TRANSFORMING VISION INTO PRACTICE

In the following is some of the tools and frameworks listed that were used to design the two-day conference on Samsø for RECET with the intention of co-creating a collective vision that then can be transformed into practice after the conference:

The Circle – Invitation and Process

Our positioning of the chairs determines the functioning of society. The circle is an ancient meeting form that has brought people together in equal and respectful conversations for thousands of years. The circle – or the council – has served as the foundation for many cultures and local communities. As a process tool, the circle can be adjusted to accommodate any number of groups, themes, and time frames, and it is a good method for reaching common decisions.

Read more about the phases, principles, and practices here: http://www.pioneerguide.com/dk/

I.DO.A.R.T

It is a template for hosting effective meetings and workshops. It stands for Intention, Desired Outcome, Agenda, Rules/Roles, and Time.

The purpose of it is to get everyone on board for the same mission, align expectations, and set the fundament for an effective time together. It is either prepared before a meeting or co-created with the meeting participants at the beginning of a meeting.

One of the big advantages is that it creates Inclusion: By presenting it in the beginning, everyone can start from the same spot and is then also able to stay on track by checking the I.DO.A.R.T throughout the meeting. There is also the option of co-creating it with the participants to create more ownership over the process.

PORTRAIT DRAWING

This exercise is a way to check in with each other, see who is present in the room, and set an intention for the upcoming time.

Draw your opposite without looking down, then exchange papers and repeat the process with a new person. In the end, you will have up to four portraits of yourself. Set an intention for the workshop and choose the portrait that embodies it the most. Present it to the group and build a memory wall later.

GRAPHIC GAMEPLAN

It is a template and framework allowing one to visualize the actions needed to reach a goal while also taking threats, blind spots as well as success factors into consideration.

1. Describe the Goal you intend to reach by the end of your project (also add end date)
2. Set the Strategic Values
3. Note down the tasks needed to reach that goal
4. Consider possible challenges (threats or blind spots), note them down and then consider how to adjust tasks to prevent these from happening
5. Gather success factors and add possible milestones, how can you celebrate these along the way?

Idea: Sometimes it can be helpful to first note down actions on post-its, to be able to move and adjust them according to new input and the time frame

OPEN SPACE SHARED SPACE

The space you experienced is an alternated version of the Open Space Technology. The overall intention is to have participatory, inclusive and collaborative processes in gatherings and is especially useful when the answer is unknown, because a diverse set of perspectives can bring the solution closer.

A possible Session could look like the following:

1. Gathering of participants in a circle of chairs
2. Introduction to the process and the purpose of discussion by Facilitator

• The whole session is guided by the exploration of an overarching theme or broad question.

3. A brainstorm session: Participants think of sub-topics they would like to discuss.
   • The most relevant ones will be selected and divided up onto breakout rooms (relevance – will be determined by the group supported through the facilitator)

1. The sub-topics will be gathered on a whiteboard – given a time and a space.

4. Participants then have the opportunity to sign up where they feel passion or curiosity
5. The different sessions happen at the same time and will be documented by writing down key ideas or meeting minutes. Participants are allowed to move in between sessions following the guiding principles and one law

• Whoever comes is the right people
• Whenever it starts is the right time
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
• When it is over, it is over

1 Law: The law of two feet – You are responsible for your own experience, so you are always free to move yourself to a new place where you learn and/or contribute.

6. After the first breakout sessions, everyone gathers again to share with everyone what was talked about.
7. In the second phase, questions will be raised to dive deeper into the sub-topics
8. Then the steps will be repeated as before: Breakout Sessions, Gathering & Sharing
9. Reflection and Forward Perspective – How might we take what we talked about with us in the future?

If you are curious to dive deeper, here is some interesting insights:

https://www.facilitator.school/blog/open-space-technology

http://www.openspace.dk/index.php?showall=1&lang=en

LEARNING ARCHES

Learning Arches are a framework to make learning visible: It can especially be useful when looking ahead and planning learning journeys, because it allows for an intentional and inclusive design. The pdf-manual gives you access to a step-by-step introduction to creating Learning Arches.

Read more here: https://medium.com/@simonkavanagh/learning-arches-for-online-learning-b322cae49d6c

Download the pdf-manual: https://www.academia.edu/40605001/LEARNING_ARCH_DESIGN_USERS_MANUAL //https://www.linkedin.com/posts/simonkav_the-learning-arch-design-manual-activity-6887114407659368449-U_3m/

Possibility to take a course: https://www.kaospilot.dk/product/designing-learning-spaces-online/

THE 3 HORIZON MODEL

Originally created by Bill Sharpe of the International Futures Forum, the Model facilitates futures thinking. It allows to look into the short, the medium and the long-term future and connects those to cyclical thinking where a dominant cycle/wave of change gets replaced by another one with time. This wave of change is not only different in time, but also in other qualities.

The Model captures three waves of change, the three horizons:

1. H1 – Business as usual: The dominant system of the present
2. H2 – Entrepreneurial View: People initiating innovative alternative practices in response to the ways the landscape is changing
   1. H2 + : Some of the innovative practices will pave the way for emergence of new systems
   2. H2- : Other innovative activities will be taken up by the H1 system to prolong “business as usual”
3. H3 – Visionary View: Emerges as the long-term successor to business-as-usual (H1), it starts of as a small activity in the present introducing new ways of doing things (= pockets of the future), but then grows as it turns out to be a better fit to the world

There is different types of working with this model and it can also look different than the standard model presented here, the following links will allow you to dive deeper into this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5KfRQJqpPU

https://training.itcilo.org/delta/Foresight/3-Horizons.pdf

https://www.h3uni.org/tutorial/three-horizons/

THE PIONEER GUIDE

On the website of the pioneer guide (http://www.pioneerguide.com/) awaits you “an anthology of experiences, advice, tools, methods, stories, scientific perspectives and videos that in each their own way represents what Samsø islanders have learned through becoming self-sufficient in renewable energy – and fossil-free by 2030. “

These intentions are shared with the hope that they will help other local pioneer communities and organizations.

TWO LOOPS – MODEL: DOMINANT SYSTEM

When looking at nature, it is a constant flow of growth and decay. Those cycles allow for the system to innovate, adapt and evolve. This principle can be translated to organizations and shows the necessity of the old systems to decompose, for the new system to grow and flourish. It is not just about coming up with new innovations on top of old ideas, but about letting go aspects of the old ones – taking some of the compost into the next step and combine it with new solutions to create holistic systems change.

The dynamic of “as one system culminates and starts to collapse, isolated alternatives slowly begin to arise and give way to the new.” is a key to successful systems change and inspired the Two Loops Model originally created by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze.

Dominant System = The left loop, it is working well for some but is in decline.

Emergent System = The right loop, it is gaining influence – a system with the opportunity to imagine and create

Pioneers = When the dominant system peaks, alternatives arise which are pockets of possibility held by pioneers

When wanting to stimulate change: name the pioneers, connect them together, nourish them with time, connection and resources & illuminate their work/stories of change

Networks & Communities of practice = Pioneers coming together, establishing relations and creating new knowledge, ideas and practices – When they start sharing, others might join and the whole network grows

Learn more about the model and how to use it in your context here:

https://berkana.org/resources/pioneering-a-new-paradigm/

https://afternow.today/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/sites/14/2017/09/TwoLoops.pdf

https://youtu.be/B1jcfax4ntw