Framing my challenge: part 2
The notion of whole-systems and living-systems has always felt pertinent to me, even if I hadn’t given it that name before, so it felt extremely relevant to framing my challenge — Where within a living system does my challenge fit? What part of a whole system does it pertain to? What is the boundary to the living system I want to work in, what perspective am I taking and how can I challenge it?
Another tool we looked at in school was Circles of influence and concern. Circle of influence, encompassing things we have some element of control over, and circle of concern, encompassing the things that are outside of our direct influence. Another way to think about this would be ‘me’, ‘my world’ and ‘our world’
Can I frame a challenge that relates across these different levels, crossing all these boundaries? Looking at Horizons helped me to think about my circle of concern, but to take action I need to think about what that means in terms of how I can make a difference. I realised that the questions I had in my head are too big, so need to distill them down and think about them through a more personal lens.
Another model that helped me frame my questions was the multi-level perspective model of change and emergence in systems. It demonstrates how the niche, regime and landscape are connected. Based upon how these three layers influence each other, we know that change is possible when culture is used to influence the mainstream, when bridges are built between the niche and the regime, and when we adapt and find opportunities to take advantage of the conditions in the regime and landscape levels.
I wrote down all the questions and challenges that were floating round my head and filtered them down, clustering under headings of ‘me’, ‘my world’ and ‘our world’. Quickly an extra category ‘their world’ emerged too.
Our world
I started with ‘Our world’ — these are the big questions in my outer circle of concern, which I am grappling with:
: How do we create a new paradigm that is positive for people and the planet?
: How do we start to shift to a system beyond capitalism
: How can we push emerging / niche / alternative seeds of change into the mainstream?
: How can we create opportunities to move beyond capitalism through arts and culture?
: How can we create a whole system or living system?
: How can we create cultural conversations around living systems
Their world
These questions encompass how I feel brands and business might play a role in shaping change in that wider ‘our world’ challenge:
: How can we educate brands and business to understand the need for system change? And to act on it?
: How can brands harness momentum of rising demand for better business with purpose?
My world
These questions sit on the blurred line, where people and consumers are part of the wider “their world” but also within my personal sphere of influence.
: How can we educate people about systems to understand their place and part in shaping them?
: How can consumers play a role in shaping sustainable business?
Me
These questions are elements of the wider challenge seen through the lens of how it relates to me and my role in system change:
: How can I define my role in the world of system change?
: What is my role in creating living systems?
: What role can I play in addressing climate change?
: How can I explore how consumerism and climate change are linked?
: How might I play a role in the shift towards an economy that cares for the planet and people?
: How might I support brand and business to build sustainable values, create positive change and be adaptable?
: What is my role in facilitating others (people, businesses and brands) on their own system change journeys?
What this means for my work?
What this means for my immediate practice, opportunities that exist, building upon my experience to date.
: How can I use what I’ve learnt working in futures to help create a more positive future?
: How can I use my experience in consumer insight
: What is my role in creating open, safe, trusting and collaborative environments?
: How can I help scale up The Next Wave work with Forum for the Future?
This diagram I drew helped me to think about the boundaries of each areas and how they all interlink.
A discussion with several other freelancers in similar fields, helped ease some doubts I was having. Even after my framing process, I was questioning whether I have the right questions, or too many, or too few, and answers feel too far away. But ultimately I am exploring my role as a system changer working with businesses and brands in the wider ‘our world’ context.
We came at it from similar angles and realised that these were our challenges. It’s hard to define them any further. This is my learning edge, these are the questions and challenges that are at the margin of my practice.
This process has left me feeling comfortable again with the unknown. I can keep the bigger questions in mind without needing to know the answer yet. To that effect, the next 3 months / 12 weeks will be a testing ground to explore and develop my capabilities further, to think about how I can expand and work with my circle of influence to address those wider questions and the bigger challenge that lies in my circle of concern.
