PM+RD at ISEG
On the 27th and 28th of June, Gil and Marco participated in ISEG's Skills Up Week, Teamwork module. In 3 sessions of 2h, we designed an experience for about 50 university participants (about 2/3 women and average age around 20) to experience:
Responsible and regenerative culture
Work in teams organized in a circle, among peers, with responsibility in ‘I’ and not in ‘We’
Possibility Management
Regenerative Development
Participatory and collaborative methods in action
To signal the change in thinking, we chose to do it outdoors, in contact with the natural elements. It was the first class at ISEG.
We worked in a large circle, with the whole group, in pairs, in teams (groups between 2 to 7 people) focused on topics that matter to the participants and linked to ISEG. We use consent decision making.
It was an experience of seeing PM+RD in action. We designed using maps and distinctions from the two gameworlds, we made the system aware of itself using constellations (mappings) of the group in the themes of sustainability and teamwork as well as we invited everyone to do an exercise (a “game”) that allowed us to create the “ gap” necessary to have the will and purpose to navigate with us during the sessions (being also a linking element between the sessions) as well as nourishing the experiential reality, in a non-linear way, that we have been promoting and allowing to present different 'thought maps' and 'distinctions' of the gameworlds of the Possibility Management (PM) and Regenerative Development (RD).
With the maps on the levels of responsibility (PM) and levels of thinking in sustainability (DR) we laid the foundations for the responsible and regenerative culture on which group work was based. The teamwork (PM) map made visible the limits of current culture and the current edge in exploration.
Using the 4 feelings, in particular the distinctions about anger (PM), groups (from 2 to 6 people) were created on topics in which the participants were interested and were important to them, topics such as 'waste management at ISEG', 'teacher-student relationship' and 'ISEG's hierarchical organization'.
Each group defined its question (Question), a possible project to navigate the question and a concrete task to perform (as a first step in this journey). With the task cycle (RD) framework, the task was structured, with feedback and coaching from the spaceholders. The work carried out was presented with an emphasis on maps and fundamental distinctions regarding teamwork, thinking about sustainability and responsibility. We have introduced celebration and appreciation as key elements in a responsible and regenerative culture - how can we regenerate our energy? (PM).
Some shares that show the change that happened in the participants: 'We realized that we were using old thoughtware and from there we asked ourselves how we could think differently, outside the box'; ‘This is how I want to work, in these teams where everyone participates, we are heard and respected and we can disagree with each other without drama’; ' We noticed that our energy was waning and we took responsibility for it, doing something different that changed the energy of the group'; ‘I wish classes were more like this’.
The new results map (MP) allowed the consolidation of the work done in the 3 sessions and created a door for each participant to define how they would use their vacation to change their context. Several ideas came up like 'doing volunteer work on a farm', 'visiting different projects where I live' and 'doing volunteer work in Africa'. We did a final circle and a participatory evaluation. We are saddened to see that the most challenging topic for the participants is how to 'apply and make this experience useful' and happy to realize that the experience has brought 'human development' to the different participants. We hear in the final circle words like 'enthusiasm', 'excitement', 'surprise', 'gratitude', 'learning', 'anger at being over (being short). Some participants also mentioned ‘tiredness’. One young woman (whose eyes had been shining since the first constellation) cried when she mentioned that it was clear to her that what she wanted to do in life was exactly what Gil and I were doing right there. A few others asked where they could learn more about PM and RD.
In the link you can find the task cycle of this activity, as well as the actual maps of the sessions. An article will soon be published on the extended task cycle in which ISEG is the case study/application.
It worked for us:
Coming abroad - created Gap (PM)
Participatory and collaborative structure
Opening and Expansion (Gap) with the constellations and game
Laying the foundations of responsible and regenerative culture before team building
Using anger by changing the map ('I'm used to seeing anger separate and not join')
Extended Task cycle, have the FCUL case and the application example
Presentation around learning/reflection with team support, celebration and appreciation
Articulate the distinctions of PM+RD
Did not work:
The outside is unprepared/hard to deal with the wind and sun as well as the sound
Little time for team dynamics
Little time for the big circle
There was no connection to ISEG for the works to be consequent and to have follow-up
Learnings:
Format allows you to experience the main distinctions of a responsible and regenerative culture
6 hours seems to be a lower limit for this experience
Anchoring works in the institution to create value for the system
