Archives
Systems thinking and the simple plan
Posted on January 12, 2016
Planning is something that is done all the time, but the shape in which these plans unfold is often complex in hidden ways. Without the same resources to evaluate those plans (and make different ones should they change) many organizations are left with great expectations that don’t match the reality of what they do (and can […]
Designing for the horizon
Posted on January 1, 2016
‘New’ is rarely sitting directly in front of us, but on the horizon; something we need to go to or is coming towards us and is waiting to be received. In both cases this innovation (doing something new for benefit) requires different action rather than repeated action with new expectations. I’ve spent time in different employment […]
Isolation: The New Innovator’s Dilemma
Posted on March 27, 2014
Innovators transform the world around them in big and small ways and while a successful effort can be lauded by pundits, politicians and the public there is a long road to making change happen. That road is also a lonely one and doing things different means more than just innovating and experiencing what it means to be […]
Creativity and Craft, Myth and Muscle
Posted on March 24, 2014 1 Comment
Creativity is a word shrouded in myth that has been held up as this elusive, seductive object that will reveal the true secrets of innovation if ever reached. Creativity is something we all have, but not all of us are craftspeople and knowing where these two are separate and meet is the difference between myth […]
Asking Better and More Beautiful Questions
Posted on March 12, 2014 3 Comments
Beautiful answers require beautiful (and better) questions and Warren Berger’s new book looks at this very phenomenon of inquiry and asks: What does it mean to ask better questions and what does that mean for the answers we seek and receive? Warren Berger recently published A More Beautiful Question, a book looking at something we […]
Developmental Evaluation and Design
Posted on January 28, 2014 1 Comment
Innovation is about channeling new ideas into useful products and services, which is really about design. Thus, if developmental evaluation is about innovation, then it is also fundamental that those engaging in such work — on both evaluator and program ends — understand design. In this final post in this first series of Developmental […]
Developmental Evaluation and Mindfulness
Posted on January 20, 2014 4 Comments
Developmental evaluation is focused on real-time decision making for programs operating in complex, changing conditions, which can tax the attentional capacity of program staff and evaluators. Organizational mindfulness is a means of paying attention to what matters and building the capacity across the organization to better filter signals from noise. Mindfulness is a means of […]
Developmental Evaluation and Sensemaking
Posted on January 13, 2014
Developmental evaluation is only as good as the sense that can be made from the data that is received. To assume that program staff and evaluators know how to do this might be one of the reasons developmental evaluations end up as something less than they promise. Developmental Evaluation (DE) is becoming a popular subject […]
Grounding Your (Mindful) Organization
Posted on November 12, 2013
Building a mindful organization requires a sense of understanding where you are, where you came from and where you’re going. The first step is grounding your organization and learning about — and (re)creating your point of origin. In 1806, what became the city of Detroit, Michigan was first designed and conceived. Unlike other cities, Detroit […]
Systems Thinking Perspectives on CQI and Public Health
Posted on September 23, 2013 3 Comments
Systems thinking involves taking account of where you stand, what you’re doing, and where the bounds of your influence and influences are. By learning how to think about systems, we are better able to design strategies to ensure that our engagements are producing the most beneficial results for our efforts and when combined with design […]
