Human behaviour, motivation, and psychology
Among the many definitions of health, few describe how we create and relate to it within a dynamic world, leaving us with models that put the onus on individuals, not systems. That requires change. This is one of many “thinking through writing” posts that I’ll be publishing as I journey through how I see design […]
Designing and Defining Health Contexts: A Start Read More »
Most of us have not seen a rhinoceros in the wild. We might have seen a rhino at the zoo and maybe on television. Only a few of us who live outside Africa have been fortunate enought to see one of these beautiful creatures in its natural habitat. Imagine we’d never seen a rhinoceros in
Rhinoceros In The Wild: System Models and Reality Read More »
When we recognize the diversity in our nervous systems, the problems with most organizational planning models become more evident, and we can start designing them for humans, not ideas. If you work with more than one other person — and how many of us don’t? — you encounter diversity. When we design systems to improve
The Neurodiversity of Work and Perils of Planning Read More »
The shift in seasons or a new page on the calendar can be an ideal moment to instigate change. The Fresh Start Effect demonstrates that you can engineer opportunities for transformation at any time — simply harness the power of your calendar. “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second
Fresh Start Effects and Pathmaking Read More »
Complexity is straining the ability of traditional plans to function as designed. When mass systems change is afoot, the key is not to jettison traditional planning, but collaborate with complexity rather than ignore it. In an earlier post I made the case that the days of linear planning were over. I stand by that, but
Cooperative Complexity and Planning Read More »
Systemic changes are happening all around us and the need for preparedness for an uncertain future has never been more salient. While operational plans and strategy are critical, psychological preparedness is just as important. Preparedness is anticipating certain kinds of events and outcomes tied to those events. Let’s look at environmental issues. For example, every
Psychological Preparedness By Design Read More »
Humans tell stories to each other through narrative, pictures, and data and models can help us make sense of things, but do they help us act? Or worse: do these models contribute to inertia? If you want to get a lot of traction on social media with a certain crowd, put up a model or
Models for Clarity or Confusion: Are Your Sense-making Efforts Serving You? Read More »
Canadian wildfires are ravaging millions of hectares of forests prompting the evacuation of thousands of people and smoke plumes that are affecting millions. It’s a case study in how we address the psychology of climate change, invoke systems thinking about health, and apply what we know about design to it all. In a recent interview
Wildfires: When Sparks Lead to Flames Across Systems Read More »
No matter what tools, methods, or approaches you take to create a change, time, care, and attention ultimately affect the outcome as much as anything else. When people ask about what is the one thing that most influence change efforts I offer not one, but three: time, care, and attention. Many things affect intentional change,
The Three Variables Underlying Every Significant Change Project Read More »
We are trained to use our powers of evidence and research to make our point. What if we used much less research to make much more of a point? When I get into a debate or look to persuade something, my natural tendency is to gather and align as much evidence as I can to
When Less is More When it Comes To Influence Read More »
