The Canadian province of Alberta has a reputation for fostering innovation. From strategic foresight to systemic design this reputation is well-earned. Alberta is a province in Western Canada known internationally for its expansive landscape of prairie and mountains, oil industry, and prehistoric riches. Its weather can be extreme — from large temperature swings (including the […]
Alberta’s Innovation Advantage Read More »
The latest issue of the Censemaking Innovation Newsletter is out. Looking for a better coffee break?: just open your inbox. Innovation is not a topic bereft of content: it’s the opposite. There’s so much content out there across so many fields that many people just rely on whatever pops into their news feed. It’s why
System maps pack a lot of information on a page. A simple, cost-effective approach can make this resource accessible. System maps can be daunting. After all, they are maps of the entire system, right? Well, yes and no. A simple technique called sketch mapping — which is literally about sketching your system as you see
Simple System Mapping Read More »
Innovation work requires a mindset, a skillset, and a toolset. The key is finding the right tools for the job. Building anything — a new product, process, policy — requires tools (even if that is just your hands). Today we expand our profile some tools introduced in the last issue of the Censemaking Innovation Newsletter
Tooling Up for Systemic Design & Learning Read More »
Innovation requires the right organizing, not just skill and vision. This article explores what that means in practice.
An Organizing Framework for Innovation Read More »
Organizational transformation efforts from culture change to developmental evaluation all depend on one ingredient that is rarely discussed: time. How do we sit with this and avoid the trap of aspiring for greatness while failing to give it the time necessary to make change a reality? Toolkits are a big hit with those looking to create
How do we sit with time? Read More »
Today Apple is expected to release a new series of iPhone handsets with the base price for one set at more than $1000. While many commentators are focusing on the price, the bigger issue is less about what these new handsets cost, but what value they’ll hold. The idea that a handset — once called
The logic of a $1000 iPhone Read More »
For the last few years Censemaking has been a forum for exploring ideas around complexity, systems, design and social innovation. It has been a space for ideas and considering some of social and evaluative ramifications of complexity as it plays out in human systems. This long-form blog has allowed for in-depth reflection on the issues
A toolkit for toolsets, skillsets and a mindset Read More »
Social media is any networked information technology, tool or platform that derives its content and principal value from user engagement and permits those users to interact with that content. But last time I checked (in), the content stream being produced through my media stream was becoming a lot less social (Web 2.0) and more of
Too Much Social Media, Not Enough Social Message Read More »
Applying developmental design may get us past the inevitable square-peg-round-hole problem that many evaluators, program planners and policy makers find themselves in as they seek to get greater value from their programs and demand more return on their investments. Evaluation and research is sought as the means to do it and with programs designed for evolution from the start, perhaps we won’t be surprised when the metaphorical ice sheets start to fall apart (as seen above) and see it as a developmental step to a new reality.
Developmental Design and Human Services Read More »
