Future Ready Playbook : simplebooklet.com

3 5 7 9 11 13 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 63 Becoming 21st century ready A grounded approach preparing for the challenges of the 21st century Ignnite the explorer in yourself, team & organisation Seven dimensions of future ready organizational design Three levels of change: Mindset, skillset & toolset Navigating opportunities for growth and change Anticipating waves of change What if? If only? Building the bridge while crossing How could we …? Discover the way of the user Unconventional thinking to shift perspective Challenging habits of the mind Learn by doing I see, I think, I wonder, I learned Integral approach: the sum of the parts is different Setting yourself up for success Decoding change Define aspiration, ambition and activation From good to great Achieving objecties and key results The way we do things around here Sense of belonging: I am because We are Taking agency: Why Do You Do What We Do? How impact drives meaningful change Triggering behavioural change Unleashing the power of intrinsic motivation We are an impact driven research collective SEE THE DIFFERENCE SEEING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE HOW TO USE THIS PLAYBOOK? 21-READY FRAMEWORK 21-READY FRAMEWORK ARE YOU FUTURE-READY? WHAT’S YOUR WORLDVIEW? FUTURE VISION & SCENARIOS ORCHESTRATING CHANGE RESEARCH THROUGH DESIGN OUTCOME DRIVEN INNOVATION REFRAMING & IDEATION COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE ACTION LEARNING CONTINUOS EXPERIMENTATION SYSTEMS THINKING OUTCOME-DRIVEN PATTERN RECOGNITION STRATEGY AS EXPERIENCE WISE DECISION MAKING HACKING FOR GROWTH GENERATIVE CULTURE THRIVING TEAMS SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS IMPACT WITH PURPOSE ENGAGING USERS ACTIVATION! FUTURES ACADEMY SEE THE DIFFERENCE OUR APPROACH SELF-ASSESMENT CHANGE DESIGN LEARN SYSTEM STRUCTURE CULTURE IMPACT MAKE A DIFFERENCE2CONTENT

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SEE THE DIFFERENCETo become more ready for the challenges of the 21st century, organisations, teams and professionals need to anticipate fundamental change. This requires having a clear vision of upcoming transitions, new 21st-century-ready skills, and continuous inspiration on how to develop next practices and future business models. All change starts with seeing, thinking, and acting differently. That is more easily said than done. But to meet the technological, economic, environmental, and social challenges of the 21st century, we have to. Every organisation needs to anticipate different, plausible futures. Hence, the Futures Academy. It's not about a predicting the future, it's about exploring the future to see how the possible futures might impact your organisation – as well as how you yourself might impact the future. The tension between organisations optimised for predictability and the unpredictable world they inhabit has reached a breaking point. Organisations that can build upon sense and respond instead of plan and predict are the future.! For the Futures Academy, that all starts with the ability to shift perspectives to look at the same landscape with different eyes. ! Taking a different stance offers a better view and understanding of the underlying change dynamics, behavioural patterns, and design principles of the system at hand. In short, you start to uncover the superstructure of the upcoming transitions.! Having a grand vision is not enough. New behaviour and so-called next practices need to become part of the mindset, skillset, and toolset of any 21st-century professional. Becoming 21st-century-ready3ARE YOU FUTURE PROOF?

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SEEING THE SUPERSTRUCTURETo develop the 21st-century-ready framework, we applied a grounded theory approach: a qualitative research methodology aiming to generate a theory or explanation that is grounded in the data collected from the research participants rather than being derived from pre-existing theories or assumptions. A grounded theory approach is commonly used to explore and understand complex phenomena. The research team applied interviews, observations, and document analysis. A grounded theory approach The key principle of the grounded theory approach is to begin the research process without any preconceived theories or hypotheses. Instead, our researchers gathered rich and detailed data based upon our thorough documentation of over two decades of 'problem-solving' projects around the world, from Pixar to Guggenheim, from Microsoft to local municipalities. This project intelligence was continuously clustered in a bottom-up manner using afﬁnity mapping to distil key attributes that later became the three levels of change and the seven dimensions of organisational design. Over 150 expert interviews: how to become more future-ready The data collection, analysis, and synthesis was conducted simultaneously, allowing the researchers to constantly compare new data with existing ﬁndings and revise their understanding of the phenomenon (future readiness) under investigation. In addition, the research team interviewed well over 150 change-makers from politics to investment banking, from design to healthcare. Examples of the experts interviewed include people like Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the design team of Apple, and many more. Theoretical sampling based on over 150 codiﬁed expert interviews Our researchers then codiﬁed these interviews to identify and categorise segments that were relevant to the research question. The relevant ﬁndings were then grouped into higher-level concepts and categories. Through constant comparison, similarities and differences were identiﬁed, and relationships between concepts were explored. Ready to share, creative commons, and permanent beta This iterative process continued until new data no longer added signiﬁcant new insights to the emerging understanding. In the end, several core categories and the central explanatory concept were identiﬁed. These form the basis of our grounded theory on future readiness. Our thorough, systematic and iterative approach allowed the team to develop concepts directly from the data and derived from real-world experiences. Our approach provided a ﬂexible framework for understanding and explaining how to prepare for the challenges of the 21st century. This framework can be continually reﬁned, tested, and applied in future research or practical contexts. Translating the framework into rubric-based self-assessment All 21 capacities and the underlying working models and concepts were then translated into a rubric scheme. The resulting structured and systematic overview can now be used to assess and evaluate performance or quality in professional settings. It provides a clear and consistent framework for scoring the status quo of mindset, skillset, and toolset across the seven dimensions of organisational design. The next best action Each rubric consists of a description and a set of criteria that deﬁne ﬁve different levels of quality. These rubrics provide consistency, transparency, and clarity regarding the expectations and standards for any of the 21st-century-ready capacities and underlying tooling, which helps participants or organisations to reﬂect and understand what the next best action is to stimulate a certain level of performance and growth. A grounded approach preparing for the challenges of the 21st centurySEE THE DIFFERENCE5Internet critic Andrew KeenPakistani Futurist Sohail Inayatullah Sociologist Paul RayComputer Scientist Bill BuxtonMedia theorist Douglas Rushkoff

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Science journalist Lone FrankPhilosopher Francis FukuyamaCradle to Cradle chemist Michael BraungartInventor & Engineer Steve MannUS Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Sustainability professor Marilyn!HamiltonPhilosopher on ethics Martha NussbaumManagement professor Margaret Wheatley Futurist Peter SchwartzUK government safety advisor Charles KrielKnowledge mgt expert Dave SnowdenTheoretical physicist Geoffrey West Leadership specialist Simon SinekSociologist & Economist Saskia SassenKenya Member of Parliament Ruth Oniang’o Game designer Katie SalenPipo Clown - AVRO Game designer Peter MolyneuxEngineer & Inventor Ndubuisi Ekekwe Harvard professor Clayton ChristensenFounder Wired magazine Kevin KellyAuthor Experience Economy Joseph Tech Journalist Polly Labarre Publicist on Mavericks at workAnthropologist Grant McCracken Designer & Ecologist John ThackaraMedia inst. director Bhutan Dorji Wangchuk Hacktevist Mike LeeSocial psychologist Soshana ZuboffQuantum physicist Jason SilvaBiomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey

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HOW TO USE THIS PLAYBOOKHow to use this playbook Every one of the 21 capacities consists of several underlying working models and concepts that can provide a new perspective on the future readiness of the organisation. Ready for you to experience, understand, and master The Futures Academy offers speciﬁc (online) courses, worksheets, and facilitator notes on how to apply these tools to your business, team, or project. Available over our website, several of our tools and worksheets could easily become an essential backbone to your strategy, change roadmap, design approach, or team process.! The 21-ready framework Our 21-ready framework consists of two axes: the three levels of change and the seven dimensions of organisational design. Together, they form 21 capacities required for a 21st-century-ready organisation or professional. Each of these capacities holds a dozen tools that could help you to grow and master the perspective or discipline. Over 200 'tiny tools' clustered in 21 capacities Each of the 200 working models challenges users to consider diverse futures by taking a speciﬁc stance varying from user perspective, situation, business model, culture, stakeholders, ecosystem, etc. How to make use of the following pages 1. Use the navigator to ﬁnd the right level of change and organisational dimension. 2. Turn to the right page in this book and be inspired by the tools you can use to adapt this perspective. 3. Select the tool you would like to apply with your team, go to our website, and download the worksheet. 4. Need more explanation? Select one of the online short courses with great instructions and some facilitator tips and tricks. 5. Need more inspiration? Select one of the related business cases as published in our online Smart Move magazine.Ignite the explorer in yourself, your team, and your organisationSEE THE DIFFERENCEWorksheet on a specific working model or concept7

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21-READY FRAMEWORKSeven dimensions of future-ready organisational designOUR APPROACHBased on two decades of research and actively participating in the resolution of all kinds of wicked problems, the Futures Academy has gathered all that experience and know-how into a 21st-century-ready framework. The 21-ready framework consists of two axes: the three levels of change and the seven dimensions of organisational design. Combined, they form 21 capabilities needed to become more future-ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Becoming ready for the future requires organisations to navigate and adapt to the diverse challenges and opportunities coming our way. To effectively prepare for what lies ahead, organisations need to focus on seven key dimensions: change, design, impact, system, learning, strategy, and culture. By focusing on these seven dimensions, organisations can enhance their future readiness and position themselves for success in an increasingly complex, dynamic, and ambiguous environment. Each dimension reinforces the others, creating an integral or holistic approach that enables organisations to thrive amidst uncertainty and change. The seven key dimensions: Change Create a vision by unravelling the wicked transformations of the 21st century by exploring future developments and their potential impacts. Connect the dots between these events to ﬁnd underlying patterns and to anticipate different future scenarios from a future-backwards perspective. Then become more future-ready by designing a dedicated programme to facilitate the change needed. Design Before you can make a difference, you need to see the difference. Therefore, iteratively challenge your own 'thinking' with a more unconventional approach towards the status quo. Pivot toward a more human-driven point of view that involves empathising with users in a certain situation. Re-deﬁne the underlying problems, reframe and ideate potential directions for a solution, and conduct rapid prototyping to test and learn. Learn Learning from experiences is an ongoing and conscious process of acquiring new data, information, and knowledge. It involves actively seeking out new opportunities for growth and development, either for the sake of discovery (divergent) or validation (convergent), by obtaining new insights from continuous experimentation and reﬂection. The capacity to rapidly create and share knowhow to generate group intelligence is essential for becoming more adaptable and responsive as an organisation in an ever-changing world. System Our organisation, the market, society, competitors, supply chains… everything is connected to everything. But when you want systems, results or behaviour to change, what is the right level of intervention? Recognise the underlying patterns and design principles that trigger certain system dynamics, relations, and feedback loops. This requires a more integral perspective that considers the interconnectedness and interdependence of all elements within a certain ecosystem and its sub-systems. Structure Thinking about strategy or growth, and thus about the future, is inherently full of assumptions. Therefore, wise strategic decision-making involves the thorough collection and analysis of information, the consideration of multiple perspectives, possible alternatives and potential consequences, and the making of choices that align with the organisation's vision, values, and goals. Unlike with an annual strategic plan, an active and ongoing strategic approach can function more like a common language and shared experience: involving and activating the entire organisation in setting new goals and directions engenders greater engagement, accountability, and self-organisation. Culture Culture refers to the shared values, norms, beliefs, and practices that shape an organisation's behaviour and approach to business. It greatly impacts collaboration, communication, and performance within and between teams. A generative organisational culture is essential for increased employee engagement, psychological safety, and ownership, which in turn improve the quality of work, creativity, innovation, and productivity. A thriving culture functions as a guide or operating system that gives rise to a strong sense of belonging, direction, agency, and community among employees (and even clients or suppliers). Impact Purpose and impact are crucial for any organisation. They serve as the foundation to engage and activate employees, clients, and partners. Having clear values, guiding principles and an understanding of the impact the organisation makes, helps to align efforts and resources towards achieving the organisation's mission. Ultimately, taking responsibility, advocating a clear purpose, and striving for positive impact ensure that an organisation remains relevant in the near future and makes a meaningful contribution to the world – and to all stakeholders. common language and shared experience: involving and activating the entire organisation in setting new goals and directions engenders greater engagement, accountability, and self-organisation. 9

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21-READY FRAMEWORKThree levels of change: mindset, skillset, and toolset for 21st-century professionalsOUR APPROACHChange is a complex and multifaceted process that encompasses various aspects of organisational and personal development. When considering the dynamics of transformation, it becomes evident that three crucial levels of change play a signiﬁcant role in embracing behavioural change, new values, and new perspectives – namely: the mindset, skillset, and toolset. Each of these components contributes uniquely to the overall transformation and is essential for navigating and embracing the future effectively. Together, these three elements – mindset, skillset, and toolset – form a comprehensive framework for managing and embracing change. A growth mindset enables individuals to approach change with optimism and resilience, while continuously improving their skillset equips them with the necessary capabilities to adapt and thrive. Finally, utilising the appropriate toolset empowers individuals to leverage new insights and skills to their advantage. Conversely, applying tools without the necessary skills or mindset might cause ineffectiveness, apathy or frustration. For example, agile working and design thinking, which are both just as much methodologies as philosophies, require some new 21st-century leadership skills to ﬂourish. By recognising the importance of these elements, individuals can become more proactive in their approach to change and increase their capacity to succeed in the 21st century. Over 200 tool clusters in speciﬁc domains The framework consists of over 200 tools and concepts that are not straightforward 'typeforms' that magically pop-up the right answers when ﬁlled in. All these models are oversimpliﬁcations of reality, hence the saying, 'All models are wrong, some are useful.' Yet, all of these models and tools can be used as a point of friction, a second stance or so-called obstacle of the mind, a challenge to your thinking routines, and to provide new speciﬁc and fruitful perspectives that trigger group dialogue and understanding. The three levels of change: Mindset A mindset is a mental model, a ﬁlter through which we look at the world, and the story we tell ourselves to understand everything around us. The term refers to a person's attitude, beliefs, and overall way of thinking that shape their perception of themselves, others, their work, and potential dilemmas. The capacity to have an open mind is often associated with greater resilience and adaptability – and, as a result, success. A growth mindset can be obtained by challenging perspectives and existing thinking patterns. Skillset A skillset is the combination of abilities, knowledge, and experience that an individual possesses and can apply to a speciﬁc job or task. This encompasses both technical skills as well as soft skills. These capabilities and traits are necessary to navigate the complex and interconnected world of the 21st century and to be able to succeed in a wide variety of ever-changing situations. These new skills are mastered by application and reﬂection 'on the job'. Toolset A toolset is a collection of pragmatic working models designed to perform a speciﬁc set of tasks within a given domain. The purpose of this 21st-century-ready toolset is to provide users with instruments of reﬂection to become more efﬁcient and effective in setting up iterative and continuous processes that support daily growth. All of these tools or models require certain competencies and practices that can be trained by 'just doing'.11

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ARE YOU FUTURE-READY?Navigating opportunities for growth and changeSELF-ASSESSMENTA systemic view on organisational design The famous Einstein quote, 'We cannot solve problems at the same level of thinking that we were at when we created those problems,' points out that in order to solve the challenges we face, we need to approach them with a different level of thinking or a different perspective than the one that led to their creation. A problem on the level of team engagement might not be an issue to be 'ﬁxed' from a cultural perspective; it might require an intervention on the level of structure, such as a different design of decision-making. Or a lack of creative ideas might not be an issue of skills or even ideas but, rather, require a different approach to orchestrating dialogue and shaping psychological safety. Finding the right level of intervention To effectively solve problems and address growth areas, organisations need to challenge their existing beliefs, skills, and ways of working. This requires expanding knowledge and perspectives, gaining new insights, and considering alternative ways. By doing so, organisations can elevate their operation to a higher level and explore innovative interventions that were previously overlooked or unimaginable. Continuously shifting perspectives for a more integral view This concept also highlights the importance of growth and adaptation. It acknowledges that as we learn, evolve, and gain new experiences, our perspective and understanding of the world should also evolve. By constantly striving to challenge our thinking, we become better equipped to address the changes and complexities of the problems we encounter. Self-assessment: espoused versus lived culture or strategy Understanding the current status quo and selecting the right level of intervention to trigger change or growth starts with plotting the espoused culture (desired beliefs, skills, and behaviours) and comparing it to the actual lived culture (day-to-day operations). Doing so uncovers the areas that exhibit the right mindset but possibly lack the skills or tools to ignite action, or, in turn, that exhibit natural behaviour that is almost routine or habitual but that could beneﬁt from leveraging a more conscious mindset. 1. Identify the espoused culture: Begin by understanding the ofﬁcially stated values, mission, vision, and goals of the organisation or group. These can typically be found in mission statements, core value statements, sales literature, ofﬁcial documents, or on websites. Pay attention to the desired behaviours and beliefs that are expressed. 2. Conduct observations: Observe the organisation or group in action to gather information about the lived culture. Pay attention to how people interact, how decisions are made, and how work is conducted on a daily basis. Observe the behaviours, rituals, symbols, and practices that are actually being followed. 3. Engage in informal conversations: Talk to individuals within the organisation or group to gain insights into their experiences. Ask open-ended questions about their perceptions of the organisation's culture, what they believe is valued, and how things are actually done. This can provide valuable qualitative information that may not be apparent through observation alone. 4. Analyse the gaps: Compare the observed behaviours and practices (lived culture) with the ofﬁcially stated values and beliefs (espoused culture). Look for any inconsistencies or discrepancies between the two. Identify areas where the lived culture aligns with the espoused culture, and where it deviates or contradicts. 5. Consider the impact: Assess the impact of the gaps between espoused and lived culture on various aspects, such as employee satisfaction, engagement, performance, and organisational effectiveness. Determine whether the gaps are positive or negative, and evaluate their signiﬁcance in relation to the overall functioning and success of the organisation or group. 6. Take action: Based on the assessment, consider implementing changes to align the lived culture more closely to the espoused culture if there are signiﬁcant gaps that hinder the organisation's goals or values. This may involve redeﬁning values, improving communication, providing training, or addressing any systemic issues that contribute to the gaps. Remember that culture is complex and multifaceted, and assessing espoused and lived culture requires ongoing observation, feedback, and analysis. It is essential to involve a diverse range of perspectives and stakeholders to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the cultural dynamics within an organisation or group. 13

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CHANGE | MINDSETWHAT'S YOUR WORLDVIEW?The world is currently experiencing a number of fundamental changes. As a result, 'We need to change for life to even stay the same' could be the adage of the 21st century. Organisations must develop their future literacy – their capacity to comprehend, navigate, and shape the future – if they are to make better-informed decisions, stay relevant, adapt to change, and build a more sustainable future. Future opportunities, challenges, and disruptions Every era has its own zeitgeist, which is the overall political, ethical, intellectual, and cultural atmosphere of the time. Right now, we are not just in a time of change but in a change of time. Rapid change, high volatility, unpredictability, ambiguity, and a high level of complexity are characteristics of the current transition.! To function effectively as an organisation in such a volatile environment is a challenge because it calls for adopting a different mindset, growing new leadership skills, and adapting the organisational structure to remain competitive by navigating the increased uncertainty, reacting quickly to changing circumstances, and effectively managing complexities. ! Long waves: a clash of cycles One of the main tools for looking beyond the horizon and getting a better view of the superstructure of change is to use so-called long waves. Each wave is characterised by alternating periods of growth and decline, caused by fundamental technological, social, or economic changes.! This cyclical approach plots ﬂuctuations throughout one or two generations (30–60 years) and looks for points of inﬂexion. For example, the invention of new general-purpose technologies or the introduction of new forms of energy might drive economic growth and development, which will trigger a certain worldview or mentality in a new generation and then even cause geo-political shifts.! To comprehend and recognise underlying patterns of change in various domains, these long waves are frequently used to ﬁgure out how everything connects into a super-structure of change. Looking for tipping points in the systemic To anticipate and prepare for the impact of these potential shifts, leaders can focus on identifying the drivers of change that trigger a turn between the different stages of a cycle. Drivers of change are the factors or forces that trigger change within a system or environment. They can be internal or external to the system, and include the interplay of technological advancements, economic conditions, political and regulatory changes, social and cultural values, and environmental factors. Time of change or change of time? Before entering mainstream life and business, every new (counter)development goes through some sort of incubation and then an installation phase during which it begins to challenge the status quo. The four phases of each new movement are convergence, empowerment, emergence, and transition. Convergence is the process by which various entities or systems start to move in the same direction and become more intertwined. Empowerment is about giving people, organisations, or communities the power and resources they need to exert more control over decisions that affect them. Emergence is the study of how simpler entities interact to produce new, novel structures, patterns, and properties. Transformation is the process of changing from one state or condition to another. Anticipating waves of changeLong waves Hype cycle Tech effect quadrant Dealing with V.U.C.A. Zeitgeist model R.E.S.P.E.C.T. analysis Drivers of change (CETE) Perez model Metatrends and disruption Adaptive loop and tipping points Worldview/ vision Paradigm shiftsWORKING MODELS19

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CHANGE | SKILLSETFUTURE VISION & SCENARIOSOrganisations can use scenarios to investigate the potential effects and implications of predicted trends, emerging technologies, and societal changes. The ability to predict and comprehend disruptive changes depends on thoroughly understanding so-called paradigm shifts, which are how a group or society perceives and values a potential situation. The scenarios are not an extrapolation of the trend line but, rather, an abductive approach (trial and error) to understand underlying dynamics that might cause a breach of trends that might be disruptive for the organisation, market, user, or society. Plausible, probable, possible, and preferred futures Organisations can design scenarios that account for the potential effects of a number of these developments on many facets of society and the economy by recognising and assessing various events. This can aid businesses in making decisions that are more ready for the future. Investigating plausible, probable, possible, and preferred futures is where scenario thinking begins. It is predicated on the notion that businesses must be adaptable and ﬂexible in order to survive and prosper in an unpredictable future. What if…? Anticipating disruption Identifying the main driving forces of change, imagining how they might interact, and then creating possible scenarios are typical steps in the research process. These scenarios then serve as a compass for the early detection of faint signals or discrepancies between expectation and experience, rather than foretelling the future. The scenarios are not predictions, but training for a more conscious mind. A more agile approach and a continuous learning mindset are needed to implement scenario thinking in the strategic process. A cone of possibilities The range of potential outcomes for a speciﬁc situation can be visualised using the concept of the cone of possibilities. The base of the cone represents the least desirable disruption, and the top of the cone represents the biggest conceivable breakthrough. The cone is a useful tool for assessing the likelihood of various outcomes as well as for identifying and connecting potential risks and opportunities of various options that might be outside our current boundaries of thinking. Roots, cause, and effect Finding the most likely causes and effects that trigger speciﬁc developments is the goal of reading and writing scenarios. Instead of just observing the symptoms or extrapolating current affairs, it entails a methodical investigation to ﬁnd the underlying dynamics of speciﬁc changes. Starting your scenario at the appropriate abstraction level is essential. Think of it as peeling back the layers of an onion to understand what causes particular shifts in time. If only…? Backcasting from an envisioned future state Often, we walk into the future looking in a rear-view mirror since we understand the future as being based on experiences from the past. Backcasting is a reverse method that involves ﬁguring out the steps and actions required to achieve a certain envisioned state (moonshot), starting from that point in the future back towards the now. In addition to identifying potential roadblocks and challenges, this method is helpful for identifying the actions and policies that should be implemented today to increase the likelihood of achieving this long-term goal. The ﬁve phases of the process are usually dream, discover, design, deliver, and dare. Storytelling, visualisation, and embodiment of the new normal By tying together particular events and assumptions, it's possible to create key narratives that represent potential imagined outcomes. These new scenarios depict a new 'normal' that is difﬁcult to grasp from where things are right now. To fully experience and embody (!) this new future perspective, storytelling techniques and a visual representation are essential. Creative speculation The next step in the exploration of the potential effects of cutting-edge technologies and societal transformations is using speculative design (a ﬁctional prototype), which helps to foster critical thinking and dialogue about the preferred future.What if? If only?Wheel or reasoning Metaphors and language Ladder of abstraction Layers of change Cone of possibilities Reading scenarios (VST) Writing scenarios RISK model 9 ﬁeld visualisation Speculative design Backcasting Moonshot ideas Paradigm shifts Cause and effectWORKING MODELS21

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CHANGE | TOOLSETORCHESTRATING CHANGEBuilding the bridge while crossing is a metaphorical approach that emphasises adaptability and resourcefulness in tackling challenges. It signiﬁes the ability to take action and make progress in real-time, even when faced with extreme uncertainty. This approach requires the willingness to learn from experiences, adjust strategies on the go, and embrace a proactive mindset to navigate uncharted territories successfully. A theory of change on how to conquer the 'messy middle' Orchestrating change requires a comprehensive vision that outlines the desired long-term outcome, the underlying group dynamics, and the causal pathways through which interventions and activities are expected to bring about the intended social or organisational change. Theory U is a framework for transformative change that emphasises listening, empathy, and collective action to unravel complex challenges and create new possibilities. It involves a deep dive, a journey of awareness, reﬂection, and then the crystallisation of new ideas and intentional action to unleash the potential of the group. It provides a logical and strategic roadmap for designing, implementing, and evaluating change programmes and initiatives. Resolving wicked problems: dealing with extreme complexity Each large-scale change is complex (layered) and involves numerous interconnected parts and intricate, dynamic relationships. Resolving these wicked problems demands dealing with the so-called complexity curve. This starts with a nascent, simple notion of a certain problem. To get a deeper understanding of the situation as a whole, however, requires the unravelling of all underlying dynamics leading to the 'messy middle', with all its nuances. The team needs to reduce this extreme complexity back to a more mature simplicity, where the team is now able to work with value-laden models, participants, language, metaphors, visuals, symbols, etc. to work both informed and efﬁciently together. Change programmes and living labs Change is often as much about system intervention as about behavioural change. Adapting habits requires repetition, iteration, and a correspondingly programmatic approach. The programme deﬁnes the process of preparing and developing an area for speciﬁc innovation purposes over time. These change programmes tend to require a dedicated space, often referred to as a 'living lab': a dedicated space or team within an organisation that fosters creative thinking, experimentation, and collaboration to generate new ideas, products, or solutions in a real-life setting. It serves as a hub for exploring emerging technologies, conducting research, and showcasing and driving forward innovative initiatives to address challenges or uncover new opportunities. Problem statements: from dilemma to power questions A problem deﬁnition is a clear and concise statement that outlines the speciﬁc challenge to be addressed. Strategic problems often consist of an underlying dilemma: a situation in which a difﬁcult choice must be made between two options, each with its own situational advantage and disadvantage. This requires a better understanding of the problem before idea generation can start to resolve the challenge. For this reason, problem statements are often translated into power questions: thought-provoking inquiries that stimulate thinking and encourage dialogue by expanding the scope of potential perspectives. This allows uncovering speciﬁc events or conditions that initiate or activate a particular dynamic (triggers), or certain predetermined levels or criteria that must be met or surpassed for a particular action or outcome to occur (thresholds). Dividing large-scale transitions in smaller, epic sprints Many large-scale transformations (cathedral projects) are too big and complex to even grasp, let alone to plot a perfect waterfall-like planning or roadmap upfront. For this reason, a better approach is to divide the project into certain epics (milestones) and to use a sprint approach. It involves a small, cross-functional team working intensively for a short, ﬁxed period to ideate, iterate, prototype, and test solutions with the aim of quickly validating ideas (Viable? Desirable? Feasible?) and making informed decisions with the transformative end goal (a Northern Star) in mind.Building the bridge while crossingWheel or reasoning Metaphors and language Ladder of abstraction Layers Cone of possibilities Reading scenarios (VST) Writing scenarios RISK model 9 ﬁeld visualisation Speculative design Backcasting Moonshot ideas Paradigm shifts Cause and effectWORKING MODELS23

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DESIGN | MINDSETRESEARCH THROUGH DESIGNA designerly way of thinking is approaching problems in a creative, systematic, and iterative way, with the goal of ﬁnding functional and desirable solutions. It is a problem-solving approach aiming to create products, services, or systems that are intuitive, enjoyable, and effective from the user's perspective. An attitude with a bias towards action Bias towards action in design refers to the principle of prioritising and encouraging proactive decision-making and implementation of ideas throughout the process. It emphasises the importance of creating and translating ideas into real-world solutions instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis. Iterative process to shift perspectives Design is an iterative process, with designers testing and reﬁning their ideas over time. Designers are encouraged to prototype, iterate, experiment, and test their ideas early and frequently, allowing them to learn from real user interaction and feedback. By embracing failure as a means of learning, designers can reﬁne their solutions based on this feedback, ensuring they meet evolving needs and preferences. This fosters a culture of experimentation, adaptability, and continuous improvement, ultimately leading to more effective and impactful services. A beautiful accident In this creative process, the design team seeks to continuously shift perspective and reframe both the problem as well as the situation by exploring underlying values via user stories, analogies, and metaphors. Design systems and setting criteria Organisations can establish a framework, a kind of shared language with a set of design principles, the so-called design system. This enables teams to work more effectively, enhance symbolic recognition, and deliver cohesive user interaction. In addition, setting criteria is a prioritisation technique commonly used in design as it helps to categorise features into four priority levels: must have, should have, could have, and won't have (MoSCoW). What + How = Outcome. So, how might we…? Design processes most often start with generating a set of design questions asking, 'How might we...?' How helps us to think in possibilities; it suggests that we do not have the answer yet. Might opens up to various solutions, instead of the 'one and only' solution. The what deﬁnes the design challenge at hand. Functionality, affordance, and effect Designing for a certain effect, designers also need to balance the practical aspects of a design, such as how it will be used, how it will be manufactured, and how it will perform. A speciﬁc element here is the concept of affordance. Affordance is the perceptual and functional relationship between an object or environment and an individual, indicating possible actions or uses that can be derived from it. In short: What is the product asking you to do? Human-centric This working from the user-point-of-view approach focuses on placing the needs, preferences, and experiences of the users at the forefront of the development process. It involves gaining a deep understanding of the user, their goals, and their challenges, and then using this knowledge to create new products, services, or systems that cater to their speciﬁc requirements. An appreciative approach Design applies a positive and strengths-based approach to research and development. It involves the systematic exploration and discovery of positive qualities, peak experiences, and aspirations. Instead of only focusing on problems as deﬁciencies. An appreciative inquiry seeks to identify and amplify existing strengths and successes. Harnessing the power of positive narratives and envisioning a desired future triggers a culture of optimism, innovation, and continuous improvement.How could we…?Design thinking How-to questions Reframing MoSCOw Appreciative Inquiry Kill your darlings Design systems Sensing Complexity curve Problem deﬁnition Sketching Storyboards Double diamond Affordance Design Principles UsercentricWORKING MODELS25

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Design is a proactive approach to ensure that customers are successful in achieving their goals and objectives through the use of a company's products or services. Explore then exploit Design always starts with a discovery phase to better understand the user in that particular situation. Observation and empathy are crucial during this phase, as it sets the foundation for the entire design process by providing the designer with a deep understanding of the user's experience, behaviour, motivation, beliefs, and challenges. But also of the constraints or operating conditions of the speciﬁc situation or environment. Discovery ﬁrst The goal of this ﬁrst stage is to redeﬁne the root problem and formulate new design questions that will trigger a further exploration of a new solution space – different directions of more effective user-centred solutions. 'Reading the room': the user's and stakeholder's deep 'Why?' A design team aims to understand and empathise from the user's perspective by mapping feelings, thoughts, actions, needs, wants, and pain points in a certain situation or environment. This deeper understanding of the problem for the user in this situation is gained through various ﬁeld methods such as user research, narrative analysis, observation, and in-depth dialogue with the natural setting. For this approach, the team will need to ﬁnd spaces of opportunity where this problem can be observed. Hence, the maxim: Get out of the building! (Go GOOB!) What is the job-to-be-done? It all starts from the notion that customers hire or purchase products or services to do a speciﬁc job in their lives (the job-to-be-done). The job can be functional, such as drilling a hole in a wall, or emotional, such as feeling more conﬁdent for a speciﬁc encounter. Outcome-driven innovation By understanding the speciﬁc job that a customer is trying to accomplish (intention), a company can create products or services that better ﬁt the user's needs, wants, and challenges (action) to ultimately increase customer success and loyalty (outcome). This approach requires a shift from product-driven towards outcome-driven innovation. Outcome-driven innovation Product innovation is focused on improving or creating new products, with an emphasis on the features and functionality of the product itself. Outcome-driven refers to a process of designing and developing products or services that are focused on achieving speciﬁc valuable outcomes for customers or users, and is thus more outside-in. Customer success from the user's point of view This involves continuous feedback and testing to ensure that the ﬁnal product or service meets the desired outcomes, with many adjustments being made along the way to optimise performance. This approach helps to eliminate unnecessary features, and focuses on the most important functions of the product to prioritise the true beneﬁts to the end user. The key questions are: What do you help the user to become? How can you make the user more successful? Scoping your market-problem-solution ﬁt There is a trade-off in this (mass) customisation approach: the more speciﬁc you get in understanding a certain 'job' for a user in a speciﬁc situation – a persona – and the more value you can create, the smaller your market might be. It is a goal to ﬁnd some generic traits that help the product address the speciﬁc needs of a sizable group of people.Empathy map GOOB Observation techniques Field interviews Ethnography Reading the room Job-to-be-done Outcome-driven innovation Needs and wants Personas and mentalities Stakeholder maps Customer success User stories User testingWORKING MODELSDESIGN | SKILLSETOUTCOME-DRIVEN INNOVATIONDiscover the way of the user27

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DESIGN | TOOLSETREFRAMING & IDEATIONThe creative process is a multi-step journey that involves generating new ideas, developing and reﬁning them, and ultimately bringing them to fruition. Exploration is an important part of this process, which requires an open mind and a certain set-up (time, space, and process) to become resourceful and to result in jointly found creative solutions. (Let's play!) Convergent and divergent at the same time The creative process typically involves a combination of inspiration, research, experimentation, and iteration. The approach consists of a convergent and divergent stage that is used to generate a wide variety of ideas and to select ideas that could solve certain problems. Associative thinking: 'Yes, and…' The ﬁrst (divergent) brainstorming stage is about ﬁnding inspiration and generating as wide a range of ideas as possible, without any evaluation or judgement. To boost variety and more unconventional ideas, the process requires associative thinking, improvisation, and the 'Yes, and…' mantra. Finding fresh perspectives Everyone's ideas are welcome and encouraged. Hence, diversity and a safe environment are essential. One can then decide how far to stretch things, and how unconventional or unrealistic the ideas can become. Horizons are often described as Earth, Moon, or Mars ideas. Reframing to challenge hidden assumptions An important part of the ﬁrst stage is reframing: looking at a problem from a different angle or viewpoint. A new perspective involves re-interpreting the problem, how it is deﬁned or described, and changing the way it is framed. An iterative process The creative process is a back-and-forth (iterative) between ﬁnding solutions and deﬁning the problem. This can involve shifting the focus from the problem itself to underlying issues, causes, another perspective, a different abstraction level, or context. In the end, the ideation process is ﬁrst and foremost about discovery, and not all that much about being unique or right. Kill your darlings as part of the process The second phase of the creative process (convergent) is the stage of ideation. Here, the focus is on narrowing down the ideas and choosing which directions not to pursue. Killing your darlings is always a difﬁcult aspect of that part of the process. Hence, the phrase 'groan zone'. Connecting the dots: afﬁnity mapping to ﬁnd patterns Often, a ﬁrst shift can be made by clustering afﬁnitive ideas into several groups to discover the underlying pattern that emerges, the so-called gestalt. Rapid prototyping to explore feasibility, viability, and desirability The evaluation and selection of the most promising ideas are usually based on the potential impact, viability, feasibility, and desirability. This requires testing via sketching, prototyping, user tests, and/or pitching, which are great tools for receiving rapid feedback in this choice process. In every step of the convergent phase, the levels of detail to work on become smaller and smaller. Pivot! It is a key aspect of ideation to be ﬂexible and adaptable in order to quickly identify and respond to new opportunities. This discovery approach requires an open mind to be able to recognise certain possible pivots that might take the process in unexpected directions. A pivot is a turn – i.e., to make a signiﬁcant change in the solution direction and to look at the same landscape from a new perspective. Pitch Finally, to be able to continue learning and tinkering, ideas need to be shared, pitched, and shown to receive non-judgemental feedback from partners or users.Unconventional thinking to shift perspectiveProblem deﬁnition Reframing Associative techniques PIVOT Improv – 'Yes, and…' Earth, Moon, Mars Clustering/afﬁnity mapping Prototyping User testing Pitching ideas Non-judgemental feedback Sketching Feasibility, viability, desirability Discovery – validation Creativity and play WORKING MODELS29

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LEARN | MINDSETCOLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCEThe brain has the ability to reorganise itself (neuroplasticity) by forming new neural connections throughout life. It involves the strengthening or weakening of existing neural connections, as well as the creation of new ones. This process occurs in response to changes in the environment, learning, and experience. Knowing is not just something that exists in the mind or brain, but is also embodied in the body itself. Context, behaviour, and mindset Beliefs and actions are interconnected and inﬂuence each other in a continuous cycle. Our beliefs shape our actions, and our actions can reinforce or challenge our beliefs. Thus, the context, our behaviour, and our mindset are interdependent and affect each other. Context refers to the environment and situation in which behaviour occurs. Behaviour is about the (re)actions in response to the environment. Mindset refers to the set of attitudes, beliefs, and values that shape an individual's thoughts and behaviours. Context, behaviour, and mindset are interdependent and can affect each other. Belief systems are mental models that shape our worldview A mental model is a cognitive framework that we use to categorise and make sense of the world around us. It is tightly connected to our belief system: the set of principles, values, ideas, and assumptions that people hold to be true. Belief systems can be shaped, for example, by personal experiences, cultural background, education, religion, or upbringing. A person's belief system shapes their disposition and perception of reality, inﬂuences their choices, and determines their attitude towards other people, events, change, and ideas. Mental models and belief systems can be described as the foundation that drives how a person tends to respond or react to a given situation. Reframing: looking at the same landscape with fresh eyes Limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained thoughts and attitudes that hold individuals back from achieving their full potential. They create a self-imposed barrier that prevents individuals from taking risks and exploring new opportunities, ultimately limiting their growth and success. Opening up the mind requires reframing: a process of reconceptualising a problem by seeing it from a different perspective. Intelligence People perceive and interact with the environment in four different ways: •Abstraction is the process of ﬁltering out unnecessary details from the environment to focus on relevant information. •Representation involves encoding information, extracted through abstraction, so that it can be processed and manipulated. •Action is the ability to interact with the environment in a purposeful way, based on the information that has been abstracted and represented. •Reﬂex is the automatic and often unconscious response to a stimulus that is hardwired into the system. Sensemaking based on perception, expectation, and emotions We are continuously involved in a process of sensemaking: creating meaning out of the information that we receive from the world around us. It involves observing and interpreting patterns, connections, and relationships in order to understand the situation and make informed choices while exploring different perspectives and integrating new information into our existing knowledge and beliefs. Transformational learning with an open mindset People with a growth mindset tend to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, to view failure as a stepping stone, and to actively seek new learning experiences. They recognise that their talents and abilities are not ﬁxed, but can be expanded and enhanced with practise. The fast and slow thinking modes The brain is about 2% of our body weight but consumes over 20% of our energy. To protect ourselves from being overwhelmed or exhausted, the mind developed a beautiful energy-reducing, probabilistic approach to protect and learn using two different modes of thinking: Challenging habits of the mindNeurons System 1 and 2 Changing perspectives Growth mindset Reframing Sensemaking Limiting beliefsWORKING MODELS•System 1 is the intuitive and automatic mode. It operates quickly and effortlessly, often outside of our conscious awareness. It is responsible for our rapid judgments and automatic responses to familiar situations. It's very efﬁcient, but also leads to errors and biases. •System 2 is the slower, deliberate, and analytical mode of thinking. It requires energy, effort, and conscious attention. This type of thinking is used for more complex tasks that require problem-solving, planning, and decision-making. 31

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LEARN | SKILLSETACTION LEARNINGThe always-be-learning mindset encourages a growth-oriented perspective in which mistakes and failures are viewed as learning opportunities rather than just as setbacks. Ultimately, this mindset promotes a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement, and often also entails forgetting or unlearning old behaviours. Reﬂective practitioners: learning in the experience Reﬂective practitioners consistently evaluate and reﬂect on their experiences, actions, and decisions in order to learn and improve their professional practices. Reﬂective learners actively seek the edges of their no-comfort zone to engage with new information, connect it to their existing knowledge and interpret it in ways that make sense to them (constructivist learning), and to transfer this learning to other real-world situations. Action learning: learning by doing Challenge-based learning emphasises active, hands-on problem-solving. It's a form of experiential or action learning, a process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through direct experience. It typically involves a cycle in which participants take action to address a problem, reﬂect on the outcomes, learn from their experiences, and then adjust their approach based on that (micro)learning. Blended learning: mindset, skillset, toolset Mindset, skillset, and toolset are three interconnected elements that contribute to effective learning. Mindset refers to attitudes and beliefs, while skillset refers to speciﬁc abilities and competencies. Toolset encompasses the resources, technologies, and methods used. Road towards mastery: becoming unconsciously competent The road towards mastery starts with achieving a conscious incompetence stage: knowing what you don't know. This is important, as it motivates a person to seek out new knowledge and further improve their skills. Gaining mastery involves setting speciﬁc learning goals, seeking out resources and guidance, practising consistently, receiving feedback, and making adjustments to one's approach. It requires a deep, intrinsic commitment to the process of growing into a state of unconscious competence, a level of literacy where the new skills have become second nature. The learning curve: from data to wisdom All understanding starts with data (raw, unorganised facts and ﬁgures), whereas information starts when data is organised and processed to make it meaningful. Know-how emerges when there is the competence to apply information to take action, solve problems, or make decisions. Understanding grows into the comprehension of the underlying meaning of the information and its relationship to other concepts. This, the highest level of understanding (wisdom), involves the capacity to apply knowledge and understanding in uncharted situations. Collective learning: the wisdom of the crowd Collective intelligence, or the wisdom of the crowd, refers to the ability of groups, networks, or communities to generate, share, and utilise individual knowledge, skills, and resources to collectively solve problems, make decisions, or create new ideas or innovations. It's a form of expansive learning: a social learning process that involves experimentation, challenging and reﬂecting on existing practices, and creating new ones. This process of reﬂection and transformation leads to the creation of new knowledge and practices, which further expands the learning process. Triple learning loop This involves a triple-loop process that has three distinct levels of analysis and feedback. At the ﬁrst level, you assess the outcomes of your actions and compare them to the intended goals. At the second level, you examine the underlying assumptions and values that guided your decision-making and actions, questioning whether they are appropriate or effective. At the third level, you reﬂect on your own learning process and consider ways to improve them in order to better achieve your goals and values. Retrospectives: a form of team learning The goal of retrospectives is to continuously identify what went well, what didn't go well, and what could be done differently next time. During the meetings, team members share their perspectives and feedback, and the team works together to come up with actionable items that can be implemented in future projects.Learn by doingLXD Triple loop Action learning Wisdom of the crowds Team learning RetrospectivesWORKING MODELS33

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LEARN | TOOLSETCONTINOUS EXPERIMENTATIONContinuous experimentation is the practice of permanently testing and evaluating new ideas, strategic assumptions, and hypotheses through a series of small, rapid experiments in order to learn and improve over time. This approach emphasises the rapid and iterative testing of assumptions in order to validate or invalidate business ideas. It involves developing minimal viable products (MVPs) and collecting data from real-world users to make informed decisions – and pivot, if necessary. Experimentation can involve experimenting with different marketing strategies, product features, and pricing models. Focusing on small, incremental changes Continuous experimentation involves making many small, incremental changes rather than trying to implement large, sweeping changes all at once. This allows organisations to test and learn from each change before moving on to the next one. Continuous cycle of observe, orient, decide and act A key aspect of continuous experimentation is that it is an ongoing process and not a one-time event. This means that experiments are iterative and that the business never stops seeking out new ways to improve and optimise its operations – and is willing to try new things and learn from the results. Discovery and/or validation When setting up an experimentation plan, it's important to conduct, without predeﬁned hypotheses, distinct discovery experiments that aim to explore and generate new hypotheses or insights by conducting exploratory analyses or investigations and not just validation experiments that focus on rigorously testing and conﬁrming the validity of speciﬁc hypotheses or 'riskiest assumptions' using controlled methodologies. Experimentation board While trial and error may sound free-form, it is a structured and systemic approach. It requires discipline and oversight, and can obtain great insights: identify the problem or opportunity and develop a plan to test it, implement the experiment and collect data, analyse to determine whether the hypothesis was effective and repeat the cycle. Ranking experiments Impact, conﬁdence, and effort ranking, or ICE ranking, is a technique for prioritising tasks or initiatives based on their potential impact, the conﬁdence in achieving that impact, and the effort needed to implement the tasks or initiatives. Items that are higher ranked are typically given higher priority for action. Rapid iteration Continuous experimentation requires a rapid iteration cycle, with frequent testing and data gathering. This allows organisations to quickly identify what works and what doesn't, and to adjust their approach accordingly. Knowledge of the broad scope of experimentation tools will most certainly help. Focusing on small, incremental changes This involves making many small, incremental changes rather than trying to implement large, sweeping ones all at once. This allows organisations to test and learn from each change before moving on to the next one. Formulating an experiment hypothesis: measure, build and learn to design a new experiment and select the appropriate tools, an experiment hypothesis must ﬁrst be formulated: •We believe <capability>: the functionality of the product or service that we are attempting to build. •Will result in <outcome>: the expected outcome of our experiment achieved by building the 'test' capability. •We will have the conﬁdence to proceed when <measurable signal>: What signals or key metrics (qualitative or quantitative) are needed to provide evidence that the experiment has succeeded to move to the next stage? I see, I think, I wonder, I learnLean PDCA cycle OBDA loop Measure, Learn, Build Experimentation toolset Rapid experimentation ICE methods Hypothesis design Pivot Research through development Riskiest assumption Validation vs discovery WORKING MODELS35

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SYSTEM | MINDSETSYSTEMS THINKINGAll organisations are part of a wider ecosystem consisting of different subsystems, layers, and entities that are continuously interacting to ﬁnd a dynamic equilibrium. A system can be an organisation, an entire market, or society at large. The topology of complex systems can be understood by breaking them down into smaller parts and relations. Yet, when deconstructing a clock, for example, you'll never ﬁnd the element of time. The sum of the parts is experienced as a uniﬁed whole, a 'gestalt'. Interdependencies: relations and dynamics Reductionism breaks down systems into smaller models, while systems thinking looks to understand the system as a whole: seeing the complex web of interconnected relations rather than a collection of isolated parts. It recognises that changes made to one part of a system have (unintended) consequences on other parts. Understanding these interdependencies and feedback loops is crucial to making effective decisions. Key elements of a system (DSRP) • Boundaries deﬁne its limits • Distinctions refer to the individual components of a system • System refers to how these distinctions are connected • Relationships explain how components interact • Authority and rules explain the power structure • Roles deﬁne functions of separate parts • Tasks to speciﬁc actions required to achieve equilibrium Resilience Resilience and adaptability help to maintain the sustainability of systems (functions and structure) over time, even when exposed to external shocks. A resilient system is not immune to failures, but it can quickly adapt and recover. It involves a combination of redundancy, diversity, ﬂexibility, and self-regulation, which enables a system to absorb disturbances and maintain its essential functions. Nested systems: macro, meso, micro When observing ecosystems and how they respond to change, we talk about a system-of-systems (panarchy). Each system is made up of nested levels. The interactions between the different levels can result in feedback loops that either reinforce or disrupt underlying dynamics. Reinforcing feedback loops Understanding information ﬂows and feedback loops is crucial for predicting and managing system behaviour. Positive feedback loops amplify the effects of an input, leading to growth or collapse. Negative feedback loops counteract the effects, maintaining stability. Reinforcing feedback loops ampliﬁes change by subsequent iterations, leading to exponential growth. Adaptive cycles and fractals To understand how systems evolve and respond to pressures, we differentiate four phases. A system grows, accumulates resources, and becomes more efﬁcient. The stable system maintains and protects its resources. A disruption is experienced, leading to a breakdown. The system goes through a process of renewal and innovation, leading to a new cycle. By recognising this cycle, we can better anticipate trajectories and identify interventions. In constant ﬂux Complex systems often show behaviours which, from the naked eye, would be described as random or chaotic. Emerging patterns of behaviours that are not evident from the individual components. In fact, this is not chaos or randomness but, rather, an underlying non-linear order: small changes on one level that can lead to disproportional and unpredictable outcomes on another level (butterﬂy effect). Hidden dynamics Often, an iceberg metaphor is used to represent underlying hidden factors that inﬂuence the behaviour of a system. The factors can be divided into events, patterns, and structures. Understanding hidden dynamics is important to create deeper and lasting change instead of simply reacting to visible symptoms. Integral: I, me, we, it Designing social interventions within systems requires an integral approach that takes into account that people are part of the system. Thus, individual subjective experiences, individual objective behaviour, collectively shared values, and how we relate to the systems and structures are integral aspects. Minimal viable system Designing systems or interventions is extremely complex. This requires a minimal viable systems approach: starting with the smallest possible system that is functional but not necessarily feature-rich, so that it can be tested quickly and adapted based on feedback. Integral approach: the sum of the parts is differentSystems thinking Nested systems Feedback loops Panarchy DSRP BART Mapping (eco)systems Integral: I, me, we, it Hidden dynamics Emergence Chaos Ground rules Adaptive cycle ResilienceWORKING MODELS37

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SYSTEM | SKILLSETOUTCOME-DRIVENAlignment is crucial in any team, group, or organisation because it ensures that everyone is working towards the same objectives, which increases the likelihood of success. Attunement between people refers to the ability of a team to connect and understand each other at a deeper level. It involves being in tune with each other's emotions, thoughts, and needs. Attunement is a crucial component of building and maintaining a deep and meaningful connection. Needs, wants, interests Needs, wants, and interests are all related to our desires and motivations as human beings. •Needs are essential requirements that we must fulﬁl to survive and maintain our physical and mental health. •Wants are things that we desire but are not essential for our survival. These can vary widely from person to person. •Interests are activities, topics, or areas of knowledge that we ﬁnd engaging and enjoyable. Setting a frame for project connection and autonomy Compete, coordinate, collaborate, and cocreate are all terms that refer to different types of relationships or interactions between individuals or groups. It is important to set up a framework for establishing an overall project governance structure that sets a clear space with freedom and scope to make decisions and act. This involves deﬁning clear hard and soft boundaries on goals, time and budget, quality, functionality, and/or resources. Effective framework setting provides a clear and consistent direction and autonomy for the team, and helps to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned. A social contract to govern positive and negative freedom Individuals willingly give up some of their freedoms to a group in exchange for safety and security. It establishes a mutual agreement on positive freedom (free to do what you want) and negative freedom (freedom from the negative interference of others, e.g., being slapped in the face). This so-called social contract consists of rules or speciﬁc guidelines that dictate what should or should not be done in certain situations, and principles or fundamental beliefs or values that guide decision-making and behaviour in a more general sense, without necessarily providing speciﬁc instructions. The art of dialogue There are various types of conversation, each with its own unique characteristics and purposes – for example, to inform, entertain, persuade, evaluate, etc. A dialogue is a speciﬁc form of communication that involves a conversation in which each participant contributes their own ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Effective dialogue requires active listening, clear communication (verbal and non-verbal or visual), and a willingness to consider different viewpoints. It can help to foster understanding, resolve conﬂicts, and create meaningful connections and commitment. Situation, thoughts, emotions, behaviour, result A situation, and our corresponding thoughts, feelings and behaviours, are all very much interconnected. Our thoughts and beliefs are triggered by a given situation and accordingly inﬂuence our emotions and behaviour; changing our thinking patterns can lead to changes in our feelings and actions, and thus in the results. Therefore, the alignment of results often starts with designing a space that enables attunement. Holding the space Holding the space means maintaining a supportive and safe environment for someone to express themselves without judgment or interruption. It involves actively listening and creating space for their thoughts and emotions to be fully present and acknowledged. It is important to foster a culture of openness, trust, and collaboration. When people feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to share their unique perspectives, engage, and contribute. Leaders should encourage open communication, listen actively and empathetically, be supportive of all team members, and model vulnerability and openness themselves. By creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up and take risks, leaders can foster a culture of innovation, learning, and growth. Balancing independence and interdependencies People have a fundamental need for connection, and the way in which they relate to others impacts the ability to fulﬁl their potential. There are four different ways in which individuals can relate to others: dependence, not dependent, independence, and interdependence. Individuals should be able to balance taking care of themselves and pursuing their own goals with also being open to interconnecting with others and working together to achieve common objectives.Setting yourself up for successAlignment Attunement Setting frames Social contract Art of dialogue Socratic dialogue S.T.E.E.R. Holding the space InterdependencyWORKING MODELS39

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SYSTEM | TOOLSETPATTERN RECOGNITIONPattern thinking refers to the ability to recognise and analyse patterns in behaviour or information. It involves using past experiences and observations to identify recurring themes and connections, which can then be used to make predictions and decisions about future events. In other words, pattern thinking involves understanding the underlying structures and relationships between different pieces of information to solve problems, make decisions, and develop strategies. This requires a holistic approach that considers the entire system rather than just its individual parts. Deconstruct and reconstruct Understanding complex systems starts with breaking down a phenomenon into its individual parts, events, or components (deconstruct); analysing their relationships and interactions; and then using this understanding to re-assemble a new system or effect (reconstruct). Finding the superstructure A system's infrastructure consists of basic components or subsystems such as processes, inputs, outputs, feedback loops, and controls. The superstructure, on the other hand, includes the larger-scale characteristics that emerge from the interactions among these subsystems. For example, in an organisational system, the infrastructure might include a department's employees and processes. The superstructure might include things like a company's culture, values, and strategy, which are shaped by the interactions and relations of the subsystems. Behaviour over time By analysing events and their impacts, patterns can be recognised to gain better insights into the tendency: the system's (intended and unintended) behaviour over time. Behavioural patterns of a system include observable actions and outcomes. Catalysts at the right level of intervention To shift the behaviour of a system, the right level of intervention needs to be identiﬁed. A micro-intervention is small change in the structure that might trigger new behaviour at a larger scale. Such!interventions function as a!catalyst!and can take many forms, like that of a person,!an!event, a bonus, a!technology, or a policy.! Control parameters Every system has control!parameters:!variables that can be!manipulated!in order to change the!state of the system. Temperature, or a trim tab on a boat, are examples of such control parameters. Pattern language The goal of!a pattern!language!is!a collection of principles and patterns to!create!a shared understanding!that!can!be!used!to!guide!the!creation!of effective, efﬁcient, and sustainable circumstances!and effects over time. Forces and constraints: 'If this, then that' (IFTTT) Forces!and!constraints!refer!to!factors that!can!cause!a system!to!change. Forces refer to things!like market!demand!or social!pressure.!Constraints, on the other hand, refer to limits on!the!behaviour!of a system, such as physical!boundaries!or!cultural norm!or!laws. Modelling system dynamics To !model system dynamics, To!model system dynamics, it's good to plot!stock, ﬂow,!and!feedback. •Stock!represents!the!accumulated!quantity!or!value!of a system. Stock!can change over time,!based!on!inﬂows!and!outﬂows. •Flow!represents!the!rate!at!which!a!variable!changes. •Feedback refers to the process by!which!the!output of a system is fed back into the!system as input inﬂuencing future!output. Feedback can be positive or negative, depending!on!whether!it!reinforces!or counteracts the!original!output. Decoding changeEmpathy map Long waves Hype cycle Tech quadrant VUCA Zeitgeist model R.E.S.P.E.C.T. CETE Drivers of change Perez model Metatrends and disruption Adaptive loop, momentum Worldview/ vision How we deal with change WORKING MODELS41

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STRUCTURE | MINDSETSTRATEGY AS EXPERIENCEBusiness strategy is a continuous balancing act between gaining control and innovation, which often implies taking a certain risk. A strategy deﬁnes the set of key decisions and actions taken to achieve long-term goals. This involves allocating resources effectively, exploiting core competencies, and creating unique offerings. A successful business strategy should result in a portfolio of value propositions that gain market share, proﬁtability, and sustainable growth – and, thus, enterprise value over time. Enterprise value = proﬁt x multiplier The multiplier is an important factor in determining the enterprise value of a company. It is used to estimate the net worth of a company multiplied by its earnings or revenue. A higher multiplier indicates that the company's business model shows stronger capacities and potential to obtain growth over a longer period of time and is thus more valuable. Business models: product, market, and value system Business models are frameworks that describe how a company creates, delivers, and captures value. This typically includes elements such as the target segments, value proposition, channels used to reach customers, revenue streams, cost structure, and key resources and activities required to make the model work. A well-designed business model enables a company to achieve sustainable growth, proﬁtability, and competitive advantage. A collective strategic compass Crafting a strategy is a complex and dynamic experience and not just some theoretical document or an annual top-management process: it is a company-wide experience. A good strategy process requires creating a vision that inspires and guides the organisation. It also involves aligning resources, building capabilities, and continuously measuring progress. A well-executed strategy process provides a sense of engagement, achievement, and satisfaction for everyone involved. What can you know about the future? The way a strategy process, structure, and output are designed tells a lot about how the organisation sees the roads towards the future. Is the future something you can shape, can adapt to, and can envision? Or something you can ignore or protect yourself against? Strategy as a common experience A collective strategy process starts from the grassroots level of an organisation, emphasising employee involvement in decision-making. Employee insights and experiences are the drivers in formulating the organisation's overall strategy. As the strategy moves up the chain of command, it is further reﬁned and evaluated. This inclusive, collaborative process helps to ensure that the strategy is aligned and becomes a common, daily language and routine in the organisation so that everybody feels involved and engaged in creating the company's future. A4 business plan: objectives, goals, strategies, actions, measures A4 frameworks, connected by a linking pin structure, help organisations to share, understand, and align strategic goals and actions on a more decentralised level. An A4 business plan describes the status quo, mission, and strategic gap of a particular unit, followed by clear objectives (outcome) and goals (output). The core strategies are the key decisions taken, followed by the actions needed to achieve the goals, while the measures state the performance indicators to monitor progress and ensure growth. S-curve: Energy = αCreation + β Maintenance Management The S-curve model explains the growth cycle of complex living systems over time, such as cities or organisations. These systems experience rapid growth in their early stages, when creation and growth are the main focus. As the system expands, complexity increases and growth slows down due to the need for new resource-intensive functions. Management and maintenance trigger an exponential need for more resources, causing creation to halt and the system to reach a plateau. Growing pains: update or upgrade? During their lifespan, projects or companies will experience several tumultuous periods of fundamental change. After discovering a brilliant idea for a problem-solution ﬁt, rapid prototyping is needed to optimise a solution-market ﬁt. This go-to-market moment is where many projects might need to pivot a few times in response to user feedback. After some successful pilots, a few lighthouse projects might be helpful to gain momentum and deﬁne beachhead markets to land and expand. This is where projects will need to survive a big 'chasm' between early adoption and the jump towards mainstream acceptance. It is like 'living inside a tornado', having to upgrade all aspects of the growing organisation at the same time. Following a long period of continuous improvement, the market might become saturated or new initiatives might disrupt the status quo, making the project less proﬁtable. At this point, all focus will be drawn to optimisation and managing efﬁciencies, triggering the question: maintain or disrupt?Define aspiration, ambition, and activationS-curve Control vs. innovation Abell Value proposition Business modelling Hoshin Kanri Ambition, aspiration, activation Blue/red ocean What does success look like? Market analysis Enterprise value Collective business planning A4 business plans OGSM MECE Go to marketWORKING MODELS43

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STRUCTURE | SKILLSETWISE DECISION-MAKINGDecision-making is the process of selecting a course of action, among multiple alternatives, based on available information and preferences. The process starts with identifying the problem or opportunity, gathering and analysing relevant data, generating possible solutions, evaluating potential outcomes and risks, selecting the best option, implementing, and monitoring results. Leadership from a coaching perspective Certain team members are often better informed than others about speciﬁc situations in the market or with customers. Servant or distributed leadership focuses on enabling team members to reach their full potential and achieve organisational objectives. Instead of using authority to control and direct others, this approach is about taking ownership and sharing responsibility among multiple individuals with a focus on providing support, guidance, and resources. This will foster a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility, and can lead to more effective decision-making and better (long-term) outcomes for the organisation. Modern leaders are great coaches Once upon a time, doing your job well as a leader meant having the right answers: 'You knew what needed to be done, you taught others how to do it, and you evaluated their performance.' Command and control were the main attributes, and the goal was to ﬁnd, direct, and develop employees who were able to reproduce previous successes. Now, however, constant, rapid, and disruptive change is the norm, and what succeeded in the past is no longer a guide to what will succeed in the future. 21st-century leaders simply can't have all the right answers. To cope with this new reality, companies are moving away from traditional command-and-control practices and towards a model in which managers give support and guidance rather than just instructions. Employees learn how to adapt to constantly changing environments in ways that unleash motivation, innovation, and commitment. The role of the manager is becoming that of a coach. Perception, comprehension, and projection Teams and individuals always make decisions based on limited information and time constraints. Humans themselves also have a limited ability to cognitively process information and make rational choices. Therefore, people use heuristics and shortcuts to simplify the decision-making process. As a result, decisions are always inﬂuenced by various factors such as cognitive bias, emotion, time pressure, group dynamics, etc. Flaws in wise decision-making Despite our best efforts to make sound decisions, we often fall prey to certain cognitive biases and ﬂaws that can lead us astray. 1 We don't recognise when the moment is a key decision making moment. 2 We only use two alternative choices: go or no go, small or big, etc. 3. We have multiple options, but bias makes us weigh options incorrectly. 4 We thought we understood each other: we say 'Yes', but do ‘No'. Situational awareness is key Making wiser, informed decisions starts with situational awareness: the ability to perceive and understand one's surroundings, including the people, objects, events, and environmental conditions. Different situations call for different (in)direct leadership or decision-making styles and actions. Team sensitivity and diversity contribute to being more situationally aware. Peer coaching and team learning Peer coaching is an essential process in which colleagues work together to reﬂect their professional practices to support each other's learning and development by sharing insights, feedback, and resources. Through a process of peer coaching or intervention, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their own strengths and areas for growth, while also building trust and a sense of community within their workplace. Authentic, personal leadership Often four personality traits are distinguished to provide better insight into behavioural tendencies, communication styles, and work preferences. •Dominance: tendency to be assertive, competitive, and results-oriented. •Inﬂuence: outgoing, sociable, and persuasive. •Steadiness: calm, patient, and consistent. •Conscientiousness: detail-oriented, organised, and dependable. From good to greatDISC Feedback Situational awareness Coaching Situational leadership Distributed leadership Wise decision-makingWORKING MODELS45

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STRUCTURE | TOOLSETHACKING FOR GROWTHIn order to succeed, any business needs to develop a strong strategy to manage its resources effectively and to identify opportunities for growth. The process entails identifying key business fundamentals: the essential principles and practices that are necessary to run the organisation. Guided by a clear Northern Star The term Northern Star is, for example, used to describe the company's long-term vision and strategic goals. It serves as a guiding light that keeps the organisation continuously focused on its mission and values. Another example is identifying the one metric that matters (OMTM): the measure that has the greatest impact on a company's success. Scorecards: management by objectives A balanced scorecard is a tool that allows managers to see, by monitoring the staff and execution of planned activities, whether the key performance indicators – the metrics to evaluate a speciﬁc business goal – are being met. This enables organisations to align their business activities with their vision and strategy. It is important to distinguish goals that set a target and goals that set a certain direction. Goal tree to ﬁnd the one metric that matters A goal tree, structured with the overall company goal at the root and various key objectives as the branches, is an excellent way to see how all the different objectives and goals relate. This allows for a collaborative approach to goal-setting, with employees being involved in the process and having a clear understanding of what is expected of each other. The process helps to align individual and team efforts with the overall goals of the organisation. Stretched goals to boost creative thinking In addition, setting some extremely ambitious goals will inspire and motivate an organisation to work more creatively and develop innovative solutions. Stretched goals (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) should be clear and compelling to capture the imagination and engages the passions of the people. Triple loop monitoring: getting the right things done Strategy requires continuous review: Are doing things right? And are we doing the right things? This challenges the management to be open to new perspectives, to be willing to challenge deeply held assumptions, and to embrace change as a continuous process. In short: plan, do, check, act. Prioritising epic tasks: to do, doing, done To maintain focus on the right things, Kanban is an often-used tool that visualises the workﬂow through to do, doing, and done. Kanban assists teams to prioritise their high-value tasks (epics), and helps to track progress, to identify potential bottlenecks in the process, and to deliver the result (deﬁnition of done). More data-driven with business intelligence and dashboards This process can be supported by business intelligence, the use of various tools and techniques to transform raw data into meaningful insights. This process empowers organisations to make more data-driven decisions by collecting, analysing, and visualising complex data (dashboards). Data analytics: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive Decisions can be supported by three different types of data analytics: •Descriptive analytics focuses on summarising the historical data to understand what has happened in the past and analyse the current situation. •Predictive analytics uses statistical techniques to analyse historical data to identify the probability of an event occurring in the future. •Prescriptive analytics suggests a course of action to take. It answers the question of what should be done to achieve a speciﬁc goal. Growth hacking Growth hacking is a strategy that focuses on the rapid, accumulated growth of a business by identifying, tracking, and exploiting unique opportunities that can drive user acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, and referral (AARRR). This approach relies heavily on using data-driven experimentation and creative techniques to improve customer success. Customer success: farm don't hunt Customer success is about proactively engaging with customers to help them get the most value from a product or service. It's a collaborative effort between a company and its customers, with the goal of achieving mutual success. Customer health is an underlying measure of the overall well-being and satisfaction of a customer with a particular product or service. It can be extrapolated in a customer lifetime value (CLV) metric that represents the total net proﬁt a company can expect to earn from a single customer over the course of their relationship. Achieving objectives and key resultsS-curve Control vs. innovation Abell Value proposition Business modelling Hoshin Kanri Ambition, aspiration, activation Blue/red ocean What does success look like? Market analysis Enterprise value Collective business planning A4 business plans OGSM MECE Go to market OMTMWORKING MODELS47

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CULTURE | MINDSETGENERATIVE CULTUREA company's structure and culture are closely related. The structure of a company determines roles and responsibilities, the ﬂow of communication, and the decision-making process. The company culture refers to the beliefs, shared values, attitudes, and behaviours that deﬁne its working environment. Company culture Cultures are dynamic and ever-evolving complex systems that shape the way people live, interact, and work with one another by inﬂuencing attitudes, worldviews, and social practices. Strong cultures create a sense of unity and belonging, which leads to increased morale and productivity, but they can also become very rule-based, hierarchical, and dominant, which creates a clear in- and out-group. Organisational design A culture is learned and transmitted from one generation to the next, and is often seen as the unique identity of a particular community or society. Typical activities that typify a certain culture include how decisions are made, how they are communicated, and how they are reinforced. Generative culture A generative culture is one that encourages innovation, creativity, and cooperation. In this kind of culture, individuals and teams are given the freedom and autonomy to experiment and take certain risks. The result is a culture that fosters continuous learning, adaptability, and resilience. Espoused versus lived culture The aspects of a culture that are stated in ofﬁcial organisational documents – for example, processes, mission statements, and policies — are known as the espoused culture: the culture that the organisation would like to stand for. A lived culture, on the other hand, reﬂects the actual behaviours, practices, and attitudes that individuals demonstrate in their daily interactions. Rite of passage Rituals play an important part in passing down traditions. They foster a sense of belonging, strengthen the bond between team members, and promote a sense of identity within the group. Rituals can range from simple routines like the expected start of the day to events such as onboarding, celebrations, or speciﬁc sessions. Mapping the cultural code Mapping a culture is difﬁcult, especially from the inside. To gain a deeper understanding of a culture requires a very systemic and grounded approach based on observation, codifying stories and anecdotes, and the use of artefacts, metaphors, symbols, rituals, etc. The etic approach to doing this involves analysing a culture from an outsider's perspective, while the emic approach involves analysing a culture from the insider's perspective, after the ride-of-passage to becoming one with the rest. Using anecdotes and stories to ﬁnd cultural memes and metaphors Memes and metaphors allow complex concepts to be explained in simple terms that can be easily shared by all members of a group. For example, a sports metaphor can be used to describe the focus on teamwork, or a garden metaphor to describe the nurturing of ideas or growth. Tool culture and mediating artefacts Tools, objects, or digital services (such as buildings, meetings, or email) facilitate communication and interaction. They have a signiﬁcant impact on cultural evolution by shaping our possible behaviour, attitudes, and values. They can both reinforce existing cultural norms and create new ones. Cultural shifts, liminal, breaching experiments (hybrid teams) Working in multiple teams requires adjustment to different team cultures. New social values and the use of contemporary technologies also require a cultural shift. Such cultural change is an extremely complex and multi-faceted process that often triggers a culture shock, resulting in individuals possibly experiencing feelings of disorientation, or even anger, as they are forced to navigate the new landscape. Over time, individuals begin to adjust and acclimate to the new culture, often by creating new customs, social norms, and language. Sub and counter cultures national Individuals and teams construct their own understanding of the world based on their own experiences and interactions with others. Some divisions or teams grow a particular subculture that shares a distinct set of beliefs, values, customs, and behaviours. Subcultures typically coexist within the dominant culture, but may express their identity through fashion, language, or other symbolic practices. Some of these subcultures can grow into countercultures, challenging the status quo.The way we do things around hereEmpathy map Long waves Hype cycle Tech quadrant VUCA Zeitgeist model R.E.S.P.E.C.T. CETE Drivers of change Perez model Metatrends and disruption Adaptive loop, momentum Worldview/ vision How we deal with changeWORKING MODELS49

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CULTURE | SKILLSETTHRIVING TEAMSTo better adapt to complex and rapidly changing environments, organisations are increasingly being designed as a team of teams. This requires dismantling the classical top-down silos and fostering a culture of collaboration by creating a network of interconnected, more self-organising teams that work together to achieve a common goal. Dynamic teamwork: from functions to roles and responsibilities To allow for more ﬂexibility and adaptability throughout a process or project, traditional job functions or positions are being replaced by a more dispersed set of dynamic roles or even tasks. This helps to put the right person in the right role at the right moment in the given project. Multi- or transdisciplinary team In multi- or transdisciplinary teams, each member brings their unique discipline, expertise, discourse, and perspectives to the table. Consequentially, the team can draw from a much wider range of knowledge and skills to challenge each other's thinking and uncover new approaches. Team identity: me and we This shift creates a focus on the relationship between the me and the we in groups. To foster a productive environment, individual needs and opinions must be considered, as they bring unique perspectives and abilities to the group. Otherwise, individuals will not adapt, but rebel, and groups will not create comfort, but trigger confrontation. 'I am because we are' Success also relies on a sense of unity and how the mes within the we cooperate. This requires clear rules of engagement, which include being open to feedback, actively listening, being willing to compromise for a common purpose, and recognising our interdependence with one another. Group cohesion: Gemeinschaft or Gesellschaft A group can be connected by space, time, relations, a leader, or a certain theme or interest. A Gesellschaft refers to a temporally limited type of group in which individuals are primarily focused on their own interests and relationships, like an event. A more structuralised group, one that is characterised by commonalities such as strong social bonds, a goal, a sense of belonging, and shared values, is referred to as a Gemeinschaft, or 'commons'. Diversity as a critical success factor Up to a certain level, team diversity can boost productivity by bringing a range of unique perspectives together, allowing for more creative problem-solving and critical thinking. This helps to challenge pre-existing biases and encourages open-mindedness and acceptance of different values. A diverse team also helps to represent a wider 'audience', and although it is sometimes a bit less efﬁcient, it does often end up being both more effective and resilient. A strong need for psychological safety in group behaviour and interaction When all team members really feel safe to be, ask, and do, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and invested in the team's goals and objectives. This sense of interpersonal security and trust allows members to speak up, share ideas, and collaborate effectively, preventing groupthink. This can lead to higher levels of satisfaction, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and group cohesion. Teams operate at the speed of trust The three pillars of trust are identiﬁed as benevolence, ability, and integrity. Trustworthy relationships are vital to modern, more-decentralised organisations. The level of trust in relationships, whether with employees or with clients and partners, is one of the greatest determinants of success. Thriving collaboration: forming, norming, storming, performing All formed teams follow a natural process of development. In the norming stage, teams need to clarify the goal and expectations, and build trust. During the storming stage, conﬂicts and disagreements arise that demand ﬁnding a way to work together and set clear rules of engagement. Finally, in the performing stage, the team is able to work cohesively and deliver results. Communities of practices, belonging, interest, or purpose There are various types of groups, and they differ based on their function. Sense of belonging: I am because we areEmpathy map Long waves Hype cycle Tech quadrant VUCA Zeitgeist model R.E.S.P.E.C.T. CETE Drivers of change Perez model Metatrends and disruption Adaptive loop, momentum Worldview/ vision How we deal with changeWORKING MODELS•Communities of practice share a common profession and come together to exchange experiences and develop new skills. •Belonging communities provide a supportive environment based on common values and beliefs. •Communities of interest are all about sharing know-how and learning. •A community of purpose unites individuals who are actively passionate about striving for a speciﬁc cause or mission.51

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CULTURE | TOOLSETSETTING UP FOR SUCCESSTaking agency refers to the act of taking control and responsibility for one's own actions and decisions. This means actively making choices and taking steps to achieve desired outcomes, rather than passively accepting the circumstances or decisions of others. It involves recognising and using one's own intent, power, and abilities to shape one's own life and work experiences. It is important for individuals to take agency in order to achieve personal growth and fulﬁlment. In any given experience, meaning is created over three axes: Setting: (virtual) workplace and space The time, room, setting, artefacts, agenda, slides, and technology in an environment have a direct inﬂuence on how you feel, what you think, and how you act. This inﬂuence becomes part of the routine. Changing the elements in a space will also change thoughts, behaviour, and outcomes. What tools, spatial elements, and settings would have a positive impact on the outcome of you speciﬁc event? What situation would trigger connections or deep work? Social context: earn, learn, and return Each personal relation and team has its own group dynamics. Each team has its own way of working: the team culture, often with unspoken rituals, norms, and values. By adapting or challenging these routines, the dynamics and thus the effectiveness of the group will change. In what way can intentions and expectations be more aligned and/or attuned to get the right things done, together? Self: checking-in You always bring yourself to a situation: a self with a lot of experiences, thoughts, emotions, talents, coping mechanisms, intentions, ambition, and so much more. Being aware of what you bring 'to the table', the motivation that makes you tick (with internal or external attribution), and making that more explicit has an enormous impact on a situation. From agency to self-organisation The ability to act independently and free from outside interference or control is referred to as autonomy. It includes the ability to make one's own decisions and to exercise levels of self-development, self-organisation, or even self-governance. A narrative self: mindset is the story we tell ourselves Everybody has unique characteristics, traits, and beliefs that deﬁne their identity as an individual or a group, shaping their sense of self and distinguishing them from others. It encompasses aspects such as the personal lifeline, values, cultural background, gender, and social roles, and it inﬂuences how individuals or groups perceive themselves and how they are perceived by others. The term 'narrative self' describes the process of creating a personal identity and life story by organising and interpreting experiences and events. It entails creating a lucid narrative that gives one's life a sense of coherence, meaning, and continuity. Sometimes it requires demerging oneself from a certain situation: 'You are not the situation.' Personal growth: not yet… Personal growth is the ongoing process of self-improvement and self-awareness, beneﬁtting from multiple intelligences, that leads to a greater understanding of oneself and the development of new skills, perspectives, and qualities. Personal growth often leads to higher vitality, the state of being full of life, energy, and vigour, which is characterised by a strong and active physical and mental well-being. This most often implies adapting personal routines (stacked habits) and coping mechanisms: the strategies or behaviours individuals use to deal with stress, challenges, or difﬁcult emotions they may be experiencing. Empowerment and self-conﬁdence Empowerment refers to the process of enabling individuals or groups to gain control over their lives, make decisions, and take actions that lead to personal and collective growth, self-determination, and positive change. It involves providing resources, knowledge, skills, and support to foster autonomy, conﬁdence, and the ability to effect change in one's own circumstances and to become better equipped to be ready for the challenges of the 21st century. Hence the saying: 'I have never done that before, so I think I can do it'. Taking agency: Why do you do what we do?Agency S3 model Attribution Vitality Journaling Reﬂection approach Circle of inﬂuenceWORKING MODELS53

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IMPACT | MINDSETIMPACT WITH PURPOSEThe economy, society, and planet are all interconnected. Changes in the environment impact organisations and, vice versa, strategic choices also impact the environment. All our actions have (un)intended consequences that (in)directly shape our work and life, and that of the next generations. Therefore, good ancestors take action and make decisions in their lifetime that positively impact future generations. Why do we do what we do? Deep why, purpose, and impact A common purpose deﬁnes the reason a company exists – beyond simply making a proﬁt. It gives direction, meaning, and motivation and helps to achieve a sense of fulﬁlment and satisfaction. It also illustrates how the product or service positively impacts the people you serve. Guiding principles: triple bottom line The purpose is often translated in guiding principles: the fundamental values or beliefs that shape an organisation's actions and decisions. Thick values are often rooted in culture, religion, or personal experiences, whereas thin values may be inﬂuenced by external factors such as marketing. The goal is to achieve success by balancing the interests of people, planet, and proﬁts. Mission-led organisations to make a net positive impact Impact refers to a signiﬁcant effect or inﬂuence on something. The impact of business can be far-reaching – creating jobs, driving innovation, and generating wealth – but it can also lead to negative consequences such as exploitation of people, environmental damage, and harm to communities. What does success look like? For all stakeholders? Assessing and quantifying impact is extremely complex as it involves many horizons, spill-over effects, and feedback loops. The output of a company refers to the tangible products or services that are delivered by a process or system, while the outcome refers to the ultimate impact or effect of those products or services on the intended users and stakeholders. Sustainability: environmental, social, and governance Sustainability refers to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It involves balancing social, economic, and environmental factors to ensure long-term well-being for all. (Moral) dilemma: Do the right thing or do things right? Many strategic choices have an underlying (moral) dilemma: a situation faced with two or more options, each of which involves conﬂicting costs, beneﬁts, principles, or values. The physical and emotional space that separates an individual from a particular decision or action plays an important role. Often we distinguish witnessed, mediated (e.g., technology) and absent presence. Several frameworks, like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), can provide some shared guidance. Responsibility and ethics: comply and/or explain Responsibility involves the recognition of one's obligations and the willingness to take ownership of the outcomes of one's choices. It refers to the state of being accountable or answerable for one's actions or decisions. Ethics, on the other hand, refers to a set of moral principles that guides decisions and outcomes in a just and fair manner. Judgement of right and wrong is either based on norms, duty (comply), consequences (utility), or contribution (virtue). Circular economy: closing loop of people, planet, profit The circular economy aims to shift from the take-make-waste linear approach to reducing footprint (e.g., extraction, landﬁll, pollution) by keeping resources in use for as long as possible. It promotes a sustainable and regenerative system in which the end-of-life products are treated as resources and reintegrated back into the production cycle. An extended version is the concept of doughnut economy, which is a framework for sustainable development that seeks to ensure that human needs are met without exceeding environmental limits. It aims to create a social foundation that ensures that everyone has access to the essentials of life while staying within the ecological ceiling of the planet. Taking the position: Just be compliant or become an advocate of change? Trust is determined by how credible and reliable someone is, how intimate their relationship is, and how little they prioritise their own interests over others. With regard to taking accountability and responsibility for 'the commons and its resources', organisations can express concern or care, try to become more compliant (don't be evil) with better practices (climate neutrality), or even become an advocate of change (leading by example) to mobilise others to strive for a net positive effect.How impact drives meaningful changeResponsibility Ethics ESG Triple bottom line Impact measurement Purpose and deep why Stakeholder models Moral dilemma Circular economy Agency WORKING MODELS55

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IMPACT | SKILLSETENGAGING USERSThe goal of behavioural design is to create effective, scalable, and sustainable interventions that can help individuals to adopt new habits, make better decisions and, ultimately, improve their lives. By using insights from behavioural science, the intent of the intervention is to decrease negative behaviour and trigger positive behaviour. Engagement: purpose, relatedness, immersion, mastery, and autonomy •Engagement of users grows when they feel they are part of a clear purpose, and contributing provides relevance. •They want to be able to relate to the project and team, to receive feedback, and to get recognition. •Immersion is the third aspect of engagement: becoming an integral part of the story, strategy, and tactics. •The fourth factor is mastery: people are more likely to remain engaged if they feel a sense of progress or achievement. •And last, they need to be able to actively participate, to be involved, by having a certain level of autonomy in the process. An invitation into a story world Each brand is like a story world by itself in which the customer's journeys offer multiple entry points into that speciﬁc 'ﬁctional universe'. A story world includes a setting, characters, rules, and laws that bring the experience to life. In game language, this space is called 'the magic circle': a temporary and imaginary space where players/users can suspend disbelief and engage. Engaging storytelling arches Storytelling plays a powerful role in connecting on a deeper emotional level. It helps to communicate complex ideas, make abstract concepts more relatable, and provide context to the information we are trying to convey. A narrative arc will generate a shared experience (interest), capture people's attention (information), and create a connection (interaction). Applying the lens of game design thinking The experience of play or (serious) games, for example, offers great opportunities for boosting engagement and triggering behavioural change. Play refers to any fun, open-ended, and free-form activity, while games involve rules, objectives, and challenges. The latter is a structured activity with a deﬁned outcome or goal to be achieved by competition or cooperation. Using interaction mechanics All interaction designs make use of mechanics that refer to the rules, systems, and interactions that make up an experience. These mechanics deﬁne the actions users can take, how they can take them, and what happens as a result. Essentially, interaction mechanics create a set of rules and boundaries that govern the experience, challenge progression and satisfaction, and allow users to interact with the service in a variety of ways. Habit loops: cue, routine, reward All habits form through a three-part habit loop that involves a cue, a routine, and a reward. The cue is the trigger or hook that prompts the habit, such as a time of day, a location, or an event. The investment is the change of behaviour itself, whether it's a physical action or a mental process. The reward is the positive outcome that reinforces the habit, such as a feeling of satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment. Triggers for intrinsic motivation For a new behaviour to occur, the individual must have the desire or motivation, have the ability to do it, and be triggered to start. The ultimate goal of such behavioural interventions is to turn external motivation (i.e., the external incentives or pressures) into intrinsic motivation (i.e., the inner drive that compels an individual to pursue a task or activity for the inherent enjoyment or satisfaction it provides). The latter arises from an individual's personal interests, needs, and desires. As such, intrinsic motivation is more difﬁcult to achieve but is a far more sustainable and fulﬁlling source of motivation. Mentality-driven personas Users can show different types of motivation or mentality in their interaction with products or services. The four main user interaction mentalities are: Triggering behavioural changeStorytelling Storyworlds Experience design Play vs. game Intrinsic motivation Player types Game mechanics Gameﬁcation P.R.I.M.A. Engagement Triggers Habit loop Behavioural designWORKING MODELS•Achievers – highly goal-oriented, they solve obstacles, become super-users and unlock status. •Explorers – driven by the desire to discover new areas and endless possibilities to follow multiple paths. •Socialisers – strive to connect and interact with others, enjoy building relationships, helping others, and participating. •Hunters – motivated by challenges and competition, the desire to score, and to become the best.57

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IMPACT | TOOLSETACTIVATION!Activation is!the ability to curate change potential: to form a service which, manifested through the use of a well-crafted design, motivates people and moves them to action, to overcoming pains and fear with gains and anxiety. Intent inspires actions, shaping our behaviour Intent, action, and behaviour are three interconnected concepts that play a crucial role in human decision-making and communication. Intent refers to the (sub)conscious desire behind a particular action, while action refers to the effort taken to execute that intent. Behaviour, on the other hand, encompasses a range of actions – including both unintentional and intentional ones – that reﬂect an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and values. In essence, our intent shapes our actions, which in turn shape our behaviour, ultimately inﬂuencing how we interact with the world around us. The end of the funnel The funnel – a cone-like representation – outlines the different stages a potential customer goes through before making a purchase, which usually includes stages such as awareness, interest, consideration, and decision. The goal is to move customers from one stage to the next, with the ultimate goal of converting them into paying customers or even subscribers. Especially with digital infrastructures and the impact of referrals, the funnel is far less linear than it used to be. Service design blueprint A service blueprint typically includes several layers, such as the customer journey, frontstage activities, backstage activities, and support processes. By mapping out all touchpoints (landing page, call centre, etc.) and the entire service experience, organisations can better understand how to respond and optimise their service delivery. A service blueprint allows organisations to identify potential pain points, areas for improvement, and opportunities for innovation and growth. Customer development is a journey The customer journey describes the process of customer development from the initial awareness of a product or service to the ﬁnal decision to purchase and beyond. Understanding the customer journey is important for businesses to identify opportunities to improve a positive customer experience, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately drive business growth. Power moments in the choice architecture Power moments have a signiﬁcant impact on the customer's overall experience and perception of a service. They can occur at various points in a service experience, such as when a customer ﬁrst encounters the brand (ZMOT), when they interact with staff, or when they experience barriers. These moments often represent a crucial point in the choice architecture. A limited choice might give rise to the feeling of 'no ﬁt'; paradoxically, too much choice might create not only less freedom but more stress in regard to picking the best option available. A mobilising idea to trigger action A mobilising idea is a concept or belief that inspires people to take action towards a particular goal or cause, such as a better future, social justice, or political change. It is a powerful and persuasive idea that can motivate individuals or groups to come together, work towards achieving a common objective, and go above and beyond to achieve results. A very personal experience: one size ﬁts nobody A persona is a ﬁctional representation of a typical user or customer. Personas typically include information about the user's characteristics, behaviour patterns, goals, motivations, mentality, and pain points (functional, emotional, or social). User interfaces (UI) create user experiences (UX) A direct route refers to the most simple, functional, and straightforward journey with minimal distractions, while a scenic route explores a more visually engaging journey with extra elements and interactions that may create more customer delight. User experience design can apply various levels of nudging: subtle cues or changes in the environment to inﬂuence people's behaviour in a positive way. It is often used as a means of encouraging people to make better choices without restricting their freedom or imposing penalties. Activation = means x ability x motivation Means, ability, and motivation are three essential components that are required to trigger action toward achieving a goal. Means refers to the necessary resources or tools that are required to accomplish a task. Ability refers to the individual's skill set and knowledge required to execute the task, whereas motivation is the driving force that propels an individual towards the desired outcome. Unleashing the power of intrinsic motivationService blueprint Service design Customer discovery Customer development Customer journey Personas Activation Funnel Habits UX and UI Product as a service Behavioural changeWORKING MODELS59

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We are! living! in the midst of diverse existential challenges and transitions. In a! wicked world of continuous! change and ever-increasing complexity, uncertainty, volatility, and ambiguity.! When anticipating upcoming shifts,! organisations! should not! focus on trying to be future-proof but on becoming more future-ready and taking on greater agency! Ask yourself: How will the changing environment impact you, and in what way can!you!have a positive impact on our!environment!in general? New strategic dilemmas will arise and tough choices will need to be made.!Wise decisions based on an outside-in vision and future-forward perspective.!To discover unconventional alternatives and to recognise new possibilities and breakthroughs, fresh eyes and an open mind are a must.! Exploration into uncharted territory requires rapid, iterative, and continuous experimentation – as well as subsequent! team learning – to discover what works for!you, the!user, and!all stakeholders. Organisations will need greater agility and a team-of-teams mindset in which a strong and shared culture lets talent thrive.! To get a better grip on these transformations in business, tech and society, we use our systems-thinking approach to discover underlying superstructures and patterns of change. This allows us to productively navigate the small shifts in mindset, skillset, and toolset that engender big change. The Futures Academy is a leading thought, research, and design collective. Our mission is to empower and boosting the transition towards a more sustainable future and to accelerate impact. We develop and share knowhow and successful next practices to empower curious people, teams, and organisations to proactively design for positive change. Starting with the fundamentals, our research team has collected all the transdisciplinary project experience from the last two decades and translated it into a 21st-century-ready framework.! 21 key capacities that will!challenge you – inspire you – in generating yourSEE THE DIFFERENCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE61

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MAKE A DIFFERENCETHE FUTURES ACADEMYLearning is the greatest differentiator for any organisation to become more adaptive and thus more ready for the challenges of the 21st century. Our aim is to push the boundaries of how organisations can have a positive impact on our future. We interviewed over 150 experts on anticipating and creating future change. These videos can be found on our!Board of Inspiration!and are part of all our online courses. The Futures Academy works in an applied and experiential way known as action research. We live at the intersection of academic research and real-world problem-solving within organisations. Amor mundi. We are in love with the world. Yet, as a society, we are in a tremendous transition on multiple levels simultaneously. All our existing systems need re-adjustment, re-alignment, or even re-design to become more re-generative by nature. It is no surprise that we are experiencing such complexity, volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity. We, as a global society, have a responsibility towards ourselves, nature, and future generations. That goes for all individuals, groups, teams, and organisations. For us, this grand challenge of the 21st century also feels like the greatest opportunity to make a real and fundamental shift in the good direction – the right direction. To have a genuine impact on the future, together. To create true future value. This shift is complex, but not impossible; it is difﬁcult, but not undoable. But we have to think outside of the box, we have to train ourselves to think in the system as a whole, and we need to take a more integral approach. Once we start to see the superstructure of change, we can ﬁnd what we like to call the 'elementary particle': the essence, the smallest possible intervention, that can make a system shift as a whole. This requires a 21st-century mindset, toolset, and skillset. Our aim is to turn the world into an extended 'classroom'. To learn from the many perspectives our world has to offer. To ignite the explorative mindset in us all. An inquisitive, designerly, and entrepreneurial spirit to go out into the world to look, listen, experiment, think, learn, and share. We never stop 'wandering and wondering' about new perspectives, about new things that can be learned. Hence, the central question for us is: 'What would X do?' Practise what we preach We are a living lab of creative rebels and facilitators of change who want to boost their impact and help redesign a world so that it works better for all of us. Over two decades of research and ﬁeldwork has brought us to the current version of our organisation, Project Jingu 4.0. At the moment, we are intensively experimenting with the new DAO concept, an operating model that helps us connect with other communities to unleash all the talent available and to build a sustainable business based on co-ownership. Do you feel inspired? Do you want to connect and crack the code together? We are an impact-driven research collective63

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ONLINE COURSES SMART MOVESWe see the world as our classroom. Our intrepidly curious researchers explore diverse domains and travel new directions to discover future business models. Your Smart Moves membership provides you with weekly inspiration and knowledge on how to implement essential next practices. Each case will nudge you to look at your organisation from a fresh perspective: What would X do? Your agility of the mind will be trained as you are challenged to see, think and act in a new, future-ready manner. New times require new skills. We provide an indispensible learning landscape for professionals to prepare for the future. From a selection of 21 capacities for the 21st century, participants can select the tools they want to master. Each course consists of video explainers, facilitator notes, clear examples and a worksheet. Join our online channels for real-time Q&A. Combine several courses or several worksheets to create a ready-to-use plan, design or concept.VISION QUESTSIn team sessions, we will challenge existing perspectives to better anticipate future developments. Futures studies and systems thinking will be applied to foresee the impact of social,technological and business change. We will identify the change dynamics, underlying behavioural patterns, trigger points and superstructures that connect most 21st -century transitions. In the end, you will have new know-how, a clear vision and a common team language to decide how to get the right things done and create future value.64

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63 59 57 55 53 51 49 47 45 43 41 39 37 35 33 31 29 27 25 23 21 19 13 11 9 7 5 3 We are an impact driven research collective Unleashing the power of intrinsic motivation Triggering behavioural change How impact drives meaningful change Taking agency: Why Do You Do What We Do? Sense of belonging: I am because We are The way we do things around here Achieving objecties and key results From good to great Define aspiration, ambition and activation Decoding change Setting yourself up for success Integral approach: the sum of the parts is different I see, I think, I wonder, I learned Learn by doing Challenging habits of the mind Unconventional thinking to shift perspective Discover the way of the user How could we …? Building the bridge while crossing What if? If only? Anticipating waves of change Navigating opportunities for growth and change Three levels of change: Mindset, skillset & toolset Seven dimensions of future ready organizational design Ignnite the explorer in yourself, team & organisation A grounded approach preparing for the challenges of the 21st century Becoming 21st century ready FUTURES ACADEMY ACTIVATION! ENGAGING USERS IMPACT WITH PURPOSE SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS THRIVING TEAMS GENERATIVE CULTURE HACKING FOR GROWTH WISE DECISION MAKING STRATEGY AS EXPERIENCE PATTERN RECOGNITION OUTCOME-DRIVEN SYSTEMS THINKING CONTINUOS EXPERIMENTATION ACTION LEARNING COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE REFRAMING & IDEATION OUTCOME DRIVEN INNOVATION RESEARCH THROUGH DESIGN ORCHESTRATING CHANGE FUTURE VISION & SCENARIOS WHAT’S YOUR WORLDVIEW? ARE YOU FUTURE-READY? 21-READY FRAMEWORK 21-READY FRAMEWORK HOW TO USE THIS PLAYBOOK? SEEING THE SUPERSTRUCTURE SEE THE DIFFERENCE MAKE A DIFFERENCE IMPACT CULTURE STRUCTURE SYSTEM LEARN DESIGN CHANGE SELF-ASSESMENT OUR APPROACH SEE THE DIFFERENCE 66CONTENT

Future Ready Playbook

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