Reframe the Digital Future of Living Labs: from challenge to opportunity

TIME

11.00 – 12.30, 3 September

GOAL

Overwhelmed by change? What is it costing you? Are you even solving the ‘right’ problems? This interactive workshop will immerse you in the dynamic practice of collaborative discovery and reframing.

CHALLENGE

If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes” Albert Einstein.

We often find ourselves blocked and paralysed from taking decisive action against our biggest challenges, simply because we are intimidated by the complexity of these ‘wicked’ problems and don’t know where to begin or what we are solving. At the same time the Covid-19 pandemic abruptly poses immense and confounding issues adding unprecedented pressure to all organizations. Processes supported by physical interaction need to move into the digital space rapidly and efficiently. So do our Living Labs!

But how can we be sure that we’re not jumping to quick, unsustainable fixes to symptoms while missing the hidden root causes? What if we could focus on the ‘best’ problem(s), so we don’t rush into action misguided and searching for answers to the wrong questions? How might we develop strategic, cross-cutting, and scalable solutions to de-risk change and amplify impact?

OBJECTIVE

A drastic thinking and doing shift is vital to achieving systemic and regenerative change. With this in mind, our objective is to support changemakers and problem solvers co-develop the critical skills, tools, and culture needed to quickly propel them forward and help change-proof their projects and organizations; accelerating growth and uncovering shared value.

During this participatory workshop you will learn how to harness collective wisdom and ask propulsive questions to effectively define and collaboratively reframe problem spaces. You will work in transdisciplinary teams, with other field experts, on real-life challenges related to the topic of “The Digital Future of Living Labs” and deep dive into the anatomy of problems before moving into solutions.

Through a hands-on facilitated process and co-creative, peer-learning experience you will immerse into yours and others’ challenges, distilling their essence to yield clear inquiries and tangible actionable insights towards their quick resolution. All participants will build 21st-century competencies, simplifying complexity, and more efficiently overcoming urgent challenges while boosting their resilience and innovation capacity.

OUTCOMES

TANGIBLE

You will walk away with:

Clarity, focus areas, and the actionable insights that emerge—as building blocks to help you avoid problem deadlock and manage future obstacles in navigating and designing the digital future of Living Labs.
How to tap and leverage diverse perspectives to tackle everyday problems, reshape your most pressing real-life challenges into opportunities for transformative innovation, and sculpt pathways to new growth futures.
Reframing tools and practical techniques, you can easily apply in your work the next day, that will empower you to continue fueling your innovation process.

INTANGIBLE

You will walk away with:

A new understanding of the profound importance of relationships (interdependence and interconnections) in problem-solving.
Ways to become proactive vs reactive to change, while increasing resilience and efficiency gains.
An expansive growth mindset and an improved ability to perceive across contexts—to cultivate trust, agility, and cohesion through diversity in your workplace.
Solid foundations to kick-off any project optimizing decision-making and scope.
A networking opportunity to synthesize and build-off other’s ideas unlocking potential and discovering shared value.

BRIEF OUTLINE / METHODOLOGY

With registration participants can submit real-life challenges, related to the main theme, to collaboratively explore during the workshop.

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(25min) Welcome: introductions, ground rules, and objectives. Plenary presentation: the importance of focusing more on the discovery phase during projects and using the reframing model (method, tools, and impact) for problem-solving and better decision making. Live poll: barriers. Intro to the challenges.

(45min) Interactive session in break-out rooms: Participants divide into sub-groups and work on virtual white boards.

Reverse thinking exercise to unpack and analyze assigned challenges. Participants problem-storm using “what if” and “how might we make the problem worse” questions to unearth root causes. Then they flip the process back; discovering the power of networked inquiry and reframing to open up new pathways, unlock hidden opportunities for innovation, and generate better solutions.
Ideation (solo reflection and group work.)
Group discussion to capture, map, and prioritize actionable insights.

(20min) Harvesting & Closing: each team presents their findings and outcomes to the entire group. Open discussion on key takeaways and lessons learnt.

AUDIENCE

You will benefit most by this workshop if you are a:

Digital transformation and innovation expert
Living Labs ecosystem member (manager, director, or staff)
Public official or policy maker
Design lead, strategy practitioner, or crisis management consultant
Founder, entrepreneur, or small business owner
Human finding it challenging to navigate the new normal of our post-Covid reality or are interested in working and innovating collaboratively to address urgent societal challenges