nsl transformation lab

THE NSL TRANSFORMATION LAB: SEEING, CONNECTING TO, AND, DESIGNING FOR OUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE

Imagining the impossible then – creating it

We now have the possibility to truly transform our world, to be more resilient, to be more relevant to us both personally and collectively, socially cohesive, sustainable, economically vibrant and humane, through the tools, capabilities, language and processes at our fingertips.

| www.no-straight-lines.com | making sense of our non-linear world | 2011 |

Designing for transformation is based upon 7 years of research

From, healthcare, education, car manufacturing, R&D, banking, venture funding, legal frameworks, NGO’s, a city and even the largest organic diary herd in Britain.

Each one of the organisations that we have studied have met the criteria of the six principles of NSL.

These are some of the organisations we have worked with, studied, and, talked to


Many of these organisations faced a design challenge. A problematical, if not down right tricksy problem. That even the number crunchers struggled with in how they dealt with complex, ‘I cant sleep at night’ problems!


How do we find the best possible solution to this challenging problem?


b u t t h e y a l l a s k e d t h i s q u e s t i o n …

The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for POVERTY

How do we enable 2bn + people in poverty to increase their earnings from $2 to $4 a day by using mobile communications technology?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for FARMING

How do we remove the acute volatility and therefore risk of running large scale farms by thinking about the problem as a systems challenge? And by working with nature.


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for BUSINESS

How do we discover a new sustaining business model? By enabling our customers to constantly co-create the future of our company, meaning we co-create better products, services, and increase revenues.


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for HEALTHCARE

How do we create a service to better manage people’s chronic health care? Reducing; wrong diagnosis, over prescription of drugs, clogging up hospitals and specialist time.


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for VENTURE FUNDING

How do we create the next Silicon Valley not as a place but as a platform? That would ignite entrepreneurship and unleash innovation at an international scale?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for UK POVERTY

How do we get 10% of UK’s population (6m+) who do not have any access to credit or a bank account access to a bank designed for them? Meaning no more loansharking, criminal rates of interest, locking 6m into poverty.


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for organisations

How do we build new operational capability, and commercial viability by thinking about the organisation as a platform, existing within an eco-system?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’…

How do we design better for societies, organisations, and commerce – all at the same time?


Social Organisation

Economic

NEW

Each of these addressed their respective challenges through some or all of the above six characteristics: they embraced ambiguity, they learned the rules of adaptiveness, they used participatory cultures and tools, they became literate in openness, they understood craftsmanship, they designed for transformation…


Ambiguity

Accept the uncertainties of an ambiguous world and become master of them. In many ways ambiguity is the output of our current trilemma, but for that very reason it must also be a defining principle. When we individually and collectively live in an age of uncertainty, we must all become masters of managing uncertainty. As individuals or organisations we need to demonstrate the ability to face the future openly; we have to replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. To seek new patterns that make sense even if they challenge pre-conceived ideas, positions and ways of doing things.

they embraced


Adaptiveness

Adaptiveness is the key quality needed to craft the new non-linear society and requires a new literacy and

a cross disciplinary approach. We must always be prepared to adapt, to upgrade constantly and

understand that to be agile is a key survival principle.

This ability to upgrade constantly in hardware, software, organisational structures, business models

is required at least for the time being. The crafted organisation is therefore constantly creating,

collaborating, critiquing, communicating, it is agile. Altogether this is a cognitive action at a group and

social level; it is a learning culture, where the default setting is open rather than closed.

they learned the rules of



Openness

Openness is resilience. The concept of being open facilitates a new organisational, social and commercial capability. And it plays a key role in helping participatory cultures to function properly, as part of a new operating system where mutuality and the sharing of knowledge, information, data and resources can accelerate innovation and redistribute wealth and provide for a better world. It is inclusive by design, and its by-product is organisational and social cohesion. In designing for a more sustainable world, we must seek mutual gain and mutual benefit.

they were literate with


Participatory cultures & tools

The cultures the non-linear society seeks to nurture and the tools it uses to do so must be participatory. If we start to think about how our world is being redefined by social everything, then we should begin a critical enquiry into participatory cultures. Not only is there is a body of research that suggests potential benefits of participatory culture, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, a changed attitude towards intellectual property, the diversifi-cation of cultural expression, the development of skills valued in the modern workplace and a more empowered conception of citizenship

they skillfully used


Craftsmanship

The almost forgotten art of craftsmanship, is defined by the craftsman being more than a good technician, the craftsman uses his tools for the collective good. So the

Craftsman questions what it is he makes. He possess the ability to constantly work in beta – his mind open to the new, new ideas, techniques, tools and ways of doing

things. His curiosity enables him to assess, reassess, refine and perfect technique into intuitive knowledge and action by bringing two unlikes into close adjancy and

recognising a new pattern or possibility – and that is a true act of creation.

they understood



Epic

Designing for transformation, in crafting an epic solution seek epic wins. Faced with the trilemma of our current age and the wicked

problems that have presented themselves, No Straight Lines has shown individuals, groups,

Amazon rain forest tribes, communities, companies, cities, schools, hospitals having demonstrated an approach coined from the

language of gaming – they seek epic wins. They seek transformational answers to

intractable problems; they are not satisfied with traditional orthodoxies and the limitations they

put upon us. Seeking Epic Wins is not about grandiose posturing but seeking real answers to those inherently wicked problems. And, having

the vision, the courage and the conviction to seek and implement lasting change.

they designed for transformation


NSL MODEL FOR TRANSFORATION Designing for the ‘Human OS’

Embracing ambiguity

Learning to be adaptive

Participatory cultures and tools Openness is resilience

The almost forgotten art

of Craftsmanship

d y n a m i c r e s o n a n t

s y s t e m


Therefore we need to shift how we see and interpret the world so that we see, connect to and create our

best possible future instead of continuing to operate from the experience of the past.


We respectfully expect you to be active participants, and in that process you will:

[1] Learn about new tools, processes and language

[2] Learn how others have used those to solve complex, social, economic and organisational problems

[3] Apply that insight to challenge your own world view and to be able to rethink and approach wicked problems to design for human centered transformation.

The Benefit: you will leave with a clearer understanding of of how you can address the challenges that you are facing - the challenge being finding the epic solution/win



Agenda The Transformation LAB will run over 2 days. The morning session of the first day will be spent moving through the 6 principles of NSL.

Ambiguity Adaptiveness Openness Particiaptory cultures &

tools

Craftsmanship Epic (Designing for transformation)

We will explain their importance, and use real stories of how other organisations have been able to use these principles to face difficult/challenging situations and use them to design for transformation.


Then we get a much needed break with lunch


In the afternoon we invite you to cross over into thinking about how those principles, stories, ways of acting are challenges and are also opportunities.


You will divide into groups and we will present you with a series of searching questions and challenges around the six principles – you will cover all 6.

We want you to explore collectively how these 6 principles, the stories, the ways in which some organisations have become stuck in ambiguity unable to design for transformation, whereas others have been able to thrive in a non-linear world – relate to you and your organisation.


Then each group feedsback to the whole group.

Moving through the six principles.

It will reveal much about your organisation as well as showing yourselves how these six principles could help you design for transformation

to a new pathway to your best possible future.


Harvesting our collective discussion

| www.no-straight-lines.com | making sense of our non-linear world | 2011 | Pub

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We will look at this harvest through a

social / organisational /

economic lens

Social Organisation

Economic

Day 2: 9.00 – 13.00 Epic: Designing for transformation

Walk in Check in circle

Personal and group discussion

on the previous session

Introduction of a wicked

problem

Description Of the

problem.

Why is it disruptive? What is its

cause?

What are we trying to solve?

Solution building

Lets start to build up solutions

which explore

alternative narratives as opportunities

Inputting the knowledge from the 6 principles

1

2

3

4

5

We look to synthesise our

knowledge, and understanding

The solution must be

transformational It must be

sustainable It must be human

centered

We believe it will work as our

knowledge tells us it will

S Walk out Check

out circle

Personal and group discussion

on the previous session


What should your experience be like?

[1] You will learn by doing, you will understand by sharing [2] You will be challenged individually and collectively [3] You will learn to get comfortable in the uncomfortable zone [4] You will learn to become curious and explore new ways of thinking and acting in the world [5] You will understand that seeking epic wins is not an impossible dream, but practical and realistic

[3] Adaptiveness


Great I am – We are in. So how do we get started? We invite you to get in touch if you would like to discuss a TRANSFORMATION LAB session, because as we know every great relationship starts with a conversation rather than a menu. We can then talk about your wicked problem, we can discuss where would be an appropriate place to come together, we can talk about the stuff that can make this be a truly transformational experience and then we can talk commercial sense.


What we want from you

We are not looking for those that want to ‘play’ at the innovation game, tick the box, and get back to ‘bizness as usual’. We want truly committed participants that want to work out ‘how we can’ rather than talking about ‘why we cant.’

So if you; ‘want’, ‘desire’, and ‘demand’ transformation then we would love to hear from you.


We can run days for up to 20 people


Want to thrive in a non-linear world? Give us a sign either by phone, mail, tweet or use the web booking form.

Phone: +44 (0)7768 364 538 email: [email protected] twitter: alansmlxl web: no-straight-lines.com/induction-days/#

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arry Knight

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