Charley was delighted by how the interns had responded to the story framing and visioning experiences. He wanted to move next to the conceptualization skill development. “This skill will be harder to develop,” he thought. “It’s hard to conceptualize something that doesn’t exist,” he thought.
Charley began the session with interns by describing the challenges ahead of them. “I want you to develop a conceptual outline for the difference you want to make. As you’ve seen in a cascading domino chain reaction, the final domino reveals a picture that may not have been envisioned when the first domino was pushed. Your concept will be that picture that’s revealed.”
“I want to warn you in advance about the mindset you will need to have to approach your concept. Don’t worry now about the actions needed to get there. We’ll get to those later. Don’t impose utilitarian constraints on yourself. What I suggest that you do is to think not about what it will cost to do what you want to achieve but about the consequences are if society doesn’t do this. Costs in this case could be much more than financial. It could involve a full spectrum of human issues as well.”
“A great way to think of concepts is to start with questions. I’m going to divide you into two groups to help each other by asking questions. I would like you to frame your questions by starting with one of the following:
Can you imagine…?
How might…?
Who might…?
Where might…?
When might…?
By beginning your questions this way, you are inviting an exploratory response rather than a close-minded response.”
The groups that Charley put together were intentionally designed to blend the talents of interns based upon the MDTI profiles.
“When you are done, I’d like each of you to present your concept of an organization that will drive the change you want to achieve. I’m going to challenge you to capture the essence of the organization in a vivid picture like those that are revealed when that final domino tips over. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
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“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs