Three perspectives
As designers, systems thinkers and co-production facilitators, we often find ourselves thinking across three perspectives. The first perspective sees the system as comprised of functions and dysfunctions, the second observes the power dynamics at play within the community and the third considers the informal influence of our human-to-human interactions.
The first perspective
Systems thinkers often express their understanding through maps. Many of those maps highlight how a system works and the implication of each part of the system on the wider system. Design thinkers also view services as made up of parts that can be nudged or disrupted much as if our world is a large, expressive and manipulatable Lego project. Co-production specialists tend to use the tools of design and systems thinkers to help communities to contribute their expertise equally to project outcomes. All of these tools, from systems thinking to design thinking, harnesses the power of an engineer’s thinking allowing not only for a deep understanding of the possibilities, but also a plan to achieve those possibilities.
The second perspective
User researchers and co-production facilitators share much in common with equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging professionals. By observing the power dynamics at play within a system they are able to identify potential barriers to the success of a service and are able to consider ways to shift power imbalances to create equitable experiences.
The third perspective
Human-centred designers borrow an understanding of the power of symbols from marketing professionals. They consider how our person-to-person interactions can be nudged to lead to mindset changes.
How to use the three perspectives
When put together, the three perspectives allow us to impact on both ways of doing and ways of thinking. In fact, it’s a cyclical process, with changes in the way we do things impacting on how we think about those things and vice a versa. The first perspective, systems as made up of functions and dysfunctions, relates to the way we do things. The second perspective, an observation of power dynamics, relates to both the way we do things and the way we think. The third perspective, an understanding of our person-to-person interactions, focusses on the way we think.
It is only by exploring, understanding and working with all three perspectives that we are able to create services that work. If something isn’t working, the first step is to look at it through these three perspectives. The next step is to make a measurable change.
