Re-Inventing the Future of Organisations â—†
The framework, tools and practices for giving birth to the 21st century organisation 2018-1-UK01-KA204-048280
Re-Inventing the Future of Organisations The framework, tools and practices for giving birth to the 21st century organisation 2018-1-UK01-KA204-048280
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsiÂble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
How to use this Book This is an interactive book, click, enjoy and discover
Click on the items to visit the web pages
To access to each chapter click on it at the Index
The interactive pages at the end of each chapter contain a summary with the additional resources used in this book. In the header, click on the word 'INDEX' to come back to the main Index
Clik on the footnote number to move to the footnote location
The blue underlined words are links. Click on them to access the web pages.
Click on the play button to watch the videos
Index
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Re-Inventing the Future of Organisations
Introduction
Introduction
T
his book was funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus + Programme, under the Key Action 2 “Strategic Partnerships in the field of adult education”, as part of the activities from the project “Reinventing the Future”.
This strategic partnership (Crinnova, Permacultura Cantabria and Sirius) was created to achieve the objective of equipping adult trainers and adults with new knowledge and tools for them to start developing innovative and sustainable projects in a collaborative way; this will also foment entrepreneurship and social inclusion among local citizens. The main objectives of the project were:
◆◆ To design a new and innovative Dragon Dreaming Methodology: This will be done by sharing the best practices.
◆◆ To create didactic materials in which adult learners and adult people can acquire the Dragon Dreaming Methodology in an easy way. ◆◆ To transfer to European countries the Dragon Dreaming Methodology through an effective dissemination campaign. For the book creation, we carried out the following main activities:
◆◆ A 3-day participatory visit in UK. ◆◆ A 3-day participatory visit in Finland. ◆◆ A 10 day course in Spain. During these activities, we exchanged best practices that were the base for the creation of this book which is an easy way of learning the Dragon
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Introduction
Dreaming Methodology. A 10-day course in Spain was also carried to test the effectiveness of the methodology and the interactive book. It was attended by 10 participants of each entity, who learned and experienced this participatory and creative technique. This book will develop professionals skills of adult trainers, improving the quality of their activities and trainings, from the point of view of inclusion, violence prevention, academic and work success, as well as the personal and social integrity of adult learners.
This book will develop professionals skills of adult trainers.
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The Great Turning
The Great Turning:
Creating a Sustainable Future
O
ur journey to reinvent the future of organizations begins with a very sombre story... Nowadays it is easy to observe all around us, clear signs of a worldwide crisis. These signs are numerous and varied and are acting as a very important wake-up call to indicate that we are reaching unsustainable, or even irreversible thresholds. It was only 250 years ago that the Earth was populated by less than one billion people. At this time, societies structures and organisations were designed and run, based on the understanding that the Earth was a source of unlimited resources. This way of perceiving the world laid the foundations for our current scientific, economic and business paradigms. Since then, people all over the world have engaged in a game of “takemake-consume and waste” these “unlimited” resources; something which has seemed like the right and only way for achieving economic and social welfare.
However, this game we have been playing has turned its back on us, giving in return unlimited social and environmental negative consequences. Just to name a few… natural disasters have doubled since the 1980s, the temperature of the planet has never been higher, the 6th mass extinction of species is underway, key socio-economic and earth system trends are growing exponentially (See Image 1: Key socio-economic and earth system trends), 25% of rivers no longer get to the ocean, 18.8 million people have fled their homes, due to armed conflicts, or climate change since 2017, income inequality is at its highest level for 30 years, and the 62 richest people in the world, have the same wealth as half the world’s population. There is now irrefutable scientific evidence to prove that all these problems are interconnected and interdependent and they are caused by human activities. If radical changes are not implemented soon, modern civilization could decline or even collapse. In “A Green History of the World”
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The Great Turning
Clive Ponting (1991) describes how many human societies have collapsed in the past when they were unable to achieve a balance between their material demands and their environments available resources and well-being. So it seems that the story is repeating, but this time, on a global scale. Scientific data is also very clear when it states that we are running out of time. If changes are not implemented in the upcoming twenty years, we could very well be moving towards a point of no return. Therefore, it is essential that we begin to redesign our societal structures and organisations in such a way, that we not only change this destructive pattern but also that we begin to undo and reverse the harm already inflicted. So, this is the situation that we have in front of us, as individuals, communities and organisations, and it is what is called The Sustainability Challenge.
1
(Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018) (Better Business Better World 2017), (Rockström 2010), (Stocker et al. 2013) (Refugees 2019) (Grierson 2017) (Global Warming Of 1.5ºC 2018) (Ponting 1991) (Robèrt et al. 2015) (Global Warming Of 1.5ºC 2018).
2
"The Breakthrough Pitch" 2019: “Visual adapted from a paper by Steffen, W., W. Broadgate, L. Deutsch, O. Gaffney and C. Ludwig (2015). The Trajectory of the Anthropocene: the Great Acceleration” (Steffen et al. 2015).
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ries radically changed the way people viewed the world and their place in it. This “scientific revolution” permeated all layers of society’s structures by defining new characteristics for a new modern society. From this moment onwards…
◆◆ Human beings were seen as the most important being and the natural world was there to serve us. ◆◆ Competition is the driving force of evolution. ◆◆ Technological progress is an imperative. ◆◆ Spiritual development is no longer pursued. ◆◆ And above all, "reality" can only be understood through empirical science.
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This new worldview received the name of the “mechanistic paradigm”, or the “Cartesian/Newtonian paradigm”. This paradigm understands the universe as a machine, composed of elementary building blocks, where all events can be explained by breaking down the given system into parts, as everything occurs in linear “cause and effect” chains. Humans beings were also seen as separated from nature, another “cog in the machine” that could be exploited to fulfil our material desires. This “mechanistic paradigm” has helped our modern civilization to evolve and grow, as never seen in human history. However, the principles and defining characteristics of this paradigm have been ruling our belief system and permeated all levels of society including all institutions, resulting in terrible ecological and social consequences. The fact that human beings are seen as separated from nature, and that nature is there to be exploited for natural resources to serve our needs, has led us to the current Sustainability Challenge that we are facing as a global population. It has been proven nowadays, that the mechanistic perception of the world, goes against the natural functioning of life. So now it is time to change this paradigm and help emerge a new vision for the world...
So now it is time to change this paradigm and help emerge a new vision for the world...
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(Harman 1996), (Teacher’S Guide Design For Sustainability 2012) (Grierson 2017) (Ackoff 2011) (Kuhn 1962) (Capra and Jakobsen 2017).
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Additional Resources: The Sustainability Challenge by Sustainability Illustrated “In this video, you can see a powerful metaphor to explain how important sustainability is in a good and useful way”
Let the environment guide our development by Johan Rockstrom “Human growth has strained the Earth's resources, but our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behaviour. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in protecting our planet's many overlapping ecosystems” (TED 2010).
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Why must I speak about Climate Change by James Hansen: “James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future” (TED 2012)
Links : “Is internationally recognised for its transdisciplinary research. It advances the understanding of complex social-ecological systems and generates new insights and development to improve ecosystem management practices and long-term sustainability” ("Stockholm Resilience Centre" 2019).
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Nonetheless, this emerging worldview is in fact, not so new, but more a very age-old one emerging from an amalgamation of ancient worldviews and a new scientific paradigm. Even if the “mechanistic paradigm� was globally widespread and accepted by many countries and cultures for centuries, this was not the only view. For example, various schools of thought like Buddhism, Zen, Sahaj Mar or Taoism, find the Self (the human being), bounded with nature in a harmonious way. Even more, for many indigenous cultures like Native Americans, Aborigines, Aztecs, Hopis, or Kogis, the environment, people, and spirituality are deeply interconnected. On the contrary to the mechanistic worldview, the universe and nature are seen as alive and sacred, and all beings within it are related and interdependent. Within these cultures, the human role is to preserve and retain a natural balance between the human and nonhuman worlds.
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Therefore, we are now welcoming one of the most exciting periods in human history, called by the Buddhist philosopher Joanna Macy “The Great Turning”, where past and future converge, to give birth to the “Ecological Paradigm”. In addition to the previously named scientific discoveries, other theories, like The General Systems Theory from Bertalanffy, or the Gaia Theory from James Lovelock, are all contributing to building this “Ecological Worldview”. These theories have come to confirm the beliefs of many indigenous and ancient teachings, that the Earth is alive and formed of many interconnected parts. The Earth also operates as a self-regulating system, which strives toward a steady-state condition to favour the existence of life. Since the 1920s, this systems ́ view of the Earth and of life, has been the main topic of discussion in hundreds of dialogues amongst researchers of both the social and natural sciences. Scientists have realised that not only the Earth, but everything in the material world, including all living beings, are parts of an interconnected and interrelated System. In fact, everything in the world organises, behaves and functions as a part of a bigger or smaller system. This understanding of the world as a system, is what has given birth to “Systems Thinking”, the holistic science, behind the “Ecological Worldview”.
Both “Systems Thinking” and the “Ecological Worldview” are vital to understanding life ́s functioning, as “most phenomena we deal with in our professional and personal lives have to do with living systems” (Capra and Jakobsen 2017). Therefore, if we are to re-invent the future of organisations, these need to be understood and operated under this new Systemic Thinking lens. With this understanding, let us look at the fundamental characteristics of the “Ecological-Systemic Worldview”.
4
(McHarg 1969) (Grierson 2017) (Ackoff 2011) (Capra and Jakobsen 2017) (Kuhn 1962) (Crossman 2011) (Du Plessis and Brandon 2015) (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016) (Voigt and Drury 1997).
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◆◆ Wholeness: The world is itself a whole living system. It is made up of open systems. Open systems are a set of interrelated and interconnected parts that operate together for a common purpose, like the human body. Human beings are an integral part of the world, and thus of nature, forming one open system “the socio-ecological system”. ◆◆ Relationships: In this world, all systems interact through different types of relationships. Every system requires “inputs”, which through interactions of the parts, are transformed into “outputs”. These interactions result in, and from, flows of matter, energy, and information that allow the systems to evolve through processes of feedback, adaptation and self-organisation.
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◆◆ Change: In a world that is created through interactions, processes and relationships, change is a constant factor, interdependent on whether it be on a very small or large scale. As the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus stated, “things may appear to be stable, they are actually in an endless process of becoming, in a state of constant flux.'' When the change in a system reaches a certain critical threshold, then the system can evolve irrevocably into a new state. Because systems are complex, ever-changing and function in non-linear dynamics, their behaviour is largely uncertain and unpredictable. ◆◆ Networking: The basic pattern of organization in all living systems, is the network. These networks are self-generating, meaning that each component of the network helps to transform and replace other components, and thus the entire network continually creates or recreates itself while preserving their web-like patterns of organization. Therefore, life evolves through networking.
◆◆ Consciousness & Spirituality: This is the last and newest of all the characteristics. Although, there is now a great debate in the fields of astrophysics and quantum physics around cognition and consciousness. Leading thinkers such as Capra, Maturana and Varela are starting to speak about a Universal mind. If you wish to learn more, you can investigate the “Santiago's theory of cognition”. These topics are very linked with the concept of Spirituality. The fact is that Spirituality is a bridge builder between all of the characteristics named before. Spirituality helps human societies and their structures to relate with the “greater-than-human-world” (Teacher’S Guide Design For Sustainability 2012, 255) with qualities like love, compassion, understanding, reverence for that which nurtures and sustains life. The need to connect with spirituality is key in order to move away from the “ecocide” pattern that humans are embedded in, into the ecocentrism where ‘‘nonhuman nature is seen as inherently valuable, beautiful, and sacred’’ (Crossman 2011, 557). We, as human beings, need to feel this sacredness of the world, as sustaining the environment can also give us spiritual meaning on a deeper level. Maybe by reconnecting with this sacredness, the consciousness of the Universe could once again be experienced.
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So why are these characteristics important for our organisations? Well, because everything we deal with in life, is connected to living systems, our organisations are living systems, thus having these same characteristics. Understanding our organisations, through the “Systems Thinking” lens and the “Ecological Worldview” will allow us to think differently and to have a wider perspective of how the world functions, so as to be better prepared for the rapidly changing future ahead. These six characteristics also act as stepping stones in building a more sustainable and natural world. Only by redesigning our organisations, and many other social systems to become conscious of the natural functioning of life, will we have more of a chance to overcome the Sustainability Challenge. As it's been said, no business, no community and no society, can no longer thrive in a world built on the principles of the “mechanistic paradigm”. So the main goal of this guide, is to raise awareness around the “Ecological Worldview”, and to embed its principles and practices, for re-inventing the future of our organisations. Let us now look at what it means to build sustainable societies and organisations that are fit for the 21st century.
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(Du Plessis and Brandon 2015) (Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018) (Capra and Jakobsen 2017) (Teacher’s Guide Design For Sustainability 2012) (Wallace 2000) (Shrivastava 2010) (Crossman 2011) (Crossman 2003) (Hayward 1999).
“Systems Thinking” and the “Ecological Worldview” will allow us to have a wider perspective of how the world functions so as to be better prepared for the rapidly changing future.
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Additional Resources: L inks :
Video s: Earth Talk- The Systems View of Life by Fritjof Capra “Fritjof Capra describes that such a new understanding of life in terms of complexity, networks, and patterns of organization, has recently emerged at the forefront of science. He emphasizes the new conception of the nature of mind and consciousness, which is one of the most radical philosophical implications of the systemic understanding of life; and the urgency of this new understanding for dealing with our global ecological crisis� (Capra 2019).
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“Choosing Life” by Joanna Macy “Deep Ecology extends an inalienable right to life to all beings. Joanna is a systems theorist, author and lifelong activist. In this talk, she describes how healing the world and healing your heart and soul go hand in hand”(Macy 2019).
"Systems Thinking for a Better World" By Peter Senge “Peter Senge is a Senior Lecturer in Leadership and Sustainability at the MIT. He is the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) and the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization” (Senge 2019).
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“our present epoch is to be viewed as a period of change to a new direction of civilization�
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(Britton et al. 2014) (Whitehead 1967) (Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018) (Capra and Jakobsen 2017) (Sahtouris 1999) (Capra 2019).
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Well, the good news is that this change is already underway. It is just a matter of choosing when and how to embark on this journey. So let's get to work! As Capra and Jakobsen (2017) stated: “to solve our systemic problems, systemic solutions need to be found”. These systemic solutions will emerge from re-designing every man-made system in alignment with the “Ecological Worldview”. To do so, it is crucial to understand what social systems are. Social systems are all human-made structures that give meaning to our societies. Whether we talk about economics, education, healthcare, law, or business, we are dealing with social systems. Under the lens of Systems Thinking, these are all subsystems of the socio-ecological system and depend on it to exist. For example, the “almighty” economic system “is a living system nested in other living systems such as society, nature, and ultimately Gaia, the living Earth” (Capra and Jakobsen 2017, 836). Therefore, any social system is irrevocably interrelated and interdependent with other systems, ecosystems and the Earth. They cannot be understood separately. Consequently, for a society to be sustainable, all social systems must act in the best interest of the whole of society and be in alignment with the Earth’s natural processes. If we look back at the six characteristics of the “Ecological Worldview”, a sustainable society must nurture life ́s networks and relationships by facilitating society ́s and Earth's capacity to self generate and evolve in infinite cycles.
This also implies a revision of our approach to growth, as unlimited growth is impossible in a resource-limited planet. Our economic model, and therefore our business models, require a thorough revision, from a quantitative perspective, to a qualitative one. A sustainable society will ponder qualitative growth and promote fairness, justice, and collaboration, again, as a way to support life self-generating capacity. There are hundreds of new approaches, theories, and tools to change the current economic system, such as conscious capitalism, sacred economics or economy for the common good. These are all pivotal approaches in helping society move towards a more ecologically conscious and a system’s nested paradigm. Finally, and in specific context to this guide, is the focus that needs to be put on the radical revision of how organisations and businesses, as human-made social systems, are currently structured and run. The current organisational model is outdated and is far from aligned with the ecological paradigm. Therefore, let us look briefly now at how current organisational models have been created and how they need to evolve.
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Image2: Economy as a nested system ( Capra and Jakobsen 2017, 836)
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Organisations for the 21st Century7 “Delaying a better world is wrong, and decent board members, employees, consumers and investors want to do the right thing. And if progress is too slow, there may be no viable world to do business in” (Better Business Better World 2017, 17). Our current organisational and business models were created at the time of the first Industrial revolution when the mechanistic worldview was already powerfully established. The mechanical perception of the universe, was extrapolated to the business environment. Companies were designed as machines, where employees were seen as just another piece of machinery, and where specialization of the workforce was seen essential to improve efficiency and lower costs. The lack of care for the wellbeing of the workers made labour unions appear. Companies were owned by single individuals who omnipotently ruled them. This business approach persevered until the beginning of the 20th century (around 1920 ́s) when the quest for economic growth drove business owners to seek investment outside of their companies. Therefore, some companies began to share their control by going public. This gave birth to Corporations, in which there was no longer a single owner, but a group of shareholders. These corporations, with a business approach that seeks profit at all costs and where there is limited liability
for actions, have been greatly responsible for many of the social and ecological challenges that society faces today. These challenges come to demonstrate the malfunctioning of these outdated organisational models, not only in the private sector, but also in the public and notfor-profit sector. Our business worldview is in many ways, still stuck in the old and outdated “mechanistic paradigm”. However, working in the 21st century is completely different from before. Even if business management has innovated in recent years, most managers preserve an understanding of the functioning of a company as a machine and not as an organism - part of a living system. Thus, business development, via traditional lines of thinking, cannot be achieved without serious depletion of human and natural resources. So it is time for business leaders to “let go of the old ways of doing things—keeping the valuable parts and discarding those that harm wider economic, social and environmental systems” (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016, 4).
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Therefore continuing with “business as usual” will not suffice. The organisations that have the potential for thriving in this new century, will be those that have moved into new ways of operating and who have applied new business models. The organisations of the 21st century, are those which make efficient use of natural resources, ensure the wellbeing of all living beings, and fulfil their productive function, generating enough economic outcomes. Additionally, this shift comes with a reward, as the Business Case for Sustainability is already very strong, as “sustainability opens up new opportunities and big efficiency gains; it drives innovation, and it enhances reputations” (Better Business Better World 2017,12). Sustainable development is becoming a mainstream priority for a growing number of markets. Something described as the Sustainability Revolution, “the most significant event in economic history” (The Transformation Of Growth 2017, 7).
Thanks for joining in, it is together that we can make the change happen!!
The question now is, does your organisation want to embark on the Sustainability Revolution and become an organisation for the 21st century? If your answer is “yes”, the next part of this guide will provide you with a practical framework, along with various tools and practices that will help your organisation in moving towards this goal.
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(Better Business Better World 2017) (Ackoff 2011) (Kira and Eijnatten 2008) (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016) (The User’S Guide To The Breakthrough Pitch 2017) (The Transformation Of Growth 2017) (Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018).
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Additional Resources: L inks :
by Donella Meadows: “originally published in 1972, was a groundbreaking study that modelled the dynamics of our human presence on the planet. The team behind it, led by Dennis Meadows, found that continuing with a “business as usual” growth model would likely lead to environmental and economic collapse within a century” (Meadows 2019).
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videos: The Earth is full by Paul Gilding "Have we used up all our resources? Have we filled up all the livable space on Earth? He suggests we have, and the possibility of devastating consequences” (TED 2012).
The route to a sustainable future by Alex Steffen “Worldchanging.com founder, argues that reducing humanity’s ecological footprint is incredibly vital now, as the western consumer lifestyle spreads to developing countries” (TED 2005).
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The state of the climate and what we might do about it by Nicholas Stern “How can we begin to address the global, insidious problem of climate change — a problem that’s too big for any one country to solve? This economist lays out a plan, showing how the world’s countries can work together on climate” (TED 2014).
Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein “Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being” (Eisenstein 2019).
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Natural Capitalism by Sustainability Illustrated “Natural Capitalism is a way of doing business that recognizes the value of natural and human resources and life-supporting ecological services. In a nutshell, natural capitalism means taking good care of the goose that lays the golden egg: what nature provides for your business should be on your balance sheet� (Illustrated 2019).
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Systemic solutions will emerge from re-designing every man-made system in alignment with the “Ecological Worldview�.
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Framework
A Framework for
Re-inventing the Future of Organisations “In order to change an existing paradigm, you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete.� Buckminster R. Fuller.
I
nspired by these wise words from Buckminster R. Fuller, let our journey begin. This guide will provide you with a framework consisting of four stages, Awareness, Motivation, Co-Creation, and Strategizing for Change, which will help you to re-invent the future of your organisation.
In addition, I wish to encourage you, if any topic, tool or stage seems more exciting and applicable to your particular organisation, to deepen your research. This framework is just an introduction to a new way of doing business, and there is so much more out there to support your organization's transformation towards the 21st century.
These stages are the stepping stones to be walked by your organisation and your teams. The intention behind this is, that you walk these steps from the first until the last. However, take into consideration that the journey is different for every organisation, as it varies depending on your particular needs and current situation. Thus, you may choose which stage to apply and when, but be assured that no matter the stages you apply, the insights provided will be highly valuable.
Without further adieu, let's get to work.
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Stage 1: Awareness Our first step on the journey is “Awareness”, because to become aware means:
1. To open your sight, your vision, and your worldview towards what is currently happening in the world. What are the social, environmental and economic challenges being faced? 2. To understand what sustainability really is, in order to be able to create positive value for all Systems. 3. To acknowledge “Systems Thinking” and the “Ecological Worldview”, as the pillars of the new paradigm shift that is occurring, not only from a theoretical perspective but also from a practical one, by implementing its key principles in your organisation.
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However, the evolution of life as we know it, would not have happened without the work from plants. Plant cells are the main reason for life on this planet. They are the only living beings capable of transforming sunlight energy into quality materials (carbohydrates), which then in turn, become food for other plants and animals. Plants and animals depend on each other and form a “Sustainable” cycle, as when animals feed on plants, the residues - “waste” generated gets decomposed and reaches the plant's roots to be turned into food. The importance of this cycle is pivotal, as without it, this planet would just be an uninhabitable place, where no life could survive. Understanding the origins of life on earth, as well as how the plant-animals cycle function, is vital in understanding the nature of Sustainability. Humans owe their existence to the healthy functioning of the Earth's systems, as well as to the right functioning of the plant-animal cycle. Human beings were only able to appear on this planet around 0,5 million years ago, when the world had been transformed by other species, through very slow processes, into a healthy and wealthy environment. And for over 50,000 years, humans and their practices were able to live in harmony inside of the Earth's natural cycles. It wasn't until approximately 300 years ago, when the first Industrial Revolution happened, that human beings broke these natural cycles. Humans discovered the power of fossil fuels and minerals, and vertiginously transformed valuable materials into energy and products, but
with enormous amounts of waste and pollution. As natural cycles are slow, nature was incapable of absorbing these harmful byproducts. And instead of helping nature, humans have continued to waste precious materials, by throwing them away, as if they would somehow disappear. We are going in the direction of turning this planet into what it once was 4500 million years ago, an inhospitable planet, full of messy and toxic material, without value to us and harmful to our health. So all this to say that when human practices are in balance with the Earth's natural cycles, then we are speaking about Sustainability; and when we don’t, we are talking about unsustainable practices. Therefore, Sustainable Development can then be defined, as the practices that humanity needs to perform, in order to move from an unsustainable world, into a sustainable one, where natural cycles and Earth's systems are respected. But in order to become a Sustainable organisation, you first need to start by raising the awareness of your people and teams around what Sustainability is. To do so, this framework starts by giving you some practices, such as the following.
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(Robèrt et al. 2015) ("The Four System Conditions Of A Sustainable Society" 2019).
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Practices to raise Awareness around Sustainability In order to start guiding our teams and organisations towards Sustainable Development, it is key to start opening spaces for conversations around topics like the “Sustainability Challenge”, the “History of Unsustainability”, and the “Ecological Paradigm”. Everyone in the organisation should be aware of these and participate in the debate around these topics. A good practice to do so, is to gather people from your organisation in groups, so as to talk about the “Sustainability Challenge” along with the different social and environmental impacts that people perceive are occurring around the world. For this process to run smoothly, you may need to invite one person from inside, or outside the organisation, to facilitate the process. This person will guide the conversations and invite reflections from the group. It is always convenient to start by giving the group a brief explanation about the purpose of this activity, and the reasons why your organisation is embarking on the sustainable development journey. Furthermore, discussion groups should always work with powerful questions, so as to encourage participation in the debate, as you will see in Practice Nº1.
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Practice Nº1:
Discussion about Social and Environmental Impacts Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes Nº of people: groups of up to 30 people
Process:
◆◆ Choose one person to facilitate this process. ◆◆ On a whiteboard, the facilitator will draw two separate columns, one for Social Impacts and another for Environmental Impacts. ◆◆ The facilitator then invites the participants to write on different sticky notes the answers to these questions, What they believe are the social and environmental challenges that humanity is currently facing? (See Image 3: Social and Environmental Impacts). ◆◆ Participants should also be invited to reflect on how your company is contributing to those impacts. ◆◆ G ive time for participants to write several challenges, and once the time is up, the facilitator will invite participants to place their sticky notes on the board, one by one. ◆◆ I t is important that each participant explains what they wrote and why these challenges are important for them.
◆◆ O nce several responses have been collected, the facilitator will open for a conversation. Participants are invited to share their feelings and opinions about what has been said. Give some minutes for an open group discussion. ◆◆ The facilitator will continue by explaining what the Sustainability Challenges is, and by also introducing the Earth's natural cycles and humans role in breaking these cycles (as explained above). ◆◆ Continue this practice by inviting the group to reflect on how to solve these problems. A good powerful question to work with is: How could we help to solve these problems if we had all the money, resources and power in the world? ◆◆ Close the practice by collectively picking out some of the best or more creative solutions. ◆◆ E nd by thanking the group for their participation.
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Image 3: Social and Environmental Impacts
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This practice is a good icebreaker in order to spark initial conversations on the topic of sustainability. However, having conversations about sustainability is not enough. An organisation that wishes to embed Sustainability into its core practices, needs to work with specific tools that help in making the right choices and decisions. Nowadays, there are several diverse approaches and tools that your organisation could use, such as Circular Economy or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG´s). However, in my opinion, the more useful tool for applying Sustainability in our organisations is the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and its 4 Sustainability Principles by “The Natural Step”. This framework and its 4 Principles, were developed in the 1980s by a group of Swedish Scientists, who considered Earth's evolution, Earth's natural cycles and Systems Thinking, as cornerstones into the definition of sustainability. From this point, they studied how different human practices had been breaching these cycles, resulting in diverse environmental and social impacts. They discovered that all these impacts could be grouped into 4 main categories. Thus, they concluded that for a society to be sustainable, and function within Earth's natural cycles, it had no other option, but to minimize or eliminate completely, its impacts on these 4 areas. As a result, the “4 Sustainability Principles” were outlined. These are as follows:
In a sustainable society, people and organisations must eliminate their contributions...
SP1...to increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the lithosphere (for example, by extracting heavy metals and fossil fuels, etc.) SP2...to increasing concentrations of chemical substances produced by society (for example, by producing CO2 gases, dioxins, PCBs and DDT compounds etc.) SP3...to increasing the degradation of nature and natural processes (for example, by over harvesting forests, destroying habitat, overfishing, etc.) SP4...to undermining people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs, in relation to health, impartiality, influence, competence, and meaning-making, (for example by creating unsafe working conditions or not paying enough to live on, etc.)
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These principles act as limiting factors. Therefore, when your organisation wishes to make decisions that are socially and environmentally sustainable, each decision or action needs to be in compliance with these 4 Principles. When your organisation ́s actions are aligned with these principles, you can say that the company is moving in a sustainable direction. Although these principles might seem a bit complex in the beginning, they become more clear when putting them into practice. We will look at more practices in relation to these principles in Practice Nº6: Systems Value Chain & The Sustainability Principles, in the upcoming section. For now, as we are still introducing the topic of Sustainability to your people and teams through practices that raise awareness, let us now look at Practice Nº2. This practice, similar to Nº1, seeks to be an introduction to the topic of Sustainability, but this time, by presenting the “4 Sustainability Principles”. This practice is ideal as a continuation of Practice Nº1, because the Social and Environmental challenges when grouped, serve to give the reasoning behind the creation of the 4 Principles.
When your organisation ́s actions are aligned with the 4 Principles, then your company is moving in a sustainable direction.
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Practice Nº2:
The 4 Sustainability Principles by The Natural Step (Robèrt et al. 2015) Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes Nº of people: groups of up to 30 people
Process:
◆◆ Choose a facilitator to guide this process. This person will start the session by giving an introduction to the story of the Earth’s evolution and the sustainable cycle between animals and plants. Include an explanation about the Earth ́s main systems: Lithosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere (See Image 4: Facilitation of the Earth's cycles and systems). ◆◆ Continue by inviting participants to place the Social and Environmental Impacts found in Practice Nº1 in a drawing of the Earth ́s main systems. ◆◆ Continue by introducing the 4 Sustainability Principles, by linking the social and environmental impacts to them. ◆◆ Explain each of the Sustainability Principles: What do they mean? (See Image 5: Sustainability Principles)
◆◆ Invite participants to give examples for each of them, such as: ▶▶ What are substances extracted from the lithosphere? These are heavy metals (aluminium, copper) and fossil fuels (oil, gas)... ▶▶ What are substances produced by society? (These are chemicals (PCBs and DDT´s) or emissions (CO2, dioxins). ▶▶ What means the degradation of nature and natural processes? (over harvesting forests, destroying habitat and overfishing); ▶▶ What practices undermine people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs? (unsafe working conditions, and not enough pay to live on).
◆◆ Conclude by inviting participants to further reflect on your organisation's contribution to the violations of these principles.
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Image 4: Facilitation of the Earth's cycles and systems
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Image 5: Sustainability Principles
("The Four System Conditions Of A Sustainable Society" 2019, Robèrt et al. 2015)
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These two practices should have helped to get closer to the objectives of Stage 1, which are to 1) to open up the vision towards the social and environmental challenges being currently faced in the world; 2) to understand what sustainability really is; 3) and to start seeing your organization, as part of the problem and also as a part of the solution. With this understanding, we are ready to move towards another objective of this Stage 1, which is to acknowledge “Systems Thinking” and the “Ecological Worldview”, as the pillars of the new paradigm shift that is occurring, not only from a theoretical perspective, but also from a practical one. We will do this by implementing its key principles in your organisation.
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Additional Resources about Sustainability: L inks : By the Stockholm Resilience Center: “This is a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come, based on the nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system� ("Planetary Boundaries" 2019).
videos:
Sustainability explained with simple natural science by Sustainability Illustrated
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Planetary and social boundaries by Oxfam “The Doughnut Economics is a visual framework for sustainable development – shaped like a doughnut – by combining the concept of planetary boundaries with the complementary concept of social boundaries” (Raworth 2019).
Additional Resources about the Sustainability Principles: L inks : By The Natural Step: “the 4 Principles provide explicit guidance for any individual or any organization interested in moving towards sustainability” ("The Four System Conditions Of A Sustainable Society" 2019).
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By Manfred Max Neef: This is a book about the exploration of basic human needs and the ways they can be satisfied. It offers a new perspective on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Max-Neef 1991).
By Merlina Missimer: “This research explores the general field of social sustainability� (Missimer 2015).
Vi deo : 4 Principles to Win the Sustainability 'Game' by Sustainability Illustrated
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All these systems interact with each other through relationships, thanks to the exchange of “inputs” and “outputs”, such as matter, energy and information. The flow of these “inputs” and “outputs”, allow the systems, and so the organisation, to change, self-organise and evolve. Even more, feedback processes are the systems ́ way of responding to the flow of “inputs” and “outputs”, which give important information about your organisation ́s functioning and its capacity to adapt to change. Becoming aware of your organisation ́s performance as a system is vital, because in this 21st century, you will be facing highly changeable environments. So by understanding these facts, (parts, relationships, networks and feedback) you will have more opportunity to improve your organisation's capacity for adaptation, therefore making your organisation more “resilient”. Thus, when building organisations for the 21st century, it is important to start thinking in terms of systems, networks, relationships, change, feedback, flows and inputs and outputs. But, how do we do this? Let us now look at a practice that can help.
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( Fu t u r e F i t B e n c h m a r k : Methodology Guide 2018) (Robèrt et al. 2015).
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Practice to raise Awareness around Systems Thinking: “Systems Thinking” is very much about observation, by having a bigger picture of reality, where many more pieces are taken into consideration. So the invitation now is to do a practice called Stakeholder Mapping. Stakeholder Mapping is meant to raise awareness on the different relationships, networks, and exchanges of “inputs” and “outputs” that your organisation has with its different stakeholders. The challenge with this practice is not only to map the most obvious stakeholders, such as employees, suppliers or customers, but to also observe and become aware of the wider system of stakeholders that surround your organisation, such as the political system, the energy system, or the transport system. These other systems will vary depending on the type of your organisation. Another challenge here is to map quantitative inputs and outputs, as well as qualitative. If you are a food company, for example, you might be exchanging intangible and qualitative outputs with customers like knowledge, satisfaction, wellbeing; and other quantitative such as food.
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“Systems Thinking� is very much about observation, by having a bigger picture of reality.
The last challenge is around mapping critical relationships and negative dependencies. A critical relationship is one that your company really depends on to function. To continue with the example of the food company, your organisation might have a critical dependency on the meat production industry, and a negative dependency on the worldwide soya production, as this is the main food for the cows that supply the meat your company is serving. So if the prices of the worldwide soya production were to increase, your organisation would be negatively impacted. By applying a systemic lens to your organisation you will have a better understanding of the relationships and networks you are part of and you ultimately depend upon. You will begin to understand what value your company is really creating for society and the whole world, so as to identify emerging market opportunities, as well as your negative contributions and dependencies to and on other systems. Finally, you will also become aware of your feedback processes so as to improve your capacity for adaptation and self-organisation in constantly changing environments. Let's then proceed with Practice NÂş3: Stakeholder Systems Mapping.
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Practice Nº3:
Stakeholder Systems Mapping Duration: 2 hours Nº of people: groups up to 30 people, or less
Process:
◆◆ As a group, sketch a drawing of your project/ organisation by mapping all your stakeholders and systems. Remember to map the most obvious, as well as the systems surrounding your organisation, such as the political system, the energy system, or the transport system. ◆◆ Map the relationships, networks, connections, exchanges of “inputs” and “outputs” (both qualitative and quantitative, like knowledge, resources etc.) between your organisation and its stakeholders and wider systems. ◆◆ Draw, if possible, the feedback processes ("Feedback" 2019). ◆◆ And finally, try to identify critical relationships and possible negative dependencies.
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Image 6: Organisation 's main stakeholders (Robèrt et al. 2015, 146)
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Image 7: Simple Stakeholder Map for the Traffic citation System
("Stakeholder Mapping The Traffic Ticket System" 2019)
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Working with systems thinking, is not an easy task. It demands practice. My invitation is that you create your own system mapping tools and practices. Systems mapping can be done for many organisational processes, such as marketing campaigns, or product design. Systems mapping, helps us to become more aware of important market opportunities and potential leverage points - key places to intervene in our system with small force that has a big impact on the behaviour of the whole system. Nonetheless, this is just the beginning. Let's continue to dive deeper into “Systems Thinking” as a pillar for creating “Systems Value”.
Systems mapping can be done for many organisational processes.
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Additional Resources about Systems Thinking: L inks :
A resourceful webpage full of interesting articles and practices about systems thinking ("The Systems Thinker" 2019).
“An online free course to learn more about how a systems approach works, or how to gain clarity about the complexity in your system to identify specific points in the system where you can make a big impact� ("Systems Practice" 2019).
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(Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018) (Reed 2007) ("Value Chain" 2019) ("Value Proposition" 2019) (Porter and Kramer 2011) (Robèrt et al. 2015).
“shared value” was coined (Porter and Kramer 2011). This approach considers businesses, society and the environment, to be at the same level and to be of equal importance. However, with the emergence of the “Ecological Worldview” and “Systems Thinking”, “shared value” evolved. We are now certain that businesses are smaller systems dependent on other larger systems, such as society and the environment. Therefore, these three cannot be seen as equally important, because business should be at the service of these larger systems and create products and services that not only go against creating harm, but that can even help in the process of repairing the damage that businesses have caused over the past 300 years. This is called creating “System Value” (See Image 8: Systems Value).
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Image 8: Systems Value
(Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018, 12)
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The problem with the approaches of “shareholder value” and “shared value” is that they lack a “Systems Thinking” perspective. Most products and services created and delivered with such a business approach, are creating many of the social and environmental challenges we are facing today. One of the reasons is that the organisations with these approaches, do not see themselves as living systems that depend on bigger and more important systems in order to function. Therefore, the way they understand Value Creation and therefore value chains, is one of a linear-mechanical-cause and effect process. An organization's value chain has been defined as “a set of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver a valuable product or service for the market” ("Value Chain" 2019). The value chain includes all internal activities within the organisation such as human resources and marketing; and external activities like inbound and outbound logistics (See Image 9: Michael´s Porter Value Chain).
"Shareholder value” and “shared value” approaches are creating many of the social and environmental challenges we are facing today.
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Image 9: Michael´s Porter Value Chain ("Value Chain Analysis" 2019)
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Original Value Chains had to evolve, to adapt to a systems-based world, turning into “value systems”.
This original value chain, coined by Michael Porter, has been in necessary evolution over the recent years. This is due to the organisation's performance in a systems-based world, where they are highly dependent on many other systems to provide value for society. Therefore, value chains were enlarged to include whole supply chains and distribution networks of an organisation. The synchronized interaction of different value chains, for delivering a product or service, created what is called the “extended value chain” or the “value system”. “A value system includes the value chains of a firm's suppliers (and their suppliers all the way back - upstream), the firm itself, the firm distribution channels, and the firm's buyers (and presumably extended to the buyers of their products, and so on - downstream)” ("Value Chain" 2019) (See Image 10: An organization's value system).
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Image 10: An organization's value system ("Value Networks" 2019)
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Even if this “value system” approach has a more “Systems Thinking” understanding through its consideration of both the downstream (suppliers) and upstream (distributors and clients) value systems, it is still not sufficient under the “Ecological Paradigm”, due to... Traditional “value creation” and “value chains” are, in fact, neglecting two critical points. The first being that whilst “value” is created along the value chain, organisations are in many ways delivering as well many negative byproducts like waste, emissions or social inequality. Value creation happens at the expense of both the social and the natural system. The second is that “value chains” tend to disregard three key stages: the “material extraction stage - the way in which raw materials are generated”; the “usage stage - the way in which consumer uses our product”; and “disposal stage - the way in which products are disposed of in terms of their waste treatment. If organisations were to consider these stages, organisations would be able to see the responsibility that they had for the negative social and environmental impacts worldwide. Then through this awareness, the product/service design would be done in a different way.
This is the core focus of both The Circular Economy and The Blue Economy. In these methods, waste is no longer seen as something alien to organisations, but as something valuable, that needs to be reintegrated in the “value chain”, in possible infinite cycles of use, and reuse. Nevertheless, let us move on to two practices that can help your organisation to raise awareness on value creation, value chains and System Value.
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Practices in raising Awareness in Creating Systems Value: The first practice that we are going to explore, is the “Stakeholder Mapping & Value Proposition”. The goal of this practice is to help your company understand how it is creating and delivering value for its different stakeholders. Remember that value creation is at the core of any organisation. And that value creation under the “Ecological Worldview”, and the “Systems Thinking” lens, is focused on how your organisation produces and delivers value for all systems, including the wider social and environmental systems. System Value creation is also about finding several ways in which your company can solve its stakeholders ́ pains and headaches, without damaging the larger systems it depends on. Be aware that this is not an easy task; as our traditional business models, our society and our economic systems have been, for many years, designed in opposition to this perspective. Nonetheless, this practice is a good starting point for reflection and identification of potential innovative solutions.
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Practice Nº4:
Stakeholder Mapping and Value Proposition Duration: 3 hours Nº of people: groups up to 30 people
Process:
◆◆ Sketch on a whiteboard your organisation's stakeholders, as done in Practice Nº3. ◆◆ This time include two new stakeholders: the Earth and Society. ◆◆ For each stakeholder group, reflect and note down what you consider are the pains and headaches experienced by the group - what is this group worried about? For example, if your organisation is providing sustainable energy, the pains of your clients might be: finding renewable sources for electricity supply for their electronic devices, or seeking for thermal comfort in winter. A pain of the Earth, could be the overuse of non-renewable energy resources, or the pollution and waste generated by the production of batteries, needed for renewable energy use. ◆◆ Invite participants to write on different sticky notes, as many pain points as possible. ◆◆ If needed, break your stakeholder groups into smaller ones. ◆◆ Make an extensive list of all the possible pain points, which could be directly, or indirectly related to your business. ◆◆ Once the process of identification of pains and headaches has concluded, try to find multiple ways of solving them. What are the solutions for this headache? Consider solutions that may, or may not be accessible to your organisation.
◆◆ Invite participants to write on different sticky notes all the different solutions. Once done, place all of them on the whiteboard under each of the stakeholder ́s pain points. ◆◆ Now, invite participants to observe the findings using a “Systems Thinking” lens: What are the connections, relationships, patterns or leverage points in this system map? Are there any pain points common to several stakeholders? Is there any solution that responds to several pain points of several stakeholders? ◆◆ Now think about your company's product or services: ▶▶ How good are they in solving most of these pain points? ▶▶ How may your company be contributing to generating new pain points? ▶▶ Is there any simple solution to many of the pain points that our organisation can easily solve by making small changes to our product or service? ▶▶ Can we prototype a new, simple and viable product/servicesas a way to solve a group of “headaches”? ▶▶ Could we collaborate with other stakeholders to create the best solutions (value) possible?
◆◆ Finalise the practice by reflecting on the process and its main findings.
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The goal is to help your organisation understand its “value chain” with a “Systems Value” perspective.
The second practice (Nº5) to raise awareness on Systems Value is the “System Value Chain”. The goal of this practice is to help your organisation understand its “value chain” with a “Systems Value” perspective. As it was mentioned before, traditional “value chains” tend to disregard some critical stages and don't take into consideration the byproducts generated from the organisation ś process for production and delivery. Therefore, this practice is designed in solving this.
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Practice Nº5:
The Systems Value Chain Duration: 3 hours Nº of people: groups up to 30 people.
Process:
◆◆ On a whiteboard, draw your organisation's value chain as systemic as possible, including stages like your Material Extraction, Transportation, Operations, Sales, Usage and End of Product (Waste) (See Image 11: Systems Value Chain Stages). ◆◆ For all the stages, invite participants to write on different sticky notes, two things: 1) How is value created at this stage - what are the “inputs” needed to create value, both quantitative and qualitative? 2) What are the “outputs” and undesirable byproducts (waste and emissions) generated as a consequence? (See Image 12: Business Operations Stage). ◆◆ Now, include in your System Value Chain, two of your most relevant stakeholders: the Earth and Society. For each of these, invite participants to list on different sticky notes two things: 1) What are the “inputs” needed that depend on these systems? (for example: from Society, we need awareness about environmental issues or
technological advancements); 2) What are the “outputs” and undesirable byproducts generated that have an impact on these systems? (for example, social inequality, as renewable energy resources are available for a small margin of people in the Society). ◆◆ Finalise the practice by reflecting on the process and its main findings: Have any relevant insights emerged? What are the critical relationships and possible negative dependencies of your organisation? Have any innovative “outputs” been found that help to create “Systems Value”?
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Image 11: Systems Value Chain Stages
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Image 12: Business Operations Stage
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These two practices should have helped your team and organisation to understand your dependencies on the upstream and downstream stages of your “value chain”. As well as to better understand the positive, or negative social and environmental impacts, of your organisation’s process in “value creation”. In addition, you may have identified new and innovative ways of creating positive value, at different stages. Having understood the importance of identifying the “inputs” and “outputs” of your company in order to create value, you are now ready to take a deeper step forward into the process. Although this process of value identification is essential, it is not enough under the lens of an “Ecological Paradigm”. As well as this, organisations of the 21st century, need to be able to make sustainable strategic decisions. In order to do this, the “4 Sustainability Principles” may act as a measurement yardstick, for your different products and services. When your operations, as well as your activities, both upstream and downstream your value chain, are analysed using these principles, then your organisation is prepared to make better choices that are both socially and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, the invitation now is to do the same practice as before, but this time, using the “4 Sustainability Principles” in order to identify, at every stage of the value chain, the possible “violations” in relation to these sustainability principles. A “violation” to a Sustainability Principle, means that your organisation, at a specific stage of the value chain, is
negatively contributing to one of the boundaries in which the principles state. This could be for example: SP1: by extracting fossil fuels needed for the machinery to manufacture a specific product. SP2: by augmenting the concentrations of chemicals produced by society, such as the CO2 emitted by this same machinery, or the chemical products needed to produce a specific product. SP3: by inappropriate use of water management during manufacturing. Or SP4: by undermining people’s capacity to meet their basic needs, such as not implementing sufficient safety regulations, into a risky work environment. Therefore, our next Practice (Nº6) is called the “Systems Value Chain & The Sustainability Principles”.
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Practice Nº: 6
Systems Value Chain & The Sustainability Principles Duration: 3 hours Nº of people: groups up to 30 people
Process:
◆◆ On a whiteboard, draw your organisation's value chain as systemic as possible, including stages like your Material Extraction, Transportation, Operations, Sales, Usage and Disposal. ◆◆ Then, at each of the value chain stages, identify which sustainability principle your company is violating (See Image 13: Sustainability Principles analysis for a chemical company). ◆◆ If you are not sure about the possible “violation”, just write a “?” as a way to find out later.
◆◆ If you have positive practices that do not violate the principles, also note them down. ◆◆ Finalise the practice by reflecting on the process and its main findings: Have any relevant insights emerged? What are the most important violations to the 4 Sustainability Principles? Have you been able to see your organisations responsibility in terms of social and environmental impacts along your whole Systems Value Chain? What could be change in your processes and activities to change these negative impacts?
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Image 13: Sustainability Principles analysis for a chemical company
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To conclude, all these practices are meant to support your organisation in understanding how it is creating value, not only for your clients, but also for Society and all natural systems. You would have also identified your organisation's critical dependencies on unsustainable operations and materials, as well as your responsibility for how your products or services are manufactured, transported, used and disposed of. With the support of “Systems Thinking” and the “4 Sustainability Principles”, your organisation is now more prepared to make more appropriate and sustainable choices that generate Systems Value, in order to reinvent the future of your organisation.
Framework
Make more appropriate and sustainable choices that generate Systems Value.
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Additional Resources about Systems Value L inks :
Vi deo:
By the Ellen Macarthur Foundation: This is the leading organisation in promoting the Circular Economy and its practices ("What Is The Circular Economy?" 2019).
Is a book and a model created by Günter Pauli, “that responds to human basic needs of all, introducing innovations inspired by nature, generating multiple benefits, including jobs and social capital, offering more with less” ("The Blue Economy" 2019).
Regenerative Design by Daniel Christian Wahl: This is an approach that invites our organisations to move from a sustainable development perspective into a regenerative perspective, in which, organisations would deliver value to society by creating business models that regenerates and revert the damages produced by society in the last 300 years (Wahl 2019).
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Stage 2: Motivation As it has been mentioned before, the symptoms of general system’s breakdown, are everywhere, from politics to economics. The Sustainability Challenge is inviting millions of people from all over the world to question the way in which social structures and societies have been designed. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are now willing and ready not to look away, and who want to put their hands to work in creating a more sustainable world. Besides, the “western culture’s” promises of happiness, are not fulfilling many people ́s expectations. With bigger houses, faster cars, and a collection of useless items or “stuff”, we are realising that our deepest existential questions, are not being answered by material possessions. We are starting to pay attention to a deeper inner call, coming from within us. And, it is not only the new generations who do not seem “to fit” in this modern world, but also a much larger international community. Tens of millions of people are embarking on a journey of personal transformation. Now, these millions of people are starting to seek life’s meaning, by asking themselves very powerful questions, such as: What are my real life expectations? Am I living up to my values? And are the organisational structures that I am part of, aligned with my expectations and values? These two facts of people's desire for action in creating a more sustainable world, as well as the new levels of people searching for personal
self-fulfilment, are key in our journey for re-inventing the future of organisations. Furthermore, these two are not only key, but also interconnected and interdependent. The question now is: Is it possible to create organisations that support the process of personal self-fulfilment, whilst helping to build a more meaningful and sustainable future for the world? Well, this is not only possible but necessary. In order to do this, we need to overcome fear. Many people, and therefore organisations, believe that if we open the space for personal development in our working environments, chaos will take over. That is why for hundreds of years in the history of organizations there has been an invisible line that separates professional from personal environments. The time has come, for turning organisations into the places where people show up authentically, happily, and fearless, so that they can transform into motivated and empowered individuals who recognise themselves as powerful actors of change. This is the reason why our second Stage in our journey for re-inventing the future of organisations is called “Motivation”. “Motivation”, on the contrary to “Awareness”, is a journey about the individual - the people. As it was mentioned before, your people are the parts of your system that give meaning to your organisation, thus without their individual development, transformation at the organisational level cannot happen.
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Organisational development in the new “Ecological Paradigm” will thrive.
Framework
The previous stage was focused on raising the awareness of our teams, on the importance of shifting our worldview, towards a more sustainable one. However, awareness is not enough. We must seek for the self-realisation of all the people in our organisations, so as to unleash the new form of spiritual, systemic and environmental leadership that our current times desperately require. Once this kind of leadership is recognised, encouraged and nurtured, organisational development in the new “Ecological Paradigm” will thrive. Therefore, the goal of the “Motivation” Stage, is to help the people in your organisation to feel fulfilled, empowered and committed, so as to be able to lead the changes that are demanded in order to address the Sustainability Challenge. Let us now begin.
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beings through practices found in our modern civilization. So discovering our Ecological Self through self-realisation will help us to shift our point of view from one of egocentrism, to ecocentrism. But this journey is going to demand from us that we move away from the ego self and into the social self. Or moving from “me” to “we”. “This is a basic process of realising the nature of our being, and the manner in which we relate to each other. However, an obvious problem is that we normally underestimate ourselves because of a narrow ego” (Wang 2016, 1258). So as you can imagine, individual transformation is not an easy journey. It demands that we gain awareness of our ego-self, in order to stop our inner voice of judgment. It also demands that we question our mental models, as well as our practices or actions. If we remain in a place of openness, by relating naturally with ourselves and others, an open connection to the world will follow. As a consequence, a new type of awareness-based collective action will emerge, “which allows for fast, flexible, and fluid
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coordination and decision-making that are far more adaptive and co-creative than any other organizational model currently being used in major societal institutions” (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013,17). Thus, empowering individual transformation, in an organisation of the 21st century, is one that puts in place the right structures, processes and practices that allow people to:
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(Wang 2016) (Harman 1996) (Naess 1995) (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013) (Holifield 2013) (Maslow 1970) (Britton et al. 2014) (Næss, Glasser and Drengson 2005) (Laloux 2014) (Ramos and Gallego 2019).
Framework
◆◆ Gain awareness of the ego-self to overcome the voice of judgement. ◆◆ Question personal and organisational mental models that allow for the emergence of awareness-based collective action. ◆◆ Seek for individual self-realisation in order to find each one's ́ life purpose and to align it with the organisation's ́ operations and purpose. ◆◆ Reconnect with the Ecological Self, in order to unleash collective environmental leadership.
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Practices for Empowering Individual Transformation Individual transformation can be empowered by creating spaces for questioning and silence. Every 21st-century organisation, should create spaces for people to question their own mental models and be able to ask themselves powerful existential questions, such as, what is my real life purpose? What is my role in this organisation, so I can best contribute? And what are my true core values? In order to this, silence is the most powerful tool. Silence allows people to learn to distinguish between the voice of the ego, and the voice of inner wisdom. But this is not an easy task. Nonetheless, nowadays there are numerous practices that help, such as meditation, mindfulness, and deep listening, etc. (See Image 14: Meditation practice before a meeting). Creating spaces for questioning means that your organisation includes practices like the ones just mentioned, as part of your organization's work processes. This could be having a weekly group meditation where everyone is invited to join; or organising a “silence-day” once per year, where everyone works in silence for a day. Or it could be inviting people for a 3-minute deep listening practice, before any work-related meeting. One Practice Nº7 that would allow you to this is the following.
Image 14: Meditation practice before a meeting
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Practice Nº 7: Deep Listening
Duration: 3 minutes Nº of people: Individual - before starting any organisational meeting
Process:
1. “Sit peacefully and feel where your body connects with whatever is physically supporting you right now; whether that be the ground, a chair or a cushion. 2. Feel the weight of your body and notice how the earth supports it. No matter what you are sitting in, it is made from earth in one way or the other. The gravity that holds you there, was created with the beginning of the universe. You are now sitting in universal power. This power holds you unconditionally. It's known as unconditional love, as it accepts every part of your body, mind, heart and soul.
3. Become aware of your breath. Listen to the difference to the in breath and the out breath. This tone is unique to you. This is how the universe sounds when it plays and sings through your body. You are entirely connected to all that is, was and will be in the universe. You are at one. 4. Become aware of the slight difference in temperature, between the in and out breaths.
This difference is what you give to the universal and instinctive act of breathing. However, the heat involved in that change comes straight from the sun. It is warming up life through your body, and you are a channel for this process. You are now the energy of the sun and the changes in the air; unique and universal at precisely the same time. There is no fundamental distinction between you and nature, but you are also that unique differentiation of tone and temperature. 5. Now listen to the drumbeat of your heart. This began when you were a foetus in the womb. It continued when you were born and will stay with you until you die. It beats a particular rhythm and sound. This is you. 6. Finally, just sit quietly and listen. Listen to what wants to emerge in you. * Exercise extracted from the article “Listening as an act of collective co-creation” by Virgilio Varela.
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Another way to empower individual transformation is to create spaces for people to reconnect with nature. The Tao Te Ching (1963), written by the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, says that men can only perceive the laws of nature, only when he has a peaceful mind. He continues that when this happens, we can act out the original nature of the self. When humans’ see themselves as part of nature, people become less selfish and begin to realise their true potential. “To learn from nature requires that we turn toward it, patiently witness and accompany it” (Holifield 2013). Creating spaces for reconnecting with nature, means that your organisation offers its people activities, such as organising day trips to natural spaces, where they can do practices such as a “Vision Quest”. This is what is now proposed in the following practice (Nº8):
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When humans’ see themselves as part of nature, people begin to realise their true potential
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Practice Nº 8: Vision Quest
Duration: 4 hours Nº of people: Individual - as a part of a group/team “day trip” activity
Process:
1. “For a period of at least 4 hours, leave your office and go out somewhere in nature. 2. Once there, don't plan ahead where you will go, just walk around in silence and let your instincts and your “intuition" carry you. Just wander around. 3. Do this alone, in silence. This is very important! If you meet people you know, you may talk to them for a few minutes, but no longer than that. Continue on your way. 4. While you wander, concentrate on some questions about yourself, something you want to know about yourself, or some problems you have been experiencing in your life. You could simply focus on the question "Who am I?" Or any similar question. Think, reflect, ponder on these questions - but also let your mind "drift." 5. The whole time, keep in mind that you are on a "quest." You are looking, waiting, expecting something. Something will happen. There will be a sign that will give you an insight into the
question. It could be something that happens to you, something you see or hear. The world out there will give you the sign! 6. Take along a notebook, or some paper and a pen. Every half an hour, sit down and write. Note the time, the place and what has happened. Write your reactions to what is happening to you. Write down your thoughts, feelings, and insights”. 7. Finish this activity by gathering every member of the team around a circle, inviting people to share any powerful experiences they had, or just simply remain in silence for a while, all together. Give at least 2 minutes per person to express themselves. * Exercise extracted from “The vision quest” by John Suler PhD (Suler 2019).
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systemic leadership, then it is necessary to view your organisation as a spiritual entity - an inspirational workplace where humans can find life's meaning and purpose, and where decision making is always intended to benefit not only the workforce but also to wider society. When this is pursued, systemic and spiritual leadership will provide your people with invaluable qualities, such as stewardship, humility, volunteerism, compassion, and connectedness. These are behaviours and attitudes that have the enormous potential ‘‘to transform the workplace into something remarkable” (Crossman 2011, 561). Once you have stepped into the field of systemic leadership, your organisation will be filled with motivated and empowered individuals who recognise themselves as powerful actors of change. Who Are able to transform themselves, the people and the organisations they are part of, which entail will impact the whole society. “Personal, organizational, and whole-society transformation are all connected. We can't really understand one without the other; and when there is enough individual and organizational change, the social and global system will be under irresistible pressure to change” (Harman 1996,73). Nonetheless, there is something else to consider. If we are to face and overcome the global challenges, “we must learn to think together in an integrated, synergistic fashion, rather than in the old fragmented
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and competitive ways” (Macy 1995, 21). Considering this, organisations of the 21st century, need to create the appropriate structures, processes and activities that help systemic leaders develop their ability to work collaboratively. Your organisation needs to build motivation for shared leadership. Shared leadership is very connected to the “Systems view of Life” and the characteristics of the “Ecological Worldview”. Organisations with shared leadership, are those where people:
◆◆ Are interrelated and interconnected and who operate together for a common purpose (Wholeness). ◆◆ Create relationships that are professional, and also personal, so as to generate trustworthiness, motivation and wellbeing, as well as the capacity to learn and evolve through processes of feedback (Relationships).
The question now is: What are the practices that will help achieve these qualities in your teams, so as to unleash shared leadership in your organisation? Well, let us remember that at the beginning of this section (Stage 2), it was mentioned that “Motivation” was a journey of the individual. Therefore we are now going to look at some practices that are more focused on individual self-realisation, wellbeing and self-empowerment. In further sections, we will look at practices oriented towards the collective - the group.
◆◆ View change as a constant factor, and therefore are more capable to respond to sudden changes and even when changes are irrevocable, they are able to adapt to this new state more harmoniously (Change). ◆◆ Organise as a network, where power is distributed, so as to have a greater capacity for self-generation, self-management and collaboration (Networking).
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Practices to Unleash Shared Leadership Shared leadership can be unleashed by creating spaces for sharing, where people come together to speak the truth of their experience of this world, where they can openly share their personal feelings, challenges, and fears etc. These spaces, help to nurture personal bonding, and interconnectedness. These practices ultimately lead to the practice of empathy, the bedrock for systems-change. Deep listening and suspension of judgement, are vital. Systemic leaders, need to be able to place themselves in the shoes of people, with very different worldviews and perspectives. “Greater freedom in the mind of the self expands the greater capacity of identification with others” (Wang 2016, 1260). Creating spaces for sharing includes practices such as “Circles of Sharing” Practice Nº9: Circles of Sharing. Circles of Sharing are places where people can come together in groups, to reflect constructively on their personal thoughts, as well as to challenge any assumptions and worldviews. Circles of Sharing are also spaces for appreciating and sharing emotions and feelings. These are spaces where people come together to speak their truth and reflect on what is really happening around a topic, event, or conflict etc. To explore beyond traditional thinking.
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(Emerson 1841) (Fry, Vitucci and Cedillo 2005) (Harman 1996) (Shrivastava 2010) (Crossman 2011) (Crossman 2003) (Wallace 2000) (Ramos and Gallego 2019) (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013) (Sahtouris 1999) (Naess 1995) (Macy 1995) (Macy 2014) (Capra 2019) (Suler 2019) (Jaworski 2019) (Laloux 2014).
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Practice Nº9: Circles of Sharing
Duration: this is a weekly practice 1-1.5 hours (this may differ between organisations) Nº of people: in groups of 20 - 25 people
Process:
1. Create groups of people from either the same department/area or from different ones. This will depend on the topic or the specific need of that Circle of Sharing. Some circles demand diversity and others more privacy, like those which seek to explore a conflict deeper. 2. For one and a half hours, meet with your peers in a quiet room, where everyone sits in a circle. 3. Frame the purpose of the circle with one or several generative questions. A generative question cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no”. This will help in having more meaningful conversations. 4. If the Circle of Sharing is meant to deal with conflict, remember that these circles are not meant for debates or arguments, so use the support of a facilitator, and invite participants to communicate constructively and peacefully.
5. It is convenient to use a “talking piece”, an object that provides boundaries for people to have “talking turns”, this is key, as the idea of Circles of Sharing is that everyone in the circle is invited to speak and be heard. 6. Make the most of the moments of silence, which can encourage valuable time for personal reflection. 7. Towards the end of the activity, take some moments to express any gratitude, or insights that people might have had. 8. Close the activity by reminding attendants, that Circles of Sharing are spaces for privacy, so everything that has been expressed during the circle, should stay within the circle.
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Image 15: Circles of Sharing
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Another way to help unleash shared leadership in your organisation is to create spaces for self-management. These spaces are meant to empower people, as well as to encourage networking and the redistribution of power within an organisation. “The widespread lack of motivation we witness in many organisations is a devastating side effect of the unequal distribution of power… What if we could create organisational structures and practices that didn't need empowerment because, by design, everybody was powerful and no one was powerless” (Laloux 2014, 63). Self-management is an approach that comes to profoundly question the beliefs of power distribution through hierarchical structures that have been ruling organisations for the past 300 years. More and more, new organisational structures based on the “Systems view of Life”, have been emerging around the world. The practice chosen now is intended to help people in your organisations feel more motivated and fulfilled, as well as to promote people's wellbeing and collaboration, outside the traditional working departments and roles. This practice is called “Self-Organised Teams” Practice Nº10. “Self-organised teams” are that which organise different activities for the rest of the people in the organisation, related to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. People in your organisation, are invited to freely join the different “self-organised teams”. It is convenient to form these teams with diverse people that work in different departments of the organisation. These people will meet, as a part of their organisational duties and working schedule, to plan and coordinate the activities.
There are four teams suggested, but each organisation can create its own, depending on their needs and people's desires and motivation.
Another way to help unleash shared leadership in your organisationis to create spaces for self-management.
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Practice Nº10: Self- Organised Teams
Duration: this is a weekly practice of varied duration depending on the activity Nº of people: It is recommended that teams are not too large, nor too little. Decide, depending on the size of your organisation, what you consider as ideal for team performance
Process: ◆◆ One team will be called the “body” team and will organise activities that contribute to the physical wellbeing of the people in the organisation, for example, Yoga, TaiChi mountain hiking etc. ◆◆ Another team will be called the “caring” team and will organise activities that improve the connections and personal relationships, between the members of the organisation. For example, social gatherings, circles of sharing etc.
◆◆ Another team will be called the “wisdom” team and will organise activities to improve the learning and knowledge of the people within the organisation. For example, learning activities, self-managed trainings, or cultural expeditions etc. ◆◆ Finally, another team will be called the “soul” team and will organise activities that enrich the soul of the people in the organisation. This could include vision quests, group meditations etc.
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To conclude, the “Motivation” stage and its practices, should have helped your people to transform individually in becoming powerful agents of change that have the capacity to inspire others and through that, the whole world. They would have also developed valuable qualities such as companionship, meaning, purpose and trust. They would also be ready now to fully engage with the organisation in its transformation process towards becoming the inspiring, sustainable, resilient organisation that the challenges of the 21st-century demand.
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“Motivation” is needed to help your people transform, to become powerful agents of change for the whole world.
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Additional Resources about Individual Transformation and Systemic Leadership: L inks : By Joanna Macy: This is a tool “to help people uncover and experience their innate connections with each other and with the systemic, self-healing powers of the web of life, so that they may be enlivened and motivated to play their part in creating a sustainable civilization”("Work That Reconnects" 2019).
& It is “a framework, method, and way of connecting to the more authentic aspects of our self. It introduces the variable of consciousness into management and proposes that the quality of the results that we createis a function of the quality of awareness, attention or consciousness that the participants in the system operate from” (Scharmer 2019).
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By Marshall B. Rosenberg: It is a practice that helps people speak with compassion and nonviolence. It is an excellent tool to use when conflict arises in groups, as well as in our daily lives ("The Center For Nonviolent Communication" 2019).
This is a guidebook about “System Leaders” and the language used in “Systems Thinking”. It is a very interesting guide that makes “Systems Thinking” easier (Britton et al. 2014).
Video : The 4 levels of Listening by Otto Scharmer This is a video where Otto Scharmer explains the 4 levels of listening, which are key to identifying the blind spots that we have as leaders through the process of transformational change ("The Four Levels Of Listening" 2019).
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(Homer-Dixon 2019)(Ackoff 2011) (Holman 2010) (Snowden and Boone 2007) (Kira and Eijnatten 2008) (van Eijnatten and Putnik 2004).
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(Missimer 2015)(Kira and Eijnatten 2008) (van Eijnatten and Putnik 2004).
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(Holman 2010) ("Art Of Hosting" 2019) (Teacher’S Guide Design For Sustainability, 2012) (Green 2016) (Homer-Dixon 2019).
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◆◆ Learning to work with deep uncertainty. We live in a world full of “unknown-unknowns”. The times are no longer here when one simple solution was enough to solve a challenge. This is one of the reasons why organisations for the 21st century, need to engage in collective co-creation processes, in order to find solutions that are not so immediately obvious. However, this implies that uncertainty will accompany this process along the way. When working with diverse groups of people, with different needs and expectations, it is very important to let go of the expected outcome and navigate the uncertainty of what wants to emerge. ◆◆ Learning to work between chaos and order - on the edge of chaos. During co-creation processes, social systems will be shifting from moments of chaos to moments of order and vice versa - this is called the chaordic path (See Image 16: The Chaordic Path). This movement should be like a dance, from confusion and conflict to moments of clarity and certainty. Sometimes, things might seem to get out of control - to be on the edge of chaos, but people need to be aware that it is at the limit of chaos where new connections and solutions can emerge. When you try to create processes and structures, where there is too much chaos (chamos), or too much control (control), then you
are blocking the possibilities for innovative responses and opportunities to learn. When groups are reaching clarity, it is important not to rush for control, remain calm and observe, if you really want to reach something completely new. “To lead your organisation on the chaordic path we need “chaordic confidence”, to have the courage to stay in the dance of order and chaos long enough to support a generative emergence that allows the new, collective intelligence and wise action to occur” (“Art Of Hosting" 2019, 19).
◆◆ Learning to work with emergence. When social systems learn to work with and walk the chaordic path, emergence happens, as the new order that seems to occur out of disorder. Emergence is a kind of magic, it is normally sensed-intuited and it arises from individual and collective interactions. “Emergence is always happening. If we don't work with it, it will work us over. In human systems, it often shows itself when strong emotions are ignored or suppressed for too long. Emergence seems disorderly, but order is accessible when diverse people facing intractable challenges uncover and implement ideas that none could have predicted or accomplished on their own” (Holman 2010,2).
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Image 16: The Chaordic Path (“Art Of Hosting" 2019, 19)
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Additional resources about Complexity: L inks : By Homer Dixon: “Complexity science isn’t a fad. This article offers a brief survey of some core concepts and ideas that can help us develop new strategies for generating solutions and prospering in this world” (Homer-Dixon 2019).
“It is an international, multidisciplinary research organization that explores the dynamics of social-ecological systems and practical application of resilience, adaptive capacity, and transformation of societies and ecosystems in order to cope with change and support human well-being” ("Resilience Alliance" 2019).
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By Donella Meadows: This is the successful article on “leverage points”, which are “the places within a complex system (a corporation, an economy, a living body, a city, an ecosystem) where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything” ("Leverage Points" 2019)
Video : The Cynefin Framework by Dave Snowden “The Cynefin Framework is central to allow executives to see things from new viewpoints, assimilate complex concepts, and address real-world problems and opportunities” ("The Cynefin Framework" 2019).
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So, once your teams of people and your organisation, are aware and nurture the characteristics of a healthy social system along with the understanding of how to work with complexity, collective co-creation and collaboration become easier. With this understanding, we are now ready to work with different practices and methods for co-creation, that will allow your social systems to achieve breakthroughs.
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We are now ready to work with different practices and methods for co-creation.
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Practices for collective “co-creation” There are hundreds of methods available to help your organisation in your co-creation processes. Selecting which method to apply, depends normally on three factors.
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◆◆ Purpose: Identify the type of challenge/problem/situation you are dealing with, as each situation requires different approaches, processes and actions. ◆◆ Participants: Once the type of situation is defined, decide who are the right people to engage in the co-creation process. Sometimes, trying to engage too many and too diverse people in the process, can result in a never-ending, exhausting process. Therefore, determine what is the level of expertise required and the ideal number of people to engage. ◆◆ Process: Visualize the intended outcome of your collective co-creation process and choose the appropriate method for helping your group achieve this outcome. There are numerous co-creation tools to be used, but not all apply to the same context, challenge and number of people involved.
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Finding the purpose, or the common meaning that brings the group together, is key.
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So, as it was mentioned at the beginning of this section, the goal of the “Co-creation” stage is to improve the capacity of the people within your organisation in successfully engaging working and collaborating with a diverse set of stakeholders. To support you in doing this, the following practices have been chosen. The first practice is the “9 Why´s” (Practice Nº11: 9 why´s), taken from Liberating Structures (Keith McCandless 2019). This practice is intended to help your groups of people in finding the common meaning for working together. When you engage diverse groups of people around a challenge or situation that wants to be solved, finding the purpose, or the common meaning that brings the group together, is key. This practice is useful in many situations, such as internal team meetings when every team member needs to be on the same page; or a yearly organisational meeting, where you seek to harvest what is essentially important for your people at their work. Or when you want to lay strong foundations for other co-creation processes that seek to innovate. Or lastly, for clarifying the purpose behind the launch of a new product.
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Practice Nº11: 9 Why´s (Keith McCandless 2019)
Duration: 20 minutes Nº of people: unlimited number of groups
Process: ◆◆ “Gather the people sitting in a chair, face to face, no tables or equipment needed. ◆◆ Everyone has an equal opportunity to participate and contribute. ◆◆ First, group the people into pairs, each person in a pair is interviewed by his or her partner for 5 minutes. Starting with “What do you do when working on ____?” the interviewer gently seeks a deeper answer by repeating the query: “Why is that important to you?” the interviewer keeps asking, “Why? Why? Why?” up to nine times or until the interview can go no deeper because he/ she has reached the fundamental purpose for this work. Vary the ways of asking “why?” For example, ask, “If last night, while you slept, your dream came true, what would be different?” Make
sure the question asked is, “Why is it important to YOU?” (meaning not the organisation or system but you personally). Switch roles after 5 minutes. ◆◆ Then, form groups of four people, where each pair shares the experience and insights with the other pair for 5 minutes. ◆◆ Finally, invite the whole group to record answers on sticky notes, number them, and stick on a flip chart. You can arrange the answers in a triangle: broad answers on the top and detailed answers on the bottom, ◆◆ Then, compare and reflect in a big circle by asking, “How do our purposes influence the next steps we take?”
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The second practice for “Co-creation” is called “working with divergence and convergence” from the Art of Hosting (Art Of Hosting" 2019). The goal of this practice is to find unexpected innovative solutions found through the individual and collective intelligence of the group. This practice invites participants to walk the chaordic path, mentioned above, in moving between different phases of “divergence”, “emergence” and “convergence”. This practice is useful in many situations, from an important challenge that your organisation is facing, which demands a multi-stakeholder engagement process to an internal product innovation process, where you seek to harvest the intelligence from different people within your organisation, in order to find the best possible design for a product or service.
The goal is to find unexpected innovative solutions through the individual and collective intelligence of the group.
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Practice Nº12:
Divergence and Convergence (Art Of Hosting" 2019)
Duration: 2-3 hours Nº of people: this is a multi-stakeholder process that can engage up to 50 people
Process: ◆◆ Start by defining the group ́s inquiry, challenge or situation that needs to be solved. Having a clear group shared purpose is important. This can be defined by practising the “9 Why´s” practice, mentioned above. This clear shared purpose will guide the group along the way until it has transformed into a clear goal. ◆◆ Once done, the group enters into what is called, the divergent phase. This is a space for questioning, in calling for open discussions and dialogues between the participants. The group and the people themselves, bring a set of different questions to ask about the problem to be faced, with the intention to diversify perspectives. The group needs to harvest the diverse points of view in order to unfold the problem into many possibilities and alternatives. ◆◆ The divergent phase reaches a very obvious “chaotic” moment, where the group might feel overwhelmed by possibilities. People might start to “feel” something in their bodies, which may be also felt at the group level, in the shape of confusion, tension, conflict or nervousness. If this happens, good, this is your indicator that the group is entering into the emergent phase (see Image 17: Divergence-Emergence-Convergence). ◆◆ The emergent phase is like a dance, where participants are invited to converge some of the findings of the divergent phase, by clustering ideas, selecting best insights and drafting initial conclusions, to then opening again to new inputs and possibilities. The emergent phase is like a dance between chaos and order, where
we try to give meaning and define outcomes, so as to question again these insights and outcomes. This dance should continue for some time, during which the group converges and diverges several times (See Image 18: Principles for Engaging Emergence). ◆◆ When we feel that we have reached enough diversity and have achieved some outstanding ideas, it is time to move into the convergent phase. As in the divergent phase, the movement now is a very intuitive one, where people start to feel that a natural close is arriving. Be aware not to rush into convergence, but also of not going too over time, as people tend to get tired and this might influence the final result. Convergence implies categorising, clustering, sorting of alternatives, key ideas to arrive at general conclusions. It is a goal-oriented, linear and structured process. If convergence has been done properly, people tend to leave the process with a sense of empowerment, happiness and fulfilment for a “job well done”. ◆◆ The support of a facilitator is important if you want to walk this process successfully. The facilitator should be someone who can guide and who is aware of the stages that the group is moving through. This person will pre-design the process, in order to allow the group to walk each stage with a sense of safety and purpose. ◆◆ A good source of information for how to engage with emergence is the article Engaging Emergence by Peggy Holman.
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Image 17: Divergence-Emergence-Convergence (Art Of Hosting" 2019, 22)
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Image 18: Principles for engaging Emergence (Holman 2010, 4)
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The next practice (Nº13) is a combination between two practices, one called “Problem Definition” by the Development Impact & You ("Development Impact And You" 2019) and the other called “World Café” from The World Cafe ("The World Café" 2019). In practising the methods proposed in Stage 1 of this framework, on creating systems value within your organisation, you may have noticed that, in order to implement unique and impactful solutions, you need to collaborate with diverse stakeholder set from your value chain. This, however, is not always an easy process. The aim of reaching a place of satisfaction, for all stakeholders involved, can be a difficult one. The key here is to first define a problem using the collective wisdom of the diverse group, from there the steps forward will be understood as a shared practice. To get you going on this process, the combination of the two methodologies will provide you with some good stepping stones.
In order to implement unique and impactful solutions, you need to collaborate with a diverse stakeholders.
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Practice Nº13:
Problem Definition and World Café (Art Of Hosting" 2019, 35) Duration: 2-3 hours Nº of people: this is a multi-stakeholder process that can engage up to 50 people
Process: ◆◆ As in the previous practice, select one or two people to be the facilitators of this practice. They will explain the process to all participants, keep the time and answer any possible doubts that the group may have, as well as being responsible for guiding the final round of information and conversation collection. ◆◆ Prepare a room with café style tables, or conversation clusters, where participants can sit in groups of 4-5 people. ◆◆ These groups will engage in 5 rounds of conversation, usually of 20-30 minutes each. ◆◆ During each round, all tables will be working on the same question. The questions for the different rounds are ("Development Impact And You" 2019): Round 1: What is the key issue you are trying to address and why is it important? Round 2: Who is it a problem for? Round 3: What social/ cultural factors shape this problem? Round 4: Can you think of this problem in a different way? Can you reframe it? Round 5: Which solutions can you envision for this problem?
◆◆ Ask participants during each round to write, doodle, or draw the main insights generated from the conversations on flip chart papers placed on each of the tables. ◆◆ Once the first 20-30 minutes are up, the facilitator will then ask one person to stay at the tables, as a “host”, and tothen invite the other table members to move to other tables as ambassadors of ideas and insights collected from the conversations they have just had (See Image 19: The World Café). ◆◆ In the following round, the table host will share key insights and ideas briefly, about the previous round with new table members, and then all will start conversing about the next question. ◆◆ Finally, once all the participants have moved to several tables and all the questions have been answered, allow some time for the whole group to harvest from the conversations. Invite people to share their insights, feelings and the essence of what was shared with everyone else in the room.
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Image 19: The World CafĂŠ (Art Of Hosting" 2019, 35)
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These are only three practices that can be used by your organisation when engaging in collective “co-creation” processes. However, there are many other tools and methods available, such as:
◆◆ The Collective Action Toolkit: “This was created ◆◆ Art of Hosting: “It is an approach to leadership to help community leaders bring together groups that scales up from the personal to the systemic to solve shared problems and act on them. It consists using personal practice, dialogue, facilitation and the co-creation of innovation to address complex challenges” of an action map and activities arranged into six activity areas. The action map that follows will help ("Art Of Hosting" 2019). Art of Hosting includes a large you understand what activity options you have for compilation of practices, for many different contexts, when your group meets” ("Collective Action Toolkit desired outcomes, and for the number of people Transforming Communities | Frog Case Study" 2019). engaged. Relevant tools from the “Art of Hosting” practices, are World Cafe, Open Space Technology, ◆◆ The Development Impact & You toolkit: “It has Appreciative Inquiry etc. been specially designed for development practitioners to invent, adopt or adapt ideas that can deliver better ◆◆ Liberating structures: These are 33 methods results” ("Development Impact And You" 2019). and practices for how to “guide the way we organize routine interactions and how groups work together: presentations, managed discussions, open discussions, status reports and brainstorm sessions” (Keith McCandless 2019).
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To conclude, the “Co-creation” Stage has sought to lay the foundations for more collaboration, participation and engagement in your teams of people. Once “co-creation” processes become a more common practice in your organisation, the traditional and less engaging group working activities, will be discarded, and your team will shine in terms of shared leadership, innovation, resilience, trustworthiness and purpose. With this understanding, we are ready to move into the next Stage: Strategizing for Change.
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“Co-creation” has laid the foundations for more collaboration, participation and engagement in your teams of people.
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Additional Resources: L inks :
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leadership in order to push our organisations forward. We also know that these times require innovative solutions that will emerge from co-created multi-stakeholder processes. Altogether, these factors make up the cornerstones, in which to strategically plan for positive change. The goal of Stage 4, “Strategizing for Change�, is to design your organisation’s strategy in order to be fit for the future, and to enrol in the
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Sustainability Revolution. Whether you are a small organisation or a worldwide corporation, strategic planning for the 21st century is going to be an adventurous journey, as strategizing is not like it was in the past, when companies were strategizing with a 5-year perspective. These and future times will require designing, testing, adapting, failing, re-designing, guessing, co-creating, collaborating, collapsing, restructuring and renewing. Therefore, organisational planning in the 21st century, will demand us to be visionary, flexible, and courageous, in order to give birth to resilient, innovative, and above all, sustainable organisations. With this understanding, let us look now into what I consider the three main steps to be taken in strategizing for change. The first step is: “Where do you want to be?” - This is where you carry out a dreaming-visioning process of which you see the organisation in the future. The second step is: “Where are we at?” - When you use the practices learnt at Stage 1, in order to define the current reality of your organisation, and analyse your organisation's “business model” in order to better understand its strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities for reaching the desired future ahead. The last step is “How to get there?” - Where you collaboratively define, and set the strategic objectives and tasks, that will allow your organisation to move from where it is now, to where it wants to be in the near future. As you will see, these three steps are done using co-creation methods and done by engaging diverse groups of people with different perspectives in order to harvest the collective intelligence of the group. This is how it goes.
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(Robèrt et al. 2015) (Ramos and Gallego 2019) (Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018) (Better Business Better World 2017) (Collins and Porras 1996) (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016).
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Step 1: Where do you want to be?
The first step in Strategizing for Change is an invitation for your organisation to dream and vision the future it wants to create. Where do you want to be in the future? Where do you see this organisation, if taking into consideration the “Ecological Paradigm”, the Sustainability Revolution and the “Systems view of Life”? To do this, organisations will need to be visionary, imaginative and creative in order to “travel” to a future that has not yet been created, and that does not yet exist. As well as to use appropriate tools that invite thinking differently, as Einstein stated in his famous quote “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.'' Therefore, the first practice provided in this step is called “Dreaming”. Dreaming is a process that seeks to harvest, on the one hand, the imaginary future of the organisation in itself, as an entity with a purpose; and on the other hand, the personal values and purpose of the people inside of the organisation. Yes, organisations, as living systems, have a “life” and a “sense of direction”. This is what Frederic Laloux, calls the “Evolutionary Purpose”. Therefore in the “Dreaming” process, the “members of the organisation are invited to listen in and understand what the organisation wants to become, what purpose it wants to serve” (Laloux 2014, 58). Furthermore, the people in your organisation have their own personal reasons and motivations for working in your organisation. These are
the drivers that make them wake up every morning to go to work and in potentially giving their best. The more that the purpose of both the organisation and the people are aligned, the more fulfilling, fruitful and successful your organisation will be, in reaching its desired goals. “Dreaming” is also a co-created process, in which different stakeholders of the company: Employees, managers, suppliers, clients etc. are invited to better picture the future of the organisation and to collect the collective knowledge of the whole group. Dreaming is similar to a “brainstorming” session, but participants are invited to respond to several powerful questions, such as: “How do I see this organisation in the future?”, “What would make working for this company worth it?”, “If we had all the money and resources in the world, what could this company be?”, “In a fully sustainable world, what would be the role of this organisation?” These open questions are intended to help people reflect and tap into their intuition, deep desires, and into their real motivations for being part of the organisation, as well as to “dream” about what and how the organisation should be in the future. The practice of “Dreaming” is also ideal for opening up to new possibilities, perspectives and unexpected insights, as well as to unleash motivation and generate a powerful sense of belonging and meaning. A “Dreaming” session goes as follows (Practice Nº14):
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Practice Nº14: Dreaming Sessions
Duration: 2-3 hours Nº of people: up to 50 people, forming groups of 5 to 7 members
Process: ◆◆ Before the session, decide which will be the guiding powerful questions that the group will respond to. It is recommended to choose at least two questions: The first question needs to invite people to reflect on the future of the organisation, such as “How do I see this organisation in the future?”; The second question should be more about the people and their values, such as “What would make working for this company worth my while?” ◆◆ Prepare a room with café style tables, where participants can sit in groups of 5 to 7 people, preferably with people with diverse profiles and expertise. ◆◆ Each table will be provided with a set of the following materials: Flipchart papers, markers and a talking piece. ◆◆ Invite a facilitator to explain the process and guide the session. ◆◆ The number of rounds for the conversations depends on the number of questions offered to the group. Oneround per question. ◆◆ During each round, participants are invited to share their answers to the questions by giving one response each turn.
◆◆ The first person to start talking will hold the talking piece, while the other members of the table remain silent and practice active listening. ◆◆ When a person finishes sharing, he/she will pass the talking piece to the person to the right, who will give his/her response, while the other members remain silent. ◆◆ If a person has nothing to share in his/her turn, the talking piece will pass to the next person. ◆◆ The person that is seated on the left of the one holding the talking piece, will record in the flipchart paper, what the person talking is sharing. ◆◆ The first round will continue until the members have nothing else to add, or if a time limit was set, when the time is up. ◆◆ When all groups are finished, proceed with the same process for the second question. ◆◆ Finally, once all the questions have been answered, allow some time for a whole group sharing of the conversations. Invite people to share their insights, feelings and the essence of what was shared with everyone else in the room.
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Great visions are concise, inclusive, memorable and inspirational.
Once the “Dreaming” session has concluded, your organisation will have ended with plenty of knowledge and ideas to be able to create your company's vision. Creating a vision is like a distillation process, where you organise the main ideas from the “Dreaming” session into clusters, topics, or areas of relevance, and end up with a phrase that contains the essence of what is the future that you want to create and what it is that is important for your people. “A vision provides guidance about what is the core of the organisation to preserve and what is the future to stimulate progress toward” (Collins and Porras 1996, 1). Furthermore, a vision should include the core ideology, that defines the eternal character of the organisation and that transcends any product or market cycles. The vision should also include the core values, which captures the intrinsic value and importance to all those inside the organization. Therefore, great visions are concise, inclusive, memorable and inspirational, so as to empower everyone into action. Visions are also the guiding light to be used when considering actions or decisions that need to be made. They are also the northern light to look up to when designing your strategic plan. So, you’ve guessed it. Your organisation's vision can also be created using a co-created process, such as the following:
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Practice Nº15:
Creating your company's vision Duration: 2-3 hours Nº of people: a small group of 5 to 7 members
Process: ◆◆ The process starts by taking a few minutes to talk about what the main ideas and core concepts collected during the “dreaming” session. ◆◆ Every participant is then invited to place themselves in an imaginary future, where they picture the organisation's vision as a newspaper headline. ◆◆ Each participant is invited to write his/her newspaper headline on a piece of paper. ◆◆ Remind participants, by placing somewhere visible in the room, the key elements for making a good vision: 1. Great visions are concise, inclusive, memorable and inspirational. 2. Our vision talks about the future to stimulate progress toward. 3. O ur vision should include our core ideology: What defines the eternal character of the organisation that transcends product or market cycles. 4. Our vision should include our core values: The intrinsic value and importance to those inside of the organization.
◆◆ When all participants have finished writing their newspaper headline on a piece of paper, invite one person, the one that feels called to do so, to write his/her sentence on a large flipchart paper, or board. ◆◆ By remaining silent, the rest of the participants can add words, make changes, cross out words, or even whole sentences to write or combine with their own. ◆◆ This process of crossing out, changing, adding, or removing sentences and words, continues for some minutes in silence. The goal is to achieve a final vision that contains all main elements, and which makes all participants feel fulfilled. ◆◆ The best is not discuss, but to trust yourself, trust the group and trust the process.
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Once your organisation's vision is ready, it is time to move to the next step on the strategizing journey.
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Our vision talks about the future to stimulate progress toward.
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Step 2:
Where are you at? The second step in creating a strategy for change, seeks to give you a better understanding of the current reality of your organisation, by answering the question: “Where are we at?”. In a current reality analysis, you will be using your “Systems Thinking” lens to dive deeper into your organisation's external and internal world, in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats present, in order to reach “where you want to go” - your vision. It is very important to understand where you currently are, so as to be able to move forward from a place of awareness. In addition, this second step is an invitation for your organisation to review its business model, like many organisations, current business models are not prepared for the challenges of the near future. The business model needed for the organisation of the 21st-century, need to be versatile, flexible and create value for all systems, as seen on Stage 1: “Awareness”. Once you have a deeper comprehension of your organisation's current reality-functioning, defining and designing a strategic plan to reach your vision will be clearer. Let us start by doing a SWOT analysis of your organization's current reality, taking into consideration the exterior and interior world. A SWOT analysis is a tool meant to harvest the different insights in terms of strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats that will allow, or impede your organisation, from reaching its vision. An external world analysis is where you study the trends of external factors, such as the Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors that could directly, or indirectly affect your organisation. An interior world analysis is where you study the internal function of your organisation in terms of structures, processes, operations, relationships, flows of information etc. to better understand the functioning of all your internal systems. It is important to mention that, both internal and external analysis should take into consideration your organization's alignment with Sustainability. This means that when you are doing your SWOT, it is recommendable to apply what was learnt at Stage 1 on Sustainability and the 4 Sustainability Principles. This is because Strategizing for Change is meant to help your company in becoming a sustainable one. Furthermore, it is recommended that you carry out this SWOT analysis, as a co-created process, where you engage different stakeholders of your organisation, in order to see reality from different perspectives. A SWOT analysis is a process that can take several days to reach the “juicy”, or valuable information. Therefore, it is recommended that you prepare a collaborative and easily accessible SWOT table-worksheet, where people can keep adding new insights, as the days reveal further findings. Several questions are proposed in this practice to support the process of reflection from your stakeholders (See Practice Nº16).
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Practice Nº16: SWOT of Current Reality
Duration: 3 hours to several days Nº of people: up to 30 people, divided into smaller working groups of 5-7 people
Process: ◆◆ Prepare a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) chart to harvest the collective knowledge and ideas from carrying the following analysis.
the functioning of your internal systems.
◆◆ Start with the external world:
b. Review the analysis and findings of the Value Proposition Practice (nº4) and Systems Value Chain & The Sustainability Principles Practice (nº6).
◆◆ Invite your stakeholders to...
c. Give answers to these questions, and include them in your SWOT.
a. Map what is going on in terms of the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental context that could directly, or indirectly affect your organisation. b. Review the analysis and findings of the Stakeholders Map Practice (nº3) and the Systems Value Chain Practice (nº5), c. Give answers to these questions, and include the answer in the SWOT. ▶▶ Which current aspects in the exterior world have, or risk having a significant impact on your organisation's ability to reach its vision? ▶▶ How do these aspects impact, help and/or hinder the organisation ́s potential in reaching its vision? ▶▶ Which aspects can be considered threats? Which can be considered opportunities? (Robèrt et al. 2015,145)
◆◆ Continue with the interior world analysis: ◆◆ Invite your stakeholders to... a. Carry out an analysis of your company's operations, activities, networks, relationships, structure, flows, etc. in order to understand
▶▶ Which aspects of the organisation's operations have significant impact on its potential to reach its vision? ▶▶ How do these aspects obstruct, or enhance the organisation ́s potential to reach its vision? ▶▶ Which aspects can be considered strengths, or weaknesses? (Robèrt et al. 2015, 147)
Finally, the “Development Impact & You Toolkit” offers the following hints to carry out a successful SWOT ("Development Impact And You" 2019): ▶▶ “Be comprehensive: Include all details, from the smallest ones (e.g. for issues at the most micro level like discussions in your team) to large ones (e.g. for new government regulation) that can impact your work. ▶▶ Be self-critical: SWOT analysis is there to stimulate critical reflection. Be open. It is normal to have weaknesses as well as strengths, and to see both threats and opportunities. Sometimes talking about weaknesses, or threats can even help you recognise strengths and opportunities”.
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Image 20: SWOT Analysis
("Development Impact And You" 2019)
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This practice (nº16) should help your organisation to have a deeper understanding of its current reality, as well as to identify what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats experienced by your organisation and that can impact your journey in reaching your vision. However, given the complex and exponential times that the world is facing, there is something vital that all organisations that want to thrive in the 21st century need to do. This is to review and evolve its business model.
▶▶ Top-down and hierarchical in its organization.
The reason for this, is that nowadays every market is in constant change, threatened by the emergence of different players who come to break the status quo forever. Think of all the Uber´s, Airbnb´s, Spotify´s etc. In earlier times, when market rules were much more stable and well defined, business models rarely changed; they could even last for generations. But this is no longer the case, business models just don't last as long as they once did. Salim Ismail, the guru of “Exponential Organisations”, stated that companies that have some of these following characteristics, need to review their business model:
▶▶ Strategic planning largely an extrapolation from the past.
▶▶ Driven by financial outcomes. ▶▶ Linear, sequential thinking. ▶▶ Innovation primarily from within.
▶▶ Risk intolerance. ▶▶ Process inflexibility. ▶▶ Large number of employees. ▶▶ Controls own assets. ▶▶ Strongly invested in the status quo.
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By looking at these characteristics, in addition to all that was seen at the “Creating System Value” chapter of this guide, it becomes very clear that most organisational structures and business models are somehow “stuck” in the past, and in need of evolution. Especially, as we have repeatedly explained in this book, a business that wants to thrive in the 21-century. “The core idea here is that any organization that wants to be relevant, and deliver value at scale, must clearly articulate and evolve its business model” (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016,13). Therefore, “business model innovation” has become a must and this is why you should be dedicating some time to it when you are looking at your organisation's current reality. Before moving any further, let us be clear on what we mean by a business model. A business model is simply the way in which an organisation captures, creates and delivers value for society in the shape of its different products and services. The question now is: Is your current way of creating value, prepared for the challenges of the upcoming 15 to 30 years? The Sustainability Challenge speaks of an upcoming world with less available resources and pressured by the effects of climate change. Remember that the organisations of the 21st century will be those which make efficient use of natural resources, ensure the wellbeing of all living beings, and fulfil their productive function generating enough economic outcomes. This is why the section of the first stage
of this guide “Awareness”, was meant to help your organisation in understanding Sustainability and reviewing the way of creating value. here are many other tools and practices that can help your organisation analyse its business model by taking a social and environmental approach and being better prepared for the future. Therefore, the invitation is, before moving into the next step (nº3): “How can we get there?” That you use some of these tools, in order to help you evaluate your current business model. This will help you to identify new market opportunities through product or service innovation. Some of these tools are:
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◆◆ Lean Startup & Business Model Canvas: “It is a methodology for developing businesses and products, which aims to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable; The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management and lean startup template for developing new or documenting existing business models” ("Lean Startup" 2019) ("Business Model Canvas" 2019). ◆◆ Verne Model: “It is structured around the systematic detection of problems and opportunities within an organisation’s business model” ("VERNE Model" 2019).
Unfortunately, given the lengthy process of these tools, we are not able to look at these practices in detail during this guide. Nonetheless, the insights generated in Practice nº15 are already highly valuable in being able to continue on to the next step of the strategizing for change journey.
◆◆ Design Thinking & Human Centered Design: “It is a creative approach to problem-solving that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor-made to suit their needs for and eventually putting innovative new solution out in the world” ("Human Centered Design" 2019).
◆◆ Sustainable Start: It is a 3-step business model design methodology that integrates systemic sustainability principles to design and build regenerative business models ("Sustainable Start" 2019).
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Additional Resources: L inks :
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Step 3:
How can you get there? Our last step in creating a strategy for change seeks to provide you with some practices in creating a strategic plan, that will allow your organisation to move from its current reality and towards its vision.
wide set of stakeholders from varied fields of knowledge and expertise. Linear, top-down strategic plans, from management to employees, are not ideal in a rapidly changing world, facing complex challenges.
By now, you will have worked on your dreams and vision (“where do you want to go?”) And you will have investigated your organisation's current reality, both internally and externally. You will have also assessed its current business model (“where are you at?”). Therefore, your next step is in creating a strategic plan, made up of specific objectives and actions, that will enable you to reach your vision (“how can you get there?”).
The process of creating a strategic plan in this section, is very appropriate for small to midsize organisations, as the approach suggested is more horizontal and holistic so as to include the organisation as a whole. Nonetheless, this type of strategic planning can also be applied in bigger organisations for a specific department, or area.
Strategic plans, as well as business models, have changed greatly in the past 20 years. Strategic planning, in the past, was done considering long term time frames, which made strategic plans very rigid and unable to adapt. Under the “Systems Thinking” lens, strategic planning needs to be flexible and needs to evolve, as “systems change strategies are emergent and often require iteration” (Britton et al. 2014,2). They should also be more short-term, meaning that the objectives and the actions planned, should be achievable in less than two years. Furthermore, strategic plans should also be creative and done collaboratively, by engaging with a
Taking all of this into consideration, let us move into the two main parts of the strategic planning process: “objective setting” and “task planning”.
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Objective Setting The first step that is needed in your strategic planning process is to define your objectives. Objectives are the bigger achievements, or goals that your organisation needs to fulfil, in order to reach its vision. Picture your objectives as the big stepping stones that you will need to take in order to reach your goal. What is very important is that your objectives, or these stepping stones, are achievable, measurable, specific, realistic and limited in time. In other words, they are S.M.A.R.T. When you are planning your objectives, select those which can be achieved in less than two years. During this time frame, your organisation will focus all of its resources and energy on them and when completed, new objectives will be planned from this new standpoint, which will be in response to the current time and new information gathered during the first phase. As done in previous practices, it is recommended that you plan your objectives in a collaborative and creative way. Depending on the structure of your organisation, you might want to engage a smaller or larger group of people, but always remembering that the more diverse a group of people participating, results in richer and wider perspectives during the process. Remember throughout never to forget to have your vision in the horizon, as your guiding light.
One of my favourites methods for setting objectives, in a collaborative and creative way, is the one coming from the Dragon Dreaming me-thodology. This practice is simple and efficient, and is powerful, due to its capability to beautifully harvest the collective intelligence of a group. The goal of this process, is to come up with several main objectives, which depending on the size of the organisation, as well as its resources, will be evaluated on their level of strategic direction. Whatever the final number of strategic objectives end to be, these will then be broken down later in the process, into strategic tasks.
Have your vision in the horizon, as your guiding light.
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Practice Nº17:
Objective Setting (Ramos and Gallego 2019, 63-65) Duration: Duration: 3 hours Nº of people: up to 15-20 people. Forming groups of 5-7 people each
Process:
◆◆ In a collective co-creation process that engages people with varied profiles from the organisation, create teams of 5-7 people. It is very convenient that these people have taken part in previous practices of dreaming, visioning and current reality analysis.
Step 1: Organise objectives into columns
◆◆ Make sure, before the process starts, that all participants are aware of the vision and findings of the current reality analysis. Do this, buy taking some time to review and solve any possible doubt concerning these two areas.
◆◆ Silently and individually, each team member writes a SMART objective per post-it note. It is recommended to start the objective by using a verb in the infinitive tense, like "to do...", "to write...", "to create a..."
◆◆ Decide all together, before moving forward, what the ideal time frame for each of these objectives is in order to be achieved: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years...
◆◆ When the first person finishes writing his/her objectives, he/she approaches the flip chart and sticks his/her objectives in one of the available columns. These columns are a way of organising the objectives, by relationship, or subject, but NOT by importance or chronological order.
◆◆ Then, provide each team with a flip chart paper, markers and 25-30 sticky notes. ◆◆ On each flipchart, draw 8 separate columns (See Image 21: Objective Setting) and evenly split the available number of sticky notes between each team member. ◆◆ As a group, take 3 minutes of silence and invite all team members to reflect on the following question: What objectives will we need in order to achieve in the following months (depending on the agreed time frame) in order to reach our vision?
◆◆ When the first person has finished placing their objectives in the available columns, a second person will follow the same procedure as before. Once the second person has finished, any member of the team can begin to move the post-it notes, from one column to the other, as new relationships between them are seen. ◆◆ If some team members disagree with the location of one or several of the post-it notes, discussions can happen in private by
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leaving the room. If any participant does not understand one of the objectives, it is possible to ask, but you must try to avoid debate, or discussion. ◆◆ It is important to state that this process is done in complete silence and ends when collective well-being is achieved by all the objectives being placed in the appropriate columns.
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It is important not to summarise, or create more new words, or discard any information from the post-its. ◆◆ A ll new main objectives will be placed at the top of each column (See Image 22: Main objectives); to finally end up with 6, or 8 main objectives per team. Step 3: Voting with the snowball effect
Step 2: Creating main objectives
◆◆ When the previous process has finished, the team members group into pairs or trios. Each pair or trio takes all of the post-it notes from one of the columns. This team should highlight the keywords in each of these post-its. A keyword is a word that is present in various post-its, or that stands out for its relevance. ◆◆ Now, on a new sticky note, write a main objective that includes all of the highlighted keywords, plus some linking words in order to make sense of it all.
◆◆ Depending on the number of people and teams created at the beginning of this process, now is the time, to bring together all of the main objectives, created by each of the groups into one whole objective set. What normally tends to happen, is that the different groups have created very similar objectives, so it is convenient to merge them. For the ones that are very different, leave them separately and continue the process as follows. ◆◆ Now we are going to vote on all of the main objectives, in order to decide which ones are more strategic and important than the
others. To do so, we are going to vote using what it's called the "snowball" effect. ◆◆ Each participant has 3 votes that can distribute among all main objectives as follows: 2-1 or 1-1-1. ◆◆ Take a moment of silence as a group whilst asking the following generative question: Which objective, if we were to concentrate all of our energy on it, would make it possible for the other ones to happen? This is what is called the "snowball effect". ◆◆ Again, it is important to say that this voting process is done individually and in silence. Once all participants have voted, there should be several objectives with more votes and some with less. ◆◆ C hoose the ones that have received more votes in order to be broken down into strategic tasks. The ones with less, or no votes at all, should be left aside and not taken into consideration for the strategic task planning process.
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Image 21: Objective Setting
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Image 22: Main Objectives
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Task planning Tasks, or activities, are the smaller steps needed in order to achieve the different strategic objectives. Tasks should also be S.M.A.R.T, but also to some extent, creative and innovative. Creative tasks are the vehicles in order to create market opportunities, gain market share, and achieve product innovation and breakthroughs. Therefore, more than ever, task planning should be a co-created process that engages a diverse group of stakeholders who hold different worldviews and expertise. Task planning can also be done by using different co-created methods and tools. The method chosen here is a combination between “brainstorming” and “divergence and convergence”. What is important, in the task planning process, is that the vision is always present and that the previously created strategic objectives, are the ones that are being focused upon. Invite the participants during the process to bring all of their expertise, but also their critical thinking and visionary mind. Remember that at the divergent phase, we will harvest as many ideas as possible, in order to progressively move into convergence and finish by sorting, categorising, and clustering of the key ideas in order to arrive at a set of concrete tasks. Whatever the creative method you choose to use, you should end up with a large list of tasks, some more procedural, some more creative, some more realistic and some more unrealistic. Because once the process has ended, and you have hundreds of activities available, it is time to
think strategically. Thinking strategically means being able to select the best actions, in order to move forward by using specific criteria for strategic discernment and selection. Strategic criteria depend upon each type of organisation, as for some organisations, the economic return is more important than society welfare (for-profit organisations versus non-for profit). Therefore, each organisation should decide on what is the appropriate criteria fit for its business in order to help select the best tasks. In the following practice (nº18) five criteria have been defined, as the minimum to use, when discerning between different tasks. These are (1) Alignment with the vision, (2) Flexibility, (3) Return on Investment, (4-5) Sustainability Principles and (6) Operational Must. More criteria can be added depending on what is most important for your organisation. Now, the suggested process for selecting your strategic tasks is as follows (Practice Nº18).
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Practice Nº18:
Strategic Task Planning (Robèrt et al. 2015) Process: ◆◆ Gather all tasks in an open document excel sheet using the vertical cells, one after the other.
4. How aligned is this action with the social sustainability principles?
◆◆ On the top horizontal cells, you will separately name the different strategic criteria. The idea here is that each of the criteria will serve as an evaluation system. So for each of the tasks, you will need to grade from 1 to 5, how positively, or negatively aligned the task is with the selected criterion.
5. How aligned is this action with the environmental sustainability principles?
◆◆ Now define what your organization's strategic criteria is. It is recommended that you use the first six criteria offered here, and that you develop some extra ones if needed. It is also convenient to shape the criterion in a question format, such as the following: 1. Does this action move us in the right direction towards the vision? 2. Is this action flexible enough to ensure further development of actions towards the vision? 3. Does this action provide a return on investment in terms of (reduced costs, save time materials, improves revenue streams, create new customers, lead to the development of new products, the balance payback time of the investment, etc.)?
6. How important is this action for operational purposes of the organisation? and...any other criteria that for your organisation is essential.
◆◆ Now invite different people from your organisation to grade all of the tasks, according to the selected criteria. ◆◆ The process ends by selecting the key actions. These are the ones that have received the highest scoring. ◆◆ These strategic tasks should be then organised, and clustered into the different strategic objectives. ◆◆ Finally, design a strategic plan that will include the vision, the strategic objectives and the strategic tasks. Then allocate resources, set time frames and give roles and responsibilities, for each of the strategic objectives and their respective actions.
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To conclude, stage 4 “Strategizing for Change” should have helped your organisation in having a deeper understanding of your organization's current reality and its business model, to create a strategic plan composed of a powerful vision for the future of your organisation, and create a set of strategic objectives and tasks in order to move from where you are now, to where you want to go. It is important to mention, that if all previous stages of this framework have been followed or applied, your strategic plan should be in many ways innovative, futuristic, empowering and should serve to create value for all systems. A strategic plan under the “Ecological Worldview” and a “Systems Thinking” lens, should provide a roadmap for creating organisations fit for the 21st-century; a blueprint to inspire change in other people and organisations. Last but not least, remember the fact that times are changing rapidly. Therefore, be prepared to fail, re-design, restructure and renew your strategic plan, as times keep unfolding. If your organisation keeps practising the principles of the “Ecological Worldview” and “Shared Leadership”, such as wholeness, relationships, change and networking, your strategic plans will be easier to implement, and also easier to change and evolve. This is the healthiest place for the Organisations of the 21st century to flourish.
Be prepared to fail, re-design, restructure and renew your strategic plan.
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Additional Resources about Strategizing for Change: L inks :
By Dragon Dreaming Project Design: Dreaming Circle is a method for harvesting the individual dreams of people concerning the specific project in which they are engaged (Ramos and Gallego 2019).
By Collins and Porras: Extraordinary article from the Harvard Business Review magazine that talks about the key elements for creating a powerful, long-lasting organisational vision, written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras (Collins and Porras 1996).
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By Jim Collins: This is a tool for helping people and organisations, build a vision that is aligned with the individual´s passion and purpose (Collins 2009).
By the Business and Sustainable Development Commission: This is a report that describes the business models of the future, and gives many examples of companies that are disrupting their markets with innovative practices (Elkington, Lim and Smith 2016).
By Bob Willard: “It is a free, open-source book intended to improve the success rate of sustainability initiatives so that we can do what needs to be done, in time. This fill-in-the-blanks Excel workbook monetizes all direct and indirect benefits arising from sustainability-related projects and automatically does return on investment (ROI) calculations, based on user input� (Willard 2019).
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It offers several free tools to guide companies and investors to create value for themselves and society, in a strategic way (Future Fit Benchmark: Methodology Guide 2018).
“It is a comprehensive model for planning in complex systems� taking a Systems Thinking lens as well as the Sustainability Principles ("Framework For Strategic Sustainable Development" 2019).
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Your strategic plan should be in many ways innovative, futuristic, empowering and should serve to create value for all systems.
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The End
What's next? And...the End!
T
here is something very important to be mentioned before the end of this guide. When your organisation walks this 4-stage journey, what will most probably happen, is that you will find that some extra work needs to be done. The organizational structures and procedures upon which most organisations have been built, do not properly match with the new ways of doing things proposed by this guide. By opening your teams and orga-nisations to transformation, as you will do by walking this 4-stage journey, sooner or later your organisational structures and procedures, will need to be reshaped. “Systems Thinking” and the “Ecological Worldview” will have awakened the need for new ways of governance, structuring and management. But this is another journey to be walked, which asks for another type of guide. This is the reason why I highly encourage you not to stop here and to continue the journey. There are more and more books and practices emerging worldwide in this direction. One of the most relevant books in this field, which has definitely inspired
the writing of this guide, is Reinventing Organisations, by Frederic Laloux. This book is a marvellous piece of writing that speaks about new types of organisational models. It gives clear and useful examples of groundbreaking practices that several innovative organisations are implementing around the world. These practices are radically changing the way companies are run, organized and managed. These refreshing new perspectives, are vital to continue the journey that you have embarked upon by reading and practising this guide. Unfortunately, we have reached the end of this guide. Nevertheless, this is not really the end, this is just the beginning. There is still a lot to be done. This framework is meant to be an introduction to re-inventing the organisational models and structures that have been ruling our world in the past centuries. The urge of change is inevitable, as current challenges are demanding. If we don't manage to make these changes on time, we will no longer have a planet in which to do business. The
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The End
belief that technology will save us, is just a misperception of what really needs to be done. Technology can support us, that is certain, but what is really needed is a change of consciousness, an evolution of our way of perceiving and being in the world. The work to be done now, is to globally spread this new worldview, and its new ways of doing business. Do not let yourself be discouraged by what is said on the news, a world wide web of connections and networks is building and pushing forward the “Ecological Paradigm” and the “Systems view of Life”. The most important thing is that you give it a try, and more or less try to put into practice some of the tools, methods, or practices proposed in this guide. This will surely be confusing and complicated at times, but do not despair, this way of thinking and being is inherently part of being human. Finally, dear reader, I wish to express my gratitude for your interest, commitment and bravery in taking responsibility for re-inventing the future of your organisation. The world needs more people, projects and companies like yours. All the best!
◆◆◆
The work to be done now, is to globally spread this new worldview.
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Re-Inventing the Future of Organisations The framework, tools and practices for giving birth to the 21st century organisation