SYSTEM
Our organisation, the market, society, competitors, supply chains…
everything is connected to everything. But what is the right level of
intervention? Take a more integral perspective that considers the
interconnectedness and interdependence of all elements within a
certain eco-system and its sub-systems. Recognise the underlying
patterns and design principles that trigger certain system
dynamics, relations and feedback loops.
CHANGE DESIGN
MINDSETSKILLSETTOOLSET
A mindset is a mental model, a filter through
which we look at the world, 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.
Unravel the wicked transformations of the 21
st
century by exploring
future developments and their potential impacts. Connect the dots
shared by these events to anticipate different future scenarios from
a future-backward perspective. Become more future-ready by
designing a programme to facilitate the change needed.
IMPACT
Purpose and impact are crucial for an organisation. They serve as
the foundation to engage and activate employees, clients and
partners. Having clear values, 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 ensures that an organisation remains relevant in the near
future and makes a meaningful contribution to the world – and for
all stakeholders.
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.! Take a human-
driven perspective that involves empathising with users in a certain
situation, define the underlying problems, reframe and ideate
potential directions for a solution, and conduct rapid prototyping to
test and learn.
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 and community among employees (and even clients or
suppliers).
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 like a common language and shared experience: Involving
the entire organisation in setting new goals and directions engenders
greater engagement, accountability and self-organisation.
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 21
st
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'.
The toolset is a collection of pragmatic working
models designed to perform a specific set of
tasks within a given domain. The purpose of this
21
st
-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
competences and practices that can be trained
by 'just doing'.
[30/01/2023] Arjan Postma, Jefta Bade, Jeroen Boschma!
We are a certified B corporation and all our work is under creative commons license: BY-NC-SA.
We are living in de midst of some 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 future-ready! Ask
yourself: How will the changing environment impact you, and how
can you have a positive impact on the 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 is 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. We have put all our trans disciplinary
experience in a 21
st
-century-ready framework.! 21 key capacities
that will challenge you in generating True Future Value.
FRAMEWORK
S
T
21
CENTURY
FUTURE
READY
LEARNING
Learning is an ongoing and conscious process of acquiring new
data, information and knowledge. It involves actively seeking out
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 as an
organisation in an ever-changing world.
FRAMEWORK
S
T
21
CENTURY
IMPACT
DRIVEN
As we navigate the 21st century, we find ourselves in a world in
transition, where the (long-term) consequences of our actions are
becoming increasingly evident. Current affairs serve as a stark
reminder!that in many aspects the status quo is no longer
sustainable.!To secure a more promising future, we must
collectively embrace sustainability as a guiding principle,
reevaluating!our consumption patterns, production processes,
energy sources, definition of growth, and resource management.!
With this framework we help organizations to navigate their
transformative journey, how to mitigate the impacts of
climate!change, enable the energy transition and foster more
harmony between humanity, the economy and the planet at large.
Not!just as an aspiration but a shared day-to-day reality.!In this
complex environment, there is a need for more diversity to bring
together a rich tapestry of perspectives,!expertise, experiences,
and values, fostering innovation and creativity.!
As great ancestors, we must take action and responsibility
for!future generations. The!why!we need to make change happen
is evident, but how much!responsibility can we bear and!how fast,
how far can we make our!actions reach? Where to!begin? For us,
it all started with taking a!pledge for purpose. Reducing!footprint,
becoming more circular or even neutral by 2030 is not enough.
We want to strive, together with our clients and partners to create
net-positive organizations, to make a positive contribution to
society and future!generations.!
FU
TURES
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