SVA Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation book 2013

dsi.sva.edu
A survey of
Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation
by the Fall 2013 cohort, MFA in Design for Social Innovation, School of Visual Arts

Fall 2013 Edition
a survey of

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4 0 International License
See creativecommons org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4 0/

Created by the Fall 2013 cohort of the MFA in Design for Social Innovation, School of Visual Arts
Marc Rettig and Hannah du Plessis, Professors
New York, New York
Ways of seeing, working, and being for the work of creating social health,
presented as a set of mini-posters
a survey of

Contents
Overview of the program and the course . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
The SVA DSI class of 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
The challenge of designing for social innovation
The landscape of DSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Complexity ofsocial situations . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Dynamics of living systems . . . . . . . . . 6
Some approaches to designing for social situations
Theory U, overview and example . . . . . . . . 8
Positive deviance, overview and example . . 12
Appreciative inquiry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Prototypes as catalysts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Emergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Some fundamental skills
Learning to listen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The art of the interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Finding patterns in stories . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Iteration: the fundamental design process . 28
Facilitating dialog and co-creation
Six conversations for transformation . . . . . 30
Facilitation: the mutual learning model . . . 32
Ground rules for effective groups . . . . . . . 34
Prototyping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The ladder of inference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The skills of a facilitator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
World Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Collective story harvesting . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Open space technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Action replay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Theater of the oppressed . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Creating in communities, organizations, and systems
The assignment: summarize a key topic in two pages
The pages in this book are student summaries of key topics, concepts, and ideas covered during the Fall 2013 conduct of
the Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation course. Drawing from course slides, lecture notes, and assigned readings,
each student summarized two topics in mini-posters, which were displayed during the program’s Fall Show, then become a
spread in this book.
How can we advance the practice of creating resilient social health?
Our class pursued this question through two interconnected themes:
system scale and personal scale.
ii

Self & team: personal and interpersonal fundamentals
What informs behavior?
The enculturation process . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Constructing an inner world . . . . . . . . . . 54
Forming boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Understanding transformation
Introduction to transformation . . . . . . . . . 58
How habits change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
How habits form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Brain states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Making peace with the past . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Cultivating awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Cultivating compassion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Cultivating healthy relationships
Self-acceptance and self-care . . . . . . . . . . 74
Relationship to your emotions . . . . . . . . . 76
Relationship to your body . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Relationship to stillness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Strategies of disconnection . . . . . . . . . . . 82
How to brew a thinking environment . . . . . 84
Healthy work cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Unhealthy work cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Readings and resources

The program
MFA in Design for Social Innovation, School of Visual Arts
Design for Social Innovation at SVA is the first MFA program in the rapidly growing
field of social impact design. It was created as a much-needed path for designers
who want to work at a strategic level within business, government and the social
sector to solve the major challenges humanity faces, and to teach non-designers
to use design to create positive impact.
The program is unique in a number of important ways:
DSI is cross-disciplinary. We “blow up” and scale traditional design to include
invisible systems and mental models, mapping, visualization design, game design,
communication and social movement design, metrics, leadership, entrepreneurship
and ethics.
Students work from the beginning on important challenges with real clients and
stakeholders. Our belief is that learning in social design comes from experience,
with theory to inspire, support, guide and evaluate it. Stakeholder projects are built
into the curriculum, as well as in the form of sponsorships and collaboration on
programs and events outside of classes.
Our faculty are all working professionals with deep experience in a wide variety of
fields from healthcare, innovation, research, game design, venture philanthropy and
entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, non-profit leadership, entrepreneurship,
academia and philanthropy. We continue to offer new classes and workshops that
bring the latest thinking and practice into the program.
We are diverse. Our 45 students come from 13 countries, range in age from 22 to
57, and have undergrad degrees from design academies and ivy league schools.
Our students’ experience and interests are as diverse as they are. The cumulative
effect of this is a cohort that learns from each other as much as from our faculty.
Contact
MFA Design for Social Innovation
School of Visual Arts
136 West 21st Street, 5th floor
New York, New York 10011
212.592.2173
dsi.sva.edu
dsiinfo@sva.edu
Professors
Marc Rettig, marc@fitassociates.com
Hannah du Plessis, hannah@fitassociates.com
iv

The course
This book was produced by students in Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation, a course taken
by all students during their first semester in the DSI program.
Design for Social Innovation is a relatively new area of study and practice, and students come to the
course from diverse backgrounds. The course covers material in three main areas:
• design fundamentals
• approaches to creating in communities, organizations and systems
• the fundamentals of personal and interpersonal transformation
The Fundamentals course is built on the following insights and principles, which provide a foundation
for the course lectures, readings, and projects.
Design = creating with intention through iteration
If you want to create something good, but you can’t immediately
see what it should be or what it should be like, you can
walk towards that something good with alternating steps of
“understand” and “try.” That’s called design.
“Social” is profoundly invisible
The “social” in “social innovation” means that we are working with
profound things we can’t see: the relationships between people
and the depth of their inner life.
Communities are living systems
A group of people – a family, school, community, organization,
and so on – is a thing with a life of its own. The dynamics of its
conversations and relationships may change in response to what’s
going on around it. And its essential structures and patterns tend
to stay the same even though individual people come and go. This
is called a “living system.” Living systems are too complex for any
one person to comprehend. There are no experts.
No control: partner with life’s emergence
You can’t just tell a family to change. You can’t control an
organizational culture. You can’t bring peace or compassion to a
situation by deciding to do it, planning it all out, then following
that plan. They are living systems, they have a life of their own.
The “command and control” or “decide, plan, and execute”
approach is inadequate. But we can help better configurations of
the system to emerge from its own insides.
Tend conditions for wholeness to emerge
Because of all this, “design for social innovation” means we’re
learning to help communities create intentionally for themselves.
That will happen one step at a time as they have purposeful
experiences and open, purposeful conversations. In this way, we
can nurture the conditions needed for lasting positive shifts in the
living system to emerge.
The tools are experience & dialog
We can’t directly change people’s identity, beliefs, and relation-
ships the way we can work directly with physical or digital
materials. But we can affect those things indirectly by taking a
design approach to people’s conversations and experiences.
New ways of seeing, working, and being
Anyone who does this kind of work will need new ways of seeing
human and social complexity, new ways of working because this
is more like gardening than manufacturing. And they’ll need new
ways of being because you can’t be successful at this work by
being the “expert,” the “decider,” or the “creative one.” This work
requires our whole being.
You can’t do this without cultivating your Self
In order to work with other people’s relationships and the depth
of their inner life, we need to know how to work with our own
inner life and how to cultivate great relationships ourselves.

The SVA DSI class of 2015
Anna Braga
Ashley Larsen
Covadonga Abril
Gina Kim
Juno Lee
Jenny Emmons
Xintong Liu
Laura Kadamus
Meghan Lazier
Elizabeth Abernethy
Michelle Kwon
Rachel Dixon
vi

Marc Rettig, professor Hannah du Plessis, professor
Akshata Malhotra
Haya Shaath
Kate Nicholson Swar Raisinghani
Yuka Uogishi Liora Yuklea
Maria Perez Tello
Meryl NatowPragya Mishra
Renzo Perez-Acosta
Rhea Rakshit
Robin Newman

“Most of the management approaches we have in place have
evolved from order, not from complexity. But most human
systems are complex. So we need to rethink the way we research
and the way we do decision-making. ...A complex adaptive
system is not causal, it’s dispositional. There are no foreseeable
repeating relationships between cause and effect. You can
however make out how the system is disposed to act. It may
evolve in this way, it may evolve in that way, but it can’t evolve in
that direction. So understanding they are dispositional systems,
not causal systems, is key.”
Dave Snowden, Cognitive Edge
The challenge of designing for social innovation

The Design for Social Innovation program sits on a frontier of
design practice: it prepares students to address social systems
challenges, work which is fundamentally different from the
design of physical or digital products.
Our course opened with a look at the complexity of working in
social systems. Understanding the nature of this complexity helps
us identify the kinds of approaches and methods we will require
to succeed at our work. The key insight is that social situations are
a special kind of complex adaptive system....
Social systems are in constant dancing change
A human system is a dynamic system. Which is to say, each of its
people and structures are constantly shifting and moving in
a kind of dance, as everyone reacts to one another and to the world
outside the system. So we can’t tell what’s going on by looking
at a snapshot, or by looking at just the parts. Any static description
of the situation will be inadequate.
Social complexity is different than other complexity
Social systems are mostly made of people. Objects, software,
laws, policies, processes and so on play roles, but they are not the
heart of the system. And social systems are especially made of
people in relationship to one another. So most of what makes a
human system “social” is invisible: people’s inner lives, relationships,
identities, beliefs, stories, conversations, and so on.
So-called “best practices” can’t be relied upon
The nature of social complexity is such that there is no way to
predict the affect of an intervention (unlike say, a physical or
digital system). And we can’t say ahead of time what a “desirable”
configuration is going to be like. We can’t specify a “solution” ahead
of time, and we can’t plan in detail beyond our next step.
But there’s hope
While the study of complex human systems is relatively new, there
is much we can learn from living systems theory, the practice
of organizational learning, and many other pioneers who have
something to teach us about the daunting, but not inaccessible,
complexity of the work we’ve chosen to do.

THE LANDSCAPE OF DSI
FIX PROBLEMS:
Design for…
SYSTEMIC WELLNESS:
Design with…
SYSTEMATIC SELF-HEALING /
RESILIENCE:
Nurture the conditions for life…
THE SCOPE OF OUR INQUIRY
solutions come
from experts and
are designed for
individuals
health and
wellness for society
is built into systems
with individuals
systems emerge in
society due to the
inherent abilities
of the individuals
LEVEL 1
INDIVIDUALS
solutions come
from experts and
are designed for
social systems
made of individuals
health and
with social systems
made of individuals
systems emerge in
society due to the
inherent abilities of
social systems made
of individuals
solutions come
from experts and
are designed for
social systems
made of smaller
social systems
health and
with social systems
made of smaller
social systems
systems emerge in
society due to the
inherent abilities of
social systems made
of smaller social
systems
LEVEL 2
SYSTEMS MADE
OF INDIVIDUALS
LEVEL 3
SYSTEMS MADE OF
SMALLER SYSTEMS
2

As you move up the y-axis (social scale) the
size of the social system increases. Level 1 is
merely individuals, Level 2 is social systems
made of individuals (such as a school), and
Level 3 and higher are social systems that can
be broken down into smaller social systems
(such as a school district or districts within a
county). In other words, work becomes more
complicated and typically more widespread
as you move up this diagram.
Along the x-axis (depth of process and
outcome), the reach of inﬂuence of the
project in question increases. From left-to-
right, the diagram begins with “designing
for”, or situations where an outsider comes
in to inﬂuence change, such as a doctor.
Next is “designing with” which is when the
designer is an insider. Finally is “nurture
the conditions for life”, beyond designing
within a system, and ultimately is a society or
system in which change is self-produced.
THE FRONTIER OF DSI
IS TO LEARN HOW TO
MOVEUPANDACROSS
THIS LANDSCAPE.

Complexity of Social Situation
Social situations all
exhibit all three of
these complexities:
Social, dynamic,
and generative
e cannot address our
tough challenges only
throughdrivingtowards
self-realization or
only through driving
towards unity.
We need to do both.
Often we assume that all it takes to create
something new — whether in business or politics
or technology or art — is purposefulness or
power. This is because we often assume that
the context in which we create is an empty
world: an open frontier, a white space, a blank
canvas. In general this assumptions is incorrect.
Our society is increasingly full of diverse,
strong, competing voices and ideas and cultures.
This fullness is the fundamental reason why,
in order to address our toughest social
challenges, we need to employ not only power
but also love.
A challenge is tough when it is complex in
three ways. A challenge is dynamically complex
when cause and effect are interdependent and
far apart in space and time; such challenges
cannot successfully be addressed piece by
piece, but only by seeing the system as a whole.
W
A challenge is socially complex when the actors
involved have different perspectives and interests;
such challenges cannot successfully be
addressed by experts or authorities, but only
with the engagement of the actors themselves.
And a challenge is generatively complex when
its future is fundamentally unfamiliar and
undetermined; such challenge cannot successfully
be addressed by applying “best practice”
solutions from the past, but only by growing
new, “next practice” solutions.
Power and Love, Adam Kahane
4

participatory
emergent
holistic
Therefore our approachestocomplexproblemsmustbe
Designed by Michelle Kwon
Designing for social innovation, designers
must understand the complexities of
social systems and approach to problems.
For more, see Adam Kahane’s book, Power
and Love

1
Existing systems reach apex and begin
to decay. At the same time, a new
system begins to emerge.
2 dominant system become solo
pioneers of the new system.
PIVOT POINT
SYSTEM BIRTH
A living system is any non-linear grouping of parts (people included)
that are interdependent, and self-organizing. Living systems are also
socially, dynamically and generatively complex. Almost anything you
can think of, from schools to families to large conglomerate
corporations, is an example of a living system. So what does that
mean for designers of
social innovation?
By definition, innovation happens when something new or unfamiliar
is introduced. This word is often tied with scientific feats or develop-
ing products, but the same principle can be seen while observing the
diagram explains how an existing system’s growth and development
gives way to the birth of a new living system and how that new
system emerges through a process of trying to find its own way.
The best part about this diagram? It illustrates the
way of all living systems, and by understanding
how these systems behave - we can begin to
collaborate with this powerful force of life.
Summary and Visualization by
Elizabeth Abernethy
6

4
3
5
Over time, they develop a common
purpose to gather around, illuminating
posibilities of a new dominant system.
The solo pioneers begin to connect to
one another, forming networks that
will turn into communities of pracice.
Eventually, this community of practice
becomes the new system of inﬂuence
while the old system dies.
COMMON GOAL
NETWORKING
6
SUCCESSIONCROSS OVER
The new system helps build a bridge
for people to cross from the old
system to the new one.
Linda Booth Sweeney
“12 Living System Principles”
http://www.lindaboothsweeney.net/thinking/principles
Chris Corrigan
“Dynamics of Complex Living Systems”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1_tpzZVWTY

Some approaches to designing for social innovation
“The challenge is to think broadly enough to have a
theory and methodology that have the power to
make a difference, and yet be simple and clear enough
to be accessible to anyone who wants to make that
difference. We need ideas from a variety of places and
disciplines to deal with the complexity of community.
Then, acting as if these ideas are true, we must translate
them into embarrassingly simple and concrete acts.”
Peter Block, Community: the structure of belonging

We need new approaches
Given the complexity of social systems and situations, methods
developed for typical product and business situations often are
not adequate on their own. They work when the situation can be
addressed through research or expertise, but not when we are
trying to foster a positive shift in something that is dynamically,
socially complex.
In this course, we covered a number of approaches that have the
characteristics needed for having lasting impact in a complex social
situation. These approaches are:
Participatory: These approaches help us work from inside the
situation, involving the people who are live it every day. This
system’s future is going to be made of them, and so it must come
from them.
Holistic: These approaches help us work with the situation as a
whole, not just its parts.
Emergent: These approaches help us manage the emergence of
a healthier configuration of the system over time, as opposed to
“best practice,” “specify and build,” “decide, plan, and implement,”
or “decree and comply” approaches. We can’t tell what to do simply
from past experience, smart planning, or good forecasting. Our
approach must be emergent.
In next year’s course, we will drop Appreciative Inquiry from the
list of approaches, as we do not find it to be a peer to the other
overall approaches we cover. In its place we will add the work of
Dave Snowden and his company, Cognitive Edge – the Cynefin
framework, distributed ethnography, and managed portfolios of
safe-to-fail experiments.
From expert to facilitator, from surface fix to underlying
dynamics
Most current design methods cast the designer in the role of
an expert, who identifies a “problem” that part of society is
facing. The focus is then on fixing that problem, addressing that
need. But this is inadequate for fostering resilient shifts in social
systems, because…
• the “problem” can only be identified by seeing the situation from
the many points of view that exist inside the system, not by a
single expert or team
• there is unlikely to be a single problem; more likely there are a
number of negative dynamics or tendencies in the system, and it
will not be clear how best to affect them
• any “fix” is more likely to affect the symptoms rather than the
underlying dynamic that gives rise to the symptoms; design has a
poor track record for addressing the roots of a situation
• improvements in the situation are less likely to involve things
we can see and make, and more likely to involve relationships,
conversations, identities, people’s inner lives. It is more likely to
involve patterns and tendencies over time than behavior in the
moment.
A difficult shift
Most of us come to this work with a belief (either explicit or
tacit) that it is possible to understand a complex system, and
become expert in applying methods for intervening in that
system. It is a key tenet of the course that both of those things
are impossible. That’s the point of talking about the sources of
complexity. If it’s dynamically and socially complex, it’s a complex
adaptive system, and there’s no such thing as “cause,” “no such
thing as “solution,” no such thing as “understand.” There’s only
“tendency,” “emerging configuration,” and “sense of pattern.”
And that’s why we introduce approaches from people who have
worked hard, sometimes at great cost, to develop approaches for
working with emergence in social systems.

The five stages of this process in brief are:
Co-initiating, Co-sensing, Co-presencing,
Co-creating and Co-evolving.
1. Co-initiating: Listen to others and to what
life calls you to do. The first step in the Theory
U talks about initiating a intention. This is the
culmination of three smaller steps:
Attending: By constantly observing, in a non
judgmental fashion, to what our heart desires
to do and to what other people want us to
do we develop the ability to view our own
intentions with greater clarity.
Connecting: After gaining clarity about your
own field of interest, you initiate dialogue
with the most interesting people involved in
that field by staying open to suggestions and
having the perseverance to move forward
when faced with rejections or data that does
not fit well with your intentions.
Co-initating: Finally, you bring together the
right people at the right time in the right place.
Meeting such a group of people where no
single person has greater control leads to the
group creating a common spark of intention.
2. Co-sensing: Go to the places of most
potential and listen with your mind and heart
wide open. The second step is to take the first
steps towards putting it into action. This can
be explained through these steps:
Clarify: The core teams asks and answers the
important questions of What, Why, How, Who
and when along with setting additional goals
for the project.
Discover: By shadowing, participating and
initiating dialogue with people one discovers
answers to some of the core questions
regarding a project.
Observe: One has to suspend one’s voice
of judgement to be open to exploration and
wonder. The idea is to observe without forming
opinions or ideas.
Listening & Conversing: The most effective
interviews with people happen when and
interviewer approaches the interview with an
open heart and will.
Collective Sensing: By creating an environment
where everyone involved interacts and
contributes freely, one can tap into a vast
resource of individual knowledge and
perspectives to lead to collective sense making
and thinking.
3. Co-presencing: Retreat and reflect, allow the
inner knowing to emerge. Here one is focusing
on connecting the knowledge gathered to the
future you want to see emerge.
Letting go: Learning to let go of these fears
and having the courage to step into unknown
territory forms the base for good leadership.
Letting come: As humans, a part of us is
defined by our experiences to this point and
another is the dormant one of what we could
become through our future experiences. By
connecting these two parts that reside within
us we create a space that can help us evolve to
our greatest potential.
Intentional Silence: By practicing being
silent one makes space for reflection and
contemplation that helps us tie loose ends and
gain clarity about future course of action.
Follow your journey: Accessing our greatest
potential involves doing what you love and
loving what you do. While we live in a society
that encourages reward driven behavior by
encouraging people to do what they love you
create an environment in which people do the
right things just because they are right.
Circles of Presence: When people who share
a bond and feel a need for deeper inquiry
into their personal and professional journeys
come together to and raise issues and discuss
challenges they face they can form a space in
which the participants support one another.
4. Co-creating: Prototype a microcosm of the
new in order to explore the future by doing.
By prototyping and constant iteration of it we
learn things faster and with feedback from
stakeholders we make our ideas stronger.
Power of Intention: By setting a vision and
intention that shows people what they do
makes a difference and is something they
connect to they will willingly give all they have
a project.
Core Groups: When a group functions
well they bring in newer people, create
opportunities and resources that builds
momentum to propel toward the eventual goal.
Prototype: By creating smaller, lower fidelity
versions of our future vision we maximizing
our chances of learning more early on and
anticipate better what will work and what will
fail with the vision.
Integrate head, heart and hand: A successful
project invariably involves the integration of
the head, hear and hands and improves our
chances of striking on innovating ideas.
Iterate: Its important we don’t fall in love
with our initial ideas so much that we are not
open to opportunities to improve it further by
remaining open to suggestions.
5. Co-evolving: Grow innovation ecosystems
by seeing and acting from the emerging whole.
Along with the innovative ideas we need to
provide the necessary infrastructure for these
ideas to get adopted.
Acting from the Emerging Whole: One has to
understand the current system, imagine the
future that one aspires to have and act in ways
to make that future possible.
Create Innovation Infrastructure: Innovation,
just like a seed, needs a physical place,
connectivity, nourishment and developmental
space to become sustainable.
THEORY U
The U-Process, also known as
Theory U, was co- developed
by Otto Scharmer and Joseph
Jaworski and colleagues at
the Society for Organizational
Learning, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Generon
Consulting and Reos Partners.
Theory U is a social technology
for addressing highly complex
challenges or issues. It is an
innovation process, a theory and
a set of practices, for creating
unprecedented relationships,
networks and innovations
within and across the worlds of
business, government,
and civil society.
Theory U is appropriate for
issues or problems that are
highly complex and systemic,
where existing approaches to
change or solving the issue are
clearly not working.
8

We need to evolve systems
where transformational changes
in one part inspire similar
changes in another.
Theory U is being applied by many
Creative people in business, social
entrepreneurs, inventors, and artists are
intuitively, in the process of idea or innovation
creation, using this process.
The U-Process takes what has previously
been an individual, tacit, intuitive, and largely
unrepeatable practice, and embodies it in a
methodology that can be used collectively and
consciously to open up and create visible fields
of opportunity.
When used to bring together multi-
stakeholder or multi-sectoral groups,
Theory U creates shared action-learning
spaces, within which diverse teams become
capable of team learning and collective
intelligence. As Marc Rettig says: “It’s a
formula for bringing together people from
across a social system, opening their hearts
and minds by giving them a chance to see the
whole system together, then tap into their
intuitive side – the deepest part of themselves–
both individually and collectively in a way that
grounds creative efforts in a profound shift
in the way they see their own future. It’s a
version of the design process that is explicitly
participatory and emergent.”
Its something that can be very useful to us in
the context of Social Innovation.
You can read more in the book:
Theory U : Learning from the Future as It
Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer
The U-Process can be illustrated simply as
shown in the diagram. The five stages are
shown in an U-shaped curve from which the
theory gets it’s name.
1. Co-initiating
Listen to others and to
what life calls you to do
2. Co-sensing
Go to the places of most
potential and listen with your
mind and heart wide open
3. Co-presencing
Retreat and reflect, allow
the inner knowing to emerge
4. Co-creating
Prototype a microcosm of
the new in order to explore
the future by doing
5. Co-evolving
Grow innovation ecosystems
by seeing and acting from the
emerging whole
The 5 Movements of the U-Process
Compiled by Pragya Mishra | December 14, 2013

THEORY U
THE SUSTAINABLE FOOD LAB: A CASE STUDY
In 2004, a range of leaders and pioneers from multi-national food companies,
global and local NGOs, farmers associations and cooperatives were invited to
experience a new way of learning and working together. Through action and
dialogue, they were invited to explore and create ways of “bringing sustainable
food chains into the mainstream”.
The meetings involved travelling out of the boardroom and into the field, engaging
with the human and environmental dimensions of agriculture on the ground.
These experiential meetings came under the title of the Sustainable Food Lab (SFL),
reflecting the intention of creating a laboratory for a new experimental form of
collaboration and innovation. The deep structure of the Sustainable Food Lab was
the application of the U-Process showcased here.
Sensing Learning Journeys
august -september 2004
Trips organized around learning agendas
developed in the first workshop designed to
help the participants learn about the system
by observing it firsthand.
Realizing Design Studio
april 2005
The kick-off for the innovation initiatives.
Executive champions were also invited.
Presencing & Realizing
Innovation Retreat
november 2004
The team synthesized observations
from learning journeys, constructed
a set of food system innovations,
crystallized visions of the future and
identified strategic leverage points for
shifting the systems towards this aim
Mid-Course Review
november 2005
The team synthesized observations
from learning journeys, constructed
a set of food system innovations,
crystallized visions of the future and
identified strategic leverage points for
shifting the systems towards this aim
Brazil
Arizona
Austria
Costa
Rica
Sensing Foundation Workshop
june 2004
The team began to construct a shared map of the
current reality of the sysytem, based on varied
perspectives and experiences. They identified
areas for further research and learning.
The Netherlands
10

for more examples and references, see...
Websites
1. www.presencing.com/projects/overview
2. reospartners.com/projects
3. www.ottoscharmer.com/publications/
summaries.php
Book
4. Theory U : Learning from the Future as It
Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer
Realising Venture Launch
june 2006
The lab team, the Executive
Champions, and other interested
parties reviewed the results from the
completed innovation initiatives, and
decided which ones to scale and howNew York
Inititatives
The Farming Initiative
Provided insights into public perceptions of
food supply, along with “alternative frames”
that informed how to effectively communicate
information about sustainably produced food
The Business Coalition of
US Based Companies Initiative
Steadily expanded in membership with a first
round of “quick win” projects. A new coalition
of Brazil based companies was also planned.
The Fisheries Initiative
Delivered economic benefits to fish harvesters
and better management of fisheries whilst
prospecting for financial resources worldwide
The Food for Health and
Learning Initiatives
Planned to create new combinations of public
officials and opinion leaders to provide better
year round food in school and public health
systems
The Responsible
Commodities Initiative
Analyzed dozens of on going commodity
certification efforts and developing a meta-
standard to simplify information flow about
standards and certifications
Compiled by Pragya Mishra | December 14, 2013
Foundation
Workshop
Learning
Journeys
Presencing & Realizing
Innovation Retreat
1. Co-initiating
2. Co-sensing
3. Co-presencing
4. Co-creating Realizing
Design Studio
5. Co-evolving Initiatives
The Food Lab as a Case of a U journey

POSITIVE DEVIANCE
THE DEFINITION
Positive Deviance is based on the observation that in every community there are certain individuals or groups whose uncommon
behaviors and strategies enable them to find better solutions to problems than their peers, while having access to the same
resources and facing similar or worse challenges.
the approach
“The traditional model for social and organizational change doesn’t work. It never has. You can’t bring permanent solutions in
from outside.” - Jerry Sternin, Co-Founder, Positive Deviance Initiative
The Positive Deviance approach offers an alternative to traditional change models - it looks for solutions within communities
to bring about behavioral change. The two main features of this approach are co-creating solutions with communities through
a process of discovery, and engaging community members to introduce these solutions to the rest of the group, to encourage
behavioral change.
By identifying positive deviant behavior among specific individuals or groups within a community, the approach allows
communities to discover solutions that are already working for some of their members, who are facing the same challenges
and resource constraints, but are using them in a more productive way. This also means that the solutions (behaviors) are both
affordable and sustainable, and do not conflict with local culture. Positive Deviance also strongly emphasizes the distinction
between teaching communities what to do, versus encouraging them to practice specific behaviors by discovering their benefits
through the community themselves.
The approach starts and ends with the community, as community members are involved integrally in every step of the Positive
Deviance process. Various stakeholders and representatives of a community are first invited to participate in a project, following
which they collectively define the problem they are trying to resolve, the factors that contribute towards it, and the outcome
they are trying to achieve. Once this is determined, they collectively participate in each step of the process, right from discovery
to design to monitoring and evaluation (as illustrated in the following page). Finally, the community members themselves are
responsible for spreading the word about their conclusions, encouraging a more organic, bottom up alternative to encouraging
behavioral change, and moving towards more successful outcomes.
Summary and Design by Rhea Rakshit
The Positive Deviance Initiative: www.positivedeviance.org
Rosenberg, T.“When Deviants Do Good.“ New York Times, February 27 2013
Dorsey, D.“Positive Deviant.”Fast Company Magazine, December 2000
Marsh, D., Schroeder, D. G., Dearden, K. A., Sternin, J., Sternin, M.“The Power of
Positive Deviance.”British Medical Journal, May 12 2009
Positive Deviants are
individuals or groups within
a community that engage in
uncommon behaviors that lead
to successful outcomes, even
though they are faced with the
same challenges and resource
constraints as the rest of the
community.
12

POSITIVE DEVIANCE
the steps
The first step of the Positive Deviance Approach is to have the community
collectively define the following: the problem statement, the various factors,
challenges and constraints that are currently perceived to be causing the
problem, and the desired outcome of the project.
define
determine
The second step is to determine the presence of Positive Deviant
individuals or groups within the community, by first deciding on a
selection criteria, i.e. criteria that they meet the desired outcome even
when faced with the some or many of the same resource constraints or
challenges met by the rest of the community.
discover
Step three is to discover the uncommon behavior patterns or strategies
adopted by the positive deviant individuals or groups, which differ from
normative community behavior, and lead to successful outcomes. This
is done both by the processes of observation and inquiry, conducted by
members of the Community Volunteers.
1
design
Once the uncommon positive deviant behaviors have been discovered and
identified, they are shared with the rest of the project stakeholders and
participants. The community members then collectively design activities
that the rest of the community can easily practice and engage in, in order to
experience for themselves the benefits of adopting these behavior strategies.
monitor
Finally, the Community Volunteers monitor and evaluate the project and the
resulting initiatives, in order to document and share any improvements in
the community, and any movement towards the desired goal. This helps the
community understand the effectiveness of the initiative, by observing the
positive changes or outcomes as they occur.
HOWISPOSITIV
E DEVIANCE USEFUL?
REVERSING THE TRADITIONAL MODEL
The traditional approach to designing social programs
in the field of international development has been
primarily prescriptive - a team of consultants working on a
project (usually donor-driven) parachute in to communities,
research and observe their behavior for a given period of time,
devise a set of conclusions, and invariably tell communities what they
should or should not be doing to achieve a specific outcome.
The concept of Positive Deviance takes exactly the opposite approach
- it places the community in the center of the problem solving
process, with the belief that solutions to challenges being faced
by the community can be found within the community members
themselves.
By focusing on co-creation, designing interventions with
communities, rather than for communities, this approach
is a classic example of applying human centered
design thinking principles to solving real issues.
2
3
4
5

POSITIVE DEVIANCE: CASE STUDY
case study: positive deviant voices
One of the most successful projects conducted by the Positive Deviance Initiative is in the education
sector in New York City. In 2012, Deputy Mayor for Health and Nutrition, Linda Gibbs, reached
out to the Positive Deviance Initiative to see how their approach could be applied to the issue of
educational outcomes among adolescent male students of color in the city.
This lead to the launch of a pilot project called Positive Deviant Voices (PDV), conducted in the
neighborhood of Morissania in the South Bronx in New York City. Given low school success, as
reflected by low highschool graduation rates, experienced by African American and Latino males
students in New York City due to a number of different factors, the community collectively decided
that the desired outcome of the project would be to have the majority of male students of color be
successful in school in the coming years.
the process
for more information
Morissania (South Bronx, NYC)
Morissania is a primarily low-income
residential neighborhood located in the
South Bronx in New York City. It is a part
of Community Board 3.
The majority of residents in the area are
of African American, Puerto Rican or
Dominican descent.
In 2010, the Schott 50 State Report
ranked New York City as the second worst
with respect to high school graduation
rates among African American male
students. NYU’s 2009 Steinhardt Report
stated that only 44% of African American
and Latino male students from the
2005 cohort graduated after 6 years of
highschool in New York City.The Positive Deviance Initiative facilitated this project in conjunction with the Children’s Aid Society
and the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, with funding from the Mayor’s Fund.
After defining the project’s problem statement, desired outcome, and conceptual framework (see
next page), they then invited a range of stakeholders from the community to participate in the
project. Stakeholders included students, administrators, teachers, parents and other community
members like school guards, janitors, coaches, pastors, tutors, counselors, mentors, shop owners
and the police. The majority of students, as well as one teacher and administrator, were from PS 190
Middle School.
A group of 8 male African American and Latino positive deviant students from the 6th, 7th and 8th
grades at PS 190 were identified on the basis of their school performance (Honor Roll). They were
interviewed by the core group of community volunteers regarding their deviant behavior strategies.
Summary and Design by Rhea Rakshit
current status
For more information of Positive
Deviant Voices, as well as other
projects facilitated by the Positive
Deviance Institute, please visit their
website: www.positivedeviance.org/
projects/index.html.
After conducting interviews with the selected positive deviant students during the pilot phase
(May 2012 to June 2013), the community group volunteers, primarily comprising the students
themselves, presented their findings to the larger community. In July 2013, a group of rising 8th
and 9th grade students from PS 190 designed and executed an intership program to orient the
rest of the students to the Positive Deviance process, share their learnings, and re-think existing
behaviors among students. The project is currently in the replication phase, for further roll-outs
in other schools and communities.
14

Problem: the majority of African American and Latino male students
in the Bronx do not succeed in school.
Influencing factors: teen dating, family life, time management, after
school activities, violence and respect received both in and outside
of school.
Outcome: most of these students will be successful in the future.
define
determine
African American and Latino students who have an 80%
average in all subjects, and who have experienced one
or more of the following: gang violence or tough police
tactics, single parents households, households where
English is not a primary language.
discover
A team of fellow students conducted individual
interviews with“positive deviants”to discover
uncommon behaviors, such as: sitting in the front of
the class, showing consideration to all students, eating
family meals together, reveiwing homework, etc.
design
The students design an internship program with
alumni members to share the Positive Deviance
process and discovered behaviors among the
students at PS 190.
monitor
The community volunteers record and share
the experiences of the students once they start
practicing and adopting the behavior strategies
identified among the positive deviant students, and
move towards better school outcomes.
Photos: Members of the Positive
Deviant Voices Community Resource
team sharing their learnings.
All photos have been taken from the
Positive Deviant Voices gallery in the
Positive Deviance Initiative website.
POSITIVE DEVIANCE: CASE STUDY
the steps
1
2
3
4
5

Before you can analyze a situation, you need to
define what it is you are alooking at.
Make sure that your topic doesn’t constrain you
too much. Appreciative Inquiry asks participants to
explore as many possibilities and pathways as
possible, so having narrowly defined problems
sometimes simultaneously narrows your ability to
think broadly.
Here, you need to look at and learn from as many
sources as possible. Take a look into what worked
well in the past, as well as what is currently
working well for you.
Get as many people involved as possible in this
part of the process, and design your questions to
collect stories (as these will help you figure out
what might be working!)
When you feel like you’ve gathered enough raw
information, it’s time to analyze it and identify
what contributes the most to your current and
past successes.
Solving Problems by Focusing
on What Is Already Working
Appreciative Inquiry, or AI for short, is a way of working with
change in any human group by asking questions about the group
at its best and designing a future that draws on the strengths
uncovered.
This methodology encourages groups to inquire about, learn
from, and build on what is working for them currently (or in the
past), rather than becoming fixated on what is wrong and how to
fix it. This focus on strengths and achievements, rather than on
deficits and problems, is what makes
The ideal goal for this process is to get everyone in the room that
needs to be there, creating the most complete and diverse group
made, as possible.
16

In this part of the Appreciative Inquiry process, you
and your team dream of “what might be.” Think
about how you can take the positive traits you
identified in the previous phase and reinforce
them.
The way forward may or may not be obvious at
this point. If it’s not, try some brainstorming with a
diverse group of stakeholders about what you
could do.
Imagine your future and give it form. This can
happen through a skit, poetry, dance, or any other
kind of expression you want to try out!
Now that you have a big idea, it’s time to figure
out how it could actually happen. This phase looks
deeper into all of the practicalities needed to
support your vision.
Drill down into all of the processes and strategies
that you will need in order for your dream to be
realized.
Define your values, ideals, methods of
change/growth that can achieve your dreams.
Requiring the most planning and preparation of
any of the phases, it’s time to turn your vision into
a reality. The key here is the focal point. While
deliverables or tasks to complete here, the overall
result is an example of the changes that occur
simultaneously throughout the organization.
Everyone is all serving and working together
towards supporting and sustaining your big dream.
Make specific real-time plans for realizing the
design elements you developed.
Stephanie Judy + Susan Hammond
“An Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry”
Appreciative Inquiry Commons
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/
As designers for Social Innovation, we deal frequently in the
realm of wicked problems. This means that, unfortunately,
most of the problems we are trying to solve are already very
negative in nature. Sometimes, approaching problems from the
opposite side (even just in how you phrase your topic) opens
your mind to new ideas.
“Deficit-based approaches leave people with the impression
that their community is full of problems and needs, many of which require
the help out outside experts to overcome. This focus on needs
entrenches a sense of dependence, and reduces people’s motivation
to initiate their own activities, projects and enterprises.”
AI also promotes ownership of the process and the result, honors diversity, leads to
immediate changes, generates solutions grounded in reality, and is sustainable.

Catalytic Probes
create attractor
negative attractorpositive attractor
try something else
(create a new attractor)
It’s a Birthday! let’s try an activity see if something good can emerge
put on a movie
the kids are calm the kids are not calm
start a football game
amplify(keepmovieon)
Prototypes as CatalystsLaura Kadamus
Prototypes made of people can serve
as catalysts for something new to grow.
They allow designers to iterate on the go,
testing solutions and immediately modifying
them according to success. These proto-
types are called catalytic probes, because
they allow designers to immediately see if
their ideas are creating change.
Dave Snowden, an expert on complex-
ity theory and founder of Cognitive Edge
explains catalytic probes simply - through a
children’s party.
You want to host a successful party,
but a group of 17 nine year olds are a com-
plex social system, difficult to control. To get
a good party to emerge, you need them to
calm down a bit to get lunch together. So
you put a movie on. The kids come in and
sit down, becoming absorbed in the film. So
you keep it on. If the movie didn’t work, you
would try something else. This is the basis
of prototypes as catalytic probes. If your ini-
tial idea - the movie - didn’t work, you would
have iterated it, perhaps by organizing a
game or some other activity. Since it worked
and the movie calmed the kids down, you
leave it on.
At DSI, it is necessary to understand the
power of catalytic probes. We are trying to
create social innovations. In doing so, we
must understand systems and the people
who live within them. When working with
these systems, we begin by co-creating
low fidelity prototypes to see what ideas
work. These prototypes can be situational,
based on relationships, the environment, or
anything else within the boundaries of the
system. They can turn into catalytic probes
and lead us to a deeper understanding of
the system we want to improve. We can
better utilize this approach with a clear un-
derstanding of complexity theory.
Systems are messy. We don’t always
know how they will act or how our pro-
totypes will play out. Complexity theory is
based around this concept that systems are
messy. But they are also adaptive, made of
dynamic interactions, and, most importantly,
have flexible boundaries. When necessary,
designers can adjust these boundaries to
work within the system. Flexible boundar-
ies give designers the space to play, iterate,
and prototype, fostering the power to create
within complexity.
18

“Prototyping is creating
landing strips for
the future”Otto Sharmer
So...
How do we create within complexity?
There is no science to prototyping with people in complex
systems. It takes trial and error, iteration and flexibility. It requires
awareness to pick up on the stakeholders’ reactions to the pro-
totype as quickly as possible, and modify accordingly. There is no
way to know what will happen until you facilitate a new idea. So
go do. The results may surprise you.
To learn more go to:
www.betterblock.org
www.presencing.com/tools/prototyping
www.cognitive-edge.com/
2 ways to
approach the
problem:
This city is a complex system...nothing seems to
get done, but the downtown area desperately
needs to be revitalized
(city official)
P&R
“TAX”
“CITY HALL”
“CODE”
“POLICY”
“$$$”
1. The traditional way:
2 weeks of work
(innovators)
“LET’S TRY IT OUT”
“YEA! WE HAVE
NOTHING TO LOSE”
2 weeks of work
2. Start prototyping!
(example from The Better Block)

Some essential skills
“[The] future is not just about firefighting and tinkering with
the surface of structural change. It’s not just about replacing
one mind set that no longer serves us with another. It’s a future
that requires us to tap into a deeper level of our humanity, of
who we really are and who we want to be as a society. ...This
inner shift, from fighting the old to sensing and presencing an
emerging future possibility, is at the core of all deep leadership
work today. It’s a shift that requires us to expand our thinking
from the head to the heart. It is a shift from an ego-system
awareness that cares about the well-being of oneself to an
eco-system awareness that cares about the well-being of all,
including oneself.”
Otto Scharmer

All of the approaches we covered in class require us to develop
a common set of skills. Some of those skills can be learned in
few hours, but many involve a career’s worth of developing
mastery.
We divided skill development into the following rough
categories.
Understanding: seeing and sense-making
• Seeing and listening without the filters and bias of judgement
and interpretation. Helping others do the same.
• Seeing the dynamics of a human system from many points of
view.
• Making sense of large collections of stories and story fragments.
• Connecting a team personally to a situation: the difference
between being able to explain something as an outsider, and
having an insider’s gut-felt understanding for it.
• What to do in the case of dynamically complex human systems,
which can’t be genuinely “understood”: engage the whole
system in collective understanding
Design fundamentals
Many students in the class had no formal education in design prior
to joining the DSI program. Knowing they are getting more of this
in other courses, we limited our attention in this class to the most
fundamental: “The heart of design is intention, and the engine of
design is iteration.”
Facilitation and social prototyping
Design for social innovation often involves helping groups of people
see, converse, and create together. We need tools that people can
use to move forward through differing viewpoints, conflict, unequal
power dynamics, and old stories that get in the way of the new.
Students learned a number of common methods for facilitating
dialog and co-creation, and had an introduction to some of the key
fundamentals of becoming a good facilitator.
An important question for this course, one which we are still
learning how to experiment with, is this: we know what prototypes
are and how to use them when our materials are physical or digital;
but how can we get the same benefit of iterative insight when
we need to prototype new ways of relating to one another, new
ways of holding conversation, new stances toward one another,
power dynamics, senses of personal identity and place in the larger
system?
We are finding clues about answers both in the emerging area of
service design, and in the time-tested techniques of theater.

Learning to ListenBy
Meghan
Lazier

Relationships and the richness of the human experience are largely
expressed through conversation and story. Just like any other skill
listening is a habit. Practice can improve your relationships, your work
and your writing. That’s why it’s an essential skill for social innovators.!
The Technique
The concept of listening is simple. It’s being
consciously open to hearing another person,
expressing your curiosity by asking probing our
clarifying questions. Listening is about giving
presence and recognition.!
 
It may help to take notes as you listen. The goal is
not to write down what you hear word for word, but
to jot down reminders or things of interest so you
can bring your presence back to listening. Once
you are organized and present, it’s time to switch
into observation mode.!
The “Problem” With Good Listeners
“This is the problem with dealing with someone who is actually a good listener. They don’t
jump in on your sentences, saving you from actually ﬁnishing them, or talk over you,
allowing what you do manage to get out to be lost or altered in transit. Instead, they wait,
so you have to keep going.” 
– Sarah Dessen, Just Listen !
Why Listening Matters

22

Moving Your Center of Attention 
By shifting your center of attention, you can learn to listen without
making judgments and interpretations. But without practice, it’s
easy to fall into the lazy habits of listening.!
Judgment: Inner judgment sounds like: “I know that already.”
“I’ve seen that before.” “I disagree. That’s not how it is.” Stop
judging what you’re hearing before it has a chance to fully develop.!
Check Yourself 
You know you’re not really listening when:!
!
• You’re ﬁnishing others’ sentences!
• Trigger words send your thoughts wandering!
• Vocabulary or a way of speaking has your attention!
• You’re thinking about what you’re going to say next!
• You feel that your attention span is limited!
• You’re thinking about how you feel about what was just said!
Distance: Distance is the arrogance or callousness that
prevents us from really listening and understanding. We engage
with distance when we see ourselves as separate from those
“not in our tribe.”!
Fear: Fear doesn’t want you to get too far into other people’s
contexts, to surrender to their world and accept it as valid,
especially if it’s different from your own views.!
Solutions: When you ﬁnd yourself solving others’ problems,
you are listening for a solution, not a need. Listen for needs.!

Facilitating dialog and co-creation
“Conversations are very powerful tools of action and change….
Conversation as an approach to work is also merciful, as it
does not ask us to take on more weight or responsibility; it
simply asks us to stay involved, to keep the conversation
going. ...Trying to get people engaged in a particular task
is often impossible through coercion or legislation. Human
beings do not often change gladly to do others’ bidding—
whether it’s to change their behavior or to increase their
productivity or to pursue the many goals of the organization.
What we can do, however, is to create a conversation that
is invitational to our own and other people’s best powers,
that releases imagination, creativity and energy.”
David Whyte, Five Conversations on the Frontiers of Leadership

Conversations are THE fundamental
There are many ways we could have chosen to spend our limited class time, with many new ideas and skills to
learn and practice. From the long list of skills that will be useful to students in their future, we chose to invest
heavily in introducing approaches and points of view for facilitating groups of people. as they come to see
through one another’s eyes, see the whole system of which they are each a part, find words for possibility and
purpose, and explore what something new might look like as they create it together.
“First, conversations reveal what we see in the world and the
meaning we attach to what we see. Second, as Autry says, we
name things and create reality. Third, we invite others to see what
we see, the way we see it. And fourth, through conversations
we either sustain or change the meaning of what we see. All
these things play a commanding role in creating and defining an
organization’s culture.”
“The first, most critical step to creating a healthier, more productive
culture is to change the conversations. Changing a conversation
in the moment can change the culture in the room…. Changing the
culture in the room in any given moment is the best any of us can
do. If new conversations change the culture in the room enough
times and in enough rooms, the organizations culture will change.”
“Change will not survive or thrive if we continue having
the same conversations.”
Jamie & Maren Showkeir, Authentic Conversations

Invitation
The Invitation is the call to join in
the creation of an alternative future.
Answering it is a matter of choice,
so that the participants are there
because they want to be and not
because they have to be.
Possibility
What are the possibilities for the
future of the community? where can
it go, what can it do? The Possibility
conversation is about creating a common
goal and vision. Openness and honesty
are vital elements to this conversation.
In his book, ‘Community: The Structure of Belonging’,
Peter Block lists six conversations that need to be
woven through the fabric of community in order for
positive change to occur. These conversations invite
the community to look towards future gifts and
possibilities rather than what went wrong in the past.
The power of these conversations lies in asking
engaging and transforming questions.
The Design for Social Innovation Connection:
The six conversations can serve as a model and guide
when facilitating groups and communities through
change processes and development.
Learn more at:
http://www.designedlearning.com/six-conversations-
that-matter-2/
Six Conversations
for Transformationsummary and design by Liora Yuklea

Ownership
This conversation is about creating
Ownership of the process within the
community. Those who take responsibility
for what they are contributing to the
group, for better and for worse, are more
likely to succeed in making a positive
change effort within.
Commitment
This conversation is about invoking
authentic commitment from those in the
community that are making a promise,
with no expectation of return, to the
group. The authentic commitment should
be made public, to create accountability.
The commitment is not mandatory —
but those who can should own it.
Dissent
The Dissent conversation is about creating
a space to say ‘no’, to express doubts and
reservations. A shared vision emerges
from understanding what people don’t
want as much as from what people do.
When encountering dissent, don’t try to
solve it, defend against it or explain it.
Just absorb.
Gifts
This conversation is about shifting the gaze
from deficiencies to the gifts and potentials
of everyone in the group, bringing the
strengths of those in the margins into the
center. We are better defined by our
gifts than by what we are missing, so this
conversation creates the space to bring that
to the group by choice. A gift is not a gift
until offered willingly.

TEST ASSUMPTIONS &
INFERENCES
SHARE ALL RELEVANT
INFORMATION
USE SPECIFIC
EXAMPLES & AGREE
ON IMPORTANT WORDS
EXPLAIN REASONING
& INTENT
FOCUS ON INTERESTS,
NOT POSITIONS
COMBINE ADVOCACY
& INQUIRY
JOINTLY DESIGN
THE APPROACH
DISCUSS
UNDISCUSSABLES
USE A DECISION-MAKING
RULE THAT GENERATES
THE COMMITMENT NEEDED
I HAVE INFO;
OTHERS HAVE OTHER INFO
VALID INFORMATION
FREE & INFORMED CHOICE
INTERNAL COMMITMENT
COMPASSION
EACH OF US MAY SEE
THINGS THE OTHER
DO NOT
FACILITATION:
MUTUAL LEARNING MODEL
DIFFERENCES ARE
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR LEARNING
PEOPLE ARE TRYING
TO ACT WITH INTEGRITY
GIVEN THEIR SITUATIONS
INCREASED
UNDERSTANDING,
REDUCED
UNPRODUCTIVE
CONFLICT &
DEFENSIVENESS
INCREASED TRUST
REDUCED SELFULFILLING,
SELF-SEALING PROCESSES
INCREASED LEARNING
INCREASED EFFECTIVENESS
INCREASED QUALITY
OF WORKLIFE
CORE VALUES ASSUMPTIONS STRATEGIES CONSEQUENCES
The mutual learning model is recommended for maximizing the productiveness and
success of a group. In this form of facilitation, compassion for both yourself and others
is a key value. One needs to assume that while they have information to contrib-
ute, others in the group do too. This additional information may help fill in missing
information, or contribute in a completely new way. The assumption that the other
group members have good intentions is also important. With these core values and
assumptions in place, the strategies that are implemented will lead to better conse-
quences. Such strategies are to share all relevant information, test assumptions and
inferences, and to jointly design the approach to the solution, just to name a few.
32

GIVE-UP-CONTROL
MODEL
UNILATERAL
CONTROL MODEL
REJECTS,
BECAUSE DOESN’T
MEET CRITERIA
OR TAKE INTO
ACCOUNT INFORMATION
KEEPS
REASONING SECRET;
DOESN’T ASK
OTHERS ABOUT
THEIR REASONING
EASE IN-
USES LEADING
QUESTIONS &STATEMENTS
TO DRAW TEAM TO
PRE-CONCEIVED
CONCLUSIONS
TEAM FEELS
UNEMPOWERED
OPPORTUNITY FOR
LEARNING IS LOST
REDUCED TEAM
EFFECTIVENESS
DOES NOT SHARE
IMPORANT INFORMATION
& CRITERIA
DELEGATES IMPORTANT
DECISION TO TEAM
TEAM MANAGER
ADVOCATES
POSITION
REDUCED QUALITY
OF WORKLIFE
TEAM
PRODUCES SOLUTION
CREATES
MISUNDERSTANDINGS &
MISTRUST AMONG
TEAM MEMEMBERS
SHIFTS BACK TO
UNILATERALLY
CONTROLLING APPROACH
RACHEL DIXON
“I WILL CONTROL THIS GROUP”
“I WILL LET GO OF CONTROL IN THIS GROUP”
FORMS OF
CONTROLLING A GROUP

Share All Relevant Information
It is very important for group members to be honest
and transparent with each other. Group members are
encouraged to share data, decisions, and content. Each
member is also encouraged to share uncomfortable
information such as group members’ feelings about
another and their work or disagreements to another’s
preferred position.
faGround Rules for Effective Groups
When we make an assumption, we sometimes take is
as a truth without verifying it.
When we make an inference, we:
1. Are unaware of it
2. Consider it to be fact
3. Act on it as if it is true
The Ladder of Inference shows us that sometimes we
put meaning into the data we select causing us to
adopt certain beliefs and later create reflective loops
where our beliefs affect the data we select next.
Test Assumptions & Inferences
2
Use Specific Examples and Agree
on What Important Words Mean
Sharing detailed relevant information that includes
who said what and when and where it happened. This
gives others the liberty to determine whether the
information in the examples is valid.
3
1
ci
li
ta
tion
Summary and design by Gina Kim
Photograph from © 2013 Arden Theatre Company Blog
34

Explain Your Reasoning & Intent
Explaining to others what your purpose is and the
logical process you’ve used to draw conclusions. By
explaining your reasoning and making your strategy
transparent, you will open opportunities to actively
listen to different views and approaches and learn
where you have missed something.
4
Focus on Interests, Not Positions
First identify the group members’ needs, desires and
concerns for any given situation. After agreeing to
a set of interests, create solutions or possibilities that
will meet the interests.
5
Combine Advocacy and Inquiry
1. Explain your point-of-view
2. Ask others about their point-of-view
3. Ask others to ask about your point-of-view
This creates focused conversations and conditions
for learning
6
Collectively Design Next Steps
and Ways to Test Disagreements
1. Discuss with others your point-of-view on how
you want to discuss including your interests, relevant
information, reasoning and intent.
2. Inquire others’ point-of-views
3.Syncgroupmembers’interests,relevantinformation,
reasoning and intent.
7
Discuss Undiscussable Issues
It is important for groups to discuss issues that may
reduce the group’s effectiveness so that members can
prevent defensiveness or other conflict. Sometimes
group members choose to avoid undiscussable issues
because it can be perceived to be uncompassionate.
8
Decision-Making Generates
The Level of Commitment
Different groups go through different decision-
making processes, thus generate different levels of
commitment and acceptance of a decision. Ideally,
groups accept internal commitment, where each group
member believes in the decision and will do whatever
it takes to put it into effect. However, not all group
decision-making generates internal commitment.
9
Why DSI ?
One of the most fundamental lessons
social innovators need to learn is how
to collaborate and exchange ideas with
group members.
Being a part of a team is one of the biggest
gifts when striving to make the world
a better place. You get to be surrounded
by like-minded people from diverse
backgrounds and skills sets. However,
there are times when people’s personalities
or point-of-views clash.
Becauseofthis,itisveryimportanttolearn
how to share every data, content, feeling,
and interests. By simply being open and
ready to listen to every member’s idea and
intent, you are laying a foundation to a
healthy group environment.
To learn more, check out
Roger Schwarz’s
The Skilled Facilitator

Prototyping
Laura Kadamus
Prototypes are preliminary models used to test
an idea, process or product. They serve as trials,
allowing designers to test out new designs and
adapt them until they arrive at the desired end
result. The prototyping process often leads to the
discovery of new ideas. Prototypes can be made of
anything, from paper to people. When first develop-
ing an idea, it is best to make low fidelity proto-
types, which are low-cost, easy to construct, and
can be rapidly discarded or remade. As the IDEO
saying goes, “fail often to learn quickly.” This is the
beginning of the prototyping stage, where design-
ers should come up with as many ideas as pos-
sible in order to arrive at the best one. As one idea
emerges with more clarity, the prototypes become
more refined, produced with greater attention to
detail and higher fidelity. When designing solutions
for systemic problems, people are often the best
prototypes. There are many methods to prototyping.
No matter the method, prototypes work best when
they are flexible, generative and evaluative.
At DSI, we use prototypes to test concepts and
learn through doing. They help us develop new
ideas and build systems through iteration. Prototyp-
ing is especially important when designing social
systems, where the stakeholders are real and the
goals is to have big impact. To better realize the
needs of the stakeholders, we must prototype
systems in small parts, so we can quickly see the
outcome and adjust the process accordingly. This
helps ensure that the results matter and have a
positive impact on the lives of the stakeholders.
We don’t want to innovate for innovations sake.
We want to innovate to create positive systemic
change in the world, and prototyping will help us
get there.
Prototypes are...
GENERATIVE
They encourage play and lead designers to surprise discoveries.
EVALUATIVE
With low fidelity testing, designers can quickly see what is working, and
iterate accordingly. Designers test, see, and modify ideas as they work.
a PROCESS Laseau’s Funnel (Bill Buxton):
MESSY Prototyping is not linear, it looks more like this:
most importantly, prototypes reveal that
DIFFERENT IS POSSIBLE
Find the essence and
intention together
Have ideas together Decide what proto-
types to make
Make, iterate, play,
co-create to see what
emerges together
Find the essence and
intention together
Have ideas together Decide what proto-
types to make
Make, iterate, play,
co-create to see what
emerges together
The system comes to Life!
Designing Systems:
Designing Things:
ELABORATE REFINE
less detail, more imagination,
fast paced, more ideas
more detail, higher fidelity,
clearer ideas
THE DESIGN PROCESS
initial ideas final design
36

THERE ARE MANY METHODS:
Constructive Interaction Service Prototype Wizard of Oz
Experience Prototype Use Cases Mock up
Heuristic Evaluation Cognitive Walkthrough Usability Testing
To learn more:
servicedesigntools.org
Sketching User Experience, by Bill Buxton
The user speaks out loud while
performing a set of tasks
Observing interaction of the user
within the context of the service
The magic comes from a “man
behind a curtain”
Simulate the user experience Develop interaction flows
Use a model, illustration or
collage to describe an idea
Inspect usability based on
predefined criteria
Evaluators experience a user
journey for themselves
Get a number of users to try a
mockup in an everyday context

THEL A D D E R
OFINFERENCE
haveyou ever made a conclusion that was proven wrong?
didanybody ever tell you to get your facts checked?many
times our daily conclusions come from the values and
upbringings we've accumulated in our lives.
in Roger Schwarz's The Skilled Facilitator he introduces the
ladder of inference, adapted from petersenge's,
The Fifth Discipline and business theorist, chris Argyris's
organizational principles. The ladder of inferenceis a
model that helps us and others analyze hard data andtest
assertions so that we can validate conclusions.
we can analyze our reasonings by working down the ladder
and tracing facts and inferences. This model helpsus
identity where we are on the ladder so that we could
re-evaluate our inferences at the right stage.
SUMMARY AND design by gina kim
WhyDSI?
To learn more about the Ladder of inference read:
Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook by Roger Schwarz
The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge
At DSI we learn that it is
important to know how we
make our assumptions and to
test if theyarevalid. By using
the ladderof inference, we
could widen our field of data
and draw better conclusions.
Instead of narrowing our field
of judgment, we could use our
beliefs, Values and experiences
in a positive and innovative way.
38

ACTIONS
BELIEFS
CONCLUSIONS
ASSUMPTIONS
INTERPRETED
REALITY
SELECT
REALITY
REALITY
AND FACTS
I take
I adopt about the world
based on mybeliefs
I draw
I make
based on the
meanings I added
I add
from what I observed
shaped by mycultural
and personal values
I observe
What Data am i including?
What Data am i excluding?
Example:Fly on the wall
or the way a videotape
would capture it
Our beliefsaffect
thedataweselect
nexttime
I
Reflective Loop
POOLOFAVAILABLE
INFORMATION

Facilitating the Environment
“What social/psychological atmosphere is needed to get this job done?”
It is difficult for group processes to be effective without the right environment and setting.
People need to have a sense of comfort and trust in order to find the willingness
in themselves to take risks and get creative.
The facilitator should cultivate an enabling atmosphere of support, mutual respect and safety in
the group. She/he need to be committed to modeling behaviors, guiding the internal dynamics of
the group and intervening in positive and supportive ways and techniques.
Facilitators make sure that the group members are provided with a sense of support both from
the inside and the outside, in the framework and ecosystem the group is a part of.
Environment is both physical and spiritual — make sure the workspace feels warm and inviting,
start meetings with group agreements and provide breaks. Smile and listen. Really listen.
A facilitator is a craftsman of process.
According to Jon C. Jenkins and Maureen R. Jenkins
in ‘The 9 Disciplines of a Facilitator: Leading Groups
by Transforming Yourself’, a facilitator should possess
three type of skills: facilitating the environment,
facilitating diagnosis, and facilitating resolution.
The Design for Social Innovation Connection:
Add this skill set to your innovation toolbox and you
will be prepared to craft your way through positive
and efficient group processes and facilitation.
Learn more at:
http://artofhosting.ning.com/
The Skills of
a Facilitatorsummary and design by Liora Yuklea
40

Facilitating Diagnosis
“What is going on here?”
The facilitator is able to read and understand the challenges and opportunities the group is facing, and
how those can be addressed. She/he need to know what questions to ask and how to ask them —
different experiences produce different answers.
The starting point for diagnosis is some model or a set of models that serve the facilitator as underlying
assumptions on the group’s structure and dynamics. Gareth Morgan offers some metaphors as options —
a group can be like a machine, an organism, a brain, a culture, a political system, a psychological reality,
a system of flux and transformation or an instrument of domination. It is up to the facilitator to use
different models to examine and understand what the group is, what challenges are in its path — and
then, what can be done about it.
Facilitating Resolution
“What can be done to improve the situation?”
The most common form of facilitation is reaching resolution — enabling group decision making,
implementation and discussion. It is the result of combining the promise of the situation with the solution
reached by the group and the commitment by all participants to materialize the two.
The facilitator needs to know how to manage the content, process and people. What information needs to be
there? how is it dealt with? who is in the group and how does everyone interact?
These insights best emerge from working with the group, co—creating and co—facilitating.
Understanding the group, its dynamics and objectives enables flexibility, which is the sign of effective
interaction. The facilitator is able to deal with the situation going in a new direction, managing through
iterations and different approaches effectively, without losing control or the group going off course. She/he
can see the big picture and communicate it inwardly and outwardly.

WORLD CAFE
The World Cafe is a natural and effective
way to host meaningful conversations
that awaken collective wisdom & engage
collaborative action.
- The World Cafe Online Community
www.theworldcafecommunity.org
42

The questions(s) you choose or that participants
discover during a Café conversation are critical
to its success. Your Café may explore a single
question or several questions may be developed
to support a logical progression of discovery
throughout several rounds of dialogue.
Well-crafted questions attract energy and focus
our attention to what really counts. Experienced
Café hosts recommend posing open-ended
questions—the kind that don’t have yes or no
answers.
Good questions need not imply immediate
action steps or problem solving. They should
invite inquiry and discovery vs. advocacy and
advantage.
You’ll know you have a good question when it
continues to surface new ideas and possibilities.
Bounce possible questions off of key people
who will be participating.
clarify the purpose
create a hospitable space
explore questions that matter
encourage everyone’s
contribution
connect diverse perspectives
listen for insights and share
discoveries
PRINCIPLES OF THE METHOD

COLLECTIVE STORY HARVESTING
Haya Shaath
One of the best ways for us to learn is
through stories. Stories build bridges
between storytellers and listeners.
By pooling in the wisdom of listeners,
group harvesting unearths a magical
sense of deeper understanding, insights
and aha moments within stories through
collective learning.
The method is outlined below in 4 steps.
It is most effectively used when there is
more than one storyteller, but one story-
teller is sufficient. Participants choose a
theme (arc) they want to actively listen
for in a chosen story, then converge to
discuss their findings within a small group
then the group at large.
This simple facilitation tool is powerful in
enabling all participants to co-create rich
fields of learning, while strengthening`
connections between everyone involved in
the process.
Story harvesting is a valuable method in
the field of social innovation because it
helps us better understand the systems
we are trying to improve, from multi-
faceted perspectives.
storiesasguidepostsforinnovation
systemcicstories
oneormorestorytellers
systemcicstories
1 FRAMING 2 STORYTELLING
systemcicstories
Key:
Listeners
Storytellers
Themes (arcs)
Participants choose an arc and story they want to
listen to, and surround the storyteller
accordingly.
- Explanation of arcs, let listeners choose their arc
- Synopsis of stories
- Clustering listeners around stories
NARRATIVE
PROCESS
PIVOTAL MOMENTS +
BREAKTHROUGHS
WITNESS SPECIFIC THEME
SYNCHRONICITY +
MAGIC
PRINCIPLES
OVERCOMING
BARRIERS
44

www.artofhosting.com
www.amandafenton.com
3 SMALL GROUP HARVEST
Each participant from every arc shares their find-
ings with their small story group.
clarifyingquestions
sharingfindings
clarifyingquestions
sharingfindings
clarifyingquestions
sharingfindings
4 COLLECTIVE HARVEST
Regroup according to arcs.
Discuss the meta-harvest question:
a common thread that links all groups (group de-
brief).
Also, what are you (storyteller & listeners) taking
away from this session?
MORE PLEASE

Open Space Technology is a
self-organizing practice of inner
discipline and collective activity which
releases the inherent creativity and
leadership in people. By inviting
people to take responsibility for what
they care about, Open Space
establishes a marketplace of inquiry,
reflection and learning, bringing out
the best in both individuals and the
whole.
About
OPEN
SPACE TECHNOLOGY
The Law of Two Feet
states that“If at any time during the meeting you
find yourself in any situation where you are neither
learning nor contributing, use your two feet, go
someplace else. ”
Meeting begins.
Diverse People
are seated in a
circle. People are
given a theme
to think about.
All participants reconvene
and discuss highlights
and key learnings.
Some people
raise topics they are
passionate about and
announce it to
everyone
Participants split up into smaller groups according to their interests. They
are encouraged to move around if they feel they are not contributing in a
session. They discuss the topic over a few hours and at the end, compile
the discussion into a report which is sent to their group.
Whoever comes is
the right people
Whatever happens
is the only thing that
could have
When it starts is the
right time
When it's over, it's
over
The Four Principles
The end of
boring & unproductive
meetings
This approach works best when there
are high levels of:
Complexity, in term of the tasks to be
done or outcomes achieved;
Diversity, in terms of the people
involved and/or needed to make any
solution work;
Conflict, real or potential, meaning
people really care about the central
issue or purpose;
Urgency, meaning that the time to act
was "yesterday".
THE PROCESS
STEP 1 STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
By Akshata Malhotra
46

Opening Agenda Crea
tion
Marketplace
SignUp
Sessions
SessionR
eports
Reflection
THE STRUCTURE
Greeting by facilitaor
Theme is restated
Participants are invited to
identify issues related to the
theme.
Participants willing to raise a
topic come to the center of
the circle and announce a
short description of it.
Each person who is wanting
to hold a discussion about
their topic- writes down their
topic and next to it, a time
and space where the session
will be held.
The remaining participants
sign up for the sessions - for
the topics they are interested
in.
The individual groups go to
work. The attendees are free
to decide which session they
want to attend, and may
switch to another one at any
time.
All discussion reports are
compiled in a document on
site and sent to participants,
unedited, shortly after.
All reconvene an hour before
closing to share highlights,
"ahas" and key learnings in a
Dialogue format.
A focusing statement or question
for your gathering.
Invitation stating theme, date, place,
and time for gathering.
Space with chairs aligned in a circle
Center table with pens & sheets
Marketplace Wall
Signages for sessions
Snacks & Coffee
FACILITATOR’S
CHECKLIST
Why open space?
The most important issues will be raised
People who really care about the
issue will be discussing it.
Therefore, the results will be action
oriented.
In a short time, all of the most
important ideas, recommendations,
discussions,and next steps will be
documented in a report.
Participants will feel engaged
and energized by this process
For further information on O.S.T:
Websites:
www.openspaceworld.org
http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm
http://www.openingspace.net
Books
Open Space Technology, A User’s Guide by Harrison Owen

ActionRePLAY
‘ACTION REPLAY’ involves re-enacting an activity as if a video film of the activity is being replayed. Just
as on television, the action is ‘played back’ either to examine an incident more closely or to replay an
event worth celebrating.
Action replay (the ‘no-tech’ version) is such a versatile tool that story-telling is just the starting point. It
may be all you wish to do with an action replay. But having managed a successful
replay, there are many ways and purposes in which this tool can be used. It can
be a source of fun and entertainment, and/or a means of analyzing critical events,
and/or exploring future possibilities. This stretches the dictionary meaning of the
word ‘replay’, so the word ‘rehearsal’ is a useful replacement if this technique
is used for looking into the future. So ‘replay’ and ‘rehearsal’ are essentially the
same ‘technique’ but are applied at different stages of the learning cycle.
Action Replay has many advantages over video work:
• it is more fun
• it is cheaper
• it keeps involvement and energy high
• it is more convenient and saves time
• you can do it almost anywhere
• you need no equipment (although some ‘props’ might be useful)
• it is an exercise in memory, creativity, and teamwork
• it can provide everyone with a chance of leadership (as director)
• it can be used as a search technique to find incidents or issues to review
more thoroughly
“
Action Replay is best suited to the debriefing of exercises in which there is plenty of action involving the
whole group. If the “action” was repetitive, it may be too difficult for particiapants to synchronize their
replay. Compared to video work, Action Replay is much quicker to set up, edit, and replay (no technical
problems). It can be used almost anywhere, keep involvement and energy high and teamwork.
48

Once the reviewer has demonstrated the possibilities, group members can
take it in turns to direct the action. The director has some or all of these
‘controls’ to play with:
Rewind, Replay, Selected Highlights, Fast Forward, Pause/Freeze, Cut to a Different Scene, Cut and
Re-take a scene, Provide Commentary/Voice Over, Slow Motion, with/without Sound, Sound Effects,
Advertisement Break, etc.
Action Replay helps to bring back emotions and provides a second opportunity for understanding
emotions and learning from other people. It is also much easier to control or step outside emotions if
‘walking through’ the experience at ground level rather than climbing back up to the same high
place - where emotions can be so strong that they take over again.
Juno Lee
Find out more information
www. reviewing.co.uk/stories/replay.htm
“
SOURCE: www.reviewing.co.uk
Roger Greenaway who is owner, Reviewing Skills Training and Professional
Training & Coaching Specialist. The text on this page was copied verbatim
from his web site.

Theatreoftheoppressed
Recognizing that humans have a unique ability to take action in the world while simultaneously
observing themselves in action, Boal believed that the human was a self-contained theatre, actor and
spectator in one. Because we can observe ourselves in action, we can amend, adjust and alter our
actions to have different impact and to change our world.
Theatre of the Oppressed engages people in discovery, critical reflection and dialogue and the process
of liberation! Through Theatre of the Oppressed we can better understand ourselves, our communities
and our world. There are several series of techniques, tools and expressions of Theatre
of the Oppressed.
Game playing is the core of Theatre of the Oppressed. An extensive arsenal of well
crafted and expertly facilitated games allows participants to stretch the limits of their
imaginations, demechanize habitual behaviors and deconstruct and analyze societal
structures of power and oppression. Plus, game playing is fun and builds community!
Image Theatre
Participants explore issues of oppression by using nonverbal expression and sculpting
their own and other participants’ bodies into static physical images that can depict
anything concrete or abstract, such as a feeling, issue, or moment.
Forum Theatre
Performance that functions to transform from spectator (one who watches) to a
spect-actor (one who watches and takes action). A short scene by Forum actors presents
an issue of oppression and represents the world as it is–the anti-model. Audience
members are then encouraged to stop the play and take the stage to address the
oppression, attempting to change the outcome through action. The show engages Forum
actors and audience members in fun, entertaining and enlightening community dialogue.
“
The Theatre of the Oppressed explains and details about a variety of theatrical forms that the
Brazilian theatre expert Augusto Boal in the early 1970s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe.
Theatre of the oppressed permits spectators to engage with the theatrical action and use theatre as a
rehearsal for reality.
50

Legislative Theatre
Extension of Boal’s Forum Theatre
techniques and functions to determine the
need for, create, and enact laws. Beyond
community building and issue awareness,
Legislative Theatre uses theatrical
techniques to create concrete and specific
socio-political impact.
Rainbow of Desire
Uses Image and Forum techniques to
investigate internalized oppression. This
highly therapeutic series of techniques
asks participants to explore how external
oppression causes us to oppress ourselves and helps to identify greater
social issues and identify opportunities and even action for change.
Juno Lee
Find out more information
www.wwcd.org/action/Boal.html
www.theatreoftheoppressed.org/en/index.php
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Oppressed
“
SOURCE: www.theforumproject.org
The Forum Project, based in New York City, uses theater to help
communities create tactics for change. This page was copied verbatim from
their web site, as it describes the method and its power so well I won’t try to
improve on it.

What informs behavior?
“Behavior is a function of experience.We act
according to the way we see things. If our experience
is destroyed, our behavior will be destructive.”
R.D. Laing

The ability to understand and bring out the best of the
material is fundamental to any great design. Design
for social innovation is no exception. When we design
an improvement in the social fabric we are affecting a
change in the ways people behave in relationship to one
another and their environment. So we must understand our
“material:” human relationships, beliefs, and identities.
We often mistake behavior for the person. If someone acts
greedy in our perception, we are quick to judge them as
being self-centered (or what ever name you want to put
here) and want them to change. But where does behavior
come from? Where do we learn how to behave and how
to stand in relationship to each other?
Behavior is a reflection of our internal world. This section of
the course looks at how we construct our inner worlds — the
values and beliefs that inform our habits and behavior — for
better or worse.
Students were required to look inside themselves. Before
you embark on an inward journey, it is important to know
that you are loved, valued and worthy. Students spent time
reminding themselves through readings and exercises of
their worth, value and belonging.
We mapped out how the enculturation process informs our
beliefs about ourselves, our relationship towards our bodies,
our emotions and our sense of belonging. We learned
how our internal voices, beliefs and patterns of relating
were formed by our history of relationship to others.

Two forces that shape us Becoming our own selves
Belong Moving from
love power
Be ourselves Moving towards
The drive towards being an individual
— one alone, autonomous.
Tillich deﬁnes power as “the drive of
everything living to realize itself, with
increasing intensity and extensity.”
So power in this sense is the drive
to achieve one’s purpose, to get
one’s job done, to grow.
The drive towards being together
with others in relationship.
Tillich deﬁnes love as “the drive
towards the unity of the separated.”
So love in this sense is the drive to
reconnect and make whole that which
has become or appears fragmented.
An immature and insecure self
– Unable to take care of the self
– Depending on other people or
circumstances to complete a sense
of self. Someone in need of other’s
approval to feel secure.
Designed by Michelle Kwon
Becoming emotionally mature helps us to act with integrity, especially when
designing for social innovation; we are free to act on what is right and not
because we need someone’s approval. Becoming aware of how much our
culture shapes us provided us with a choice to continue believing it or not.
Look more into…
- Roberta M Gilber: Extraordinary Relationships
- Adam Kahane: Power and Love
A mature and secure self
– Capable of taking responsibility
for his/her feelings, behavior and
destiny. Someone able to extend
love and appreciation to others,
without needing theirs in return.
52

Enculturation process
Enculturation
Noun
• The gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by
a person, another culture, etc.
• The process by which people learn the requirements of their surrounding culture
and acquire values and behaviours appropriate or necessary in that culture.
Who am I?
Parents
“You wanna get married before 30.
Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Media
“You just look prettier when you are
skinny. You may disagree, but we all
know it’s the truth.”
Peers
“You should hang out with us more
often. Why are you spending the
weekends alone at home?
That’s not fun.”
Institutions
“Money is important. You become
an important person when you
make a lot of money.”

Constructing an Inner World
- Swar Raisinghani
The Beginning
Russian psychologist LevVygotsky believed that
development of inner voices starts at an early age
for human beings.
Ma
Ma-ma
He believed that the development of inner voices
starts at an early age for humans when we learn
language by imitating their parents.
Vygotsky goes on to explain this development
in detail through his theory of the ‘zone of
proximal development.
According to Lakota, social interactions creates
stories of ‘how things work’ and ‘what must be
done’.These stories are revised again and again to
establish a story of ‘who we are’ in a cultural and
social context.
As we grow older we learn to have a ‘conversation’
within ourselves without verbalising it and that is how
we develop inner voices.
We develop our story on the way as we
understand more of these stories.We
become aware of emotions and how to
communicate. In this way we form a sense of
‘self’ and a set of ‘beliefs’
Development of InternalVoices
54

All learning takes place within this zone which involves one person is the learner and another
person who has the skill that the other person wants to learn. Under the guidance of this person, the learner
not only learns this skill but also goes on to develop it further. Once the learner can perform the task on his
own, he does not the need the experienced other.This concept is also called ‘scaffolding’.
There are two forces: togetherness and individuality
that drives human nature and leads to the development
of the basic self.
High level of
differentiation
Low level of
differentiation
Balance between the
two forces
Imbalance between the
two forces
How we deal with these forces establishes
‘differentiation of self’ The idea of ‘differentiaton’ of
the basic self is key to understanding relationships
and emotions and who we are.
Individuality Togetherness
defining one’s self as
separate from others
urging one self towards
others for attachment,
affiliation or approval
Learn more: Mindsight: Daniel J Siegel Extraordinary Relationships: Roberta M Gilbert Healing the Mind through the Power of Story: Lewis Mehl-Medrona
How does this apply to Design for Social Innovation?
A deep understanding of how internal voices are formed and eventually become the narrative of our belief system is essential
to social innovation. An understanding of how this belief system has developed makes us sensitive to understanding the
person’s needs. It is very important to understand the belief system of a person in order to invite the person to believe in new
stories about them and the world and offer a new perspective.

Forming Boundaries - Swar Raisinghani
Boundaries determine what is within our area of responsibility
and accountability and what is not. Boundaries are limits but
not walls. They are permeable.
What are Boundaries?
WHAT IS
MINE
WHAT IS
NOT MINE
Basic self is the true, unshakable self. Pseudo self
is the functional part of the self.
If the basic self is developed to be smaller than
the pseudo self, our boundaries become more
permeable.
If the basic self is larger than the functional
self, our boundaries are intact and
less permeable.
Beliefs formed by our inner
guidance system become
a part of our basic self.
Boundaries for Self
Basic self is bigger than
the Pseudo self
Basic self is smaller than
the Pseudo self
Daring to
set boundaries is about
having the courage
to love ourselves
even when we risk
disappointing other.
“
”- Brene Brown
which leads to
Permeable Boundaries
which leads to less
Permeable Boundaries
56

SVA Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation book 2013

SVA Fundamentals of Design for Social Innovation book 2013

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