I like to keep in mind the following principals when taking on, building or implementing strategy.

PRINCIPLE 1.  CO-CREATION

Widen the circle of involvement with a broad coalition. Everyone’s voice counts, everyone wants to make a difference.

PRINCIPLE 2. SYSTEMIC APPROACH

Connect people to each other – create a ‘whole’ perspective – enable people to live “large” and guard against biases.

PRINCIPLE 3. GROUPS

Strengthen group for action – sustainability is through group, group norms. Groups are the unit of change

PRINCIPLE 4. OPTIMISTIC & APPRECIATIVE

Strength based – possibility focus rather than “burning platform”.

PRINCIPLE 5. INCLUSIVE 

Promote fairness – embrace democratic principles. Open, inclusive, participative, collaborative, and socially just, invite and embraces diversity

PRINCIPLE 6. ACTION RESEARCH

Encourage diagnosis, plan, do, review – learning by exploration and doing. Helping people to “Act into new ways of thinking” (Lisa Kimball) and to move towards an organisation that is continuously learning and adapting.

PRINCIPLE 7. COMPLEXITY

Accept the world is complex and we cannot scientifically predict the future. Encourage rapid cycles of time bound change, with experimentation and rapid review.

PRINCIPLE 8. DEVELOPMENTAL

Build the capability of individuals, and the organisation, for future change. Constantly develop ourselves and the organisation towards a learning organisation.

Principals developed and adapted from the work of Gifford Tanser (2017) & Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge & Axelrod (2010)