Premise
John Seely Brown and Ann-Pendleton Jullian call the world we currently live in a white water world, constantly changing, evolving and emerging.
In this two part series they share their insights from their book – Design Unbound. They talk about how do you design your systems for emergence rather than stability (large corporate) or growth (startup).
I would highly recommend watching these two talks (each about an hour long) to understand what it would take to lead in such a white water world and how to design your systems for emergence.
Part 1
In this part, they discuss the importance of imagination in foresight and how to use it as a tool. They introduce a concept called “complex adaptive systems thinking” and how it can be used to understand the future. They also discuss the idea of “world building” as a way to explore possible futures.
Part 2
In the talk, Ann discusses a case study of El Sistema, a youth orchestra and choir program in Venezuela founded by Jose Antonio Abreu. The program uses music to transform the lives of children in lower- and middle-income communities. Ann highlights a specific technique used in El Sistema called “conversations with pens.”
This technique involves dividing participants into groups and asking them to tell stories about their hopes and fears for the future. The stories are then curated and analyzed to identify patterns and trends.
Another insight from this intervention was what she calls “Systems of Actions” – when small targeted actions, when done together can yield significant impact and help guide emergence.
Conclusion
I am sure you will take away something very practical to use in your leadership if you do listen to both the talks and if they are interesting, you should check out their book – Design Unbound.
