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Action Spectrum
The document discusses the action spectrum in three realms: control, guide, and nurture, each with distinct characteristics, processes, metrics, benefits, and risks. Control focuses on predictable outcomes and efficiency, guide emphasizes interpersonal dynamics and shared responsibility, while nurture promotes organic learning and adaptability. The author provides examples and metrics for each realm in both corporate and philanthropic contexts, emphasizing how organizations can set expectations and measure success differently across these areas.
Action Spectrum
- 1. Action Spectrum portfolio developmentacross the control, guide, and nurture realms by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 2. Action Spectrum Control Guide Nurture by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 3. Control Control Closed, simple systems and predictable consequences. Mechanistic. Reductionism works. Short timeframes and quick feedback loops. Most organizations focus attention: place boundaries claim ownership set clear expectations by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 4. Examples Control Flip a light switch. Light turns on. Record image and sound with a video camera. Turn key in car, ignites engine. Engine runs. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 5. Process Control Action triggers result, possibly through a series of cascading actions. If the result does not happen, troubleshoot elements of the “closed” and known system. Improvement comes from increased efficiency. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 6. Metrics Control Measurable, Countable Clear relation of input to output Dependable and predictable Zero-Sum Examples: # of parts or products, amount of money, or length of video, rate of production. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 7. Benefits Control Excellence of what is known. Known and clear agent or authority. Predictable outcomes. Easily measurable results. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 8. Risks Control Monoculture Brittle, non-learning Tendency to stay small scale. Effort needed to “control” grows exponentially with linear growth of size and required adaptability. Which, quite often, grinds you to a halt. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 9. Guide Guide Complicated or even complex systems. Interpersonal dynamics. Attribution shared. Most organizations focus attention: incentives and bonuses for employees to cooperate legal agreements by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 10. Examples Guide Team designs product. Directing the creation of a video. Creating agreements with suppliers. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 11. Process Guide Action success depends partly on interpersonal dynamics. If the result does not happen, leverage influence or increase “buy-in” of parties. Effectiveness comes from process improvement and better human dynamics. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 12. Metrics Guide Milestone or goal achieved. May be sortable or rate-able. May be unclear what inputs were necessary to achieve outcome. May be non-zero sum Examples: number of “takes” in shooting film, rating of quality in the product, sales numbers. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 13. Benefits Guide Share responsibility and access shared knowledge. Flexible, more resilient than control space. Shared attribution. (sharing attribution with you doesn’t decrease my credit! Non- zero-sum dynamics.) Guessable outcomes (not 100% predictable though). A key issue in service companies, managers often resort to proscribing behavior, then things collapse. When guiding by shared values and principles, the system becomes self-managing. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 14. Risks Guide Dependency on others. Requires interpersonal skills (non-rational environment). Challenging metrics and more complicated feedback loops. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 15. Nurture Nurture Complex adaptive systems. Probability instead of causality. Organic learning. Attribution distributed. Long, if not infinite, timeframes with webbed feedback loops. Warning: power laws live here. Most organizations focus attention: interactions that invite and incentivize encouraging innovation and creativity by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 16. Examples Nurture Sharing this presentation with you. Share video through social media. Most advertising. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 17. Process Nurture Same action can produce a wide variety of results. “Plant seeds” and see what grows fruit. Expect most to fail. Iterate. Improvement unpredictable. Iterate and watch for patterns. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 18. Metrics Nurture Sampling of outcomes (full measure unknown). Complex and often multi-layered metrics pointing toward intended outcome but are rarely the outcome itself. Challenging to predict. Wide variations. Examples: eyeball or viewer count within time period, story attributing credit, change or deviation from previous measure. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 19. Potential Nurture Benefits Agile. Resilient, at times even anti-fragile. Power laws. Large scale collective impact. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 20. Risks Nurture Dependency on networks and others beyond influence. Diffuse authority and difficult attribution. Unpredictable timeframes. Uncertainty. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 21. Action Spectrum Control Guide Nurture by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 22. Action Portfolio Every organizationhas actions within each realm. Set expectations for each area appropriately. Metrics different for each. by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 23. Corporate Example Control makes tshirt in a factory metrics: # of shirts produced/hour Guide designs new tshirt using a creative team metrics: # of hours spent designing, employee turnover, comparitive shirt sales Nurture invites shirt buyers to upload photos of themselves wearing shirt metrics: # of sales, # of views to invitation, # of uploads by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net
- 24. Philanthropy Example Control feed homeless at a shelter metrics: # of meals served Guide education program to rehabilitate homeless metrics: # of homeless who graduate within time limit, # of homeless with jobs within time limit Nurture campaign to prevent homelessness metrics: # of high risk individuals touched by program, story from at-risk youth attributing program with prevention, change in rate of homelessness (qualified by other potential factors in rate change) by Jean Russell at Thrivable.net