Creating order out of chaos
We’re all flooded with information in our work and everyday lives. Possessing large amounts of information in and of itself often isn’t useful — but making sense of it is. To decipher the complexities of our world and make informed decisions, the art of transforming chaos into clarity becomes paramount.
Most of our work at Intentional Futures involves making sense out of complex, confusing information. Our strategists and designers work together to translate data into clearer signals and eliminate misleading insights.
With this newsletter, we wanted to provide a glimpse of our recent endeavors in the realm of ‘chaos-taming’. Hopefully this gives you a sense of how we bring coherence to complexity.
Some of our latest chaos-taming
iF works extensively with both nonprofits and for-profits. Here we are sharing examples from the nonprofit space, with our last example (Microgrids) showcasing how we often help these two worlds collaborate.
When CommonLit shared that their team was embarking on a multi-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) to validate the efficacy of their curriculum, iF’s Education team was excited to support this critical work. Our strategist Nolie Ramsey noted, “CommonLit and iF knew that the setup and implementation of sample recruitment is make-or-break, so as a part of our collaboration, the iF team developed this dashboard, enabling CommonLit to efficiently leverage data in their nationwide recruitment strategy.”
To assist Stand for Children WA in creating a clear, actionable, and visually-appealing synthesis of their recent actions around equitable school legislation, iF developed a collaborative, equity- and stakeholder-centered synthesis of the impressive bank of research that Stand for Children has collected and implemented over the past few years. Learn more about Stand and our work with them in this new case study.
In our work together with the Linux Foundation, we publicized a report providing industry stakeholders with valuable information to drive the democratization of energy systems and the advancement of open-source technologies in the microgrid industry. To learn more about our process, please check out the case study.
Making order from chaos can be exciting because there isn’t a singular way to succeed. iF is always looking for new ways to express information and hone our craft. Drop us a line if you have any novel ideas worth sharing — we’d love to hear from you.
Build an intentional culture
iF has been busy building our Culture Change practice. As we all have experienced, there’s nothing more complex than culture! Over the past six months, we’ve spoken with dozens of HR Leaders to understand their challenges and ideas for managing workplace culture and the role culture plays in achieving business goals. iF has also tested our new approach to culture change. The result? We have a powerful new set of offerings that we’re convinced can help any organization turn culture into a strategic driver.
Learn about the Culture Web and how we apply it with organizations to activate sustainable shifts in culture here.
View our set of services to help you navigate culture change here.
Interested in a workshop with your team? Download the one-day workshop overview here.
If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to Chris Anibarro to set up some time to speak: Christiana@intentionalfutures.com
Upcoming Webinar: Create a Culture Where People Thrive
Another way iF helps organizations make order out of chaos is through our Culture Web sessions. Know you need to work on your culture but not sure how or where to start? Or maybe you’re engaging in efforts to define or refine parts of your culture and are in need of inspiration? Our upcoming webinar could be a great starting point.
In this webinar you will learn how to shape your culture to improve team cohesion, collaboration, and trust. This hands-on webinar will provide you with three essential tools to put you into action and create results:
- Framework for building culture that is simple to understand yet holistic.
- Structured process for teams to engage in that is straightforward and thoughtful.
- Method for teams to continuously create and contribute to their culture.
Reserve your spot here.
Happenings
Other things we’re working on include:
- Alison, Olivia, Peter, Alec, Ryker, and Nolie are helping a national nonprofit understand what’s possible in utilizing AI in equity-centered ways when analyzing student data. Part of this effort includes bringing together cross-sector experts (tech, philanthropy, and academia) in a one-day convening.
- Jeff, Mira, Andrew, Craig, Ryker, and Tynan are researching Quantum Networking landscapes and opportunities.
- iF Ops is preparing for our 2023 holiday outreach, and would appreciate you taking a few minutes to update your contact information in this form. The first 5 people to complete it will be signed up for a gift this year. We are pulling together something fun!
Read, watch & listen
We asked iFsters “What’s something you read, saw, or heard this past quarter that gave you a practical, actionable takeaway?”
Mira Patel, Lead Strategist — Scientists suggest that the unchecked growth of invasive grasses helped fuel the deadly August wildfires in Maui (The New York Times)
A comprehensive scientific report reveals that invasive species introduced to various ecosystems globally are inflicting more than $423 billion in annual economic losses by harming nature, disrupting food systems, and endangering human health. These costs have increased at least fourfold each decade since 1970, with over 37,000 species introduced intentionally and unintentionally outside their natural habitats. Over 3,500 of these are considered invasive and have contributed to 60% of documented plant and animal extinctions. The report emphasizes that unchecked invasive species pose threats to biodiversity, food security, and human well-being and advocates for preventative measures to mitigate these impacts, emphasizing the importance of global cooperation in addressing the issue.
Jen Cupp, Senior Strategist — Putting the SDGs back on track – (The Stanford Social Innovation Review)
This article was published ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit this September, which is serving as a rallying point for governments, businesses, and others to accelerate progress toward a better world as many SDGs are off track for achievement by 2030. The article highlights research on SDG action in the corporate world.
My three key insights from this piece were:
1. Companies should beware of SDG washing (akin to greenwashing), which betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the spirit of the SDGs and integrated nature of the goals. This can lead to PR challenges and exacerbate mistrust, not to mention undermine achievement of the SDGs.
2. Companies that have avoided SDG washing have fundamentally shifted their strategies and operations to contribute to the SDGs. Considering the SDGs in the context of their core business, rather than just philanthropic efforts, has been key.
3. Companies should transparently report on both positive and negative contributions to the SDGs, not just cherry pick the easiest goals for them and only report on positive contributions. Considering all 17 SDGs together also helps avoid perverse trade-offs.
Gentry Croley, Senior Strategist — 28 States, 71 Bills, and an Education System Transformed: A running tally of how Republicans are remaking the American classroom (New York Magazine)
Since 2020, states across the U.S. have been enacting laws that impact various aspects of education. These laws range from bans on trans students participating in sports programs according to their gender identity, to restrictions on teaching even fundamental concepts related to race, ethnicity, and sex. Additionally, many of these laws allow parents to review and control instructional materials — a major issue considering that most parents aren’t trained educators. While some of the laws discussed in the article have been blocked by court injunctions or vetoed by governors, there are instances where vetoes have been overridden by legislatures. I feel tremendous concern for educators and school staff as they try to navigate the tricky legislation while effectively and meaningfully serving their students.
Scott Thompson, Senior Visual Designer — Trillion-Dollar Sticker Shock? Let’s All Get Over It. (Ones and Tooze Podcast)
Ones and Tooze, an economics podcast featuring economic historian Adam Tooze, recently released an episode about our hesitancy to entertain public policy proposals with trillion dollar plus price tags. Tooze makes a convincing argument that any problem we’re serious about solving (climate change, poverty, etc.) requires us to think in trillions, not billions. I came away rethinking my sense of scale in the modern economy. What seemed big (e.g., the ~$380 billion dollar Inflation Reduction Act) is a lot less impressive when viewed against the actual size of the global economy.
