Our Methods

Strategy and Innovation leads clients through applying methods and frameworks from anthro-complexity science to generate actionable results. Below are lists of those methods and explanation of their uses.

COMPLEX SITUATIONS

We can make sense of complex situations in human systems by analyzing the opportunities available for action in the situation, the stories people share with each other that shape their thinking and behaviors, and/or how people assemble to make decisions.[i]

Methods for complex situations

• Affordance Mapping.* Identify all the factors at work in a matter, our influence over each factor, and where changes might achieve our outcomes easier with lower risk.

• Narrative Mapping.* What is the current landscape of narratives that shape how people look at a matter? What shifts in narratives will enhance our outcomes?

• Agency Configuration.* Identify use cases of collaboration and decision making needed in a matter, and generate a configuration of roles and activities that will achieve that collaboration and decision making. 

ORDERED SITUATIONS

We can make sense of ordered situations by doing familiar situational reviews, sometimes in the context of cases.

Methods for ordered situations

• Current state report with discussion. Review report of the existing work (e.g., inventory of work & resources), identify clarifying questions, key takeaways, and potential areas of focus. Preferred that participants read a written report silently and then discuss altogether or in breakouts.

• Personae/Phenotype/Use Case Development. Develop use cases that represent the actors or situations for which we need to plan.

• Process mapping. Map the existing process, sometimes for use cases, and identify gaps and opportunity for enhancements.

The sensemaking methods above help identify the strategy for response. Sometimes the response generates a clear solution. Other times ideation is needed to generate the right tactic(s).

Methods for Ideation

• Open Brainstorming/Ideating. Generate as many ideas as possible that address a design challenge or set of parameters.

• Scenario/Use Case Planning. Generate a response plan for each in a set of scenarios or use cases.

• Online Crowdsourcing Campaign. Crowdsource ideas with justifications from a specified audience, and then have a set of reviewers rate the ideas on characteristics of feasibility, viability, and desirability. Certain reviews can be done by the entire audience when appropriate.

RADICAL INNOVATION

At times, we need to aim for generating radical innovation. These are rarely, if ever, de novo. They come from using existing capabilities for a radically different purpose than currently designed (exaptation) and/or questioning fundamental paradigms. [ii]

Methods for radical innovation

• Forced Mutation.* Inventory existing capabilities and generate potential new uses for combinations of the existing capabilities.

• Others available for consideration

INITIAL EXPLORATION

And there are times where we have barely begun to conceptualize a space that is novel or nascent  – like AI for many in ~2023. For this we need to do initial exploration by engaging different disciplines, participants, ideas, and beliefs to explore the space in a fashion that amplifies deep thinking on the matter. 

Method for initial exploration

• Triopticon.* Engage participants in a ritualized discussion on a topic. The process uses some recognized expert voices to catalyze thinking, and provides a ritual of listening and processing that amplifies deep thinking among all participants.

Most of our methods and frameworks, including those marked above (*), are the work of Dave Snowden and The Cynefin Co [iii]