as “self-organizing” and “emergent” that look like mirror images of innovation efforts from 15-20 years ago. Some of the most well intentioned self-organizing innovation efforts seen today, seem to jump off from an odd-ball mixture of up to date and outdated knowledge. Often seen is what we call the High-High-Low Effect: High awareness of content and technology knowledge combined with low awareness of cross-disciplinary innovation process knowledge. For participants it can be a puzzling picture to be swimming around in. Experience tells us that the presence of the High-High-Low Effect typically results in a number of bumpy eventualities. Without deep and up to date cocreation process knowledge in the room, get ready for a long, drawn-out, bumpy ride.

Without deep and up to date cocreation process knowledge in the room, get ready for a long, drawnout, bumpy ride.

We might ask ourselves: • Why would anyone not make use of what is already known about how diverse humans can effectively cocreate together, find paths through complexity and make change together?

High-High-Low Effect High

High

• In what other field of knowledge do we organize around out of date expertise while trying to tackle highly complex 21st century challenges? Why would we want to do so around innovation and change making?

• When the world is in such a mess and so much positive change is needed, sooner rather than later, is now a good time to dumb down change-making by winding back the cocreation knowledge clock. Is now a good moment to pretend that no cocreation knowledge exists?

Low CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE

COCREATION KNOWLEDGE

At this critical time in the world, deliberately dumbing down crossdisciplinary cocreation would seem to be counterproductive.

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The truth is what we see often in the marketplace today is that the old “Go figure everything out from scratch model” is being creatively rewrapped and marketed by some consultants as emergence and self-organizing innovation. This seems to be embodiment of the old Marketing 101 adage: When you have nothing, you repackage nothing and sell it as a new solution. In that old approach to change making not only are challenges and solutions 100% emergent but how people will work together is 100% emergent as well. When content and process are both 100% emergent we call this the 200% Emergent Zone. Are you ready for a trip there? Is you team presently attempting a crossing there?

Of course it’s no great secret that sometimes the hidden, not often talked about reality underneath 200% Emergent self-organizing innovation initiatives is that the promoters/organizers are themselves missing fundamental cocreation skill-sets. What’s really going on under all of the talk of “emergence” is that the organizers are seeking to use participant workshops to construct their own cocreation skills and knowledge.

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ReReThinking Self-Organizing Innovation

What’s really going on under all of the talk of “emergence” is that the promoters/ organizers are seeking to use participant workshops to construct their own cocreation skills and knowledge.

This might not be the best way to get to the future.

The good news is that today many approaches to self-organizing innovation exist and so do clear choices for innovation initiative leaders.

At Humantific we advocate recognition that in all self-organizing innovation equations today there are clear choices to be made regarding Transparency, Starting Points, Tools and Readiness.

We certainly recognize that embarking on a route through the 200% Emergence Zone is a time consuming proposition for most change making leaders today. With this in mind we advocate transparency and open discussion at the outset.

It seems likely that the 200% Emergence model does have a place in the diverse landscape of possibilities but might not be the best choice for those with pressing needs and desire to build sustainable change making capacity rapidly.

The good news is that today many approaches to selforganizing innovation exist and so do clear choices for innovation initiative leaders.

Savvy organizational leaders want to get moving forward into the future quickly, rather than expend time, effort and money reinventing yesterday’s wheel. They recognize the practical reality that much cross-disciplinary cocreation knowledge already exists in codified form that can be made use of immediately.

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ReReThinking Self-Organizing Innovation

Forward thinking leaders certainly continue to embrace emergence and also want to make use of all that cocreation acceleration has to offer.

If your group is being asked to tackle a highly complex organizational or social challenge but you are being provided with outdated innovation tools and cocreation process knowledge as a foundation for action, you might want to reconsider your options, unless you have a lot of time, patience and money to waste.

If you are an organizational leader getting ready to fund innovation you might ask yourself: • Do you want to self organize around what was being guessed at twenty years ago or would you prefer to self organize around what is known today?

In the midst of the marketplace mess of misunderstanding and confusion around selforganizing innovation and cocreation Humantific decided to create The CoCreation Reality Project.

• Which approach is going to help you get to the future more effectively?

• Which is going to help you accelerate?

In the midst of the marketplace mess of misunderstanding and confusion around self-organizing innovation and cocreation Humantific decided to create The CoCreation Reality Project.

Beginning in October and occurring four times a year Humantific Academy will offer a free three-hour introduction 18 to our perspective on the current state of cocreation. These sessions will be for 15-20 invited guests involved in changemaking initiatives. Discussed in the session will be accelerated starting points, tools and readiness. We promise it will be immediately useful and not an abstract trip through the 200% Emergent Zone.

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If you are a leader tasked with change making cocreation and would like to be added to The CoCreation Reality Project participant list for a future session, feel free to send an email to us at cocreationreality (at) humantific.com At this important moment, when challenges are highly complex and cocreation that bridges diverse disciplines is so needed, let’s not turn back the clock.

At this important moment, when challenges are highly complex and cocreation that bridges diverse disciplines is so needed let’s not turn back the clock.

Lets keep moving forward!

Lets kick it up!

www.humantific.com 4 © 2011 Humantific. All Rights Reserved.

ReRethinking Self-Organizing Innovation Ten Yesterday / Today Comparisons YESTERDAY

200% Emergent Model HUH?

TODAY

Accellerated CoCreation AHA!

WHAT?

GO!!

WHAT? Innovation Techniques Dictionary Interconnected Cocreation Tools

1

Time Assumptions Assumed that everyone present has the time to reinvent every wheel from scratch.

Assumes that everyone present does not have the time to reinvent every wheel.

2

Language Assumptions Assumed a common language was present and that everyone inherently has the skills to work effectively together in cross disciplinary cocreation environments.

Recognizes that common language is missing and that most adults did not learn in university a common effective way to tackle complexity together in cross disciplinary cocreation environments.

3

Knowledge State No codified cross-disciplinary cocreation knowledge present.

4

Knowledge Balance Unbalanced high levels of content and technology knowledge combined with a low level of cocreation process knowledge. ie: The High-High-Low Effect.

5

Knowledge Value Content knowledge and technology knowledge were king.

6

Tools & Techniques Focus on general awareness of innovation tools & techniques encyclopedia. Assumed awareness was equal to skill.

7

Team Dynamics Team Dynamics are typically dictated by the force of personality types.

8

Activities Emphasis Focus on expanding the divergent storming of ideas.

9

Skill-Building Situational learnings and few transferrable, repeatable skills.

10 Outcomes Soft outcomes such as dialoguing are results reached via circulous route.

Significant codified cross-disciplinary cocreation knowledge present along with interconnected tools.

Deliberate balance between content knowledge, technology knowledge and cocreation process knowledge.

Content knowledge, technology knowledge and process knowledge are equally valued.

Focus on a synthesized toolset already found to be extremely useful at critical junction points in the cocreation journey.

Differentiates between awareness and skill.

Team Dynamics are modulated by the group after thinking preference transparency has been introduced.

Recognizes that mastery of clearly framing upstream challenges and opportunities supersedes the easy lift of storming ideas.

Skills that are adaptable, transferrable and repeatable.

Concrete action outcomes are reached via direct routes.

www.humantific.com 5 Š 2011 Humantific. All Rights Reserved.