In a world where innovation is rewarded, it is not only about thinking right, but also about acting quickly. There is a power in speed that is often underestimated in creative processes. Being first to market, first with an expression or first with an idea can sometimes outweigh being precise […]
erik
314 posts
We often want to be more creative. We know that creativity is needed to develop new products, improve organizations, and solve social problems. We also intuitively understand that creativity is something we can train, just like strength or fitness. But despite this insight, surprisingly few people regularly use creative methods, […]
We live in a time where external stimuli are constantly present. The phone vibrates, the news scrolls, content flows in a torrent through the screens. It is easy to believe that this abundance of information makes us more informed, more creative, more up-to-date. But when the access to impressions never […]
In an era of increasing complexity and global crises, we are faced with systems that no longer deliver what they were once intended to do. Inequality, climate change, ill health and resource overuse are not problems with simple solutions. They are symptoms of deeper structures in our social and production […]
A path for deep system change in a complex world. In an era where we need to not only improve our systems but also fundamentally transform them, conventional methods for change are not enough. To address the sustainability crisis, growing inequality or unsustainable value chains, a different way of understanding […]
In the work on system innovation, there is often talk about methods that help us change systems. But before we can change, we must first understand. And sometimes it is precisely in the first phase, where we try to grasp the complexity, that the biggest mistakes occur. We jump too […]
What does it really take to bring about change in complex social systems? When you are in the midst of the consequences of the climate crisis, social gaps or resource waste, it is easy to feel that huge changes are required. But what if the solution is not always to […]
System change does not start with solutions, it starts with understanding. In a complex world where sustainability challenges are intertwined and long-term, more is needed than problem-solving in silos. We need methods that help us see the whole, the relationships and the dynamics – and one of the most powerful […]
In an era of climate crisis, digital transformation and social change, it is no longer enough to improve what is. To create sustainable societies, we need to change entire systems, how we produce, consume, organize and collaborate. One of the most useful methods for understanding and driving such changes is […]
Imagine that you have one million dollars and the assignment to invest it in innovation projects. It sounds like a dream for many people, to be the one to create the future. But it is also a challenge. Because suddenly it is no longer about visions, but about choices. How […]
We often talk about sustainability in big words such as climate goals, fossil-free transport, reduced consumption. But when it comes to economic models, it is easy to get lost in technical terms. So let’s keep it simple, especially from a consumer perspective. Three economies that are three ways of managing […]
We humans are incredibly smart. We’ve created satellites, self-driving cars, AI that writes poetry. And yet. When it comes to solving our greatest common crisis, we forget to look to the one who has already solved it: Nature herself. Today I stood by a tree. An old, crooked, almost slightly […]
He walked backwards to work. He was carrying a backpack. Gray, with an embroidered banana on it. I still remember it clearly, what a nutcase. Or did someone make a joke that it’s good to walk backwards, to see how many people take on idiotic tenders? Of course you wonder: […]
In our time, many of the systems we surround ourselves with are built to amplify effects, create growth, and generate immediate responses. But when we look more closely at nature—and at our own bodies—we see that the most sustainable systems work quite differently. They regulate themselves. They seek balance. They […]
In an increasingly complex world, it is no longer enough to hope that innovation will emerge spontaneously. Innovation must be organized and made an available resource, just as a service organization offers support and help when needed. Instead of trying to reduce or control complexity, we need to create organizations […]
To achieve true circularity, we need more than just smart solutions; we need a new form of collaboration. Co-design, or co-creation, can be one of the most important prerequisites for creating sustainable and circular systems. Co-design means involving all stakeholders in the design process, from users to producers, recyclers and […]
Innovation is rarely about a single brilliant idea. It is almost always about making ideas happen, having the energy, courage and the ability to take them from thought to action. And somewhere between idea and action, friction arises. Friction in innovation work is like invisible brakes. They are not always […]
We humans love smart systems. We like it when resources are put to good use, when waste is given a new lease of life, and when what was once waste becomes an asset in another context. This idea is called industrial symbiosis, and it has received a lot of attention […]
James Clear’s best-selling Atomic Habits has helped millions understand how small, consistent changes can create big results. It’s a book full of structure, planning, and micro-improvements. But is that all it takes for real development? What if we said that chance is also a necessary component of sustainable and creative […]
There are plenty of courses, manuals and training courses today that teach innovation. ISO 56002 – the global standard for innovation management – describes processes, structures and principles. Method maps point out paths through idea development, prototyping, testing and scaling. All of this is valuable – but it is not […]
Trust is one of those things that is so obvious when it exists and so brutally difficult to manage when it is missing. Yet our entire society, our relationships, our collaboration, and not least our ability to be creative, are built on trust. But what exactly is trust? Simply put: […]
We live in a world governed by rules. Stop signs, school schedules, work regulations, employment conditions, social codes, a culture of silence. Some rules are necessary – they protect us from harm, provide stability, create security. But many other rules are… more of an old habit. Something we just follow […]
We live in a world of constant change and increasing complexity. Climate change, technological development, social shifts and economic fluctuations challenge our societies, businesses and everyday lives. In this reality, resilience is not just the ability to withstand and recover from a crisis, it is also a driver for creativity […]
Systems thinking is the art of understanding the world not as separate phenomena, but as a web of interconnected parts where each element influences and is influenced by others. Instead of focusing only on individual events or parts, systems thinking seeks to capture the processes, connections, patterns, and the invisible […]
Pablo Picasso is said to have said, “Every creation is first an act of destruction.” It’s a seemingly paradoxical insight, but it captures something fundamental about creativity and change. In order for something new to emerge, the old often has to be torn down, questioned, and abandoned. We see this […]
Starting a project without a clear direction is like sailing without a map. You may have a destination in mind, but without a clear course, you risk getting lost. The NEB Compass (New European Bauhaus Compass) is a tool that helps teams find the right direction in their projects by […]
For decades, we have lived in a world where consumption has been the engine of the economy. We have produced more, bought more and thrown away more – but rarely thought about the consequences. Now we are starting to see the results of ongoing globalization in the form of a […]
We don’t often see the world as it really is – we see it through the filters we are fed. News feeds, social media and personal experiences create our picture of reality, but that picture is often distorted. We see a world of disasters and crises because that is the […]
The global goals have been around since 2015 and have become a natural part of our understanding of sustainable development. But how often do we actually think about them? When was the last time you read the concrete targets? Even though we know they are important, they have become a […]
We live in an era where almost everything is available, anytime, anywhere. Food can be ordered with the touch of a button, knowledge is seconds away via an AI chat, and products are delivered to your door in a day. But availability is not the same as sufficiency. Just because […]