We humans think in stories. We remember them, retell them, and use them to understand change. Yet many organizations try to communicate their journey through strategy documents, job descriptions, and bullet points. The result is often accurate but flat. The Hero’s Journey is a simple but powerful framework that helps […]
Method
87 posts
Storytelling is one of those concepts that sounds like a positive thing in theory. Everyone talks about telling a story to get people to understand, engage, and act. But the reality is more complex. Stories can be amazing tools for understanding, community, and creative change. At the same time, stories […]
The concept of scale has long been used in social innovation to understand how ideas and solutions spread, enlarge or deepen within social systems. In particular, research has pointed to three different ways of working with scaling as complementary paths to real system change: scaling up, scaling out and scaling […]
System innovation may sound technical and structural, but in practice it often starts with something very human. A story. When many organizations, professions and interests are to move in a new direction, reports, calculations and logical reasoning are rarely enough. Rational arguments are important but they are almost never sufficient. […]
Causal Loop Hackathons are popular tools in systems innovation because they combine rapid problem solving with visualization of system dynamics. They give participants the opportunity to openly explore, question, and hack the assumptions that govern a complex system. The result is often a deeper understanding of drivers and levers that […]
Outcome Harvesting is a method for identifying, analyzing and understanding changes that have already occurred in a system, regardless of whether they were planned, unplanned, positive or negative. Unlike traditional impact measurement, the method does not start from predetermined goals but from observed results in reality. This makes it particularly […]
System innovation depends on actors with different logics, drivers and goals being able to collaborate. But in practice it is often difficult to see these differences because each actor primarily understands the world from their own horizon. Role-playing is therefore one of the most effective tools for making the logic […]
Systems innovation is fundamentally about people. Technology, policies and structures can change, but if behaviours do not, the system will continue to produce the same results. Therefore, the behavioural level is not a side track in systems innovation, but a central hub. Understanding how behaviours are formed, how they spread […]
System innovation occurs in complex, dynamic and often unpredictable environments. This means that traditional measurement methods do not capture the changes that actually matter. Classic KPIs are based on linear assumptions where input leads to results in a predictable chain. In system change, reality works differently. Effects often arise as […]
Designing complex systems requires methods that can handle many actors, long time horizons and interwoven dependencies. In this context, it is not enough to develop a single service or product. Tools are needed that make it possible to prototype relationships, roles, incentives, processes, policies and market logics. System-adapted sprints are […]
Backcasting is a method that reverses the traditional way of planning development. Instead of starting with the current situation and gradually trying to identify ways forward, backcasting starts from a desired future. You define a goal that lies beyond today’s limitations and work backwards to identify the steps, conditions and […]
The Theory of Change has become an established method for describing how a desired future can be achieved through a chain of assumptions, interventions and mechanisms. The method is often used in project logic, social development and sustainability work. Basically, the Theory of Change is about mapping a logical chain […]
When people or organizations come together to create something new, a strange and often underestimated stage occurs. In the beginning, there is enthusiasm, consensus and the kind of generosity that only exists when everything is still possible. People plan, allocate resources and say that they will work together with openness […]
Rethinking business models is one of the most challenging forms of innovation. Many organizations have a good understanding of how their products and services work, but far fewer reflect on the logic that makes the business possible, how value is created, delivered and captured. The Business Model Canvas, developed by […]
Living Labs have emerged over the past decades as one of the most powerful methods for exploring and testing new solutions in real-world environments. In an era where sustainability, circularity and system innovation are in focus, arenas are needed where ideas are not just planned but lived. Living Labs are […]
Biodiversity is like a fabric. Every species, every small part of the ecosystem is a thread. When we pull on one of the threads, the entire pattern changes, sometimes in ways we never expected. Human impact on nature often creates chain reactions that at first seem insignificant, but which in […]
Most of us know the feeling. We’re sitting there with an important task, maybe even something we’ve been dying to do, but we’re still hesitant to start. Instead of getting down to it, we fill our time with small things. We often interpret it as weakness, lack of discipline, or […]
SCAMPER is a method for systematic idea generation that helps individuals and groups think in new ways about an existing product, service, process or idea. The method is based on asking seven types of questions, each of which is based on a specific verb: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to […]
In an era when the world is characterized by complex challenges, from climate change to organizational crises and personal search, there is a growing need for models that do not simplify reality but help us navigate its complexity. One of the most comprehensive models for this is Ken Wilber’s Integral […]
We live in a time where we are constantly trying to understand what awaits around the corner. The pace of change is high, and what we build today often has to withstand what we do not yet know. In future-oriented work, scenario planning has therefore become an increasingly important method. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Many times when we try to be creative, we limit ourselves without even thinking about it. We accept invisible frames and assume that certain factors are inevitable. But what happens if we challenge these assumptions? What happens if we ask ourselves: What does the ideal solution look like? This method […]