NSL Transformation LAB

THE NSL TRANSFORMATION LAB:
SEEING, CONNECTING TO, AND, DESIGNING
FOR OUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE

Imagining the impossible then –
creating it
We now have the possibility to truly transform
our world, to be more resilient, to be more
relevant to us both personally and collectively,
socially cohesive, sustainable, economically
vibrant and humane, through the tools,
capabilities, language and processes at our
fingertips.

| www.no-straight-lines.com | making sense of our non-linear world | 2011 |

Designing for
transformation
is based upon
7 years of
research
From, healthcare, education,
car manufacturing, R&D,
banking, venture funding,
legal frameworks, NGO’s,
a city and even the largest
organic diary herd in Britain.

Each one of the
organisations that we have
studied have met the criteria
of the six principles of NSL.

These are some of the organisations we have
worked with, studied, and, talked to


Many of these organisations faced a design challenge.
A problematical, if not down right tricksy problem. That
even the number crunchers struggled with in how
they dealt with complex, ‘I cant sleep at night’ problems!


but they all asked this question…

How do we find the
best possible solution
to this challenging
problem?

The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for POVERTY

How do we enable 2bn + people
in poverty to increase their
earnings from $2 to $4 a day by
using mobile communications
technology?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for FARMING

How do we remove the acute
volatility and therefore risk of
running large scale farms by
thinking about the problem as
a systems challenge? And by
working with nature.

The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for BUSINESS

How do we discover a new
sustaining business model?
By enabling our customers to
constantly co-create the future
of our company, meaning we
co-create better products, services,
and increase revenues.

The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for HEALTHCARE

How do we create a service to
better manage people’s chronic
health care? Reducing; wrong
diagnosis, over prescription of
drugs, clogging up hospitals and
specialist time.


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for VENTURE FUNDING

How do we create the next
Silicon Valley not as a place but as
a platform? That would ignite
entrepreneurship and unleash
innovation at an international
scale?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for UK POVERTY

How do we get 10% of UK’s
population (6m+) who do not have
any access to credit or a bank
account access to a bank designed
for them? Meaning no more
loansharking, criminal rates of
interest, locking 6m into poverty.

The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’ for organisations

How do we build new operational
capability, and commercial viability
by thinking about the organisation
as a platform, existing within an
eco-system?


The ‘WHAT’S NEXT’…

How do we design better for
societies, organisations, and
commerce – all at the same time?

Social Organisation
NEW

Economic



Each of these addressed their respective challenges through some
or all of the above six characteristics: they embraced ambiguity, they
learned the rules of adaptiveness, they used participatory cultures
and tools, they became literate in openness, they understood
craftsmanship, they designed for transformation…

Accept the uncertainties of an
ambiguous world and become master
of them. In many ways ambiguity
is the output of our current trilemma,
but for that very reason it must also
be a defining principle. When we
individually and collectively live in
an age of uncertainty, we must all
become masters of managing
uncertainty. As individuals or
organisations we need to demonstrate
the ability to face the future openly;
we have to replace fear of the
unknown with curiosity. To seek new
patterns that make sense even if they
challenge pre-conceived ideas,
positions and ways of doing things.

they embraced

Ambiguity


Adaptiveness is the key quality needed to craft the
new non-linear society and requires a new literacy and
a cross disciplinary approach. We must always be
prepared to adapt, to upgrade constantly and
understand that to be agile is a key survival principle.

This ability to upgrade constantly in hardware,
software, organisational structures, business models
is required at least for the time being. The crafted
organisation is therefore constantly creating,
collaborating, critiquing, communicating, it is agile.
Altogether this is a cognitive action at a group and
social level; it is a learning culture, where the default
setting is open rather than closed.

they learned the rules of

Adaptiveness

Openness is resilience. The concept of being open facilitates a new organisational,
social and commercial capability. And it plays a key role in helping participatory
cultures to function properly, as part of a new operating system where mutuality and
the sharing of knowledge, information, data and resources can accelerate innovation
and redistribute wealth and provide for a better world. It is inclusive by design, and its
by-product is organisational and social cohesion. In designing for a more sustainable
world, we must seek mutual gain and mutual benefit.

they were literate with

Openness


The cultures the non-linear society seeks to nurture
and the tools it uses to do so must be participatory.
If we start to think about how our world is being
redefined by social everything, then we should begin
a critical enquiry into participatory cultures. Not only
is there is a body of research that suggests potential
benefits of participatory culture, including
opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, a changed
attitude towards intellectual property, the diversifi-
cation of cultural expression, the development of
skills valued in the modern workplace and a more
empowered conception of citizenship

they skillfully used

Participatory cultures
& tools


The almost forgotten art of craftsmanship, is defined by the craftsman being more
than a good technician, the craftsman uses his tools for the collective good. So the
Craftsman questions what it is he makes. He possess the ability to constantly work in
beta – his mind open to the new, new ideas, techniques, tools and ways of doing
things. His curiosity enables him to assess, reassess, refine and perfect technique into
intuitive knowledge and action by bringing two unlikes into close adjancy and
recognising a new pattern or possibility – and that is a true act of creation.

they understood

Craftsmanship

Designing for transformation, in crafting an
epic solution seek epic wins. Faced with the
trilemma of our current age and the wicked
problems that have presented themselves,
No Straight Lines has shown individuals, groups,
Amazon rain forest tribes, communities,
companies, cities, schools, hospitals having
demonstrated an approach coined from the
language of gaming – they seek epic wins.
They seek transformational answers to
intractable problems; they are not satisfied with
traditional orthodoxies and the limitations they
put upon us. Seeking Epic Wins is not about
grandiose posturing but seeking real answers to
those inherently wicked problems. And, having
the vision, the courage and the conviction to
seek and implement lasting change.
they designed for transformation

Epic

Embracing ambiguity
NSL MODEL
FOR
TRANSFORATION
Designing for the ‘Human OS’

Learning to be adaptive

The almost
forgotten art
of
Craftsmanship

dynamic
resonant
system

Participatory cultures and tools Openness is resilience



Therefore we need to shift how we see and interpret
the world so that we see, connect to and create our
best possible future instead of continuing to operate
from the experience of the past.


We respectfully expect you to be active participants,
and in that process you will:

[1] Learn about new tools, processes and language

[2] Learn how others have used those to solve complex, social, economic
and organisational problems

[3] Apply that insight to challenge your own world view and to be able
to rethink and approach wicked problems to design for human centered
transformation.

The Benefit: you will leave with a clearer understanding of
of how you can address the challenges that you are facing - the
challenge being finding the epic solution/win

Agenda
The Transformation LAB will run over 2 days. The morning session of the first
day will be spent moving through the 6 principles of NSL.

Ambiguity Adaptiveness Openness Particiaptory Craftsmanship Epic
cultures & (Designing for
tools transformation)

We will explain their importance, and use real
stories of how other organisations have been
able to use these principles to face difficult/
challenging situations and use them to design
for transformation.

Then we get a much needed break with lunch


In the afternoon we invite you to cross over into thinking
about how those principles, stories, ways of acting are
challenges and are also opportunities.


You will divide into groups and we will present you with a series of
searching questions and challenges around the six principles – you will
cover all 6.

We want you to explore collectively how these 6 principles, the stories,
the ways in which some organisations have become stuck in ambiguity
unable to design for transformation, whereas others have been able to
thrive in a non-linear world – relate to you and your organisation.


Then each group
feedsback to the
whole group.

Moving through
the six principles.

It will reveal
much about your
organisation as
well as showing
yourselves how
these six
principles could
help you design
for transformation

to a new pathway to your best possible future.


Harvesting our collective discussion

Organisation Social

We will look at this
harvest through a
social /
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiotsrun/4951342385/

organisational /
economic
Published under a Creative Commons Licence

lens

Economic


Day 2: 9.00 – 13.00
Epic: Designing for transformation

1 We look to
synthesise our
knowledge, and
understanding

2

Introduction Check
of a wicked Solution
Walk in Check
in circle problem building 3 S out
circle
Walk out

4
The solution must
be Personal
Personal Description Lets start to
transformational and group
and group Of the build up
It must be discussion
discussion problem. solutions
on the which 5 sustainable
It must be human
on the
previous
previous Why is it explore
centered session
session disruptive? alternative
What is its narratives as
We believe it will
cause? opportunities
work as our
knowledge tells
What are Inputting the
us it will
we trying knowledge
to solve? from the 6
principles


What should your experience be like?
[1] You will learn by doing, you will understand by sharing
[2] You will be challenged individually and collectively
[3] You will learn to get comfortable in the uncomfortable zone
[4] You will learn to become curious and explore new ways of thinking and
acting in the world
[5] You will understand that seeking epic wins is not an impossible dream,
but practical and realistic

[3]
Adaptiveness


Great I am – We are in. So how do we get started?
We invite you to get in touch if you would like to discuss a TRANSFORMATION LAB
session, because as we know every great relationship starts with a conversation rather than
a menu. We can then talk about your wicked problem, we can discuss where would be
an appropriate place to come together, we can talk about the stuff that can
make this be a truly transformational experience and then we can talk
commercial sense.


What we want from you

We are not looking for those that want to ‘play’ at the innovation game, tick the
box, and get back to ‘bizness as usual’. We want truly committed participants that
want to work out ‘how we can’ rather than talking about ‘why we cant.’

So if you; ‘want’, ‘desire’, and ‘demand’ transformation then we would love
to hear from you.



We can run days for up to 20 people

Want to thrive in a non-linear world?

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/4945365870/
Published under a CC license: Attribution: With A Laptop By A Wall – Garry Knight
Give us a sign either by phone, mail, tweet
or use the web booking form.
Phone: +44 (0)7768 364 538
email: info@smlxtralarge.com
twitter: alansmlxl
web: no-straight-lines.com/induction-days/#


NSL Transformation LAB

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