When we talk about taking a whole systems approach to change, we also need to think about developing people’s capabilities for change.
People aren’t static and will be influenced not just by the culture of the organisation but by the place they live or work in, the channels they use to inform themselves, the people they know, as well as wider political, economic, social and technological trends.
While individuals influence and are affected by the cultures they inhabit, they also interact with others. Understanding the capabilities for collaboration is as much about people’s relationship to others and the culture around them, as their individual values, perceptions and experiences.
They also have different intelligences and most workplaces primarily recognise people’s interpersonal skills and their verbal or logic skills. However, there are many other intelligences that are valued in other fields that we could learn from in working in public services: the ability of a musician or poet to tell a story, the need for a football team to continuously collaborate and learn from each other, the connection of a farmer to nature to be able to cultivate and nurture its crops, and the ability of a photographer to be able to capture the dynamics of a place or community.
I’ve found growing herbs & vegetables and cooking a way to relax, look at how to adapt when I nurture, when I protect or when I let grow. If you want to explore how to genuinely coach rather than manage teams, and be comfortable with the unintended consequences of letting others lead, check out this documentary on fermentation by @michaelpollan !
What learning styles or intelligences above would you like to develop?
If we want to be even more specific and talk about capabilities for change, we can see that we can borrow roles from other fields to improve how we help people innovate…and guess what, it’s not just the unique serial entrepreneurs or the heroic leaders, there are many innovation styles or Faces of Innovation as Tom Kelley from IDEO.
Looking at these different faces makes me think that to help people develop different capabilities for change, we also need to create or improve the conditions for it too, whether it’s being able to see the world as you’ve never seen it before in a judgemental environment or not being able to overcome barriers.
Below are different ways I’ve taken part in to learn from other styles of change from other fields, some I’ve enjoyed more than others — anthropologist & experimenter more than director — and some I practice more than others — cross pollinator more than storyteller.
Learning
How about using practical ways, like creating living libraries or experiencing the Empathy Museum to be more of an anthropologist, taking part in 100 Design Projects or the 100 Day Challenge to solve problems quickly to be more of an experimenter, or to create a treasure hunt or carry out network mapping to be more of a cross-pollinator.
Organising
You could take on a difficult project or even better volunteer to help a colleague tackle a sticky problem to be more of a hurdler, take part in a U Lab or the London Policy & Strategy Network to be more of a collaborator, or offer to host a session at the Local Government Innovation Network or take up a coach to be more of a director.
Building
You could design a creative workshop, game or festival which use all the senses — whether it’s the sights & smells of a market, the sounds of a bus or a flashmob or the blind tasting of an urban game — to be more of an experience architect, you could reinvent how you use an empty space on your high street, your own workspace or even your home space to make you more creative and be more of a set designer, think about how to use space differently — including online — to help people’s wellbeing to be more caregiver, and finally learn about the power of myths in campaigns how to tell or write stories (one of my attempts!) to be more of a storyteller.
These different faces remind me of a strengths habit tracker I’m using with my coach called Strengthscope which I blog about.
What ways have you tried learning things that are outside your comfort zone?
