Readings on Learning Circles for the UAED Network

Contents

Learning Circles 1: Introduction
Learning Circles 2: Basic Guidelines for Calling a Circle
Learning Circles 3: Citizenship and the Creation of Community
Learning Circles 4: Guidelines for Participation
Learning Circles 5: Facilitating a Learning Circle
Learning Circles 6: Principles and Practices of Presencing for Leading Profound Innovation and Change
Learning Circles 7: What Kinds of Things Make Learning Circles Work?
Learning Circles 8: First Learning Circle Agenda
References

 

Learning Circles 1: Introduction

A Learning Circle1 is a small group dialogue designed to encourage people to listen and speak from the heart in a spirit of inquiry. A safe space is created so participants can be trusting, authentic, caring, and open to change. Because the nature of the information we hope will be exchanged between scholars and practitioners, we believe Learning Circles are an appropriate structure for the exchange of knowledge on urban Aboriginal economic development.

The Learning Circle - a traditional form of dialogue among North American Aboriginal people - is a grouping of equals based on the first principle of living systems, the concept that “everything is connected”, or as stated by the Nuu-chah-Nulth First Nations, hishuk ish ts’awalk – “everything is one”. This principle informs the work of seeking to make the whole system visible. Based upon Indigenous sharing circles, our Learning Circles will continue the traditions of promoting deep sharing and listening, of fostering respect, and resolving conflict. This traditional way of sharing and building consensus recognizes that it is fundamentally critical for Indigenous people - youth and women in particular - to speak for themselves in their own communities.

Urban Aboriginal community practitioners face considerable challenges to deliver  services and products. They work in an environment of unreliable funding, few  supportive institutions, and inconsistent policies and programs that lack strategy. In  these ways the urban Aboriginal context is a fractured scene. Creating Learning Circles  will bring together practitioners of Aboriginal organizations, and begin to build a  common perspective on needs and actions. The stories contributed by the academics  and the experiences of practitioners will suggest some options for action. This format  will support the exchange of information on what works for urban Aboriginal  organizations, how they can be strengthened, and how their relationships to other  organizations can be stronger.

Urban Aboriginal organizations are part of a community fabric of people and organizations. Strengthening these relationships is a step towards building an urban Aboriginal economy. It is these relationships that community businesses rely upon to engage customers, generate capital, provide necessary support services, take advantage of new opportunities, and offer encouragement. Because the fabric of community is a focus, we work towards a holistic - systems thinking2 - picture of community development.

Virtually all the ‘systems thinking’ literature, points to the importance of learning as a way to improve systems capacity. Systems gain energy from information and new understanding. We believe Learning Circles, as an instrument for the exchange of information on what works and what does not, provides an appropriate and effective structure for this learning.

Learning Circles are not expected to be static. As organizations have changing needs and practitioners changing interests, it is expected that circles will grow, change, find new communities of interest, but continue to be connected. This network of connected Learning Circles, creates a collective voice for resources, builds social capital and supports the ultimate goal of community building. The Learning Circles are the key instrument of fostering network capacity and communities of interest.

Peter Morgan, in his article “The Idea and Practice of Systems Thinking and their Relevance for Capacity Development” describes systems thinking as a way of mentally framing what we see in the world. It is a way of thinking that looks at the ‘whole’ first with its fit and relationship to its environment as a primary concern. Attention to the constituent elements or parts of the system is secondary. Systems thinking is more an orientation or a perspective than it is a formula or prescription. It can be used to help people understand how systems work and how people can deal with them more effectively. It is a way of exploring real life rather than representing it. It is a technique to figure out what’s going on. It encourages people to look for patterns of interaction and underlying structures that shape the emergent patterns of systems behavior. A corollary to this approach is the idea that structures matter much more than individual events in terms of determining outcomes.

Morgan goes on to say that the focus of systems thinking moves in a variety of different directions compared to the linear style of conventional thinking. It is more than lateral thinking. It is also vertical and horizontal and circular. Systems Thinking pays much more attention to movement and dynamics. Systems Thinking is oriented more towards capturing flow and movement. In particular, it focuses on processes, patterns and relationships. What matters more is understanding the effects of the interactions as opposed to detailed efforts to predict outcomes. Systems Thinking also assumes a good deal of randomness and unanticipated consequences that cannot be foreseen even under the most laborious exercises in risk analysis.

Systems Thinking pays little attention to the idea of ‘objective’ knowledge ‘out there’ that can be collected to make a particular case. Nothing is objective and independent of its context. The reality of a system and its behavior depends on the nature of its relationships and the eye of the beholder. It assumes that no single actor will have a comprehensive view of a process such as capacity development. The choice of every analytical exercise to look at some things and not others changes the nature of the system.

 

Learning Circles 2: Basic Guidelines for Calling a Circle

This piece, slightly altered from PeerSpirit, Inc – an educational company devoted to building communities of reflection - outlines the process of a Learning Circle. See http://www.peerspirit.com/htmlpages/circlebasics.html.

The circle, or council, is an ancient form of meeting that has gathered human beings into respectful conversation for thousands of years. The circle has served as the foundation for many cultures.

What transforms a meeting into a circle is the willingness of people to shift from informal socializing or opinionated discussion into a receptive attitude of thoughtful speaking and deep listening and to embody and practice the structures outlined here.

The Components of the Circle

  • Intention

  • Welcome Start-point

  • Establishing the center

  • Centre and Check-in/Greeting

  • Agreements

  • Three Principles and Three Practices

  • Guardian of process

  • Check-out and Farewell

Intention

Intention shapes the circle and determines who will come, how long the circle will meet, and what kinds of outcomes are to be expected. The caller of the circle spends time articulating intention and invitation.

Welcome or Start-Point

Once people have gathered, it is helpful for the host, or a volunteer participant, to begin the circle with a gesture that shifts people's attention from social space to council space. This gesture of welcome may be a moment of silence, reading a poem, or listening to a song--whatever invites centering.

Establishing the Centre

The center of a circle is like the hub of a wheel: all energies pass through it, and it holds the rim together. To help people remember how the hub helps the group, the center of a circle usually holds objects that represent the intention of the circle. Any symbol that fits this purpose or adds beauty will serve: flowers, a bowl or basket, a candle.

Check-In/ Greeting

Check-in helps people into a frame of mind for council and reminds everyone of their commitment to the expressed intention. It insures that people are truly present. Verbal sharing, especially a brief story, weaves the interpersonal net. Check-in usually starts with a volunteer and proceeds around the circle. If an individual is not ready to speak, the turn is passed and another opportunity is offered after others have spoken. Sometimes people place individual objects in the center as a way of signifying their presence and relationship to the intention.

Setting Circle Agreements

The use of agreements allows all members to have a free and profound exchange, to respect a diversity of views, and to share responsibility for the well being and direction of the group. Agreements often used include:

  • We will hold stories or personal material in confidentiality.

  • We listen to each other with compassion and curiosity.

  • We ask for what we need and offer what we can.

  • We agree to employ a group guardian to watch our need, timing, and energy.

  • We agree to pause at a signal, and to call for that signal when we feel the need to pause.

Three Principles

The circle is an all leader group.

  1. Leadership rotates among all circle members.

  2. Responsibility is shared for the quality of experience.

  3. People place ultimate reliance on inspiration (or spirit), rather than on any personal agenda.

Three Practices

  1. To speak with intention: noting what has relevance to the conversation in the moment.

  2. To listen with attention: respectful of the learning process for all members of the group.

  3. To tend the well being of the circle: remaining aware of the impact of our contributions.

Forms of Council

The circle commonly uses three forms of council: talking piece, conversation and reflection.

Talking piece council is often used as part of check-in, check-out, and whenever there is a desire to slow down the conversation, collect all voices and contributions, and be able to speak without interruption.

Conversation council is often used to when reaction, interaction, and an interjection of new ideas, thoughts and opinions are needed.

Reflection, or Silent council gives each member time and space to reflect on what is occurring, or needs to occur, in the course of a meeting. Silence may be called so that each person can consider the role or impact they are having on the group, or to help the group realign with their intention, or to sit with a question until there is clarity.

Guardian

The single most important tool for aiding self-governance and bringing the circle back to
intention is the role of the guardian. To provide a guardian, one circle member at a time volunteers to watch and safeguard group energy and observe the circle’s process. The guardian usually employs a gentle noisemaker (such as a chime, bell, or rattle) that signals everyone to stop action, take a breath, rest in a space of silence. Then the guardian makes this signal again and speaks to why he/she called the pause. Any member may call for a pause.

Checkout and Farewell

At the close of a circle meeting, it is important to allow a few minutes for each person to comment on what they learned, or what stays in their heart and mind as they leave. Closing the circle by checking out provides a formal end to the meeting, a chance for members to reflect on what has transpired, and to pick up objects if they have placed something in the center. As people shift from council space to social space or private time, they release each other from the intensity of attention being in circle requires. Often after check-out, the host, guardian, or a volunteer will offer a few inspirational words of farewell, or signal a few seconds of silence before the circle is released. May your circles be great teachers and places to rest on the journey.

 

Learning Circles 3: Citizenship and the Creation of Community

* Many of the thoughts presented here, come from the wonderful thinking and work of John McKnight and Werner Erhard.

Community is built not by specialized expertise, or great leadership. Community grows out of the possibility of citizenship*. The citizenship we are speaking of is not that of voting rights or what nation we belong to. Citizenship that builds community is a state of being where we have the boldness to:

  1. Hold ourselves accountable for the well being of the larger institution of which we are a part.

  2. Choose to own and exercise power rather than defer or delegate it to others.

  3. Give form to a collective possibility that creates hospitable community its own sense of being.

Problems, such as performance, productivity, accountability, and success in a marketplace will not be resolved through better leadership and more expertise. Organizational transformation occurs though a new realm of conversation among members, or what we call here, citizens. Citizens surrender their power when they allow themselves to become consumers or clients of solutions provided by leaders and experts. When citizens retrieve control over their concerns from leaders and experts, they can engage in a new realm of conversation for possibility that can provide new access and power in dealing with the problems arising from a breakdown in community.

The possibility this creates is an institution, society, or culture of accountability and commitment. Chosen accountability and commitment are the means for a society that works for all. This is the essence of reconciliation. In contrast to an institution shaped by policy, practices, goals and programs, it creates a society shaped by its possibility*.

This kind of institution or community takes its identity from the kind of commitments its members (citizens) make to each other. These are commitments made without quid pro quo, barter, or exchange. In this kind of society, accountability replaces entitlement, commitment replaces negotiation, and conversation replaces persuasion and manipulation. Isolation and reticence evolve into connectedness and activism, which gives us community that is alive.

Shifting the way we design and convene community gives us access to this collective and infectious aliveness. We can name this the architecture of social space, because it is an architectural phenomenon as well as a linguistic phenomenon. The tools of this architecture are embedded in these powers:

The Power of Place

Whatever room or place we are in at the moment is a model for the larger world we want to create. It is not just the means to the destination or the end we have in mind, it is that place itself.

It is in this place that the possibility begins. All that comes afterward may deepen, clarify, and expand, but if it does not begin in this room, with these people, under these conditions, then the possibility has been postponed.

Knowing this gives new meaning and importance to the elements of the room: the arrangement of seats, the walls, the floor, the quality of the light, the food, and the sound system that allows all voices to be heard.

The Power of the Small Group

The small group is the unit of change. It is communal and becomes an antidote to patriarchy, elitism, and the closely held expertise that becomes a substitute for citizenship. The circle is the symbol for community, and the small group is the essential element of community. However we congregate, the configuration of the small group seated in a circle is the cornerstone of the gathering.

The Power of Invitation

It matters how we come to this place, this group. Invitation is a powerful act of openness,
generosity, and inclusion. It is essential to enrollment.

A true invitation evokes choice. We have the freedom to accept or refuse. Recognizing and exercising that freedom of choice naturally calls us to be responsible for our answer. It is this combination of choice and responsibility that gives volunteerism its power.

Accepting an invitation always carries a cost. There is a cost to you personally, and there is a cost to others in your life. Recognizing that we have given up something to be here adds meaning to the fact we that came.

The Power of Reception

We are intentional towards those who answer our call. We welcome them for the act of showing up. Many have paid a price for their attendance and this must be honored. It takes courage to show up, for each one knows that once they walk into the room something will be demanded of them, and it will be much more than they ever expected. It is our hospitality that supports this courage.

The Power of Context

Context is the possibility that gives rise to this moment. It is why we are here. As such it is both decisive and in each of our hands.

We begin each gathering with a statement of context by the convener. As a member of the group I need to know why I was invited. This is the first question. “Why did I come?” is my second question. Like two sides of a coin, invitation and acceptance constitute the full context for our coming together.

The context or purpose of the convener alone is incomplete -- a partial sentence and a death sentence. A lecture or presentation without connection is not a conversation. Gathering for the sake of persuasion is living out a context of authority that produces a void, with no place to stand, only silence with our arms folded.

The mutual creation of a new context becomes the beginning of the new conversation and balances power in service of accountability and commitment. Why they invited us begins the conversation, why we chose to come completes it.

The Power of Connection

Creating and realizing an alternative future that wasn't going to happen anyway requires a foundation of relatedness. Connection and being related precedes content. We need to be reminded we are not isolated or alone -- each time we enter the room. Connection and relatedness creates the trust and social space where we find our own voice and each person is heard in a way that reveals the humanity that we all hold in common.

The Power of No

There has to be space for doubts, questions, and even ultimately saying no. This is done without explanation. For every request or demand made upon us, we hold the freedom to say no cleanly, blame-free as a matter of choice. The presence of this possibility is the precondition of commitment. If I cannot say no, then my yes means nothing. The act of refusal is the beginning of a new conversation.

The Power of New Conversation

A new conversation is the energy source and lifeblood of community. In the absence of a
new conversation, we are sentenced to have the old conversation over and over and over again. Repeating the same conversation is the source of our cynicism.

The new conversation is dialogue without advice. It is being authentic about our inauthenticity. It begins with a statement of our own contribution to the problem, sometimes called confession.

It entails the pursuit of increasingly powerful and confronting questions. In this context, the questions are more important than the answers. The most frequent and least useful question is: What are we going to do? This question should be postponed until the answer to it reveals itself from the power, depth and authenticity of the dialogue.

The Power of Commitment

We recognize the power of speech called declaration. A commitment is a declaration made without barter and with no expectation of return. It is made for its own sake, as virtue is its own reward.

Our commitment comes to life when we make it public. We make a statement of commitment, a declaration, to the small group first, for this group stands in for all in the community. Authentic commitment also requires us to name the price we are willing to pay for this commitment, and the cost that this commitment places on other people.

The Power of Gifts

The possibility of community is the possibility of bringing everyone's gifts into the center. Volunteerism, the action path of citizenship, has no interest in deficiencies, only in strengths. The customer or client stance, by contrast, is vitally interested in deficiencies and needs, for they are the basis on which we are serviced, led, and ultimately controlled.

When we recognize and state to another how their actions had meaning and value for us; in other words when we take their gifts into our hearts, we affirm the healing power of community. We live into a future where each of us has something vital and life-giving to offer.

The Point

These powers are elements that create the experience of community and in turn the outcomes we desire for our institutions. They outline the architectural elements of social
space and of convening community. They are both spatial and linguistic. The architecture
of the room -- combined with the way the room is occupied, the social space -- gives concrete form to a group of human beings choosing accountability, commitment, and, ultimately, choosing to care for the whole. We might say such a group creates a communal clearing for citizens, in which our possibilities can be realized.

 

Learning Circles 4: Guidelines for Participation

Participation is what study circles are all about. Participants must be willing to "own" the Learning Circle, to set goals and work toward them and to take responsibility for their own learning. The organizer sets up the Learning Circle and the facilitator guides the discussion while the participants cooperate to make it work.

Here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of your Learning Circle experience. They apply to a range of Learning Circle situations. The following guidelines should be posted in the room for all to see.

  • The group process works best when the members become familiar with each other.

  • Listen carefully to others. Make notes so you can concentrate on listening rather than on what you want to say next. You learn from listening to the others and you have to listen to keep up with what's being said.

  • Take your turn and pass it on. Give others a chance to speak. It is important for everyone to be heard.

  • Help keep the discussion on topic. Make sure your comments are relevant and make them while they are pertinent.

  • Address your remarks to the group rather than the facilitator. Question other participants to find out more about their ideas.

  • Communicate your needs to the facilitator. He/she is responsible for summarizing key ideas and seeking clarification of points. You will not be the only one who doesn't understand what someone has said.

  • Do take part in the discussion. Everyone in the group has unique experience and knowledge. This variety makes the discussion interesting. Don't feel pressured to speak before you are ready but realize that your contribution is valuable.

  • Engage in friendly disagreement. Challenge ideas and opinions you disagree with and expect to have to explain your own. Humor and a pleasant manner help you make your points and keep the disagreements friendly. There is no place here for rudeness or belligerence.

  • Respect the position of those who disagree with you. Strive to understand their point of view. Making a good case for positions you disagree with makes you better understand your own.

  • Keep an open mind. This is your chance to explore ideas you may not have considered before. You gain nothing by stubbornly sticking to the points you made earlier.

The Components of Circle

 

Guidelines for Participation

The following guidelines should be posted in the room for all to see.

Learn about one another – become familiar

Listen carefully – make notes to focus on listening

Take your turn – important everyone is heard

Help keep discussion on topic

Address remarks to the group not the facilitator

Let facilitator know if it isn’t working for you

Take part – everyone has unique experience and knowledge

Engage in friendly disagreement - challenge ideas

Respect all opinions

Humor helps

 

Learning Circles 5: Facilitating a Learning Circle

The following suggestions for facilitating a Learning Circle have been gathered from a variety of sources.

Introduction

A Learning Circle is an important communication tool in all stages of culture change, the circle makes everyone equal. The rules of the circle help those who typically talk and have the most authority be quiet and listen. It encourages those who are typically shy or don’t have much formal authority to speak up. The circle can be used as an activity just to get people talking or as a way to let everybody weigh in when there is a decision to be
made. Here’s how it goes...

  • One person is chosen to facilitate.

  • The facilitator poses a question or issue and asks for a volunteer.

  • The volunteer shares his or her answer or view and then the person sitting to the right or left of that person goes next.

  • The process continues around the circle until all have shared.

  • There is no cross talk during this process.

  • A person may choose to pass, but after everyone else has shared, the facilitator should offer that person another opportunity to express his or her view.

  • Once everyone has shared, the floor is open for general discussion.

Assist the Group Process

  • Guide the discussion according to the ground rules but remain neutral.

  • Keep the group focused on the content of the discussion. Monitor how well the participants are communicating with each other - who has spoken, who hasn't spoken, and whose points have not yet received a fair hearing.

  • Consider splitting up into smaller groups to examine a variety of viewpoints or to give people a chance to talk more easily about their personal connection to the issue. Giving each small group the task of making the best possible case for an option is very effective.

  • When you have to intervene, put it off as long as you can. Too many interruptions stifle discussion. Let it go until you are sure they are not coming back to the topic.

  • Don't talk after each comment or answer every question; allow participants to respond directly to each other. The most effective facilitators often say little, but are always thinking about how to move the group toward its goals.

  • Don't be afraid of silence. It will sometimes take a while for someone to offer an answer to a question you pose. People need time to think.

  • Don't let anyone dominate; try to involve everyone.

  • Remember that a Learning Circle is not a debate but a group dialogue. If participants forget this,don't hesitate to ask the group to help re-establish the ground rules.

Help the Group Grapple with the Content

  • Make sure the participants consider a wide range of views. Ask them to think about the advantages and disadvantages of different ways of looking at an issue or solving a problem. In this way, the tradeoffs involved in making tough choices become apparent.

  • Ask the participants to think about the concerns and values that underlie their beliefs.

  • Either summarize the discussion occasionally or encourage group members to do so.

  • Help participants to identify common ground, but don't try to force consensus.

Use Questions to Help Make the Discussion More Productive

  • Prepare a lot of questions.

 

Learning Circles 6: Principles and Practices of Presencing for Leading Profound Innovation and Change

The following excerpts were taken from Chapter 21 of Otto Scharmer's 2007 book, “Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges”. The full chapter is available to you but here are some points I thought were particularly useful.

Checklist for co-initiating or sparking common intention among diverse core players:

  • An intention to serve the evolution of the whole.

  • Trust your “heart’s intelligence” when connecting with people or exploring possibilities that may seem unrelated to the strategic issue at hand. Be openminded to other ways of framing the real issue or opportunity (different key stakeholders will emphasize different aspects and variables).

  • Connect with people professionally and personally: try to connect with their highest future sense of purpose (Self and Work), not just with their institutional role and responsibility.

  • Include, when convening a core group meeting, executive sponsors and key decision makers who have a deep professional and personal interest in exploring and shaping the opportunity.

  • Include activists in the core group: people who would give life and soul to make it work. Without this personal passion and commitment, nothing radically new will ever come into being.

  • Include people with little or no voice in the current system: patients in the case of health care, students in the case of schools, customers or NGOs in the case of business organizations, future participants in the case of the leadership development project (ELIAS).

  • Include key knowledge suppliers to the degree necessary to build a support team and infrastructure (helper/consultant, internal or external).

  • Shape the time, place, and context to convene this constellation of people for co-inspiring the way forward (sense and seize opportunity).

To create focus and commitment, clarify:

What: what you want to create.
Why: why it matters.
How: the process that will get you there.
Who: the roles and responsibilities of the players involved.
When, where: the road map forward.

Additional Goals:

  • To uncover common ground by sharing the context and story that brought us here.

  • To spark inspiration for the future by a collective description of the future.

  • To use dialogue interviews and in depth case studies.

  • To identify the core people to speak and the organizations to contact.

  • To give people an experience that embodies a first feel of the future that the project wants to create.

Identify your own list of questions:

  • What is your most important objective, and how can the Circle help you realize it?

  • What criteria will you use to assess whether the Circle’s contribution to your work has been successful?

  • If the Circle were to do two things within the next six months, what two things would create the most value and benefit for you?

  • What, if any, historical tensions and/or systemic barriers have made it difficult for you to fulfill your requirements and expectations?

  • What is it that is getting into our way?

World Café Method Focuses On interaction on multiple levels (threaded conversations from table to table and whole-group conversations) using seven simple café principles:

  • Clarify the context;

  • Create a hospitable environment;

  • Explore questions that matter;

  • Encourage everyone’s contribution;

  • Connect diverse perspectives;

  • Listen—deeply—for insights and further questions; and then

  • Harvest or collect discoveries and share them with the larger group.

For more details, see www.theworldcafe.com.

The Location

The location of the Learning Circle must be carefully selected and prepared: physically and logistically, mentally and emotionally, and intentionally and spiritually. It cannot be an office. It should be a remote space with a centered and focused energy, with windows on two (or three) sides and access to nature for an extended time period, and it should be spacious enough for the whole Circle to work.

Practice: Having seen how some of my student and executive groups succeed and fail with this concept, I offer the following notes on place, people, purpose, and process for use in exploring this principle with your own group.

Place: Form this circle in a meeting space that is hospitable and yet cocoon-like and provides a sense of intimacy away from exterior disruptions. Apply all the well-known criteria of good meeting spaces: spaciousness, natural light, windows on at least two sides of the room, simplicity, beauty. Introduce whatever makes the place feel alive, whatever makes you feel at home.

People: A group of six to ten people is probably ideal, although sometimes a “group” of two can also work. It’s not necessary (or even helpful) for this circle to be limited to your established (old) friends. What matters most is that you personally feel some bond or (possible future) connection. The group should consist of people who are interested in regularly exploring some of the deeper issues of their personal and professional journeys and how they relate to organizational and societal transformation—people who share this interest because of a deeply felt need to pursue this deeper inquiry, not just out of purely intellectual curiosity. You want people who are willing to put themselves on the line, not those who would limit their role to sitting in the audience to criticize others. You want people who may be connected to your future journey; you don’t want to get stuck in the mud of past karma.

Outcomes: If conducted in the right way, it will be a deep personal and collective experience that touches and profoundly resonates with the whole being. The facilitator throughout that week needs to be in full awareness of the deeper change that this process activates. They need to hold the space and align their intention with fully serving the highest future possibility of that group or the community that is going through that eyeof- the-needle process.

Purpose: As you pull your first meeting together, uncover a common intention that is larger than yourself. Create or discover a purpose that connects the being of your circle to the larger global field that you and the members of your circle feel a part of. Connect the presence of the circle to serving the larger whole: the Circle Being, as the Circle of Seven describes it.

Process: Develop a process that works for you and your group. As the circle evolves, that process is likely to change. Yet you may want to consider some basic building blocks such as inviting intentional silence, using a personal check-in, holding a speaking object for as long as you talk, story sharing about the golden thread in one’s life’s journey, cultivating deep listening, and developing the personal courage to raise issues and discuss challenges that are current and require real trust to be shared.

It’s a creative or spiritual economics that describes a quality of energy dynamics that highly creative people and high-performing teams are able to activate and thrive on. It functions on a simple principle: If you give all you have and all you are to your essential project, everything will be given to you. But notice the sequence: first you have to give everything away, and only then will everything you need be given to you—maybe. That’s
a different kind of economics. It has nothing to do with exchange value. What it describes is a gift economy: the more you give, the more amplified you get. But it works only if you fully let go of what you give without the certainty of getting anything in return. This kind of creative or spiritual economics is at the heart of every profound innovation in science, business, and society. The spiritual energy economics at issue here can be summarized in a simple equation: E = D m. Personal energy (E) is a function of making a difference (D) in something that matters to me (m).

One of my favorite sayings, attributed to Margaret Mead, has always been ‘Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’

Prototype Strategic Microcosms as a Landing Strip for the Emerging Future

A prototype is an experiential microcosm of the future that you want to create. Prototyping means to present your idea (or work in progress) before it is fully developed. The purpose of prototyping is to generate feed-back from all stakeholders (about how it looks, how it feels, how it connects with people’s intentions, interpretations, and identities) in order to refine the assumptions about the project. The focus is on exploring the future by doing rather than by analyzing. As the folks at IDEO have put it, as we read in Chapter 13, the rationale of prototyping is “to fail often to succeed sooner” or to “fail early to learn quickly.” Prototyping is not a pilot project. A pilot has to be a success; by contrast, a prototype focuses on maximizing learning.

Example (of prototyping in a corporate context): At Cisco Systems, the world leader in networking equipment, the prototyping imperative begins with what that company calls principle 0.8: regardless of how long term the project, engineers are expected to come up with a first prototype within three or four months—otherwise the project is dead. The first prototype is not expected to work like a 1.0 prototype—it is a quick-and-dirty iteration that generates feedback from all key stakeholders and leads to the 1.0 version.

Practice: To create a strategic microcosm requires you to focus on three areas: players, project, and infrastructure. Here is a checklist for each item.

Convening the players: A strategic microcosm connects key players across boundaries who need one another in order to take their system into the best future way of operating. For a microcosm constellation to be productive, it usually needs five types of practitioners: (1) practitioners who are accountable for results (problem owners, such as the CEO of the hospital); (2) practitioners on the front line who know the real problems first hand (e.g., physicians); (3) people at the bottom of the system who normally have no voice and no say about how others spend their money and who bring a different view and focus that can help to reframe the overall issue (e.g., patients or citizens); (4) people outside the system who can offer a view or a competence critical to the success of the project (creative outsiders); and (5) one or a few activists who are wholly committed to making the project work (who have the right heart and who are willing to give their lives to make it work).

Another view of these five categories is to determine who should not be involved: you don’t want 90 percent “experts” (who tend to be the world champions in downloading—
exceptions confirm this rule); you don’t want people who are only interested in defending the status quo—in short, you don’t want people who, when they use the word “change,” mean that only other people need to change. You want to link and convene players who have the networks, knowledge, power, and intention to co-create change across boundaries for the benefit of the whole. And you want to keep the group small enough to get the work done. Larger groups may need to set up subgroups in order to work efficiently. As a rule of thumb, the more comprehensive the representation of all current stakeholders, the slower the process. The more selective the microcosm, the faster you can move to rapid-cycle prototyping.

Selecting the project: Here are seven questions to ask as you select and evolve an idea for prototyping.

  1. Is it relevant – does it matter to the stakeholders involved? Select a problem or an opportunity that is relevant individually (for the personas involved), institutionally (for the organizations involved), and socially (for the communities involved).

  2. Is it revolutionary – is it new? Could it change the game?

  3. Is it rapid – can you do it quickly? You must be able to develop experiments right away, in order to have enough time to get feedback and adapt (and thus avoid analysis paralysis).

  4. Is it rough – can you do it on a small scale? Can you do it at the lowest possible resolution that allows for meaningful experimentation? Can you do it locally? Let the local context teach you how to get it right. Trust that the right helpers and collaborators will show up when you issue the right kinds of invitations.

  5. Is it right – can you see the whole in the microcosm that you focus on? Get the dimensions of the problem or project definition right. Get the dimensions of the problem or project definition right. In a prototype you put the spotlight on a few selected details. Select the right ones. For example, when doing the patient-physician study we didn’t focus on all the stakeholders. We started with two: patients and their physicians. You have to be courageous in making these choices, and you have to be right—right in the sense that you clearly see the core axis or core issue of the system. Ignoring the patients in a health study, the consumers in a sustainable food project, or the students in a school project (just to name a few examples that I have encountered recently) misses the point.

  6. Is it relationally effective – does it leverage the strengths, competencies and possibilities of the existing networks and communities at hand?

  7. Is it replicable – can you scale it?

     

Learning Circles 7: What Kinds of Things Make Learning Circles Work?

What Kinds of Things Make Learning Circles Work?

Shared Power
Control
Perceived control

Trust <-- --> Relationship
Built over time
Various Dynamics

New/different people

Knowledge
Commitment to circle and process

Passion
Fight for what they want
Turn into positive

Asset Development

Giving people space

  • No pressure to participate

  • Perceived control

Trust and honesty

  • Participant feels safe sharing their points of view

Listen and listen well – equal opportunity to speak

Knowledge sharing

Work – equal sharing

Commitment – develop relationships (warm up to each other)

Context – goals

Getting to the ‘why’

Sharing ideas

Respect

Non-hierarchal

Bringing passion to the table

Preparation to invest time

Willingness to engage in difficult conversations
 

 

Learning Circles 8: First Learning Circle Agenda

As we know only too well, urban Aboriginal community organizations and projects have been ignored in favour of on-Reserve communities. The urban Aboriginal organizations who apply for funding are often competing against other Aboriginal organizations. This creates a competitive environment where people play their cards close to their chests; not the cooperative, community-building environment needed to foster a healthy Aboriginal economy. If, on the other hand, funding of urban organizations was based on their collective stated needs, a more cooperative climate would result and community building would benefit. We need to be speaking with one voice.

The Circle helps to bring unity to the urban Aboriginal community. When we have everyone at the table, including government reps who are the specialists in tailoring various project funds to meet local needs, and the academics who can steer their research to answer important questions, we all benefit.

The Circle is also a way of breaking away from the old meeting format of people, representing organizations, and being caught up in defending turf. The Circle asks that people come as individuals who are motivated to address and solve important questions. The Circle is a sacred space widely practiced among Aboriginal people in North America. It symbolizes everyone coming to the group as an equal, speaking thoughtfully and practicing deep listening. We have some guidelines that we will go over shortly.

  1. Agenda for the day breaks, end time

  2. Introductions post names on flip chart for all to see

  3. The Network how it came about, its extent and its resources

  4. The Circle as Sacred ancient form of meeting, all equal, all have something to offer; what transforms a meeting into a circle is the willingness of people to shift from informal discussion to thoughtful speaking and deep listening.

  5. Guidelines for Circles as posted on the wall – review with everyone

  6. Accepting the Invitation you have made a commitment and you will need to be fulfilled. Small groups are the unit of change, indeed, the only thing that creates change

  7. Establish a Centre All energy passes through the centre. Everything flows through the centre, not the facilitator. What happens here belongs to the group.

  8. Moment of silence

  9. Who would like to start? Who you are and why you are here? You can pass if not ready. Reach out to get to know others – share your interests/knowledge

  10. The Questions

  • What can we do to support urban Aboriginal economic/community development?

  • What do you want to create? Why does it matter? How will you get there?

  • Who, where, and when?

  • If the Circle were to do 2 things in the next 6 months, what would you want them to be?

  1. Summary – a collective summary - everyone contributes. What have we learned? What stays in our hearts or minds?

  2. Practices we want to confirm shared responsibility for leading the Circle, Everyone has something to contribute, and we are all equals, no outside interruptions, full and undivided attendance and attention.

  3. Next Circle place, amount of time, date, who will return and who do you want to invite?

  4. Appreciation This may be a beginning of a journey to build community and an urban Aboriginal economy. I thank you for being a partner with me in this endeavour.

 

References

1. Heierbacher, Sandy (2005). NCDD'S Engagement Streams Framework. National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation. Retrieved from www.thataway.org

2. Morgan, Peter (2005). The Idea and Practice of Systems Thinking and their Relevance for Capacity Development. European Centre for Development Policy Management.