Constellation design thinking ⁂
A Constellation is basically a strategic alliance, with a twist. It is based around meaningfulness rather than short-term benefits. Or I guess you could say — a joint venture with a higher purpose and a strong brand story.
When we look up on a dark starry night and spot the Big Dipper, it’s almost like we can see lines drawn between the stars. (Fun trivia: The Big Dipper is apparently called an asterism within the constellation the Great Bear. And did you know that there is a letter or symbol in typography called Asterism? The Asterisk * is still widely used, but Asterism ⁂ not so much.) Anyhow, we perceive that there is some kind of reason for why these stars are connected. That’s the way Constellations work as well, they are something more than simply a cluster of stars.
So before joining up with me and the rest of Enterprise Crew to create really cool Constellations, is there a way of thinking that can be useful to practise? Yes Siree, I believe there is. It’s a good idea to try to shake off the ”business-as-usual” demand of being exact. If 1+1=3 makes you uncomfortable then maybe some other line of work is better for you. There are plenty of things in the world to do where we need to be exact — tax returns, line painter on our freeways, controller at a ruler factory. Plenty of zzzzzzzz stuff.
But if 1+1=3 makes you go — ”Hm… maybe there’s a way” then you’re on to it. Constellation thinking isn’t far from alchemy. This age old dream of the philosopher’s stone which could turn any metal into gold. But also more realistic chemical miracles, such as alloys, where two metals forge a third with completely new traits. Or those marvelous esters I believe they were called, which separate smell awful and all of the sudden smell like banana or strawberry when combined. (Unless our high school chemistry teachers tricked us somehow.)
Business-as-usual-thinking has however tricked many into believing that everything valuable has to be exact. Often it’s the exact opposite. Meaningfulness, which is at the core of anything of value, is almost always rather vague. In our day and age of speedy creative destruction we can experience this first hand. Just take the meaninglessness of your phone jack, just as an example, once the main connection to the outside world and now just a waste of space in our walls. Not to mention all the cable connected to it. Not so long ago a very serious matter. Very exact. Now meaningless. Plus nostalgia.
Constellations bring about meaningful actions and exciting stories like never before. For your organisation, through your brand and elevated by unexpected combinations.
>∑c To boldly go…
Jonas Bergvall / April 2017 (jonas@enterprisecrew.net)
(Video: Constellations in a nutshell)
