Notes from a recent strategy workshop, sharing an emerging complex facilitation method that uses metaphor to break habitual patterns and empower teams to start journeys.
Thanks for the clear explanation. I am curious about using it for climate campaign planning. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it at the Melbourne session with Dave tomorrow.
Thanks for the blow by blow explanation. I have been trying to consume everything available until I get an opportunity to attend a master class. I have one question, when brainstorming constraints, what is the invitation? what is the question(s)? Are we getting the group to use the metaphors to map existing constraints? in the context of the theme? or constraints they want to have for that matter?
Glad you enjoyed the explanation, and I know the feeling of hoovering up all the info you can find :D
When brainstorming constraints, the invitation is really quite simple and you got it. It's all about the current landscape. What seems to confuse a lot of people is that they've only ever thought about obstacles within the framing of a specified explicit goal or objective, whereas EF doesn't start there. Everyone involved will still *have* multiple objectives, they just get to keep them to themselves for now.
Yes it does. We gave it a go in our internal quarterly strategic planning offsite. Main challenge was the balance of mirco-projects being normal projects with a list of To-Dos vs actions which are going to shift the energy of the system, e.g. containers, rituals etc. How did you/Dave nudge them during this part?
After I left this comment I've kept thinking what are the constrains. This is not very intuitive word to use. What are some examples of constrains in a business /organization context?
Probably important to reiterate that "constraint" is indeed a tricky word in this situation. It's different from a Goldratt "Theory of Constraints" type constraint, in that it's not necessarily limiting flow.
A constraint in Estuarine is any connection-between or container-around parts of a system. Many such constraints are not limiting, but are enabling, generative or constructive: like chemical gradients in a petri dish are a kind of constraint that enables evolution of the life in that dish.
In terms of examples, interestingly, one of the fundamentals of complex facilitation (like Estuarine Mapping) is never to give examples. This is because any example introduces bias to a group: it's simply too easy a pathway for a group of brains to glom on to the example(s) and bring out more of the "right" answer, instead of doing the hard work of generating their own thoughts.
I also know that can be frustrating for the participants. How does one know if one has come up with an actual constraint, or if one is getting it wrong?!
In reality, if someone in the group perceives a constraint, then it is one, even if someone else in the same situation doesn't perceive things in quite the same way. We genuinely want to generate a LOT of constraints of every kind in the brainstorming phase, partly to hold us off from premature convergence when we do the mapping and ideation phases. We don't want to zero in on the "right answer" ... mainly because it doesn't exist. This kind of gets at the heart of sense-making, I think: reality exists, but it's only accessible through our perception, and we can only act on that which we can perceive.
So I shouldn't really give examples. But what the heck ... in terms of examples in business, it's kind of limitless. Free breakfast between 8 and 9:30am is a constraint. The eyes lighting up that encourages certain behaviours are a constraint. The habitual use of powerpoint for update meetings is a constraint. Market analysis report cadence and conclusions are constraints. Methods, rituals, processes and communication tools within and between teams – all constraints ... Does that help at all?
Thanks for comprehensive answer amd examples. It sounds indeed... quite tricky. I think the word itself might be confusing. If these constrains can be limiting, generative, enabling, constructive etc.... then using the word constrain seems inadequate and actually prompts some approaches more than others.
Anyway, this is just my thought. The whole concept sounds very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Aye, I’m pretty sure that Dave’s been searching for a more appropriate word for a long while. Perhaps “constraints and constructors” ... but then you need to get into Deutsch and Constructor Theory too :)
What I can say from the experience in the workshop is that with some explanation and the typology of metaphors, the word constraints didn’t seem to faze the participants.
I just wanted to revisit this discussion, as I've seen later Dave explaining this and an evolutionary-kind-of constraints, where constraints of e.g. environment limit available options and in fact encourage creativity within these constrains. This takes weight of the limiting aspect of the word in my opinion.
This is awesome, I would love to chat with you about how I might be able to use this method with my particular field of "sustainability & impact" strategy for small & medium-sized businesses.
Thanks for the clear explanation. I am curious about using it for climate campaign planning. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it at the Melbourne session with Dave tomorrow.
I'd love to hear more about how you got on with Dave!
What thoughts did you have about using it for climate campaign planning?
I did. I hope Dave will be mentoring more people and that they will also be encouraged to share their experiences. Mentees' pay-it-forward :-)
Amen!
Great work Tom. A really clear documentation of the process. Appreciate the simplicity! (…on the other side of complexity)
Thanks! Was certainly going for simple-not-simplistic :)
Thanks Tom. I read a lot of Dave’s blogs, but did not anticipate the further value of a retelling from another’s perspective.
Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the retelling.
Thanks for the blow by blow explanation. I have been trying to consume everything available until I get an opportunity to attend a master class. I have one question, when brainstorming constraints, what is the invitation? what is the question(s)? Are we getting the group to use the metaphors to map existing constraints? in the context of the theme? or constraints they want to have for that matter?
Glad you enjoyed the explanation, and I know the feeling of hoovering up all the info you can find :D
When brainstorming constraints, the invitation is really quite simple and you got it. It's all about the current landscape. What seems to confuse a lot of people is that they've only ever thought about obstacles within the framing of a specified explicit goal or objective, whereas EF doesn't start there. Everyone involved will still *have* multiple objectives, they just get to keep them to themselves for now.
Does that help?
Yes it does. We gave it a go in our internal quarterly strategic planning offsite. Main challenge was the balance of mirco-projects being normal projects with a list of To-Dos vs actions which are going to shift the energy of the system, e.g. containers, rituals etc. How did you/Dave nudge them during this part?
That's super interesting, but I guess the devil is in the details.
It always is, eh?
I've sketched a few circles here, but there's a lot of owl left to draw.
After I left this comment I've kept thinking what are the constrains. This is not very intuitive word to use. What are some examples of constrains in a business /organization context?
Probably important to reiterate that "constraint" is indeed a tricky word in this situation. It's different from a Goldratt "Theory of Constraints" type constraint, in that it's not necessarily limiting flow.
A constraint in Estuarine is any connection-between or container-around parts of a system. Many such constraints are not limiting, but are enabling, generative or constructive: like chemical gradients in a petri dish are a kind of constraint that enables evolution of the life in that dish.
In terms of examples, interestingly, one of the fundamentals of complex facilitation (like Estuarine Mapping) is never to give examples. This is because any example introduces bias to a group: it's simply too easy a pathway for a group of brains to glom on to the example(s) and bring out more of the "right" answer, instead of doing the hard work of generating their own thoughts.
I also know that can be frustrating for the participants. How does one know if one has come up with an actual constraint, or if one is getting it wrong?!
In reality, if someone in the group perceives a constraint, then it is one, even if someone else in the same situation doesn't perceive things in quite the same way. We genuinely want to generate a LOT of constraints of every kind in the brainstorming phase, partly to hold us off from premature convergence when we do the mapping and ideation phases. We don't want to zero in on the "right answer" ... mainly because it doesn't exist. This kind of gets at the heart of sense-making, I think: reality exists, but it's only accessible through our perception, and we can only act on that which we can perceive.
So I shouldn't really give examples. But what the heck ... in terms of examples in business, it's kind of limitless. Free breakfast between 8 and 9:30am is a constraint. The eyes lighting up that encourages certain behaviours are a constraint. The habitual use of powerpoint for update meetings is a constraint. Market analysis report cadence and conclusions are constraints. Methods, rituals, processes and communication tools within and between teams – all constraints ... Does that help at all?
Thanks for comprehensive answer amd examples. It sounds indeed... quite tricky. I think the word itself might be confusing. If these constrains can be limiting, generative, enabling, constructive etc.... then using the word constrain seems inadequate and actually prompts some approaches more than others.
Anyway, this is just my thought. The whole concept sounds very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Aye, I’m pretty sure that Dave’s been searching for a more appropriate word for a long while. Perhaps “constraints and constructors” ... but then you need to get into Deutsch and Constructor Theory too :)
What I can say from the experience in the workshop is that with some explanation and the typology of metaphors, the word constraints didn’t seem to faze the participants.
I just wanted to revisit this discussion, as I've seen later Dave explaining this and an evolutionary-kind-of constraints, where constraints of e.g. environment limit available options and in fact encourage creativity within these constrains. This takes weight of the limiting aspect of the word in my opinion.
I found it useful, so decided to add it here.
This is awesome, I would love to chat with you about how I might be able to use this method with my particular field of "sustainability & impact" strategy for small & medium-sized businesses.
Sounds fascinating! Yes, let's chat.
How should I contact you? My email is pj@justcapitalquotient.com
Loved the chat! Can't wait to hear more about how you use the methods.