Thoughts on Convening Towards Recovery
Probe, sense, respond. How to approach complexity according to the Cynefin Framework, a decision making aid. As a facilitator and designer working in innovation, this is the approach I commonly use to deal with the issues that participants bring to the lab space. Along with the team at NouLAB, I help lead multi-stakeholder teams through processes to try new things, test new ideas and move into the unknown. The probe is a small test, the sense is reviewing and analysing the data from that test and respond is the agreed upon action taken to solve or move towards solving the issue at hand.
Under the current COVID-19 conditions NouLAB’s work has required adjustment.
In the current situation, action is required, we are in chaos. This means the approach to the situation is to act, sense and respond. There is an obvious threat, in this case, a virus that can cause serious harm and a relatively straightforward response, keeping distance from people who may be infected. In New Brunswick (NB), our government took early and decisive action. Schools were closed when there were less than five detected cases, border restrictions to permit only essential travel to neighbouring provinces and the US came shortly afterwards. Action was taken, sense is now being made as to how these actions made a difference to slow and ultimately end the spread. The respond is how policies are being shifted and relaxed as we see fewer and fewer infections being detected. Based on the data, New Brunswick has been able to lessen restrictions on social distancing and is in an envious position relative to most of Canada and the world.
The value of having this understanding of what kind of problem we are facing allows us to prepare for the next steps of the recovery process. In the transition from chaos and into a situation that is complex or complicated, I think we need to be aware of what normal we don’t want to return to.
In reality, the sooner and more completely we restore the old economy, the faster we simply recreate the conditions that got us sick in the first place and rendered us incapable of mounting an effective response. — Douglas Rushkoff
I’m highlighting this quote from an article by media theorist Douglas Rushkoff because it speaks to the context of our neighbours to the south and we are inherently connected to their response as well. It also speaks to the absolute necessity to examine how we might reimagine our economy for the better. In Canada and especially New Brunswick, effective responses have been taken but we were still far from a perfect economy before the COVID Crisis. This is an opportunity to build something new. May this be the chance to have deep discussions with people who are passionate about the transformation of our economy? As David Campbell points out in his blog, we need to treat the economic recovery as swiftly and strongly as the pandemic recovery. In many ways they are the same. The reliance on online services will likely continue due to people’s reluctance to step outside and many small businesses will not survive without major injections of public funds.
Reflecting on what NouLAB does, creating a safe space for innovation where people can think through new approaches, decide what elements are important and build a small test to determine if our hypothesis is correct, I realize this is not viable in the current situation. We are relying on things to stabilize before we can get back to those activities. Public safety is the number one priority and our theory of change holds the convening of people as essential. Up until now we have done that in person. COVID-19 will require us to move online and connect ideas through the appropriate platforms of online repositories, email, phone and of course Zoom.
So what might be NouLAB’s role in the recovery process that New Brunswick is stepping into?
As a result of this crisis, there has been a re-recognition that NB imports a large majority of its vegetables. Farmers have been looking for ways to make this profitable for a long time but the political will for solutions has now been activated. Convening a group on how agriculture plays a part in the recovery with an eye to new possibilities could be fruitful in this new context. This conversation could also include the recent work with BioNB and Opportunities New Brunswick done around the development of the cannabis industry in the province. Recently Premier Higgs has announced the ban on the Temporary Foreign Workers program which will seriously affect farmers in the province. Hiring local workers seems like an obvious solution but it remains to be seen whether there is a willing workforce for these types of jobs. Hosting a conversation with farmers may hold the potential to determine creative solutions.
NouLAB is currently working with organizations to track the response they have taken during the crisis and help them understand how learnings gained now will be taken forward into the future. Similar to work being done right now by Nick Scott and GNB’s innovation team on how the government has responded and adapted, NouLAB is looking at setting up a Parallel Learning Structure to build case studies about organizational responses. As this work progresses we will share the knowledge and open up to more participation.
Being aware of the downstream effects of this pandemic on people’s wellbeing is important to be proactive in designing responses and recovery. The methodology and philosophy that lies at the heart of our work is human-centered design. Meaning quite literally everything that we design is informed directly by the people who will use the programs and services. Even though the NB economy is close to being restarted, the Canadian, US and global economies are set for significant downturns. These factors need to be taken into account as NB plans our response. Those who are already marginalised will be the ones hit hardest. Regardless of the approaches taken by companies, governments and nonprofits, keeping our actions informed by those most affected will allow for the most effective use of resources.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, one of the world’s leading thinkers on disruption and uncertainty, has identified that small, connected communities are very effective when dealing with situations such as the pandemic. New Brunswick’s relative remoteness and ability to close off to the world served the containment efforts immensely. Going forward, as Lisa Hrabluk points out in a recent thought piece, there are other strategic advantages that New Brunswick might offer the world. Being more locally reliant and having more food reserves is one example. In times of crisis where supply chains are affected we quickly learn we have to rely on our close neighbours and the maritime warmth is definitely a strategic advantage.
The work done by NouLAB in the past five years has all centred around bringing people together to work on complex societal challenges. The method has evolved and adapted based on our learning and on the needs of different situations/groups/stakeholders but it has always relied and valued in-person workshops. As we adapt to the new context we are working on ways to have engaging and fruitful online engagement. The online component must take into consideration a new way of working where all voices are heard and feedback processes are integral to the work. What comes next as we recover locally and globally will be determined by the conversations between people. Let’s make sure we include everyone at the online table!
