Out of order

Mix up the steps to learn something new

Hey everybody — I’m trying a new format this week. Please let me know if you like it or if you want me to go back to the old version.

This is Andrew Benedict-Nelson, social change strategist and innovation educator. Each week, I share a question that you and your organization can use to find a new perspective on the toughest problems you face. Reply to the e-mail or comment on the site and we can talk about them together!

NOW FOR THIS WEEK’S QUESTION…

Pick a process that is associated with your social problem or the efforts to address it. Now imagine that the steps of that process must occur in a different order. What different outcomes might result?

Every exercise I share in this newsletter is designed to help readers uncover their unstated assumptions about social norms, opening up new ways of thinking about entrenched problems.

People often think of those assumptions as unconscious beliefs, and that’s often true. But assumptions are also built into our processes and routines. Here’s an exercise to help you question them:

HOW TO DO IT

1. Write out an essential process you or your organization undertake on a regular basis. Try to get it down to three or five steps — don’t worry, they don't have to be perfect.
   

2. Next, play with the order of the steps. Could the second step come first? Could you reverse the order entirely? Look for one that makes you say, “I guess that would be weird, but not impossible…”

3. After that, pretend that the new way you imagined is the normal way of doing things. How would it change you as a person or organization? What would be better and what would be worse?
   

4. Finally, look at your “better” list and ask yourself, “Is there any way we could embrace some of these qualities without turning our whole world upside down?”

CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE?

Well sure! Lots of organizations wait until the end of a decision-making process to consult the public. What if that step came first?

Many organizational leaders will say, “That’s impossible — how can we share our ideas before we have even developed them?” You can’t do it in the way you do now, of course, but you might be able to bring in members of the public before your proposals are fully baked, saving you from embarrassing mistakes later.

COOL, SO WHAT MAKES THIS WORK?

This question is an example of how to investigate behavior around social problems using the configuration dynamic. It’s one of six innovation dynamics I help people master to improve their critical thinking and build strategies for social change. Reply to this e-mail with your answer to the question and I’ll let you know what I think! You can also learn more at http://www.teachingsocialchange.com

Click here to learn the story behind this week’s illustration.