Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

by Adrienne Maree Brown

Octavia teaches: Why is the universe? To shape God. Why is God? To shape the universe.

Ideation is just the verb for coming up with ideas. We are socialized to come up with ideas in isolation and compete with them, to have the best idea and get rewarded for it. But if we want a world that works for more people, we have to get into the practice of ideating together, letting others as close as possible into the intimate space where ideas are born.

You need: A wall or floor space Post-its (scraps of paper and tape work in a pinch) Big blank paper, whiteboard, or chalkboard Writing utensils People with ideas Develop a skeletal structure for the agenda.124 How many days, how many sessions, how long are the sessions, how long are the breaks and transitions, when are meals, etc.? Some tips on this: A good conversation between five and fifteen people needs 1.5 to two hours. Sessions where people are trying to dive deep or resolve something in thirty, forty-five minutes, even an hour, often result in frustration.

My usual math is that I give people the number of post-its that equals the number of sessions/conversations they can be part of. If there is time in the agenda for three periods of conversation (sessions) then I give each person three post-its. Ask them to write clearly and concisely a topic that they would like to discuss. It can be a declaration or a question, as long as it’s clear. One topic per post-it. On the wall (or floor if there isn’t enough wall space), have people put up their post-its.

Review what you have (I typically read through each column and invite the group to name each column, posting the name above the column nice and big). This takes a while, the bulk of the time. It is important to really take time to hear the longings of the room. As the group reviews what’s on the wall, write the column heads, the big topic areas, up on a big paper/whiteboard/chalkboard. Write really neatly!

In terms of the sessions, the goal is to articulate together the next most elegant step. That may be more conversation, or a clear action, or some research.

There is another book’s worth of additional content, reflections, conversation, and tools there related to emergent strategy. Check it out at alliedmedia.org/esii.