Create systems that are too bounded (dry) and we risk sucking the moisture from the human elements (the wet) that make real social innovation happen. Our challenge is finding the right balance between the controlled, stable environments that these new technologies afford and the self-organized, emergent and innovative environments needed to implement and scale our initiatives more effectively.
Wet and Dry Design for Social Innovation Read More »
Developmental evaluation (DE) is a problematic concept because it deals with a complex set of conditions and potential outcomes that differ from and challenge the orthodoxy in much of mainstream research and evaluation and makes it difficult to communicate. At a recent gathering of DE practitioners in Toronto, we were charged with coming up with
What is Developmental Evaluation? Read More »
Just as we create path dependencies for one set of values, so too can we do the same for others and with other people. The focus on the outcomes of systems rather than their design is problematic if we want change. Starting with design and values at the outset, being conscious of who we invite in and how we engage them and by remaining contemplative about how these systems unfold and the emergent patterns that shape them, designers of all stripes may be better positioned to create social change rather than just for social norms.
Design for Social Norms or Social Change? Read More »
Clowning might seem either silly or scary to some, but the art of non-verbal communication is just that: an art. And like art, it opens the door to myriad interpretations, but also to greater empathy and that only benefits design.
Clowning Around For Better Empathy and Design Read More »
Imagine a system where we gave students feedback, allowed them to adapt, and to take the information they learn and apply it in ways that fit the context they are working in? Consider what that might look like in terms of grades and grading and how the absence of such almost arbitrary assessments could lead to knowledge that could truly advance the health and wellbeing of everyone, not just propose to do so.
The Problem With Grades Read More »
A recent fire in Toronto shows some of the flaws with emergency preparedness plans and how they often fail to take in the true complexity of what actually happens, rather they deal only what what could happen in a limited scenario
Complexity and Emergency Reactiveness Read More »
Finding our way in a complex system is tricky. Social network maps can provide a way forward, but only if viewed as tools for complicated problems and not as true wayfinding solutions for complex ones.
Wayfinding in Complex Systems Read More »
Change requires energy and complex change requires a lot of energy. This is why balancing energy is so critical and why exhausted tired organizations so often reach for the simple and wrong solutions to complex problems.
Complex Change and Energy Read More »
Can we create mindful systems? Using tools like system dynamics models and social network analysis, we can make a start.
Books may be low tech compared to Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, but its focus on narrative gives it an advantage over other tools. Some thoughts on how to keep a low tech tool useful in a high tech information environment
The Book is Dead, Long Live the Book! Learning and Social Media Read More »
