# Resource Library H3Uni's Open Access Library of Transformative Methods for Regenerative Futures Work hosted by Future Stewards
**Welcome to the H3Uni Resource Library.** Whatever your interest in transformation and your particular field of operation, this Resource Library is relevant to increasing your effectiveness and that of those with whom you work. The methods here will help you to transcend limitations and release untapped potential. They are intended to grow a commons of shared practice, where the more widely they are shared, the more effective they will become, so please use and share whenever you can. You can find out more about our origins and history [here](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins). ### How to use the resource section The Resource library is organised a bit like a recipe book. The main content that you will use is organised into methods, each with a corresponding Facilitation Guide, which are like recipes. Each H3Uni method is designed to support a particular team thinking task and the Facilitation Guide gives you instructions in the role of facilitator of the process. These **Facilitation Guides** are intended for you to prepare a specific event, and to use 'on the go' in a live session. However, to be an effective facilitator you need to understand what it is you are doing and develop your skills. So you will find for each method there is also a **Tutorial** that explains how the Method works. Study the appropriate Tutorial before using the Facilitation Guide. In addition to the Tutorials there are also a set of [Exercises](#exercises-underpinning-thinking) in the underpinning thinking that you need to be able to bring in to inform the group thinking and adapt the method to particular situations. Like basic cooking skills, you need mastery of these if you want to be ready for any situation. If you want to delve a little deeper you can find Foundational Insights that underpin all the methods [here](/foundational-insights/seeing-and-thinking-in-three-horizons). ### Where to start?
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H3Uni Practice FrameworkIf you are new to using these resources this tutorial will get you oriented to what we mean by an H3Uni method and how to use all the resources./files/tIp9ZghS1xtT5UPZoFmM/pages/B7Q7nHy7fTtOfJUMbfVx
Visual FacilitationAll the H3Uni methods rely on a foundational skill of visual facilitation. You need to be thoroughly familiar with this material before using any of the methods to get the full value out of them./files/O3Hv7o5Y5aqRzjFNQeCb/pages/gMCwlsu5nxBOQzs1kCRR
### H3Uni Core Methods H3Uni methods all work together and support each other. There are five that are foundational to all the others. We recommend that you practice these first. Each of them can be used on its own for many situations, and then can be built upon and enriched by the others and with the use of the Additional Methods.
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Three Horizons

For futures thinkingTutorial Facilitation Guide

Augmentation Tools:

/files/QbCVAswisS6pCEds6V1l
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Hexagon Clustering

For complexity mappingTutorial Facilitation Guide/files/HJlh5KN4Zpl3UkZpRUC3

Dilemma Navigation

For transforming polaritiesTutorial Facilitation Guide/files/hf3lMuHlky426d6XZ3Tw

Wheel Of Wisdom

For shared multi-perspective decision makingTutorial Facilitation Guide/files/JjMUnCYAekXORtUFT7Y1

World Mandala

For human-planetary ecosystem understandingTutorial Facilitation Guide/files/oXt28FpeGC2tROZ9Uczn
### Additional methods Here you will find a growing body of systems and futures tools which supplement the core methods. The field of futures and systems practice is huge, and our intent here is to provide a powerful set of methods, where that each one is carefully designed to fit in with all the others and will cover most of the situations you will encounter until you are ready to invent your own as an advanced practitioner. Coming soon will be more material on Navigational Scenarios to enhance the Dilemma Navigation method, and provide further powerful approaches to handling uncertainty.
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Scoping

What is Within Scope?Tutorial Facilitation Guide/files/lR3Sqn6jDSdEX0iUBAPu
### Exercises: Underpinning Thinking Mastery of the methods requires a commitment to continued reflective practice. Here are practices that we recommend to deepen your understanding and skill in the methods, and to give you more ways to adapt them to specific situations.
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Reflection

Becoming Aware of Your Thoughts

/files/9is1yZpQSWDJQzvmg0wI/pages/k6hZTTEtQhjrkdKtCamv
Holism with FocusThe Role of Structures & Flows/files/ZOc9BiUdrRUNUQheoPBD/pages/oN623GMLw8HI58n62iOp
Ecosystem ThinkingUnderstanding Your Relationships/files/LENmnFVBXcKW4UqEk1Lk/pages/7SOw43nri375lGG8KmUv
Concept Mapping (Holistic Thinking)Seeing the Big Picture/files/l7tDbw2hW6gmI4rmdXL2/pages/itORJ6CvGYUUZJ47OnRX
Causal LoopsUnderstanding Feedback/files/uNO28Ot3lTNEtrJzcPvV/pages/sG1ZmSWtS7qynuEchVS5
Value ConstellationsMap the Value Creation/files/qjNMFDFM8YwNWr6KgSPS/pages/7EJoPklSkR1raQpTRAwV
Generative ThinkingEvoking New Ideas/files/yvsSl3Q5RhTQKS6ZLS1m/pages/r4yQsjZzxvTknC4eDEqV
Lateral ThinkingRandom Ideas Can Help/files/9FhHpHkKPZx9Y9p8Dnqd/pages/7H14VfhK0eCtCJETipxd
Evaluative ThinkingMaking Judgements/files/M0e9yjfSwfB6mBV3DJpK/pages/NivlUoqt7Urw7XUaZ75v
Dilemma ResolutionReconciling Conflicting Values/files/hf3lMuHlky426d6XZ3Tw/pages/dWbEZB2jTpv1TYwUW0Fl
ScopingWhat is Within Scope?/files/lR3Sqn6jDSdEX0iUBAPu/pages/ggwkHN8WCcwtJIlkNW5s
# Resource Library Origins The Resource Library owes its creation to H3Uni which began in Scotland in 2015 as a special educational initiative emerging from the [International Futures Forum](https://www.h3uni.org/about/our-origins/roots) (IFF). Guided by [Dr. Anthony (Tony) Hodgson,](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins/anthony-hodgson) with early contributions from Ian Kendrick, Bill Sharpe, David Adams, and the support of Graham Leicester, H3Uni grew from pioneering Three Horizons practice and a long lineage of futures thinking, systems work and transformative methods. The founding intent was bold: to create a new kind of university — a learning commons for universal, holistic, future-facing education. With no initial funding, the early team built everything online, including the open-access [Resource Library ](https://www.h3uni.org/resource-library/)that was at the heart of H3Uni’s teaching. Over the years, H3Uni delivered courses, hosted Lighthouse Café dialogues, contributed to international projects from Silicon Valley to Singapore, and gained global recognition for its work in transformational learning. A committed community of volunteers and practitioners sustained the organisation and carried its work forward. In 2026, having reached the limits of available funding, H3Uni’s legal entity closed — stepping back from formal courses and staffed operations and rethinking how a volunteer-led University towards the Third Horizon can grow. Stewardship of the open [Resource Library](https://www.h3uni.org/resource-library) passed to [Future Stewards](https://www.h3uni.org/about/h3uni-community-and-friends#future-stewards) to ensure continuity and future growth of this commons. # H3Uni Ethos and Creative Commons See how you can adapt and share H3Uni practices under open licence *With the conclusion of H3Uni's funded activities, the **H3Uni Resource Library continues under the stewardship of*** [***Future Stewards***](https://futurestewards.com/) ***and hosted by*** [***the International Futures Forum***](https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/) ***(IFF) Scottish Charity No: SC038749**.* ## Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials Whatever your endeavour, we want you to access H3Uni materials and understanding easily. We seek the widest possible availability for this Library and the learning that it enables, that is consistent with its intended application towards the common good. H3Uni offers methods, tools and training for generative transformational understanding and action towards a worthwhile planetary future. To equip ethos driven collaborative communities to engage more effectively with leadership and initiatives towards local and planetary regeneration. These tools, accumulated through the founders’ lifetimes of study and practice in innovation, along with guidance of wise partners, collaborators and mentors, comprise know-how, methods and skills never before assembled in an accessible form. ### The License Our copyright materials are now offered as the **Open Access Section of the H3Uni Resource Library** for use under the **Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework**. [![](/files/rRd1VvDHsQ8RE51Um0fa)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) \ [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/): This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-SA includes the following elements: BY – Credit must be given to the creator SA – Adaptations must be shared under the same terms You can explore the license here: {% embed url="" %} * * * When you use the practices you are learning, please share details with us of the opportunities and applications. This will help our work together and contribute towards a collective appreciation of its impact. Some of our authors’ work is retained under full copyright, which is kept out of the commons. We are preparing a straightforward licensing agreement for use of these materials. The return of value to H3Uni will recognise some of the authors’ commitment in contributing to the Library. We undertake to make clear the license conditions that apply in every case.
# Funding and Support Fund the commons: donate to support H3Uni. ### **Why Your Support Matters** H3Uni is a [registered charity](broken://spaces/fFa6orSHiSRXxb1O8Ao5/pages/Clqn90V4e7xoLK6IS1Ul) and a volunteer-led learning community.\ We make our methods and practices freely available under the **Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 licence**, which you can read more about on our **Ethos & Creative Commons** page. Keeping this Resource Library open requires real ongoing costs — hosting the library and archives, maintaining our digital tools (Zoom, Miro, storage), and supporting the basic infrastructure that keeps the commons alive. We have no core funding. Your contributions directly help us sustain this work. *** ### **If You Use H3Uni Material in Paid Work** Our Creative Commons licence allows for commercial use.\ If our methods support your consultancy, teaching, facilitation, or organisational programmes, we warmly encourage you to **return value to the commons** by contributing a portion of your proceeds. This helps ensure the materials remain open and available for everyone. *** ### **How to Support** **Donate via Stripe:**\ Make a Contribution Every donation helps keep the Resource Library accessible and growing. *** ### **Other Ways to Contribute** If you wish to support beyond funding, the best way is to participate through our **community spaces** — Practitioners Forum, gatherings, and dialogues. [See the calendar.](https://luma.com/h3uni) We ask that general ideas and suggestions come through these shared spaces or LinkedIn page, rather than email, so that our small volunteer team can focus its limited capacity where it has the most impact. *** ### **With Gratitude** Thank you for helping sustain the H3Uni commons.\ Your support enables this work to remain open, accessible, and regenerative — for all who seek to cultivate wisdom and agency in a transforming world. *** # Introducing Five Core Methods H3Uni Core Methods for navigating transformation. H3Uni interactive practices are based in strategic foresight, systems thinking, developmental learning, scenario planning, complexity and ‘second order science’, which combined, ensure that people are empowered to work together towards common goals easily and effectively: supported by well designed tools and [facilitation procedure](/tutorial/h3uni-practice-framework). To support this work in practice, H3Uni has distilled five core methods—each a standalone way of seeing and acting, and together a [comprehensive approach to transformative learning](broken://spaces/fFa6orSHiSRXxb1O8Ao5/pages/Q9K0sp89DPTTUElaFIPz). *** ### **At a Glance: The Five Core Methods** * **Three Horizons** — *for futures thinking and conscious transition* * **Hexagon Clustering** — *for making sense of complexity* * **Dilemma Navigation** — *for transforming tensions and polarities* * **Wheel of Wisdom** — *for shared, multi-perspective decision-making* * **World Mandala** — *for human–planetary ecosystem understanding* *** The Five Core Methods form a holistic learning journey for navigating transformation, future consciousness, and systemic complexity. Each method stands alone as a complete practice, yet all contribute to a larger pattern of understanding and effective regenerative action. Together, they help individuals and groups cultivate the insight, practical skill, and collaborative capacity needed to work meaningfully with today’s challenges and tomorrow’s possibilities. ***
### ***Navigating Transformation with***** Dilemma Navigation** A practical method for surfacing deep tensions and conflicting values that block progress.\ Dilemma Navigation helps groups recognise the underlying pattern of a dilemma, clarify what truly matters, and discover coherent pathways toward transformative action. #### Resources * [Go to Tutorial](/tutorial/dilemma-thinking) * [Go to Facilitation Guide](/facilitation-guide/dilemma-navigation-guide) ***
### **Future Consciousness with Three Horizons** A framework for seeing emerging futures while working wisely in the present.\ Three Horizons helps practitioners recognise the limits of current patterns, identify “seeds of the future,” and collaborate on transitions toward long-term regenerative possibilities. #### Resources * [Go to Tutorial](/tutorial/three-horizons) * [Go to Facilitation Guide](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide) Augmentation Tools: * [Multi-Actor Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-multi-actor-mapping) * [Action Planning](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-action-planning) ***
### **Grasping Complexity with Hexagon Clustering** A visual pattern-mapping method that reveals structure within complexity.\ Hexagon Clustering enables groups to organise insights, discover relationships, and identify leverage points in complex systems where meaningful change can occur. #### Resources * [Go to Tutorial](/tutorial/thinking-with-hexagons) * [Go to Facilitation Guide](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping) ***
### **Human Insight with the Wisdom Wheel** A reflective method for cultivating inner clarity and aligning multiple ways of knowing.\ The Wisdom Wheel supports individuals and groups to balance intuition, reason, experience, and values—building shared purpose and deeper coherence in transformative work. #### Resources * [Go to Tutorial](/tutorial/wheel-of-wisdom) * [Go to Facilitation Guide](/facilitation-guide/gaining-perspective-with-the-wheel-of-wisdom) ***
### **Whole-System Understanding with the World System Diagnostic** A systemic method for sensing the wider planetary and socio-ecological context.\ The World System Diagnostic helps practitioners understand drivers, constraints and opportunities across whole systems, informing viable strategies for long-term change. #### Resources * [Go to Tutorial](/tutorial/world-mandala) * [Go to Facilitation Guide](/facilitation-guide/synergy-with-the-world-mandala) # Seeing and Thinking in Three Horizons Discover a practical method for navigating complexity and shaping regenerative futures. It is quite natural to mull over ideas and visions for the future, however fanciful, while attending day-to-day realities. H3Uni is founded on developing this capacity, available to everyone, as the basis for thinking clearly and purposefully about transformative regeneration. **Three Horizons Thinking** opens a visionary and practical method to articulate sought for future qualities and values, so that measures to bring them about can be deliberately, collaboratively and effectively pursued in the present. For example: Current reality, **Horizon One,** is the realm of managing and delivering present needs and wants by present methods. This time of the Anthropocene calls into question the sustainability of a huge proportion of dominant activity patterns, and the very premises on which such patterns have been created. **Horizon Three** is an articulation in the present of viable and desired potential futures, and the values they grow from, discovered as current seedlings of developing potential. The turbulent transition zone, **Horizon Two**, encourages entrepreneurial energy, innovation and initiative to discover and create viable patterns that can bring necessary transformation into reality. These three modes of thought and understanding entail distinct ways of thinking, social collaboration, and economic behaviour. Learning to envision, to think and to act together in these ways brings shared competence to the present process of creating desirable and worthwhile futures. Competence in Three Horizons practice creates a foundation for learning and application of additional methods to tackle the momentum of complexities, ambiguities and unpredictabilities that are arising more frequently every day. This understanding provides a practical foundation for anticipating and navigating the spate of dilemmas among which the seeds of worthwhile futures need to be sown and nourished. ![](/files/Ibxk7hzMyVdB8zbP93mX) To learn more see the tutorial in the Resource Library [Three Horizons](/tutorial/three-horizons). # A Transformational Journey in Five Acts An overview of how the H3Uni Five Core Methods link together as one transformative journey. A coherent system of generative methods will help to create complex transformations that human society faces in many critical fields of ecology, society, politics and economics. This is true for local as well as large scale projects in the Anthropocene and its accompanying climate emergency. Most of our current collaborative methods are based on analysis, specialisation and dislocation. Whereas synthesis, transdisciplinarity and creative imagination are vital necessities as well - to be fully integrated with the best expertise and data. Decades of research and field practice before the founding of H3Uni have been distilled down to a system of five core methods based on what we call generative methodology. A key to human processes of transformation, regeneration and integration, able to scale from the personal through the local to the global. Benign re-integration of humanity with the planet makes demands on every aspect and quality of the whole human being – in all its mental, emotional and physical diversity. Otherwise, well-meant initiatives fall easily into disconnection, alienation, and generation of unintended consequences. New approaches that link the inner being and the outer being through cultivating creative integrity are needed.
A diagram showing H3Uni’s Five Core Methods arranged across a continuum from Understanding to Intervention. Three central methods—Navigating Transformation, Three Horizons, and Grasping Complexity—sit between two wider domains: the Human World (Wisdom Wheel) and the Planetary World (World System Diagnostic). Arrows indicate movement between understanding and intervention, highlighting how the methods help navigate transformation, future consciousness, and complexity.
In the diagram, the human world and the planetary world are seen as strongly overlapping. This is a living ecosystem. Both need understanding. To understand the planetary world, we have developed a World Mandala that facilitates paying holistic and comprehensive attention to the whole system in which we live as a component. To understand how we can act in concert with the values of giving rather than taking, regeneration rather than exploiting, we have developed the Wheel of Wisdom from traditional practice. The Wheel engages vital perspectives that cohere to a higher level of integrity. The Transformation Journey moves through three main stages (working from right to left on the diagram). Firstly, in Acts 1 & 2, we need to be able to grasp the complexity we are faced with. This must be for multiple stakeholders and transdisciplinary, beyond specialisation. Secondly, in Act 3, we need both to anticipate the future from understanding where we are and what the dysfunctional momentum is and to envision a future in which the situation transforms for the better through collaborative creativity. Thirdly, in Acts 4 & 5 we need a way of continuously navigating the tensions and uncertainties of the interaction between the future vision and the inevitable push-back from the dysfunctional worlds we are seeking to transform and integrate. These methods provide a set of tools and resources which have an organic effect on our capacities for wise action, much like planting seeds of different species that then can grow and develop while living and acting in the world. In summary, Act 1 - The World Mandala – forms an actionable holistic worldview with your group, for contextual understanding within a structured planetary design. Act 2 - Mapping Complexity – Visual Facilitation with hexagon clustering enables active participation to map visions, understand relations and create connections. Act 3 - Three Horizons – engage others in reconceiving your future and enriching dynamic collective purposes. Act 4 - Dilemma Navigation – explore, reconcile and transcend polarities to gain meaningful progress where you’ve been at loggerheads. Act 5 - The Wheel of Wisdom – open yourself to fresh insights and perspectives, and integrate them with others, leading to wise, authentic, decisive collaborative enterprise.
# Participative Repatterning Learn methods for releasing outdated patterns and establishing new, resilient ones together. All life and most activities show up in patterns, helpful and otherwise. To keep anything going at all entails some form of patterning. Once established, patterns tend to be persistent, engaging anyone entering a system and disengaging people who leave it, for example. Patterns may seem invisible and elusive until, through focused observation, they are traced and mapped out. The tendency of patterns to persist is helpful when they are valuable and challenging when they are not. Well established patterns, held within the people who have been trained to use them, tend to reassert themselves, which means that they can prove very tough to change. Change is easier if the desired new patterning and its advantages are clear for people to learn and practice. However, in many cases, especially with challenges arising in the uncertainties of Anthropocene, experimentation may well be needed to discover new patterns for viability. Repatterning must counter the tendency of old patterns to persist, while exploring and establishing the form that new patterns need to take. A process that is most necessary, and at the same time difficult and subject to risk. H3Uni’s approach to repatterning recognises the unavoidable complexities, along with the vital urgencies, of these tasks. The variety of emergent challenges to the repatterning that is sought after needs to be met with variety in the range and scope of methods that can be deployed to secure effective and viable embedded change. \[ref. Ashby’s law of requisite variety] The five core methods we have focused upon have each been demonstrated to have a lasting impact on transformative change. These methods make up a learning journey; a journey of journeys, in fact, for each method creates its own learning journey. Singly and severally, they open pathways for growth: in purpose, spirit, understanding, insight and competence. Each method is complete on its own and forms part of a whole journey. This is a feature of holism, that at any level of recursion, the whole is a complete entity in itself; while it also contributes to a larger whole, whose combined properties have greater impact than the sum of its components. Experienced systemic practitioners will naturally want to explore, apply and develop many more methods and combinations of methods than these, and more are on offer in our Resource Library, where H3uni has a growing repository of methods for transformative practice. All are made available under our Creative Commons license. Practitioners are warmly encouraged to propose their proven methods to this accumulating resource. # Wisdom There is a very urgent need for humanity to act wisely in the present for the long term. Our experience is that wisdom emerges in the field of shared endeavour, when people widen their perspectives of attention, suspend personal opinions and judgments, listen to one another with true respect, and seek authentic understanding. In this way wisdom is experiential, opening in a shared field of collaborative enquiry, free of any ownership, tending towards the common good. This capacity is latent, ready for awakening. H3uni encourages people to engage authentically in the practice of group intelligence, to discover how best they can respond to and/or overcome a pressing and difficult common challenge. Practices of dialogue and engaging the Wheel of Wisdom facilitate inclusive, collective understanding and decision making. This diagram shows some interactions that are needed for collective wisdom to emerge:
Threefold Transformative Field

The Threefold Transformative Field

### Three elements for creative emergence #### Individual As we come to know ourselves fully as whole individual humans in relation to other beings, learning becomes purposeful, affectionate, hopeful and delightful. People become alert, sensing, and attuned to whatever is in play in our respective contexts. #### Group In relationships also, we discover our collective selves and our variety. This helps us to value the creative stimulus of differences in personality, perspectives, and experience. Naturally different personal roles help optimise collective outcomes. When in tune, the whole manifests qualities of intelligence and action that none of the parts can attain alone. #### Situation A particular situation may appear clear and discrete. However, it will always form some part of some greater context. Conversely, it will always entail many lesser complexities. *** Reaching wise understanding together of a pressing circumstance and its contextual ramifications helps to create a systemically consistent, holistically viable and collectively committed response. # About The Archive # Purpose H3Uni, *towards a University of the Third Horizon*, offers holistic, co-creative learning for all of us who are in search of and hope for a more worthwhile future. H3Uni formed in 2015 to rejuvenate real human learning; to recall and recover humanity’s innate appetite and capacity for holistic intelligence. Central to this ambition are the remarkable experience, innovations, knowledge, research and writings of Dr Anthony Hodgson, President of H3Uni and life-long futurist, along with many colleagues, friends and supporters in his long career. H3Uni is a guarantee company and a Scottish educational charity No SC047900. More of H3Uni’s [story and origins are here](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins). ### In Quest for Regenerative Transformation *Offerings for Discovery and Application* In service of Third Horizon Learning, H3Uni Pioneers collaborate to offer online dialogues and educational activities. #### Dialogues H3Uni offers a place for collaborative, purposeful dialogue. Our dialogues of discovery reveal perspectives, insights, and interconnections which illuminate understanding in the topics they address. #### Community Events & Educational Activities We encourage voluntary initiatives for discussion topics and workshops – including: * H3Uni Pioneers LinkedIn Page * Practitioners Forum, monthly * Newsletter, quarterly * Advertised Dialogues * Invited Study Groups ### Five Core Transformative Methods Five core transformative methods serve as primary foundations for mastering and facilitating deep collaborative systemic change - for reengaging with nature on nature’s own terms: * **The World Mandala** – the human world relational system * **The Complexity Map** – expanding our mental grasp and scope for agency * **The Three Horizons** – cultivating a quality future, desirable and viable * **Dilemma Navigation** – generating effective steps, measures on the journey * **The Wheel of Wisdom** – integrating authentic flow and decisions for action Read more about [Five Core Methods](/h3uni-five-core-practices) or explore the full [Resource Library](https://www.h3uni.org/). # Ideas for a Third Horizon University Society and culture have been held back by over-specialisation and restriction by “divide and conquer the mind”. In contrast, transformative learning requires an integration and synthesis that enables the power of interacting insights. Our field for transformative learning is conceived in four organically interacting principal elements: An **Ideas Collegium** that gathers and stimulates creative thinking and research into issues and innovations of the Anthropocene, giving power to what is possible. A **Virtual Campus** for inclusive and supportive dialogue, discussion and dissemination of understanding. A **Resource Library**, the maintained Seedbank of active methods for transformative change. A **Learning Faculty** for study, transmission and application of methods in the many transformational journeys that are being contemplated and embarked upon. These four elements are in continuous interaction and inter-stimulation, as in this illustration: # Ethos of Sharing & Stewardship See how you can adapt and share H3Uni practices under open licence ## Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials Whatever your endeavour, we want you to access H3Uni materials and understanding easily. We seek the widest possible availability for this [Library](https://www.h3uni.org/) and the learning that it enables, that is consistent with its intended application towards the common good. H3Uni offers methods, tools and training for generative transformational understanding and action towards a worthwhile planetary future. To equip ethos driven collaborative communities to engage more effectively with leadership and initiatives towards local and planetary regeneration. These tools, accumulated through the founders’ lifetimes of study and practice in innovation, along with guidance of wise partners, collaborators and mentors, comprise know-how, methods and skills never before assembled in an accessible form. ### Read more about the license {% content-ref url="/pages/XtamBNvkFbNuybqwD2CC" %} [H3Uni Ethos and Creative Commons](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons) {% endcontent-ref %} ###
# Community and Friends ## **Pioneer Community, Friends and Collaborations** H3Uni was founded by a network of friends and colleagues who reached a common view as to the need for an initiative in education and learning. Our community includes a core of Trustees, practitioners, carers, and communicators, plus an assembly of alumni from our courses and projects, with good friends and visionaries with whom we journey. Since our foundation in 2015, we have assembled a network of around **700 people**.\ Our activities depend upon voluntary initiatives. *** ## **At H3Uni’s Core** **Dr. Anthony Hodgson** — President ### **H3Uni Trustees** * **David Adams** — Chair * **Professor Ioan Fazey** — York University * **Emeritus Professor John Gould** — Drexel University, Chair Advisory Board * **Ian Kendrick** * **Professor Peter Kawalek** — Loughborough University *** #### Future Stewards Home of the Three Horizons Hub and Commons, in service of a regenerative future. Convened by **Bill Sharpe, H3Uni is a custodian of Future Stewards together with** [**International Futures Forum.**](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins/roots) [**Website**](https://futurestewards.com/) *** ## **Voluntary Activities** * **Communications planning:** Don, Frances, Joel, Maija * **Practitioners Forum:** Maija and presenters * **Newsletter (quarterly):** by rota * **Advertised Dialogues:** by arrangement * **Invited Study Groups:** Christina, John, Dimitra * **Resource Library:** Bill Sharpe * **Part-time magical coordinating:** Maija Grudule *** ## **H3Uni Trustees and Advisory Board** #### **Alfonso Montuori, USA** Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies; author, musician, consultant. #### **Ana Yang, UK** Director, Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House. Leads international socioeconomics and climate advocacy research. #### **Andrew Curry, UK** Director of Futures, School of International Futures. Leads futures methods and training. #### **Anthony Hodgson, UK** President of H3Uni; co-originator of Three Horizons; lifelong consultant in foresight and strategy. #### **Bill Sharpe, UK** Founder of Future Stewards; leads Three Horizons practice; researcher on social value, science and technology. #### **David Adams, UK** Trustee, Future Stewards custodian; strategist, coach, farmer; convenes the Wheel of Wisdom. #### **Gerald Midgley, UK** Emeritus Professor of Systems Thinking, Hull University. Over 300 papers on systems thinking and stakeholder engagement. #### **Ian Kendrick, UK** Trustee; facilitator of strategic innovation in turbulent environments using Three Horizons and other complexity approaches. #### **Ioan Fazey, UK** Trustee; Professor of Social Dimensions of Environment and Change, York University; focuses on regenerative and sustainable futures. #### **John Gould, USA** Advisory Board Chair; Emeritus Professor at Drexel University; systemic change, leadership development and curriculum innovation. #### **Judith Henriquez, UK** Multidisciplinary researcher integrating computer science, geography, technology, media and posthumanist learning. #### **Maija Grudule, Portugal** Systems technologist and community developer; software and communications manager; regenerative practitioner supporting H3Uni’s core. #### **Peter Kawalek, UK** Trustee; Director, Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University; Professor of Information Systems and Strategy. #### **Phil Tate, NZ** Regenerative futurist and foresight consultant helping individuals and organisations navigate future landscapes. #### **Steven Earl, UK** Head of Foresight, Edinburgh Futures Institute; leads Futures and Design team. #### **Sue Robinson, UK** Psychotherapist, trainer, researcher working across health, education, prisons, universities and families. #### **Trace Gale, Chile** Primary Investigator, Patagonian Ecosystems Research Centre; social scientist and author working in parks and tourism. *** ## **Visionaries, Pioneers, Guides, Supporters and Friends** #### **Adrienne McCurdy, Canada** Curriculum development for autonomous learning and land-based experiential practices. #### **Ali Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK** *bio awaited* #### **Bruce Goldstein, USA** Transformations Community Leader; Professor at University of Colorado Boulder. #### **Christina Florkowski, USA** *bio awaited* #### **Daniel Wahl, Mallorca** Consultant and educator in whole systems design; author of *Designing Regenerative Cultures* (2016). #### **Daniel Sheinwald, UK** *bio awaited* #### **Dimitra Roussakis, Canada** *bio awaited* #### **Don Tait, France** *bio awaited* #### **Frances Tait, France** *bio awaited* #### **Graham Leicester, UK** Founder, International Futures Forum (IFF); practitioner of transformational innovation. #### **Ian Page, UK** Specialist in technology foresight and sustainable CHON infrastructure. #### **Ian Wight, Canada** Senior Scholar, University of Manitoba; researcher of future professional practice. #### **Jennifer Groff, USA** *bio awaited* #### **Joel Van Kuiken, USA** *bio awaited* #### **John Galt, UK** *bio awaited* #### **John Hicks, France** Consultant for systems and internet accessibility; Study Group Leader. #### **Josh Fairhead** *bio awaited* #### **Kerri Brock, Canada** Social researcher studying complexity, play, and shared global consciousness. #### **Maureen Cooke, Canada** Systems strategist supporting transformative change across organisations and NGOs. #### **Maureen O’Hara, USA** Professor of Psychology; pioneer of person-centered psychotherapy alongside Carl Rogers. #### **Ness Wright, UK** Designer of human-centered services and systems for sustainable futures. #### **Oğuz Babüroğlu, Turkey** Professor at Sabanci University; developer of three universities from scratch; leadership in practice development. #### **Robert Fripp, UK** Guitarist, composer, founder of King Crimson; teaches self-awareness in creative practice. #### **Sandra Waddock, USA** *bio awaited* #### **Sergio Musmanni-Sobrado, Costa Rica** *bio awaited* #### **Sam Buckton, UK** *bio awaited* #### **Stefan Ennerfelt, Sweden** *bio awaited* #### **Stephan Verveen, Netherlands** Digital innovator, filmmaker, convener of self-organising community events focused on governance, culture and education. #### **Suzanne Om, UK** *bio awaited* #### **Wendy Simpson, NZ** *bio awaited* *** # H3Uni Origins H3Uni began in Scotland in 2015 as a special educational initiative emerging from the [International Futures Forum](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins/roots) (IFF). Guided by [Dr. Anthony (Tony) Hodgson,](/h3uni-foundation-archive/our-origins/anthony-hodgson) with early contributions from Ian Kendrick, Bill Sharpe, David Adams, and the support of Graham Leicester, H3Uni grew from pioneering Three Horizons practice and a long lineage of futures thinking, systems work and transformative methods. The founding intent was bold: to create a new kind of university — a learning commons for universal, holistic, future-facing education. With no initial funding, the early team built everything online, including the open-access [Resource Library ](https://www.h3uni.org/)that remains the heart of H3Uni’s teaching. Over the years, H3Uni has delivered courses, hosted Lighthouse Café dialogues, contributed to international projects from Silicon Valley to Singapore, and gained global recognition for its work in transformational learning. A committed community of volunteers and practitioners has sustained the organisation and carried its work forward. Today, H3Uni continues as a volunteer-led learning community and evolving commons. Our story is still being written — shaped by those who share in the aspiration for a regenerative, worthwhile planetary future
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The Full Story

/pages/wOTaUmotHaYSkL3E2B6O

Dr. Anthony Hodgson

/pages/cKzLRWysJRVT0kqzzdnY

Internationa Futures Forum (IFF)

/pages/TmNYJDnhCxEikVfko8iM
### Original Promotion Video 2015 {% embed url="" %} # Our Story ## Our Story and Origins so far ### **2015 — Beginnings in Scotland** H3Uni began in Scotland in 2015, growing as a special educational initiative out of The International Futures Forum (IFF), in which Dr Anthony (Tony) Hodgson, our President, had been a notable founding participant. Tony was supported by Ian Kendric, a former colleague in the Metabridge consultancy, Bill Sharpe, co-developer of Three Horizons, and David Adams, a consultant with recent training in traditional wisdom practice. Graham Leicester, then Director of IFF, helped us to incubate H3Uni until we could obtain our charity registration, key to our mission and a gateway, we hoped, to philanthropic funding. *** ### **Origins in Earlier Futures Work** Our origins, in the work that came together as early Three Horizons practice, go much further back, to earlier studies about futures. A shared need to map out qualities of futures understanding and rigour for effective futures practice led to the creation of IFF. For its first ten years it convened many futurists and luminaries in a futures think tank. Tony was at the core of this, along with Graham, Bill, and many notable others. Tony has always said that he had the good fortune to be able to refine, build on, and integrate his development of the insights of others. He forged the ideas he had and the material he practiced into a coordinated synthesis of transformative methods. Methods which offer hope and agency for collective practice in the face of the compounding complexity of modern polycrises. Three Horizons work provides the spearhead, the opening insight and the gateway to effective action for a worthwhile future. A future that is regenerative with nature that forms us and all life. *** ### **A Vision for a New Kind of University** The idea of founding a radically new kind of university – one that enables a truly universal holistic education – was Tony’s long held dream. With no funds to speak of, we had to do everything online. Bill and Tony took the early initiative to create the Resource Library of collaborative multi-disciplinary methods that is the core of all H3Uni’s teaching. From the start this material was to be placed in the creative commons, freely available, with acknowledgement, to all who need to use it. *** ### **The First Lean Years** We began a great adventure. A university needs a teaching faculty; it needs research facilities and codification of research findings; it needs an accumulating reference library; and it needs a lively campus and learning community. All of these functions have been enacted in smaller rather than larger ways over these past ten lean years. Tony himself has undertaken most of the teaching (including four of the five courses of Facilitating Transformational Journeys that H3Uni has run) as well as leading research. Administration, like everything else, has been accomplished on a shoestring. And, despite every privation, H3Uni receives international recognition. *** ### **Global Project Work** Project work and assignments of wide variety, fascination and geographic spread during these years have produced vital earnings to keep this enterprise afloat. H3Uni has worked in Silicon Valley, Costa Rica, Turkey, Singapore, Scotland, Ireland, and England on projects that have been essential to H3Uni’s progress. *** ### **2017 — Transformations Conference** In 2017 Ioan Fazey, then a professor in Dundee University, ran with Bruce Goldstein and Karen O’Brian an international Transformations Conference that was focused on the future requirements of knowledge systems to support the necessities of anticipated transformational change. It attracted 300 delegates and Ioan asked H3Uni to help run the whole conference as a Three Horizons workshop. 30 facilitators were recruited and trained, each taking 10 delegates through the whole Three Horizons process, to which all the conference presentations were also linked. The findings were gathered and posted step by step on a very long wall and condensed overnight to summary findings for each Horizon. Tony delivered the concluding narrative in the final session, which closed with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. Afterwards, the findings were edited into a published paper \[link] which named all the facilitators and presenters among the 50 contributing authors. *** ### **2019 Courses & the Lighthouse Café** H3Uni ran courses for a variety of participants in Three Horizons, the Wheel of Wisdom, Qualitative Systems Thinking, Cosmic Ecology, the Enneagram, Holistic and Hexagon Mapping, Dilemma Resolution, Generative Thinking and more. In parallel, we ran a series of informal Lighthouse Cafe dialogues convened by David and then by John Hicks. Each with a topic, some had prepared input; all ran on the open sincerity of those present. All were always fully subscribed. *** ### **Volunteers & the Pioneers Community** Throughout this time, we have also enjoyed and honoured the cheerful hard work of a loyal band of volunteers, including Adrienne, Stephan, Maureen, John and David B in the early days, with Dimitra, Maija, Josh, Christina, Phil, Frances and Don more recently. Our volunteer community accelerated in 2022 when we formed the Pioneers for Third Horizon Learing and invited people from our whole network to join. Maija Grudule took up work on our systems, infrastructure, costs and communications, which made a huge difference to our capacity and activities. Phil Tate (in New Zealand) prepared and delivered, with Wendy Simpson, the fifth Facilitating Transformational Journeys course in January 2023, an exceptional achievement. This brought Trace Gale (in Chile) into participation, who, with Andrew Curry, is currently leading the preparation of a major survey of Three Horizons practice. *** ### **2023 — International Caravanserai** In June 2023, H3Uni held its first in person international Caravanserai in Tony’s hometown of Pitlochry. People from 14 nations came to learn together and celebrate our shared appreciation of Tony’s work and all that H3Uni stands for. *** ### **2026 - Looking Ahead** It’s a challenge to do justice to everyone and everything that has played a part in H3Uni’s story in this very brief survey. We will no doubt revise and add to it as time moves on. Course alumni, participants in our series of Lighthouse Cafe dialogues and people who signed up for interest now number some 700, to whom we send newsletters and invitations to events. A new phase of H3Uni is beginning with opportunities for volunteers in every facet of our potential for contributing to a worthwhile regenerative planetary future. # Anthony Hodgson **Anthony Hodgson** has spent a lifetime researching collaboration, transdisciplinarity and applied creative thinking. His early educational research led to new ways of facilitating creative collaboration. After four decades of facilitating leadership teams in major organisations, he completed a doctorate in systems science. His doctoral work focused on integrating systems thinking with futures thinking — an inquiry summarised in his book [*Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World*](/publications-and-media/books/systems-thinking-for-a-turbulent-world). Tony is a founder member of the **International Futures Forum** and a founding trustee of **H3Uni**, a charitable enterprise exploring new modes of education for navigating a turbulent world shaped by the widening gap between human life and planetary limits. # IFF ## H3Uni & International Futures Forum Many of H3Uni’s founding ideas first found expression in the[ International Futures Forum ](https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/)which was established by Graham Leicester in 2001, and which included Anthony Hodgson among its founding members. IFF was formed to explore how to take more effective action in a complex world that we do not understand and cannot control. IFF’s pioneering work included meetings, learning journeys, research projects and investigative assignments in a range of areas relating to complex challenges faced by government, business and communities. Three essential orientations arose from this: * Taking the broadest possible view of context – always thinking systemically, combining holism with focus; * Taking a long term view of patterns shifting over time, with past and future both taken into account * Paying particular attention to the human system in every situation. IFF continues to focus upon growing capacity for transformative innovation, supporting practitioners in the field, and incubating innovations in health and social care, and in education. H3Uni can be seen as one of the seeds from this work. A number of practices are shared with H3Uni and made available in the H3Uni Resource Library. # Past events and Actvities # Overview Spaces for inquiry, practice, dialogue, and shared learning. H3Uni hosts a small constellation of live learning spaces that support dialogue, practice, and exploration.\ At present, our primary offerings are **community-led sessions**, while formal multi-session courses are paused. You’re warmly invited to join any of the upcoming gatherings, and to explore our past events if helpful. {% @mailchimp/mailchimpSubscribe %} See all upcoming events
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Practitioners ForumA collaborative learning spaceA monthly or bi-monthly online action-learning circle to explore H3Uni methods and related frameworks through real examples and shared inquiry./pages/Zvlok2ScRYtpa6owgrCj
Lighthouse CaféOpen dialogue & shared reflectionOccasional single-session conversations where a simple theme opens into collective inquiry and meaning-making./pages/nsZysHGDX1G2dGEedF9D
### Study Groups H3Uni hosts long-running monthly study groups, including Wheel of Wisdom, Qualitative Systems Thinking and Cosmic Ecology.\ These groups have evolved over several years as ongoing circles of practice among alumni and experienced practitioners. They are continuity-based groups rather than open-enrolment sessions, and new members typically join through existing community relationships or prior participation in H3Uni courses. *** ## **Past Events & Courses** Explore recordings and archives from previous years, including courses in Three Horizons, Qualitative Systems Thinking, the Wheel of Wisdom, and more. [Past Courses](https://github.com/H3Uni/H3Uni-Resource-Library/blob/main/h3uni-foundation-archive/events-and-activities/courses/README.md) [Past Event Overview](/h3uni-foundation-archive/past-events-and-actvities/past-events) # Practitioners Forum A collaborative learning space for shared practice, inquiry, and mutual support. ### **What is the Practitioners Forum?** {% columns %} {% column width="66.66666666666666%" %} The Practitioners Forum is a collaborative learning group grounded in **action learning**.\ It is a space where practitioners come together to: * explore and deepen practice with H3Uni methods * bring real examples, challenges, or insights from their own work * learn from one another through dialogue and reflection * experiment with **related frameworks and broader generative methods** * help shape an emerging ecosystem of practice that may eventually expand the Resource Library {% endcolumn %} {% column width="33.33333333333334%" %} {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} The Forum functions as an open, evolving bridge between H3Uni’s core methods and the wider field of transformative, regenerative, and systems-based approaches. Whether you’re new to H3Uni or deeply experienced, you’re welcome to join. *** ### **How It Works** * **Meeting rhythm:** monthly or bi-monthly * **Format:** facilitated peer learning, shared inquiry, practical exploration * **Scope:** H3Uni methods *and* adjacent practices, frameworks, and approaches * **Cost:** free to join; donations to support H3Uni’s volunteer-led work are welcome * **Participation:** open to all practitioners and explorers * **Direction:** co-created by the group over time The intention is to hold a living, breathing space of practice — a community learning “in the midst of” real work, not in abstraction. *** ### **Why Join?** Join the Forum if you want to: * deepen your practice with H3Uni and related methods * connect with others working on similar questions * explore real cases with peers * contribute to an evolving body of shared wisdom * help shape the future of what H3Uni could become *** ### **Stay Informed** All dates and joining details are shared on our **Lu.ma event calendar** and through the newsletter. 👉 [**View upcoming sessions on Lu.ma**](https://luma.com/h3uni) {% @mailchimp/mailchimpSubscribe %} *** ### **Support the Commons** Participation is free. If this space supports your work, please consider contributing to help sustain our volunteer-led infrastructure and the open Resource Library. 👉 [**Support the H3Uni Commons**](/funding-and-support) # The Lighthouse Café A relaxed space to meet and explore significant ideas and themes in a welcoming atmosphere, with people from around the world. ### What on earth is a << lighthouse cafe >>? The lighthouse café is about mindful exchange of different perspectives. We are not seeking consensus, and it is not a pedagogical exercise or lecture. Rather we are seeking a generative dialogue exploration in hopes of creating something that was not there at the beginning, for and by everyone together.
Some suggestions for letting this happen * Arrive a bit early to ensure that everyone can get connected and present. * Remember, every Lighthouse Café is an experiment, * Use gallery-view instead of speaker-view on Zoom, this is better for remaining part of the group especially when speaking. * Balance listening and speaking. Honouring the space and all voices in it: a breath between speakers. Some people may need to know that no one else is speaking before they can speak, so we leave space. Silence is our friend. • * It’s a conversation, everyone takes the initiative to contribute. * Each person speaks from “I” … avoiding “we” ; take it as an exercise if nothing else. * Memory work-out: who has spoken? Who has not?
The Café is asking you Questions * What about this topic are you uncomfortable with? What are your areas of uncertainty as well as curiosity? * What might your expertise blind you to? What alternative perspectives would you value hearing? * What do you think might be true here, but you have no evidence for it? What does your intuition/gut say? * What have you reconsidered in light of today’s explorations? How has your position shifted? Where is the new centre of gravity? * After focusing on what this thing is or is not, consider what it means and how that is of value? * After a minute of quiet contemplation, what new thoughts come to mind?
# Past Courses # Facilitating Transformational Journeys # Facilitating Transformational Journeys Deep Pacific Edition # Qualitative Systems Thinking # Cosmic Ecology Programme # The Exploratory Journey # Transformational System as Enneagram # Wheel of Wisdom # The Art of Creative Collaboration # Past Events [The Lighthouse Cafe – Transformation](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-transformation-tickets-1099019008439) December 4, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab - a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods *** [Learning City Forum Series #03](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/learning-city-forum-series-03-tickets-1058150509659) November 20, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Join the forum to explore key ideas, research, and discussions shaping the future of Learning Cities and advancing this emerging field *** [H3Uni Pop-up Perspective #06: Steward-Chatelaine](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspective-06-steward-chatelaine-tickets-1058179807289) November 7, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom. *** [Learning City Forum Series #02](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/learning-city-forum-series-02-tickets-1029853167547) October 18, 2024, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Details Join the forum to explore key ideas, research, and discussions shaping the future of Learning Cities and advancing this emerging field *** Oct 16 [Webinar | REIMAGINING our Biosphere: A Whole-system Game for Change](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-reimagining-our-biosphere-a-whole-system-game-for-change-registration-1029150465747) October 16, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Join graphic artist & social designer Ali Hodgson in exploring the World Mandala: an inclusive tool for public engagement & whole-systems... Oct 8 [H3Uni Pop-up Perspective #05: In-Review](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspective-05-in-review-tickets-1028775885367) October 8, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom. The review of: Disruptive Genius, Peacemaker, Pioneer and Pathfinder-Narrator Oct 2 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Spirit”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-spirit-tickets-1029102662767) October 2, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab - a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Sep 20 [Learning City Forum Series #01](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/learning-city-forum-series-01-tickets-1008331395347) September 20, 2024, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Details Join the forum to explore key ideas, research, and discussions shaping the future of Learning Cities and advancing this emerging field Aug 8 [H3Uni Pop-up Perspective #04: Voice of the Pathfinder](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspective-04-voice-of-the-pathfinder-tickets-927779522527) August 8, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom Jun 20 [H3Uni Campfire Gathering #04 – Solstice](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-campfire-gathering-04-solstice-tickets-907103489957) June 20, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The gathering around the 'campfire': a place to reignite connections, share beautiful stories, and be in each other's presence Jun 5 [H3Uni Pop-up Perspective #03: Voice of the Pioneer](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspective-03-voice-of-the-pioneer-tickets-907088916367) June 5, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom May 30 [The Road to The Caravanserai 2024: Community Call](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-road-to-the-caravanserai-2024-community-call-tickets-907572974197) May 30, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Join us on the virtual journey towards The Caravanserai 2024 - a community gathering like no other! May 22 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Cultivate”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-cultivate-tickets-907023841727) May 22, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods May 1 [H3Uni Pop-up Perspective #02: Voice of the Peacemaker](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspective-02-voice-of-the-peacemaker-tickets-881352929337) May 1, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom Apr 11 [Three Horizons Workshop for H3Uni Pioneers](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/three-horizons-workshop-for-h3uni-pioneers-tickets-861453028197) April 11, 2024, 7:00 pm - April 25, 2024, 8:30 pm Details Three Horizons Workshop dedicated to participation by H3Uni Pioneers lead by Bill Sharpe Apr 9 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Embodiment”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-embodiment-tickets-876923851847) April 9, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Apr 3 [H3Uni Pop-up Perspectives: Disruptive Genius](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-pop-up-perspectives-disruptive-genius-tickets-860921247627) April 3, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Impromptu Dialogues with the Wheel of Wisdom Mar 20 [H3Uni Campfire Gathering – Spring Equinox 2024](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-campfire-gathering-spring-equinox-2024-tickets-856002926797) March 20, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The gathering around the 'campfire': a place to reignite connections, share beautiful stories, and be in each other's presence Mar 13 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Ceremony”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-ceremony-tickets-856966027457) March 13, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Feb 21 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “The Wounded Healer”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-the-wounded-healer-tickets-841924638257) February 21, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Jan 31 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Service”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-service-tickets-807775065967) January 31, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Jan 30 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys Deep Pacific Edition](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-deep-pacific-edition-registration-775187144617) January 30, 2024, 10:00 pm - 11:30 pm Details Join a dynamic community to shape innovative approaches that tackle the challenges of our interconnected world. Dec 21 [H3Uni Campfire Gathering – Winter Solstice Edition](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-campfire-gathering-winter-solstice-edition-tickets-775167907077) December 21, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The gathering around the 'campfire': a place to reignite connections, share beautiful stories, and be in each other's presence Dec 13 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Faith 2.0”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-faith-20-tickets-774295457557) December 13, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Nov 29 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Faith”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-faith-tickets-761539032747) November 29, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Nov 15 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys – Webinar (NZDT)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-webinar-nzdt-registration-742090973077) November 15, 2023, 2:00 am - 3:00 am Details Phil and Wendy to introduce the upcoming Facilitating Transformational Journeys Course (Deep Pacific Time Zone) Nov 14 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys – Webinar (NZDT)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-webinar-nzdt-registration-742087613027) November 14, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details Phil and Wendy to introduce the upcoming Facilitating Transformational Journeys Course (Deep Pacific Time Zone) Nov 2 [Dialogical Circle with the Wheel of Wisdom](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dialogical-circle-with-the-wheel-of-wisdom-registration-698355418857) November 2, 2023, 7:00 pm - February 1, 2024, 8:30 pm Details An opportunity to pursue questions that matter using the Wheel of Wisdom to open a personal and collective quest Oct 31 [Practicing The Sevenfold Work – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/practicing-the-sevenfold-work-webinar-registration-731872709977) October 31, 2023, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Details Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D., Unveils Practical Wisdom from his 2023 book 'Being Who You Really Are' Oct 11 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Debt”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-debt-tickets-731364981347) October 11, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Oct 10 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-webinar-registration-698540171457) October 10, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details An opportunity to pursue questions that matter using the Wheel of Wisdom to open a personal Quest Oct 4 [H3Uni Campfire Gathering](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-campfire-gathering-tickets-727668625447) October 4, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details This is our first gathering around the 'campfire': a place to reignite connections, share beautiful stories, and be in each other's presence Sep 20 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Light”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-light-tickets-716659968257) September 20, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Sep 12 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-webinar-registration-698539860527) September 12, 2023, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details An opportunity to pursue questions that matter using the Wheel of Wisdom to open a personal Quest Apr 19 [The Lighthouse Cafe & Lab – “Systems of Co-Creation”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-lab-systems-of-co-creation-tickets-618587360447) April 19, 2023, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Feb 9 [The Art of Creative Collaboration](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-creative-collaboration-tickets-450456656987) February 9, 2023, 7:00 pm - April 27, 2023, 10:00 pm Details Beyond the basic facilitation of meetings to capacities for reperception of time, navigating the unknown, and collaborative improvisation Dec 15 [H3Uni and the Future](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-and-the-future-tickets-409888747277) December 15, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Exploratory dialogue to disover what in the present moment will secure a future for H3Uni's teaching and research Dec 14 [The Lighthouse Cafe & Lab – “Rebirth, Earth”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-lab-rebirth-earth-tickets-482250563417) December 14, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Nov 9 [The Lighthouse Cafe & Lab – “Earth”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-lab-earth-tickets-462510620717) November 9, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café & Lab a futures-orientated open conversation of mutual discovery and sandbox for H3Uni methods Oct 18 [H3Uni and the Future](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-and-the-future-tickets-409888466437) October 18, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Exploratory dialogue to disover what in the present moment will secure a future for H3Uni's teaching and research Oct 5 [The Art of Collaborative Thinking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-collaborative-thinking-tickets-411258654707) October 5, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Dr. Anthony Hodgson will describe how we can develop a radically new level of creative collaborative work to anticipate global challenges Oct 4 [Our next course with the Wheel of Wisdom – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/our-next-course-with-the-wheel-of-wisdom-webinar-tickets-415379139187) October 4, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details A webinar about our upcoming course 'Questing in the Wheel of Wisdom' with David Adams. Sep 29 [Qualsystems Study Group](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/qualsystems-study-group-tickets-414729255367) September 29, 2022, 7:00 pm - December 1, 2022, 10:00 pm Details A follow option up for students on the Qualsystems course in May 2021 Sep 28 [Cosmic Ecology Study Group](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cosmic-ecology-study-group-tickets-414721201277) September 28, 2022, 7:00 pm - November 30, 2022, 10:00 pm Details Follow on studies for students who attended the courses in October 2021 and February 2022 Sep 20 [H3Uni and the Future](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-and-the-future-tickets-409887022117) September 20, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Exploratory dialogue to disover what in the present moment will secure a future for H3Uni's teaching and research Sep 13 [H3Uni and the Future](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-and-the-future-tickets-409887012087) September 13, 2022, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details Exploratory dialogue to disover what in the present moment will secure a future for H3Uni's teaching and research Aug 17 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Fire”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-fire-tickets-399981163427) August 17, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni May 31 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys (4)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-4-tickets-311687705317) May 31, 2022, 7:00 pm - July 12, 2022, 9:00 pm Details Facilitating Transformational Journeys: a seven weeks course with Dr. Anthony Hodgson. May 4 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Water”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-water-tickets-331088483567) May 4, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Mar 22 [The H3Lab – Presenting the Alexander Technique](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-h3lab-presenting-the-alexander-technique-tickets-292091311977) March 22, 2022, 6:00 pm - March 29, 2022, 7:00 pm Details H3UNI Lab: “Alexander Technique room - a space for practising and playing with ideas from and principles of the Alexander Technique.” Mar 9 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Breath”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-breath-tickets-291681034827) March 9, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Feb 16 [The Lighthouse Cafe – “Can I get a witness”](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-can-i-get-a-witness-tickets-268584532567) February 16, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Feb 2 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Energies](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-energies-tickets-254850463597) February 2, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Feb 1 [Cosmic Ecology Course: Part 2 – Universe in the Human Being](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cosmic-ecology-course-part-2-universe-in-the-human-being-tickets-227806694957) February 1, 2022, 7:00 pm - April 27, 2022, 9:00 pm Details An exploration of the cosmic significance of humanity based on the philosophy of J.G. Bennett, science and spirituality by Anthony Hodgson. Jan 19 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Energy](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-energy-tickets-248892763957) January 19, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Jan 5 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Beginning](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-beginning-tickets-236725300747) January 5, 2022, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Dec 22 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Saying Yes, and Party](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-saying-yes-and-party-tickets-228222629027) December 22, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Dec 8 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Saying No](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-saying-no-tickets-222559500457) December 8, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Oct 27 [The Lighthouse Café : Culture III, Policy and Praxis](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-culture-iii-policy-and-praxis-tickets-196939189417) October 27, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Oct 7 [Cosmic Ecology Course: Part 1 – Human Beings in the Universe](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cosmic-ecology-course-part-1-human-beings-in-the-universe-tickets-161470965003) October 7, 2021, 7:00 pm - December 2, 2021, 9:00 pm Details An exploration of the cosmic significance of humanity based on the philosophy of J.G. Bennett, science and spirituality by Anthony Hodgson. Oct 6 [The Lighthouse Café : Culture II, Future Culture](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-culture-ii-future-culture-tickets-182100767297) October 6, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Sep 28 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Course](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-course-tickets-161464497659) September 28, 2021, 7:00 pm - November 9, 2021, 9:00 pm Details An online course where David Adams will guide you to clarify a personal quest for living through using the Wheel of Wisdom. [!\[\`The Lighthouse Café : The Culture Wars\](https://content.gitbook.com/content/fFa6orSHiSRXxb1O8Ao5/blobs/PqFFIsIgJmMAKbsSlwPA/original.jpg)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-the-culture-wars-tickets-168815560887) Sep 22 [The Lighthouse Café : The Culture Wars](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-the-culture-wars-tickets-168815560887) September 22, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Sep 14 [Cosmic Ecology – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cosmic-ecology-webinar-tickets-166784387593) September 14, 2021, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Details From Terrestrial to Cosmic Ecology – a synergic perspective on the place of humanity in the universe by Dr. Anthony Hodgson. Sep 1 [The Lighthouse Café : Synchronicity](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-synchronicity-tickets-168813625097) September 1, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Aug 24 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-webinar-tickets-161469725295) August 24, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details A webinar about The Wheel of Wisdom, hosted by David Adams. Jul 14 [The future potential of the present moment: ReGeneration Rising!](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-potential-of-the-present-moment-regeneration-rising-tickets-144694967543) July 14, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details An webinar by Daniel Christian Wahl on Regeneration. Jun 30 [The H3Lab – Exploring indigenous perspectives on gender](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-h3lab-exploring-indigenous-perspectives-on-gender-tickets-160977709663) June 30, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The H3Lab Guided explorations of the intelligence of the body and beyond: hosted online by H3Uni Jun 2 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Religion](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-religion-tickets-156969836005) June 2, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni May 19 [Pattern Dynamics: Systems thinking for Three Horizons – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pattern-dynamics-systems-thinking-for-three-horizons-webinar-tickets-144694608469) May 19, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details An introduction to Pattern Dynamics by Bill Sharpe. May 6 [Qualitative Systems Thinking – Course](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/qualitative-systems-thinking-course-tickets-144694090921) May 6, 2021, 7:00 pm - June 17, 2021, 9:00 pm Details An introductory course by Dr. Anthony Hodgson to the new discipline for cultivating conscious understanding called QUALSYSTEMS. May 5 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Variety III](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-variety-iii-tickets-152766668217) May 5, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Apr 21 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Variety II](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-variety-ii-tickets-151131966781) April 21, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, HEART Apr 14 [Exploring Qualitative Systems – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-qualitative-systems-webinar-tickets-145845400519) April 14, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Details A webinar about Exploring Qualitative Systems, talk by Dr. Anthony Hodgson. Apr 7 [The Lighthouse Cafe – Requisite Variety (or just Variety)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-requisite-variety-or-just-variety-tickets-149461598665) April 7, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, HEART Apr 6 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Course](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-course-tickets-142256080767) April 6, 2021, 7:00 pm - May 11, 2021, 9:00 pm Details An online course where David Adams will guide you to clarify a personal quest for living through using the Wheel of Wisdom. Mar 30 [H3Uni Evolutionary Conference](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-evolutionary-conference-tickets-143789978697) March 30, 2021, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Details H3Uni Evolutionary Conference Mar 24 [The Lighthouse Cafe Extra – THE DELTA PROJECT](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-extra-the-delta-project-tickets-144274513955) March 24, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Extra A presentation of a subject for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic : The Delta Project Mar 17 [The Wheel of Wisdom – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wheel-of-wisdom-webinar-tickets-142921541177) March 17, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details A webinar about The Wheel of Wisdom, hosted by David Adams. Mar 10 [The Lighthouse Cafe – HEART](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-heart-tickets-140647445295) March 10, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, HEART Feb 24 [The Lighthouse Cafe – SAFETY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-safety-tickets-140637383199) February 24, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Feb 10 [The Lighthouse Cafe – COMMONS](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lighthouse-cafe-commons-tickets-139513878767) February 10, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Jan 28 [Third Horizon Education – Webinar](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/third-horizon-education-webinar-tickets-135355872057) January 28, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Details A webinar sharing ideas that will help participants view the planet as a whole system in order to envision a better education and future. Jan 20 [Lighthouse Cafe – CITIZENSHIP](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-citizenship-tickets-136517432315) January 20, 2021, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Dec 16 [Lighthouse Cafe – THE THREE HORIZONS](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-the-three-horizons-tickets-132649766021) December 16, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Dec 2 [Lighthouse Cafe – OBSERVATION](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-observation-tickets-130923925987) December 2, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Nov 17 [The Transformational System as Enneagram](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-transformational-system-as-enneagram-tickets-126273544571) November 17, 2020, 7:30 pm - December 8, 2020, 9:00 pm Details An introduction to an integrated perspective which reinterprets traditional knowledge combined with systems science and practical experience Nov 11 [Lighthouse Cafe – VALUE](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-value-tickets-128401128231) November 11, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic, VALUE Nov 5 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys (3)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-3-tickets-123660787745) November 5, 2020, 7:00 pm - December 17, 2020, 9:00 pm Details Facilitating Transformational Journeys: A Seven Week Intensive Course with Dr Anthony Hodgson Nov 2 [H3Uni Action Learning Group 1](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-action-learning-group-1-tickets-125885766717) November 2, 2020, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Details This is the invitation only ACTION LEARNING GROUP 1 commencing Monday 2nd November at 7pm UK standard time. Oct 21 [Lighthouse Cafe – EMERGENCE](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-emergence-tickets-125674861895) October 21, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Oct 7 [Lighthouse Cafe – MUSIC](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-music-tickets-123232923993) October 7, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Sep 16 [Lighthouse Cafe – CREATIVITY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-creativity-tickets-120614570427) September 16, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jul 22 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys (2)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-2-tickets-110607132912) July 22, 2020, 7:00 pm - September 2, 2020, 9:00 pm Details Facilitating Transformational Journeys: A Seven Week Intensive Course with Dr Anthony Hodgson Jul 15 [Lighthouse Cafe – SYNCHRONICITY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-synchronicity-tickets-104838651228) July 15, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jun 23 [Lighthouse Cafe – AUTOPOIESIS](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-autopoiesis-tickets-104837708408) June 23, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for Tu Jun 2 [Lighthouse Cafe – ECOLOGY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-ecology-tickets-104837020350) June 2, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for Tu May 20 [Facilitating Transformational Journeys](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitating-transformational-journeys-tickets-100932921084) May 20, 2020, 7:00 pm - July 1, 2020, 9:00 pm Details Facilitating Transformational Journeys: A Seven Week Intensive Course with Dr Anthony Hodgson May 12 [Lighthouse Cafe – AUTHORITY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-authority-tickets-104836745528) May 12, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for Tu Apr 22 [Lighthouse Cafe – PRESENCE](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-presence-tickets-103080099352) April 22, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Apr 7 [Dialogic Design and Effective Decision Making with Peter Jones](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dialogic-design-and-effective-decision-making-with-peter-jones-tickets-101462846104) April 7, 2020, 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Details Command and control decision making in complex systems is ineffective. Dialogic Design proves to be an effective method. Mar 25 [Lighthouse Cafe – HARMONY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-harmony-tickets-100673303561) March 25, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Mar 10 [H3Uni Collegium : Thinking Positive Futures in a Dystopic World with Alfons](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-collegium-thinking-positive-futures-in-a-dystopic-world-with-alfons-tickets-95101173169) March 10, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Collegium A talk by a leading researcher in the chosen topic followed by discussion facilitated by Dr Anthony Hodgson. Feb 19 [Lighthouse Cafe – TENSION](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-tension-tickets-94493545739) February 19, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Feb 4 [H3Uni Collegium : Future Digital Technology – Master or Servant? with Peter](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-collegium-future-digital-technology-master-or-servant-with-peter-tickets-91284569605) February 4, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Collegium A talk by a leading researcher in the chosen topic followed by discussion facilitated by Dr Anthony Hodgson. Jan 22 [Lighthouse Cafe – CHAOS](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lighthouse-cafe-chaos-tickets-87871543151) January 22, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jan 7 [H3Uni Collegium : A Search for New Perspectives with Anthony Hodgson](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-collegium-a-search-for-new-perspectives-with-anthony-hodgson-tickets-87054074079) January 7, 2020, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Collegium A talk by a leading researcher in the chosen topic followed by discussion facilitated by Dr Anthony Hodgson. Dec 18 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – FICTION](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-fiction-tickets-71301630095) December 18, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Dec 10 [H3Uni Collegium : Community Foodgrowing with Ness Wright](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-collegium-community-foodgrowing-with-ness-wright-tickets-79684724155) December 10, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Collegium A talk by a leading researcher in the chosen topic followed by discussion facilitated by Dr Anthony Hodgson. Nov 20 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – SAFETY](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-safety-tickets-71301176739) November 20, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Oct 16 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – PATTERN](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-pattern-tickets-71300643143) October 16, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Sep 18 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – FREEDOM](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-freedom-tickets-71300067421) September 18, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jul 3 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – HOPE](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-hope-tickets-64502474638) July 3, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We May 22 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Showing Up](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-showing-up-tickets-61963824467) May 22, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Un Our topic for We Apr 24 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Complexity](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-complexity-tickets-60592563990) April 24, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Un Our topic for We Mar 20 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Anticipation](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-anticipation-tickets-58975631702) March 20, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Un Our topic for ed Feb 20 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Transformation](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-transformation-tickets-49268772224) February 20, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jan 23 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Awareness](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-awareness-tickets-49268629798) January 23, 2019, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Dec 12 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Purpose](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-purpose-tickets-49268396099) December 12, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Nov 21 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Power](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-power-tickets-49268385066) November 21, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Oct 17 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Wisdom](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-wisdom-tickets-49268342940) October 17, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Sep 19 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Narrative](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-narrative-tickets-44311207013) September 19, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jul 25 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Transformation](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-transformation-tickets-44311185950) July 25, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Jul 11 [‘Anger’ with Kerri Brock (H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe Extra)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/anger-with-kerri-brock-h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-extra-tickets-47766790757) July 11, 2018, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Extra The Café Extra invites a speaker to introduce a topic that they care about, for visitors then to consider togethe Jun 6 [Transcending Professionalism with Ian Wight (H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe Extra)](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transcending-professionalism-with-ian-wight-h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-extra-tickets-46372758168) June 6, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Extra The Café Extra invites a speaker to introduce a topic that they care about, for visitors then t May 23 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Resilience](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-resilience-tickets-44311155860) May 23, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Apr 25 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – What is Sacred](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-what-is-sacred-tickets-44311136803) April 25, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for Mar 28 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – HOPE](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-hope-tickets-37446192570) March 28, 2018, 7:25 pm - 9:00 pm Details The Lighthouse Café Regular a futures-orientated open conversation for mutual discovery and learning hosted online by H3Uni Our topic for We Dec 19 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Viability](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-viability-tickets-37445928781) December 19, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details VIABILITY - What is viable in nature? And in a third Horizon? H3Uni Online Lighthouse Cafés You are invited to join an online reflective Dec 12 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Decision Making in the Third Horizon](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-decision-making-in-the-third-horizon-tickets-37446137405) December 12, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details Theme: Decision Making in the Third Horizon - What does decision making look like as we work towards a worthwhile future for all? H3Uni Nov 21 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Anger](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-anger-tickets-37445752253) November 21, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details ANGER - Its uses and pitfalls. H3Uni Online Lighthouse Cafés You are invited to join an online reflective conversation. Lighthouse Cafés Oct 24 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Ethos](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-ethos-tickets-37445670007) October 24, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details ETHOS - What is it? How is it formed? H3Uni Online Lighthouse Cafés You are invited to join an online reflective conversation. Lighthouse Oct 17 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – The BlockChain](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-the-blockchain-tickets-37446011027) October 17, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details The BlockChain - How can this be used to generate not just new currencies and ways of exchanging value, but also new forms of organisation. Sep 19 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe – Identity](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-identity-tickets-37445397191) September 19, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details Identity, a topic for the Lighthouse Café Some headline notes that may open avenues for our discussion: What does Identity mean/stand for Jun 20 [H3Uni Lighthouse Cafe](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-lighthouse-cafe-tickets-35429864679) June 20, 2017, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Details H3Uni Online Lighthouse Cafés You are invited to join an online reflective conversation. Lighthouse Cafés offer the chance for a small group Jun 14 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Colour Tones](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-colour-tones-tickets-32353710820) June 14, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Do you ever feel like your approach is not always the right fit for a situation? This technique helps you step back and become more aware o Jun 12 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Causal Texture](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-causal-texture-tickets-32353442016) June 12, 2017, 6:45 pm - June 13, 2017, 9:00 pm Details Do you find it difficult to distinguish between reliable information and misinformation? This technique helps you improve your ability to d May 10 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Hexagon Mapping](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-hexagon-mapping-tickets-32353000696) May 10, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Are you and your team running in circles because there are a large number of factors that influence how you can move forward towards finding May 9 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Holistic Mapping](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-holistic-mapping-tickets-32352649646) May 9, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Do you have situations where you feel overwhelmed with complexity and are tempted to ‘just do something’; even if it means risking that you Apr 12 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Dilemma Resolution](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-dilemma-resolution-tickets-32352385857) April 12, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details How do you know when you’re in a dilemma? When you need to choose one option from two seemingly opposite solutions, however, you can’t choo Apr 11 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Generative Thinking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-generative-thinking-tickets-32351534310) April 11, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Do you ever feel like your ideas are going around in circles? This is a technique for generating new thoughts from juxtaposing contrasting Mar 8 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Causal Loops](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-causal-loops-tickets-32350911447) March 8, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Ever get caught off guard by something you didn’t expect? Good news; you can learn how to anticipate those potentially sticky situations by Mar 7 [H3Uni Art of Thinking: Three Horizons](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/h3uni-art-of-thinking-three-horizons-tickets-32287435589) March 7, 2017, 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm Details Facing uncertainty? You need to think ahead. Seeing the future in three overlapping phases can help you navigate through present uncertainti Dec 14 [The art of Thinking: Dilemma thinking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-thinking-dilemma-thinking-tickets-29304069260) December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Details The Art of ThinkingThis is series of working sessions designed to learn personal skills for better thinking. A 1 hour session can be taken a Dec 7 [The Art of Thinking: Generative Thinking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-thinking-generative-thinking-tickets-29299131491) December 7, 2016, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Details The Art of ThinkingThis is series of working sessions designed to learn personal skills for better thinking. A 1 hour session can be taken a # H3Uni Practice Framework **Tutorial** H3Uni facilitation is an art for helping groups of people and teams to achieve higher than usual performance in their shared thinking and decision-making. It achieves this by the flexible use of techniques which make it easy to share information and ideas in a variety of visual formats through structured methods. H3Uni facilitation is distinguished by its use of visual tools to aid group cognition and communication. By using symbolic media we get three advantages over conventional meeting formats: * information is embodied, so content can be positioned and moved, and removed (unlike drawing on a piece of paper) * ideas and information patterns can be deconstructed and reconstructed easily in real time. * we can work with cognitive structures that are not confined by the grammar of language; this enables new patterns of connection to be rapidly explored. * we can map and explore multiple relationships within powerful organizing concepts such as dilemmas, three horizons and systemic models These processes and associated tools greatly enhance the potential for shared creative breakthroughs as well as enhanced mutual understanding. We call this process ‘participative re-patterning’ as it allows everyone to take part in a dialogue in which they can take apart old ways of doing things and create shared intent around new patterns. We call the practice of facilitating teams in this way ‘Pattern Facilitation’. The basics of H3Uni pattern facilitation are described in the [Visual Facilitation Tutorial](/tutorial/visual-facilitation) which should be read alongside this tutorial to give a background in the sort of methods that H3Uni facilitation works with. Here we describe the wider framework for choosing and applying those methods. ## H3uni Methods For facilitating an overall group process you need be able to place the specific method to be facilitated in its wider context. This means understanding the client situation and matching your practice to that. This can be broken down into five components: * requirements – what is the group trying to do? * structure – what is the best thinking tool to use? * medium – what is the material set up needed to carry this out? * process – what is the sequence of steps required for application? * skills – have I (and my colleagues) got the necessary capabilities? The diagram above helps us keep these five components in mind, so we call it the H3Uni Fivefold Practice. At the centre is an H3Uni method which combines a specific thinking structure with process steps that you will take the group through in your role as facilitator – like a recipe in a cookbook that describes a dish, the ingredients, and the steps to make it. *** ## Requirements: what is the group trying to do? ![](/files/FYCoNMi75aO18n3SLOG7) As a practitioner you need to appreciate that different purposes and circumstances require different forms and combination of process knowledge. This is a combination of organizational, psychological and technical appreciation. The most important factor is developing a confidence based on having a good feel for the group. For this it is necessary to: *Get to know your group* * who are they? * what is their background? * how well do they know each other? * do they have a history to be taken into account? *Get to understand their challenge* * what are they trying to do? * where are they in that process? * how do they see their challenge? * how do you see their challenge? *Judge what method(s) would be most helpful* * what does the nature of their challenge require – futures, dilemmas, systems, etc? * what method(s) in the Resource Library matches that? * Am I (we) sufficiently familiar with that to facilitate it at the level required? *Explain your approach to them before committing* * Have you briefed the group on the output you anticipate? * Have you given the group a broad idea of the process they will go through? * Have you ensured as far as possible you are getting the right people in the room? *You may have to take them with you first time through* * How familiar with this kind of process is the group? * Is there anyone in the group who has been through one before? * Are you allowing for time to explain and answer questions as well as drive the process? The above is a fairly comprehensive list although there are always deeper layers of detail that sometimes have to be considered. A useful practice is to use these questions to reflect on whether you are setting yourself up to facilitate in the best possible way. Equally, if you neglect these areas of consideration don’t be surprised if you trip up at some point later in your project. ### Where you will find this In this Resource Library there are methods that are useful for establishing overall requirements for working with all the others: * [Strategic Issue Mapping](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping) (aka Hexagon Mapping) is an application of [Thinking with Hexagons ](/tutorial/thinking-with-hexagons)that is useful for an initial dialogue to clarify the nature of the challenge of sort of H3Uni approach that would be helpful. * [Scoping](/tutorial/scoping) is a way to capture the top level scope and purpose within which further work can be designed *** ## Structure: what thinking tool shall we use? ![](/files/Ozmz14woj5tebdVw2EGZ) As a practitioner you need to choose an appropriate method to match the identified requirement. An H3Uni Method – such as Three Horizons or Dilemma Navigation – combines a way to structure group thinking with a process for engaging the group with the structure through visually facilitated steps. Methods introduce an effective discipline for thinking, interacting and extracting value from information. * Initially this will require getting sufficiently familiar with one of the H3Uni methods and appreciating where it helps and where it is not suitable. * If you are familiar with a suitable method then you can polish up your understanding by revisiting the Method Tutorial and Facilitation Guide for that method * If what you already know is not a good match, for example you know the Three Horizon methods but the client needs a system map, then you need to extend your repertoire with additional methods. If you do not, the risk is that you will be very specialised or you will be like a doctor who tries giving aspirin for everything! * It really helps if you have mastered the conceptual structure personally since in facilitation you are having to attend both to the use of the concept and to the dynamics of the group process. For this approach you need some proficiency in the method yourself to do a good job. Group process skills are helpful but not sufficient. You can view the Thinking Skills as a personal gym for exercising capability that will give you more flexibility in facilitating the methods. What makes a technique or concept enabling is that it is based on significant research into the way certain types of problem can be approached more effectively as a thinking task. Every H3Uni method has a research and application literature associated with it which is provided in the Tutorials, so if you have the interest and the time you can dig deeper into what is behind it, why it works and its evolution. H3Uni aim to keep expanding the range of techniques available in the Resource Library and deepen the effectiveness with which they are used. ### Where you will find this Each Facilitation Guide has a brief Purpose and When to Use section at the front, but always refer to the Method Tutorial for the full understanding. The guides are kept as short as possible to make them convenient for reference ‘on the go’. *** ## Medium: what set up do we need for this method? ![](/files/IpQOBy8nqdeckhzIuY67) As a practitioner you need to become sensitive to the way the psychological process, the method structure, the media tools and the actual physical environment and setting all affect the way the process can work. For example, a cramped meeting room around a fixed table with no wall suitable to display the facilitation diagrams will severely block the process even if the facilitator is skilled and experienced. We are not used to treating the meeting room as a cognitive and collaborative tool. Here are some criteria on what to look out for and, if possible, change things so they are closer to the ideal. These are general requirements for all the methods, specific requirements for individual methods are in the facilitation guides. **Physical Space** ![](/files/yAjFQ6HhyoYUGgBTfKvF) Always check out the room and facilities beforehand to give yourself (and your client/colleagues) a chance to adjust things to meet requirements. The main requirements for a good layout are: * Be sure there is a large vertical working surface that you can put large sheets of paper on and write on, or that there are whiteboards or pinboards which can do the same. * An open U-shape that enables everyone to have eye contact with everyone else and enable anyone to be able to stand up and easily reach the whiteboard. Often the problem is that even if you have that, the line of sight for people is awful and the furniture cannot be rearranged to compensate for that. In which case find a better room if you can. * A small unobstructive table to keep working materials like pens, sticky notes and so on to hand. * Often meeting rooms or classrooms are set up with a screen and projector. This is useful for introductions and initial briefing but the geometry of this is also often inconsistent with the requirements in the previous point. It may take some ingenuity to reconcile this problem. Lecture theatres are unsuitable for participative repatterning processes. * Have a subsidiary display (like a flip chart) upon which process instructions (protocols) can be displayed to brief the group on what to expect and what is happening next. * Ask people to keep personal stuff well out of the way. If people take notes they should have a notebook or tablet they can use on their knee. * Be sure you have all the necessary equipment (paper, pens, stickies, camera, etc) ready before hand and easily accessible. **Virtual On-Line Space** * Ensure the group is a size which can sustain interpersonal context over the internet. This is quite different from webinar sessions or online meetings which use chat boxes for participant communication. These are unsuitable for participative repatterning with visual methods * This means your group size will range from 4 or 5 to maximum of 15 – and again this will depend on the task and method employed. * Use an internet conferencing technology that supports virtual face to face conversation – we recommend Zoom. * The more that participants have largish high definition screens the better so that the visuals can be shared. Verbal text meetings may be held over a mobile phone or small tablet but full-blown visual methods cannot. * Instead of a physical whiteboard the capacity to share screens is important (built into Zoom). This is useful for conventional briefing (e.g. with slides) but its especial use is for dynamic real-time visual capture and manipulation, diagrammatically and with [idons](/tutorial/visual-facilitation). The facilitator’s equipment must have this high definition capacity. * You are likely to have to coach people to leave their video on so there can be a real sense of presence in the room. Unfortunately there can be bandwidth problems that crop up and frustrate this. But the desired norm is that the facilitator can observe everyone’s face and body language as well as people being encouraged to recognize everyone in the room as a dialogue partner. The upshot of these considerations is that H3Uni facilitation practice, whether physical or virtual, is far more sophisticated than ‘just turning up and running the meeting’. It requires preparation and a kind of stage management. This is where facilitating in pairs and having a collaborative support team with the client is really valuable. H3Uni are also developing a dedicated digital platform for supporting the online version. ### Where you will find this These considerations apply to all H3Uni methods and are not repeated in each of the Facilitation Guides. The Guides have a section on ‘Set Up’ that just contains the specific requirements of that Method. *** ## Process: what steps will we go through? ![](/files/bQ3jc5d6ui1Wk5RqKt2W) Designing visual facilitation is more than showing up with the toolkit and more than having a conventional agenda for a meeting. You need to plan on preparation time to get to know the people, what their task is and what are the constraints (e.g. time available) to fit the design to. As a practitioner you need to be able to adjust each facilitation process to the specific conditions. The H3Uni techniques initially present themselves as a structure diagram that is specific to the method, but hidden behind these diagrams is a process of engaging with them in a way in which the sequence is important to facilitate repatterning. For example, the sequence in Three Horizons is H1, H3, H2 not H1, H2, H3. If you do things in a different order you will get an inferior result. It is important for two main reasons: the structure itself is a snapshot of how to organise information and mental operations; and, a group of people need to share their stages of engagement with the structure and the process in a way that encourages mutual understanding and co-creation. This means that each individual in the group needs the time to ‘load up’ the information that they are going to be thinking with using the concept. Remember that design implies a consideration of a range of factors that are brought into a viable combination as a process plan (or script) before the event. The most important are: * what is the relevant thinking or problem solving that the topic requires for this event * how many people are in the group * what do they already know about the topic * how much time is available * what are the key steps and how much time does each step require * what are the support resources required It is also important to consider the contingencies: * what could go wrong? * how would the process be recovered? ### Where you will find this The Facilitation Guides are structured as a set of steps, like a recipe in a book, to guide you through the facilitation process, including hints and tips to help you with common problems. Once you have got some experience with one or two methods you should be able to pick up one of these guides and have the confidence you will be able to follow the process, just like an experienced cook with a new recipe. *** ## Skills: what skills and experience do I need to lead this? ![](/files/fO25o0GF3Ay12z78VZmT) Facilitating collaborative pattern thinking requires the buildup of mental, emotional and physical skills working together. This integration is acquired by a different way of learning than simply being informed. In this sense, pattern facilitation is a practice which, rather like learning a musical instrument, requires repeated application, feedback and insight. Learning is also enhanced by coaching from someone with experience of it. It is helpful both for learning and in facilitation events to be practising some kind of mindfulness or presence. Whatever aspect of any skill that is needed has to be deployed in the NOW, the present moment. The closer we are to a flow state the easier the integration actually becomes. This operates at least at three levels. Firstly, it is good to have practised to build reflexes in the different areas. This is like practising scales so as to be able to play runs in an actual piece of music. Secondly, it is good to be able to hold in mind and quickly refer to the facilitation script. This is treated on a kind of ‘management by exception’ basis, explained by the third point which is being intuitively alert to how things are flowing or getting blocked. This is about picking up subliminal signals or behavioural clues (e.g. the level of energy and engagement of the group) and recognizing that the planned process needs real-time adjustment. This may be literally in the instant or it may be in a session break where there is opportunity for a reflective huddle. The new reflexes that have to be built which enable attention-in-the-moment to be paid to four areas of what is going on in the group fall into four areas. ![](/files/PWR8ck4eT7EbopxqZrCD) 1. The Process Pathway: the briefing of the group on the overall pathway, what the next detailed step is and where it is in the whole process: * Are you clear at any moment where you are in the designed process? * Are people in the group clear where they are in the process? * Does the process need recovering? * Does the process need adjusting (minor redesign on the spot)? 2. Use of Thinking Frameworks: the monitoring of behaviour to see how the group are taking to the process and engaging with it: * Are tactical corrections needed? For example more or less time on a particular step? * Is some further concept explanation necessary? 3. Operation of Visual Tools: Capturing and manipulating contributions from the group according to the designed process; manipulating these as necessary on the shared visual space: * Are the tools and spaces for the next step ready to hand? * Are there photos to be taken for the record? 4. Guidance of the Group Process: Being aware of the passage of time, the energy and the need to slow or accelerate the process; sustaining the confidence of the group that the task can be done as they go through unavoidable confusion and sticking points: * Are people happy with the process so far? * Do you need to reassure them through a transition (e.g. confusion before new insight)? * do you need to take time-out to help a confused person to get in tune again? Being aware of these four aspects will help you in the moment to be aware of what is needed, and will guide you in reflective practice. ### Where you will find this The Method Tutorials and Facilitation Guides are intended to give you what you need to start on developing this overall capacity. In addition to the guidance in each step of the Facilitation Guides there is a final section of tips organised around these four areas of skill. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Visual Facilitation Tutorial Visual facilitation is the art of helping groups of people and teams to achieve higher than usual performance in their shared thinking and decision-making. The facilitator acts as a catalyst who adds value through activating and stimulating the process without taking decision power from the group. This includes flexibly adapting techniques of visual mapping to support shared meaning, shared mental modelling and mutual creativity. ***Visual facilitation is about…***…using physical media to aid cognition and communication. By using physical media we get three advantages: * information is embodied, so stuff can be positioned and moved * we can work with cognitive structures that are not confined by the grammar of language * we can map and explore multiple relationships. ***This enables…*** * Physical manipulation expressing mental manipulation and shaping for understanding * Organising left-brain information with right brain pattern recognition and creation * Sharing thinking in a field of feeling * co-creation of new thoughts and insights Combining shapes with words can be much more powerful than using just words or shapes alone. In H3Uni visual facilitation we make frequent use of combining words with shapes. We call this an ‘idon’ which is condensed from idea in an icon. ![](/files/NeFbvSqGJjxdhRvtm0oM) One commonly used idon is the hexagon. This is useful because it symbolises that, instead of being isolated, any idea can be connected with up to six others by simply placing them next to each other. The idea has been moved from being univalent on its own (like in a check list) to being up to six valent (valency is a term from chemistry describing how many other atoms an atom can connect with to make a molecule). ![](/files/55FnUv3R9SVVBbp4tVJQ) Idonic visual facilitation requires a combination of skills that have to be developed and used together. We all have these skills in some form or another but we need to practice using them in an integrated way. The deeper the skills and their integration the more effective the facilitator. The following system is a Skill Circle for visual facilitation with idons. Each of the eight skills is described below with some hints and tips about how to go about it. The steps are presented here as they would be if you were doing a complete method like Hexagon Mapping, but bear in mind that this process underpins the use of idons in any H3Uni Method, where the overall structure will guide when to use this. Steps 1-4 are completely general to the use of idons in any method. Steps 5-8 are particular to each method. ## Step 1: Forming a trigger question ![](/files/TmP8HSn4XmD0JHbevrtE) When facilitating, it is important to “set off on the best foot”. Artful facilitation can often involve reframing the way the client is approaching the task. It requires getting underneath any conclusions people may have already jumped to – even if they claim to have an open mind – and open up the investigation in a way that increases the scope for new thinking. The trigger question is a way of doing this. However, its principle role is to focus people’s minds and be a constant reference to “what we are here to do.” This is a good structure for creating trigger questions: * ***Preface*** This sets the context that has been prepared, directing the attention e.g. “Given that….”, “Considering…” * ***Question focus*** “What are the \” Use a generic word that implies going beyond information, stimulates peripheral vision, vents anxieties, allows things to surface, circumvents the conscious judgemental ‘jumping to conclusions’ filters. * ***Purpose*** Conclude with a purposive aspect…”that are needed to navigate…,” “that will shape…” ***Example***: “Given the need for greater well-being in our community what do you feel are the key considerations that we need to take into account if we are to improve our situation?” The trigger question will be chosen in the context of the particular H3Uni Method you are using, and the step you are in. Form example, when facilitating Three Horizons you will use a different trigger question for each horizon. Each Method gives guidance on its own trigger questions. *** ## Step 2: Appreciative listening to contributors ![](/files/nmSJJN4NYt1JcXrROHLB) At this stage, in listening to contributors and their ideas, the facilitator lends the appreciative ear giving people a chance to form their thoughts without conversation and be heard by the rest of the group. The factors the facilitator needs to be looking out for to guide the process are: * When some group members are much more vocal than others. * When some group members think better in silence. * When there is concern about some members not participating. * When the group does not easily generate quantities of ideas. * When all or some group members are new to the team. * When the issue is controversial or there is heated conflict. * When there is a power-imbalance between facilitator and participants or participants. * When stakeholders like a(/some) quantitative output of the process. *** ## Step 3: Formulating contributors' ideas clearly ![](/files/L8woFRpPgXGPZLz4WoGU) A key principle of facilitation for inclusive and collaborative work is that *all voices shall be heard*. The following practices can great;ly help this process: * Each participant has the time to verbalise a thought – some may be long, some short. * Searching for the meaning to that person – sometimes some coaching is needed to get the essence of the idea clear. * Getting it into a form for future shared thinking – skill may need to be applied to getting a succint summary (to write on an idon). * The art of wording the essence and verifying that with the contributor; they have must have the editorial power. * Appreciating the contributor’s angle of approach – even if you personally disagree. * The skill of reformulating without censoring or adding. * Midwifing formulation ready for subsequent stages – a good response is “You have summarised that better than I could myself”. *** ## Step 4: Confirming correct interpretation ![](/files/Pqnn9wDNltmSU0cAPYpV) Having appreciated each voice individually, it is important to appreciate the whole. If there are, say, 12 people in a group, by the time the twelfth has contributed, the first contributors may feel “left behind”. So everyone needs to feel they are part of an emerging whole. Here are some of the factors that will help. * It is good to use the visual record that has been created to review all the contributions briefly (reading them out and pointing) as a recapitulation for the group * When doing this try to include everyone emotionally as well as informationally * In doing this you are holding the space for everyone to stay in the shared process * This gives confidence that individuals have been heard and helps their motivation and atention span * Knowing you have been heard enables people to relax and pay attention * Allowing questions of clarification, not discussion or argument (at this stage). This helps get beyond the words spoken in order to clarify for that person and for the rest of the group *** ## Step 5: Mapping the contribution ![](/files/s2UC7kYL8YDE4SFQbnFi) This is the crucial step which provokes the collaborative thinking. The various ideas that have been collected, reviewed and assimilated now become the items of thought which are open to reconfiguration. They are like chess pieces on a chessboard. Otherwise thinking in a group is like playing chess blindfold with no shared rules! This is where the dynamic power of the idon method to help share and reconfigure thinking takes place. This is *cognitive reframing*. The essential features of this stage are: * Forming new patterns of thought in a visible way. * Going beyond the limitations of verbal grammar and linear logic * Using the power of idons to move the thinking up a level in a shared process * Enabling deeper interactions between people * Sparking creative insights There are many options for cognitive framing (problem structuring) depending on what suits the question. This is what the inventory of methods in the H3Uni Resource Library is about. The backgound diagrams for H3Uni methods take several generic forms including: * grids * trees * loops * contours * clusters Each Tutorial introduces the relevant structure for the method. The Thinking Skills introduce more diagrammatic tools, and it is good to be fluent in all of these so that you can bring them in as required to supplement the basic method process. *** ## Step 6: Relating ideas to each other ![](/files/jbUhTzZgTTmtNc2BKuF2) This aspect is about the dynamics that take place in people’s minds, using the idons, within the chosen cognitive framing, on the shared visual space (wall, whiteboard, pin board). The first level of conversation in the previous steps was around: “what are you saying?” and “what are you meaning?” This is now the second level of conversation which is about: “how do these things relate?” “what is the meaning of the emerging pattern?” Here are some things to bear in mind for this stage: * From first level elicitation, to second level conversation which is generative * Using differences to promote conversation * Different opinions lead to different positioning judgements challenging new synthesis * Visibly sharing these judgements * Emergent properties of the conversation * Homing in on shared understanding * Clarifying deeper mutual agreement or difference *** ## Step 7: What is the meaning? ![](/files/UICcDEdVgROF2xpymDJW) Facilitating co-creation requires the facilitator to help the group be clear about the distinction between analysis and synthesis. This stage is not about picking the situation apart but about looking for new patterns of connection which evoke new meaning. The new meaning, in turn, evokes new possibilities for action – for example, solution approaches to the the original problem which had not been previously generated, recognised or considered. Analysis tends to categorisation; synthesis gravitates to patterns of connection. Gestalt (the recognition of meaningful pattern) operates in thought as well as in perception. You can use the following mental operations to stimulate creation and recognition of pattern: * *Similarity* – what are common factors between the different areas we have come up with? * *Anomaly* – what stands out as incongruous in the picture the previous stage has set up? * *Continuation* – what seems to flow from what? * *Closure* – do some things complete the gaps in other things? * *Proximity* – what happens when distant things are brought closely together? * *Figure/ground* – what happens when we put priority features in the backgound and put background things up front? * *Meaning* – what are we seeing together now and what does it mean for us? *** ## Step 8: Harvest insights ![](/files/nfqtBcfUKH6FcfBxQGCA) For a satisfying process it is important to help the group step back and see what has been accomplished. There are a number of angles on this that prove useful. Often the ending is where the time available for the whole process is squeezed and it is easy to simply close down after the last stage. The following possible approaches offer ways of accomplishing this completion stage. Without it we may find some of the good work evaporates – that is why this stage is called harvesting. We need to gather the crop. * Get the group to share reflections on the movement from the starting position to the conclusion. * Ask “What has come out of the exercise?” * Harvesting as narrative – get someone to tell the story of where we are at now, using the visual structure as prompt. * Have people share and appreciate movement in individuals – this usually reflects movement in the group and gives it expression * If the group are doing this because of a common task, has this exercise aligned them better? * If there were value conflicts at the start has this generated better mutual understanding? * Has the exercise opened up new possibilities for concerted action? * Are there new fields of inquiry that the group need to pursue? It is often useful to take photographs of the output or to map this with visual software. This is especially relevant if the session is part of an ongoing project. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
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[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Scoping Tutorial Any significant intervention that is going to use H3Uni facilitation methods needs to start by agreeing an overall scope of the issue that is to be explored. People are being convened because there is some area of concern that they share, though they will bring to it very different understandings of how it should be thought about and addressed; depending on the situation there might be very deep disagreements and issues of power at stake in what gets discussed that may be reflected in who is in the room and who is excluded. The development of a short Scoping Statement helps set the direction of exploration such that the differences can be brought into the process, so the purpose of the scoping step overall is to orient the activity in a helpful way for the facilitator and participants. In this tutorial we look at scoping a Three Horizon mapping process, which sits at the start of the process like this: ![](/files/zgV8tTQrbM73Ouzw0RNb) The structure of a scoping statement is:
The same scoping preparation is useful if you replace the box with the horizon method with another method, for example [Dilemma Navigation](/facilitation-guide/dilemma-navigation-guide) or [Hexagon Mapping](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping). To keep things simple, this tutorial is just concerned with scoping Three Horizons, and a second tutorial explains the more general use. ## Convening the Group Convening the group is the process that leads up to the meeting, and will play a major role on what discussion gets into the room and what is left outside. This tutorial does not deal with those issues, but assumes that people are arriving already bought in to the fact that they are giving time to a shared area of concern. It will be the job of the leader and sponsor of the process to introduce the issue in a way that sets up the rest of the process, and then hand over to the facilitator. See the more general discussion in the [H3Uni Practice Framework](/tutorial/h3uni-practice-framework). ## Transactional and Contextual Environments ![](/files/Xy8psC13lg5T7qkNNRD6) A helpful conceptual tool for developing the scope for three horizons and other methods is the distinction drawn in strategy work between the *transactional* and *contextual* environments. In the centre of the diagram below is the organisation which has the agency to influence and even create important aspects of the future of the area of concern identified in Step 1. We sometimes refer to this organisation as an *integrity* to emphasise that it does not have to be a formal institution but might be a group of people pioneering change who work together to sustain a path of action. Starting with with the issue of concern we use [Ecosystem Thinking](/exercise/ecosystem-thinking) to identify the day-to-day patterns of interaction for this issue and the main actors involved. This is the transactional environment in which the actors have significant influence to change things through their own actions. Beyond this lies the contextual environment, in which change happens that will have effects on the transactional environment but lies beyond its direct reach. For example, a discussion of the production of food would bring place farmers in the transactional environment and demographics in the contextual environment. The boundary between the contextual and transactional environment is not defined in any set way, and an important part of any change project is to explore how we might ‘convene the future’ by bringing new configurations of actors together who can shift the pattern and its boundaries. When situations have the potential for transformative change it is also likely that it will come from actors currently on the margins who may or may not be visible at the moment. Some of these will turn up as third horizon ‘pockets of the future in the present’. This can apply also to resolving dielmmas and solving complex problems. The most difficult and messy problems defy any simple understanding of where they begin and end, of causes and effects. In these cases, the definition of the scope all depends on how you think about the problem. By keeping transactional and contextual boundaries constantly in play, we can explore the possibilities for transformative change as we move from first to third horizon. *** ## Scoping Statement Using the template, develop the scoping statement: **OF** something: * This may be a question, a topic, a problem area or just a general scoping of the matter of concern. You don’t want to try to tie down the visionary destination too tightly at this point, since that is what is going to emerge from the process. Describe the issue in a way that clarifies the focus of enquiry but without attempting to define it too tightly, establish inappropriate boundaries, or preempt exploration of emerging realities. * Make it as outward looking as possible e.g. “sustainable food production in such-and-such country” rather than “the future of our market for X in such-and-such country”. There is always a strong pull in a team from one organisation to define the scope in terms of their own activities and strategies. For scoping this needs to be resisted, and instead identify the area of activity as it appears in the world that provides the context for the group’s interests. This should be supported by the work done in Step 2, but if this was omitted then more effort is likely to be needed to get the broader description of the matter of concern. * Set a time horizon that fits with the dynamics of change that are relevant. The timescale helps us identify the scale and scope of transformation we are looking at. It should be long enough to release us from the sense of being locked in to the current pattern, but not so long ahead as to detach us from the realities e.g. in computing that might be less than a decade, for energy infrastructure it might be several decades, for a change strongly governed by social attitudes it might be a generation. **BY** someone: * The people are going to directly use the results of this work. Recognising that the the participants are part of the system in question, and that the act of enquiry is part of the process of change, this identifies who is going on this journey of transformation. They may or may not all be in the room, but by identifying who they are it should always be clear whether they are participating appropriately for their own process of learning and change. **FOR** a purpose: * It is helpful to be as specific as possible about how the outputs will be used, what processes will they inform. The purpose of establishing a scoping statement is to set off, as if on an expedition of discovery, with a shared intent, but staying as open as possible to what might be discovered on the way. Developing the statement should not become the journey. If it generates a lot of discussion and doesn’t converge then ask the leader of the group for guidance, and be ready to keep it fairly open to allow learning. The ambiguity in the scope is important information about what needs to be explored, not a failure to define objectives of the work. As facilitator you can give the group confidence that this openness can be handled through the process.
*** ## Exercise **1 Matter of Concern** Decide on the matter of concern for which you will develop a scoping statement suitable for a Three Horizon conversation. For this exercise you are the convenor of the conversation, so you can imagine how you might set the scene with the other people. Draw up the contextual/transactional diagram on a large sheet of paper with room to insert stickies. **2 Transactional Environment** Ask what you see in the situation you are engaging with regarding: * users – who are those who are to benefit from the improvement you are seeking to make? * co-producers – who else is engaged and co-operating in the same improvement area (including the users)? * competitors – who is rivaling you in providing the improvement in manner to displace you? * key players – who is setting the tone, the style, the manner of engagement, who might shape it in the future? Write the answers on stickies and populate the transaction zone with them. **3 Contextual Environment** Now populate the outer contextual area with observations about the major influences and trends which are shaping the transactional environment beyond any influence or control you could exercise. **4 Scoping Statement** Now develop a scoping statement according the format described above. *** ## Methods [Scoping](/facilitation-guide/scoping) is the general method. It can be very helpful to work with the lead sponsor of a process using [Hexagon Mapping ](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping)to explore the issue of concern, and make an influence map as a way of clarifying the scope they have in mind for the work, and then use that to set up the scoping process. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Three Horizons Tutorial There is a seeming paradox in futures thinking. On the one hand, it is quite difficult and not very common as either method or skill. On the other hand, it is a natural function of the mind and parts of the brain are dedicated to it, sometimes called ‘memory of the future’; we call this natural capacity *future consciousness*. The task of facilitating futures thinking is to ease the difficulties and release the natural capacity. That is what the methods explained here enable you to do. One set of blockages to future consciousness, especially sharing it, is various social habits and taboos that inhibit its function through customs, language and dominant social expectations. Another is the psychology of certainty and uncertainty. Exploratory future thinking includes facing uncertainty in ways that most people try and avoid. This will show itself in denial and avoidance of questions. It will also appear as arguments of the form “Don’t be ridiculous, that could never happen” or “No way! That isn’t possible”. Another factor is around power and security. Nobody likes to consider a future which removes their power position or livelihood. However, in a radically changing world it may be prudent to anticipate such events and prepare contingency plans The *Three Horizons* method helps get around some of these difficulties by providing a context in which people can legitimately share different perspectives both amongst each other and internally in their own minds. You will see this later in the section on three voices. The important skill and capacity of the facilitator is to be able to hold the mental and emotional space for people to be safe in exploring these things. It is also to ensure that “all voices are heard” in the process of building the three horizon map. This means that you, the facilitator, need to have practised three horizons thinking and developed your own future consciousness to have the confidence to carry this through. Having said that, wide experience by many practitioners in many situations has shown that it has a sort of power to “do itself”, at least at a basic level, if you set up the structure and follow the facilitation protocols. ### Patterns of Change The three horizon model gives us a deeper understanding of the significance of what we usually call short, medium and long term futures. The model is based on the observation that businesses, technologies, political policies and even whole civilizations exhibit life-cycles of initiation, growth, peak performance, decline and even death. These cycles can be viewed as waves of change in which a dominant form is eventually overtaken and displaced by another. This pattern also shows up in our personal lives where we go through a change of life that is not an extension of the past but has a quite new pattern emerge. In this process we go through a disruptive crisis of transition and transformation. These displacements may be gradual but, in times of rapid change, they can be quite abrupt. For example, we speak of disruptive technologies that suddenly reach a tipping point and take over the technological ecosystem. However, a closer look reveals that these waves are also going on simultaneously on different scales, changing their place in the foreground or background over time. Yet this is not easy to see unless we appreciate the qualitative differences between the waves. Understanding is further helped by recognising the value of thinking in terms of three waves at a time. A good way to picture this is to switch from the analogy of waves and think instead in terms of horizons. Imagine you are looking at a view from the plains near the coast towards inland mountains. The first horizon is where the plains end and the foothills of the second horizon rise. Yet behind them are the high mountains of the third horizon. The plains may be agricultural, the foothills wooded and the mountains without trees and with glaciers. Each horizon is qualitatively different. The analogy here is that we need to be able to see different qualities that distinguish the short, medium and long term as more significant than the amount of time. In some areas of society, the three horizons may cover a span of ten years; in others they may span half a century. In other words *qualitative or structural change is more significant for strategy than span of time*.
We usually label the vertical axis as ‘Pattern’, ‘Viability’, ‘Prevalence’ or ‘Strategic Fit’, which capture the idea of the shift in the most dominant, or prevalent, pattern moving between the horizons over time. It is a reflection of the strategic fit to emerging conditions, and so this is an alternative labelling. Alternatively we can think of the vertical dimension as a scale of a particular condition of interest. For example in the field of sustainability it could be the resilience of a community that falls and rises according to what is going on and the way people live. *** ## H1 - The First Horizon... … is the dominant system at present. It represents ‘business as usual’. We rely on these systems being stable and reliable but as the world changes, so aspects of business as usual begin to feel out of place or no longer fit for purpose. Eventually business as usual will be superseded by new ways of doing things. ![](/files/8X79ztUPJm6AnQZu9vSC) *** ## H3 - The Third Horizon... …emerges as the long term successor to business-as-usual. It grows from fringe activity in the present that introduces completely new ways of doing things but which turn out to be much better fitted to the world that is emerging than the dominant H1 systems. We call these early manifestations “pockets of the future in the present.” ![](/files/idIpxJmngYbK9qNJK2PW) *** ## H2 - The Second Horizon... …is a pattern of transition activities and innovations, people trying things out in response to the ways in which the landscape is changing. Some of these innovations will be taken up by H1 systems to prolong their life while some will pave the way for the emergence of the radically different H3 systems. ![](/files/dgdmoVl0IjeMNKa6YBtJ) *** ## Qualities of the Future in the Present **All three horizons** are always present, they capture three qualitatively different ways of connecting the present moment to the future. Aspects of H1 will persist in any new business as usual; aspects of H3 are always evident, if not obvious, in current discourse and argument and in all kinds of activity on the fringes of the dominant system; while H2, like a moving border between past and future, is all around us in examples of innovative alternative practice. However, the First Horizon’s commitment is to survival. As the current, dominant, system it maintains its dominance, even in a changing world, either by crushing Second and Third Horizon innovation (variant 1 below), or by co-opting it to support its established system (variant 2). This resistance to change impacts on the transition to H3: often it leads to the innovations in H2 being ‘mainstreamed’ in order to prolong the life of the existing system, rather than to help movement towards a new system. *** ## Common Variants The three line diagram used so far here is what we might call the standard version which is useful for introducing the concept as a framework for facilitation. However, as a model of the way the future unfolds it is only one form. Indeed, it is rather an ideal form for where a shift of pattern is relatively successful and without difficulties other than the deconstruction and reconstruction that is unavoidable in Horizon 2. There are different variants that show that it is useful to bear in mind for more advanced applications, or to point out to people that change into the future is not always straightforward. The standard and three additional variants are shown here: 1. **Challenge and Transformation** 2. **Collapse and Slow Recovery** 3. **Capture and Extension** 4. **Overshoot & Collapse** Bear in mind that these are just archetypes and the real world is always going to be a messy mixture. The point is not to impose them on a situation, but to use them to sensitise our perception to what is actually going on, and the dynamics in play. ### Variant 1: Challenge and Transformation ![](/files/lNcElso1vi1UzBhLNtWe) Horizon 1 is a current strategy that works well until changes in the environment plus its own diminishing returns put it on a curve of decline. Meanwhile Horizon 2, aware of this, is innovating more effective approaches which eventually overtake. In the background, a completely new paradigm is emerging as Horizon 3. It appears for a long time to be marginal and ineffective but since it matches better the new environment it eventually takes over. The Horizon 2 innovations have served as enabling to the transformation. ### Variant 2: Collapse and Slow Recovery ![](/files/UPdvFckcaPJ3XS3TJqpB) In this variant the supremacy of the Horizon 1 paradigm creates runaway success but at the expense of some critical condition. Failure to capture coupled with weaker innovation in Horizon 2 leads to sudden collapse. Horizon 2 is unable to make up for this. In the background Horizon 3 continues to develop and after the initial upset and chaos of the collapse demonstrates its ability to match the new conditions and emerges as the next viable paradigm. Examples: Many city and region economies have been through this cycle due to their strong commitment to a particular industry that has lost competitiveness e.g. autos, steel, textiles. ### Variant 3: H1 Capture and Extension ![](/files/kIMxskXLbQT4SgHtoV86) Horizon 1 is challenged by changing conditions and there is strong innovation opportunity taken by Horizon 2. However, each wave of innovation is captured by Horizon 1 and applied to extend its life. This may go on for several cycles. Horizon 3 remains in the background since it is so different from Horizon 1 that there is no place for it in the mainstream. It continues to languish in the margins until a much more fundamental and long term change occurs. Examples: financial crises (e.g.2008) show a breakdown in the Horizon 1 business-as-usual and there is clamour for fundamental reform. However, the dominant system pushes back and only minor adjustments are made (e.g. quantitative easing, regulatory reform). Meanwhile the underlying structural problem still persists leading inevitably to a series of crises and fixes. New financial structures and currencies languish in the background as Horizon 3 possible solutions. Entrepreneurial attempts are made for alternatives that might be on the path to H3 or sustain and extend H1. ### Variant 4: H2 Overshoot ![](/files/C8vfALRI642KK9Uh5Bdk) H1 is challenged by a compelling vision that is hyped up and creates a wave of investment in Horizon 2 innovations. This creates a boom followed by bust as many innovations are poorly judged. Horizon 3, which was the source of the vision gets a boost from the Horizon 2 over-investment, and grows strongly as confidence returns and the vision matures. Examples: Technologies are often over-hyped by their protagonists in order to attract funding, but are then not able to fully absorb that investment if a boom takes off. The Dotcom bust was a major example. *** ## Mindsets and Perspectives The effectiveness of Three Horizons comes from recognising that the three horizons are not just abstract representations of change, but characterise three qualitatively different orientations to the future in the present – they describe ways people are behaving to maintain the first horizon or seeking to change it. We referred to this earlier as “three voices”. The interaction between the horizons is as much culturally determined as it is economic or technologically determined. The people and groups associated with each horizon at a given point in time have very different interests, values and mindsets. This makes communication difficult and the tendency for misunderstanding and conflict very high. Indeed, there is competition between the horizon mentalities and in some cases outright conflict. This is why we more often than not see Variants 2 and 3 rather than the smother transition of the Variant 1. However, in managing transformational change, where we want to avoid the costs of conflict or collapse, it is necessary to develop a perspective that understands all three mindsets and takes them into account. The challenge for transformational leadership is to be able to stand back from an overall position to be able to see the interplay between them, and work with them all constructively – we call this the step into future consciousness. This is most easily studied as the kinds of attitudes and judgements that people from each of the horizons make about each other and each other’s activities and priorities.
All three mindsets are present in the situation simultaneously, either isolated or in conflict. The facilitation task is getting them to talk to each other and work towards collaborative transition for transformation. The initial stances of each mindset towards the others is caricatured in the above diagram on the left. On the right are how these negative mindsets can be transformed into positive perspectives. In the facilitation role it is helpful to listen to people’s contributions and conversations with the two triangles in mind and see if you can spot entrenched positions and therefore encourage the co-operative relationship between the voices. *** ## Convening the Future The Three Horizons model offers a simple way into a conversation about: * the dominant system and the challenges to its sustainability into the future, ie the case for change (Horizon 1); * the emerging future state or the imagined system of which we can identify elements in the present that provide encouragement and inspiration (Horizon 3); * the nature of the tensions and dilemmas between H3 visions and H1 reality, and the subtle processes of change, new ways of working, new capacities, new structures even, required to navigate the transition between them; * the requirement to develop a mature perspective that accepts the need both to address the challenges to the First Horizon and nurture the seeds of the Third. This is not an either/or, good/bad discussion. We need both to ‘keep the lights on’ today, and to find a way of keeping them on in the future in very different circumstances. We typically introduce the horizons, and think about the way the dynamic changes between them over time, in this order: H1 – H3 – H2. This is because without a third horizon it is impossible to make the distinction between ‘sustaining innovation’ (H2-) and ‘transformative innovation’ (H2+). Starting with the first horizon brings into view why the conversation is happening, why it is felt that the current ‘business as usual’ can no longer make the changes needed. Moving to the third horizon we talk about our own visions but also all the other alternative and competing views of the future of which we are aware. This is a chance to surface underlying assumptions and different value systems, and where power to shape the future lies. Real examples populate the ‘pockets of the future’. A deeper enquiry into uncertainty can use scenario approaches to develop alternative stories of how the future context might turn out that we will need to adapt to. In the second horizon we identify initiatives underway and how they relate to sustaining and transformative change. As we develop the third horizon picture more then we can also start to see the role of the first horizon in the future. Usually, once we have been able to let go of it and move to the third horizon we find there are important things that must not be lost and can be adapted to the new environment. Bringing all three horizons together as an interrelated pattern and as a shared narrative of possibilities for navigating towards the chosen better future, is a crucial practical result of cultivating future consciousness through convening the future. *** ## Methods There are three method Facilitation Guides for Three Horizons: * [Three Horizons Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide): this is the basic process of building a Three Horizon map of any topic. * [Three Horizons Multi-Actor Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-multi-actor-mapping): this broadens the mapping process to combine multiple viewpoints on the emerging H3. It is a good way to combine the vision of the group with other sources of change that need to be taken into account. * [Three Horizons Action Planning](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-action-planning): this takes the output of the Mapping method and structures action towards a desired H3 vision. [Dilemma Navigation](/facilitation-guide/dilemma-navigation-guide) provides a more advanced method of developing visionary and adaptive pathways that retain essential values of H1 while moving towards the H3 vision. Further methods for this, and for Navigational Scenarios are coming soon. *** ## Resources Further resources including a set of introductory videos, links to organisations using Three Horizons, and case studies at [www.futurestewards.com](http://www.futurestewards.com/) The International Futures Forum has an extensive set of resources for learning and practice at: [www.iffpraxis.com/three-horizons](https://www.iffpraxis.com/three-horizons) ## References The first published version of a three horizons model was in [Baghai, M., Coley, S. and White, D.S. *The Alchemy of Growth: Practical Insights for Building the Enduring Enterprise*. Orion Business, (1999)](https://growthalchemy.com/introduction/the-alchemy-of-growth/). The development of the Three Horizons method as presented here is described in [Curry, A., and A. Hodgson. *Seeing in Multiple Horizons: Connecting Futures to Strategy*. Journal of Futures Studies 13, no. 1: 1–20 (2008)](https://jfsdigital.org/articles-and-essays/2008-2/vol-13-no-1-august/articles/seeing-in-multiple-horizons-connecting-futures-to-strategy/) Deeper theory based on the work of Anthony Hodgson on the Anticipatory Present Moment in [Sharpe, B., Hodgson, A. *Anticipation in Three Horizons*. In: Poli, R. (eds) Handbook of Anticipation. Springer, Cham. (2019)](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91554-8_82) The positioning of Three Horizons as a pathways practice for transformative change, in relation to futures practices of scenarios and roadmaps is described in [Sharpe, B., G. Leicester, A Hodgson, A. Lyon, and I. Fazey. *Three Horizons: A Pathways Practice for Transformation*. Ecology and Society, vol. 21, no. 2, (2016)](https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol21/iss2/art47/). Further development and explanation of the variants in [Fazey, I., and G. Leicester. *Archetypes of system transition and transformation: Six lessons for stewarding change*. Energy Research and Social Science 91 (2022)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629622001505) The overall approach is described in the book [Sharpe, B.,. *Three Horizons: The Patterning of Hope*. London: Triarchy Press, (2013).](https://www.triarchypress.net/three-horizons.html) ## Further references ### Peer-reviewed journal articles Bina O, Baptista MD, Pereira MM, et al (2024) Exploring desired urban futures: the transformative potential of a nature-based approach. Futures 159:103362. Hines A, Benoit H, Leong L, et al (2024) Mapping archetype scenarios across the three horizons. Futures 162:103418. Matovu B, Alkoyak-Yildiz M, Lukambagire I, et al (2024) Using a systems thinking approach to increase coastal community resilience against environmental shocks: A case study of Valiathura coastal area, India. Acta Sci Pol 23:3–18. Taimur S, Luederitz C, Gauthier M, et al (2024) Theorizing how the Three Horizons approach supports transformative learning: insights from advancing climate action in a Canadian Biosphere Reserve. Ecol Soc 29. Uyttewaal K, Stoof CR, Canaleta G, et al (2024) Uplifting local ecological knowledge as part of adaptation pathways to wildfire risk reduction: A case study in Montseny, Catalonia (Spain). Ambio 1–21. Adams D (2023) The Future of Sport and Recreation in New Zealand. J Futures Stud 28:63–79. Bachi L, Corrêa D, Fonseca C, Carvalho-Ribeiro S (2023) Are there bright spots in an agriculture frontier? Characterizing seeds of good Anthropocene in Matopiba, Brazil. Environ Dev 46:100856. Collste D, Aguiar APD, Harmáčková ZV, et al (2023) Participatory pathways to the Sustainable Development Goals: inviting divergent perspectives through a cross-scale systems approach. Environ Res Commun 5:055014. Mauno T, Catelo F, Bengston DN, et al (2023) How to identify and interpret weak signals of change in the forest bioeconomy. For Policy Econ 157:103075. Stewart I, Capello MA, Mouri H, et al (2023) Three Horizons for Future Geoscience. Earth Sci Syst Soc 3. Schaal T, Mitchell M, Scheele BC, et al (2023) Using the three horizons approach to explore pathways towards positive futures for agricultural landscapes with rich biodiversity. Sustain Sci. Adams D (2023) The Future of Sport and Recreation in New Zealand. J Futures Stud 28:63–79. Barnert E, Wright J, Choi C, et al (2022) Reimagining Children’s Rights in the US. JAMA Pediatr 176:1242–1247. Facer K (2022) Imagination and the future university. Crit Times 5:202–216. Facer K, Newfield C (2022) Introduction: The University at the End of the World. Critical Times 5:78–86. Fazey I, Leicester G (2022) Archetypes of system transition and transformation: Six lessons for stewarding change. Energy Res Soc Sci 91:102646. Field A (2022) Mining the ambient commons: building interdisciplinary connections between environmental knowledge, AI and creative practice research. Interdiscip Sci Rev 47:185–198. Gavroglu K (2022) University rankings. Crit Times 5:121–128. Harmáčková ZV, Blättler L, Aguiar APD, et al (2022) Linking multiple values of nature with future impacts: value-based participatory scenario development for sustainable landscape governance. Sustain Sci 17:849–864. Jiren TS, Riechers M, Kansky R, Fischer J (2021) Participatory scenario planning to facilitate human–wildlife coexistence. Conserv Biol 35:1–9. Kuiper J, Wijk D, Mooij W, et al (2021) Exploring desirable nature futures for Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen. Ecosyst People 18:329–347. Aguiar APD, Collste D, Harmáčková ZV, et al (2020) Co-designing global target-seeking scenarios: A cross-scale participatory process for capturing multiple perspectives on pathways to sustainability. Glob Environ Change 65:102198. Heij G (2016) Anybody out there? The Future of Tax. J Futures Stud 21:35–50 ### Conference papers Hodgson A, Midgley G (2015) Bringing foresight into systems thinking: A three horizon approach. In: 58th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, ISSS 2014 {% file src="/files/xITuwViKo6fc7hrKb1W1" %} ### Book chapters Renouard C (2023) Transformation. In: Wallenhorst N, Wulf C (eds) Handbook of the Anthropocene: Humans between Heritage and Future. Springer International Publishing, pp 1327–1331 Sharpe B, Ash-Harper, Z (2022) Producing Inclusion with Three Horizons. In Koenig O (ed) Inklusion und Transformation in Organisationen. Julius Kilinhardt, pp 41-64 Sharpe B, Hodgson A (2019) Anticipation in Three Horizons. In: Poli R (ed) Handbook of Anticipation: Theoretical and Applied Aspects of the Use of Future in Decision Making. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, pp 1071–1088 Lyon A (2018) Three horizons of general practice. In: Watt G (ed) The Exceptional Potential of General Practice: Making a Difference in Primary Care. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 5–8 *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Thinking with Hexagons Tutorial Complex situations are not composed of a number of isolated elements that can be treated separately – there are connections, some evident, some hidden, that affect the condition and the role of any factor. This means that acting on the check list or ‘tick box’ approach will inevitably lead to unintended consequences as the feedback between factors kicks in. Yet when we are working with a complex situation we often write check lists to gather up the range of factors we need to pay attention to. An antidote to this which greatly improves our capacity to grasp complexity is hexagon mapping – a tool and technique which helps to tap into our intuitive and visual understanding of connecting patterns in a direct more powerful way rather than analytical methods. [Hexagon Mapping](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping) is a foundational method of H3Uni. It can be used on its own to explore a complex situation, but hexagon clustering is also a core component of many other methods, where it plays a role in transitioning from one stage of a process to another, allowing an effective way to chunk the output in a way appropriate to the task in hand. In this tutorial we introduce it as a stand-alone method. When used within other methods you will find you just use the clustering subset of the steps, with others being provided by the method concerned. As a method in itself hexagon mapping is a way of getting to grips with complex and messy situations quickly and flexibly and to find new patterns of relationships between ideas. It combines comprehensiveness, organization and space for creative insight. It goes way beyond creating a checklist or a brain dump of sticky notes. The result is a hexagon map that becomes a shared tool problem solving, for developing strategy and action planning.
Hexagon thinking and mapping supports three aspects of collective intelligence. Firstly, it enables a group to create a shared and visible mental model of the issue of concern that is unique to their knowledge and concerns in the present moment; secondly it helps a group to take their area of concern from what starts as a fragmented collection of views to a map which is inclusive and reveals systemic connections that point to a new possible synthesis or integration; third the procedures and tools enable everyone to take part such that all voices are heard. Hexagon mapping builds on the foundation of [visual facilitation](/tutorial/visual-facilitation), relying on the disciplines of eliciting, gathering, harvesting and synthesizing. If you are not already familiar with these foundations it is recommended you look at that tutorial first. ## Re-patterning with hexagons The power of hexagon thinking rests on the nature of the hexagon geometry. You can take a hexagon and add one to each side, connecting the one in the middle to six others. This immediately disrupts our normal linear thinking, and allows us to present a set of ideas in a way that helps our minds see them in relationship. Our verbal language, for example “the cat sat on the mat”, freezes the relationship between the cat and the mat to just one of several possibilities. Place the ‘cat’ in a hexagon and it now has potentially six relationships of which ‘mat’ is only one. ![](/files/5lvePC0fwwB8olqjDag4) You can of course put some rectangular stickies into a cluster, but experience shows that is much weaker as a thinking tool because you cannot build up the number of connections in the way you can with hexagons. Building on the power of the hexagon cluster you can move on to using the way it enables re-patterning, with the accent on the ‘re’. Hexagons can be moved around into different patterns and clusters. If thinking gets fixed in a pattern you can challenge this through trying different patterns and combinations. The weakest form of clustering is just to categorise ideas that are all about the same thing, and there are times when that is all that is required. Typically, however, the point of H3Uni methods is to open up a creative response to a situation and that will need a different thinking approach that is generative. The basic idea of generative thinking is ‘1 + 1 = 3’, in other words, taking two ideas and seeing a fresh connection that is not contained in either of them. A simple way to contrast categorical and generative thinking is to compare the way you arrange clothes in your wardrobe, and how to pick them out to go out for the night: the first (if you are tidy) is a categorical organization, the second is a creative combination that is more than the sum of the parts. As an exercise, take a topic where ideas have been segregated into two or more distinct classes. Take one idea from one class and another from a different class. Put them on hexagons next to each other, with a blank one between them. ![](/files/ReIGPgJc58bMpJcjFCro) Ask yourself what new idea or ideas are suggested by the juxtaposition? Is there an idea that goes beyond both whilst retaining some of their significance? Try this a few times. Notice the way that just having this arrangement in front of you encourages your mind to hunt for a creative combination. You will find this approach to generative hexagon thinking used in [Dilemma Navigation](/facilitation-guide/dilemma-navigation-guide). Having explored alternative clusters, and converged on one, a further skill is that of telling a narrative behind the hexagons. Being able to tell a story that weaves the hexagon topics together helps to bring out their systemic interaction. Try this out for the different processes and see for yourself what simple story holds the cluster together. Developing your instincts around this is key for helping a group come up with a cluster label. There is a skill in selecting the approach to hexagon mapping and clustering so that you are bringing out new connections not in the prevailing mindset, and as a facilitator you need to develop this skill to see when this is what is needed. H3Uni methods are structured into steps to help set up the appropriate approach to clustering and provide guidance on what is required for that method. *** ## Basics of capturing hexagons ![Writing on hexagons](/files/O0xeP2yqzAAg6zwRUK7n) There are a few basic guidelines to get the best out of using hexagons: * Using them with a point uppermost works better than a flat edge, and is the standard technique assumed in all H3Uni methods. It provides space for the numbering, and works better when you want to put them side by side for generative thinking. You can also use the space at the bottom point for coding or classification e.g. to record who made a point. * Write clearly in capitals, and don’t use more than eight words – this will ensure the points are simple and readable by everyone. * If you haven’t got something clear, or the person doesn’t agree with your distillation, you need to be ready to start again, so make sure you have plenty spare. * Some processes benefit from having more than one colour. Yellow, red, green and blue are enough for everything. *** ## Hexagon mapping and influence diagramming process The best way to understand the use of hexagons is to work through the [Hexagon Mapping](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping) Facilitation Guide, treating yourself as the ‘client’ who is being facilitated. This will show you how the basics of capture and clustering support a simple yet powerful approach to system thinking that we call influence diagramming. This basic method can be used in all sorts of situations to do initial enquiry and is an excellent way to get started on a project and guide the use of other H3Uni Methods. Hexagons are deceptively simple. H3Uni methods treat them as idons which are symbols containing significant meaning for the participating group. The power comes from the whole technique of using a large white space representing the shared mind of the group. This is the space equivalent to the ‘front of the mind’ in an individual. So the clustering and influence diagram build up group mind around the topic. A key process aspect of the method is that the clustering and relating express an emergent property of the group conversation which is supported visually as well as verbally. And unlike graphical facilitation, everyone participates. The end result is that people’s individual mental models have been slightly deconstructed and reconstructed through the process to form a shared mental model. Of course everyone will still interpret it in their own way but extensive use of the method shows that the level of attunement, alignment and mutual understanding in the group increase significantly. *** ## Method [The Hexagon Mapping](/facilitation-guide/hexagon-mapping) method is both a self-contained process for exploring any complex issue, but also provides steps that can be used in any other H3Uni method for clustering the output of one step as input to the next. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Wheel of Wisdom Tutorial This Tutorial is intended to provide an experienced facilitator with the basic understanding and practical information necessary to run a virtual working session online with participants in the Wheel of Wisdom. ## What is this Wheel? The Wheel of Wisdom is a design for discovering common interests, insights and understanding in communities, leading to shared agreement and decisions. Its eight perspectives evoke innate aspects of leadership that are latent in everyone. It draws people on a quest through self-discovery, and discovery of the other; towards consideration and action on questions that matter for the common good. The Wheel of Wisdom can be approached at many levels; practical, spiritual, communal and transformative. It can be used over widely different periods of time, from short durations to continuous daily practice. All according to the needs and aspirations of whomever is using it. The Wheel becomes more powerful still when used in conjunction with other H3Uni Transformation Methods. This will be developed further elsewhere within the Resource Library. A facilitator who leads sessions with the Wheel is named **Servant Listener,** as a reminder of the qualities that this practice calls for.
### Background This contemporary design takes inspiration from the indigenous American Earth Wisdom Council. (It is not a copy.) The pattern that informs this new Wheel originated many centuries ago among the Mayan people of Central America. The people created their Wisdom Council to remind them of the qualities and responsibilities that they believed were essential to becoming fully human: * the high potential of their humanity (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental); * their reciprocal relationship with, and responsibilities toward, nature; * the shared ancestral inheritance and stories that held them together; and * how to overcome threats, differences and divisions, to thrive as interdependent and lively communities. The Council Wheel and its protocols were then adopted and adapted by tribal cultures in North America as a basis for their personal and collective remembering, learning, understanding and collaboration. Many wheels of understanding and healing sprang from it. Designs of this kind, including stone circles (which may have 7, 8 or 9, or more, directions), have been part of many old cultures in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. *** ## Who is the Wheel for? The Wheel is for people and groups who are seeking better, creative and more viable ways of living together: as communities in their circumstances, in the places where they live. It is for people who are seeking to transcend difference and discord, to live amicably and naturally together. It is for people who wish to evolve habits, values and understanding that promote inclusive, fulfilling ways of life. The Wheel offers participants a journey of personal and collaborative discovery about their needs. And about their assumptions, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and intentions. The things that inform and drive their actions and identities. Through questioning, appreciative reflection and dialogue, the Wheel evokes agency – shared commitment and action towards worthwhile improvement. The Wheel opens pathways for people who seek openly considered collective agreements for living sustainably, and who wish to energise a fruitful culture of refreshment and reaffirmation, to contain and relieve emergent challenges to communal accord. *** ## What is the Wheel’s Purpose? The Wheel of Wisdom interrogates difficult questions from its eight perspectives. Questions that defy conventional skilled advocacy and knowledgeable answers. Or ones that lie entirely beyond any known response. In the face of all that is complex and uncertain, the Wheel serves to evoke and activate effective personal and collective decision making. Wisdom is an innate, shared human quality. It is always present in potential, but often excluded by voices of advocacy for divided interests. In current culture, wisdom has to be worked for, discovered, distilled and agreed upon *together*. When recognised and accepted, wisdom can become embodied for affirmative action. Diversity and discord can be found within a person, as much as within a group. Using the Wheel, people can experience the diversity of their own inner voices, which may act at different levels of consciousness, and show conflicting personal reactions to common questions. The Wheel of Wisdom supports an individual’s journey of awareness; their search for, discovery and expression of their own inner coherence. In strategic decision making, the Wheel helps to ensure that a full variety of perspectives has been deployed to test the quality and viability of alternative courses of commitment. By insisting that all the voices, both inner and outer, of participants in the circle are heard, the Wheel optimises the process of reaching inclusive, consistent and robust agreement. This upholds the integrity and wisdom of the person or group that is undertaking the practice. *** ## How is the Wheel designed? The design of the Wheel of Wisdom is inspired by the indigenous Council, which itself arose from direct human experience of the scope and compass of our natural world. It is quite natural to explore and question matters in the round. People instinctively come together in circles to consider common interests and share stories. The basic design follows an age-old pattern that has been repeated world-wide in many indigenous cultures. Here is the core of this framework. Light, the uninhibited fire and vitality of creative spirit, and source of all life, rises brilliantly with the Sun in the East. Nurture, the evolved care and healing of our abundant Maternal Earth, that sustains life and willpower, lies where the sun comes to rest, in the West. In the South there is power, fluidity and swift flow of Water, holding the fluctuations of adventurous sensing and force of emotion. North is for the Air, overview of flight, seeing, observing, sensing the whole with Heart-Mind; with seriously playful, determined capacity to accomplish what is needed. The picture below captures the basic arrangement of relationships. It maps the universal essence, the essential needs of life itself, in an arrangement of elements that came together in the Northern Hemisphere. Fire, Water, Earth and Air are recognised as the both the symbolic and practical foundations for all life in many if not most cultures. These are aligned with the human elements of Spirit, Emotion, Body and Mind. In this design also the elements are conceived equally in their male and female aspects, together in every direction, held always in dynamic balance.
On to this underlying form, The Wheel of Wisdom maps eight creative human archetypes, shown as vital Roles of Leadership:
The eight Roles follow in sequence from the East: 1. **East: Disruptive Genius** 2. **Southeast: Peacemaker** 3. **South: Pioneer** 4. **Southwest: Pathfinder-Narrator** 5. **West: Steward/Chatelaine** 6. **Northwest: Oracle** 7. **North: Strategist** 8. **Northeast: Guardian of Transformation** *** ## Role Design and Meaning Each Role personifies the energy and disposition of its particular perspective in the Wheel. Each Role comprises an equal balance of male and female being. The Roles are innate and distinctive qualities of human leadership, with which everyone has natural affinity, and for which people can usually find valuable expression. Each participant can * Study, find and connect with the energy, intelligence and understanding of each Role *within themself* * *Adopt and enact* each Role, to bring fresh insight, thinking and emotional resonance to the current inquiry * *Question their inquiry from the inner essence of each perspective*, for the new and original revelation that this generates The stimulus for this approach comes from an appreciation of the variety of guises in which people may show themselves. Humans are natural role players, and can benefit from exploring variety and cultivating virtuosity in lively, well embodied role play. *** ## How does the Wheel work? The Wheel is a journey of discovery. In the course of an important quest for understanding, it stimulates reconnection of vital, different and necessary elements of self, and generates a thought-through forward path. The personal-developmental and the collective-collaborative weave together on this journey, because of the nature of the questions from each perspective that they encounter. In its simplest and most rapid application, the Wheel of Wisdom is an effective means for a person and/or group to open up fresh thinking with new ideas. Applied to an important personal quest, the Wheel offers a deeper and more integrative emergent experience, which can develop significantly with repetition. In a collective quest, a group can learn about itself, its ethos. It finds intrinsic skills, evident and latent, that it can call upon to resolve the internal and external issues that it has to deal with. The group learns that every voice matters and has value to contribute. With persistence the group will bond, becoming a greater entity than the sum of its members, as it creates better ways to attain better outcomes of its work. *** ## What is required? This Tutorial is for a facilitator’s advance learning and preparation. For online work everything needed is provided in the Facilitation Guide, which you can download and work from directly with your participants. You can share this Tutorial with participants, too, if you want to. ### Duration The time allowed and pacing for sessions needs to be planned according to the weight of the question at hand, and the depth of inquiry that it calls for. (Indigenous tribal Councils could last for a couple of weeks or more, although in western culture it is rare to find any wisdom ceremonies taking longer than a day or two at most.) In this author’s experience, good work can be accomplished in a day. Introductory work can be done in half a day, with one to two hours minimum for a taster session. An online session with the Wheel of Wisdom can be tailored to the time available, with a practical minimum for an introductory experience of around two hours. It is essential to allow for healthy restorative breaks in the incessant focus that online work entails. It may be helpful to begin with a taster session, and then to negotiate a more substantial time commitment to collaborative wisdom work, on the back of the lived experience. *** ## How is the Wheel of Wisdom put into practice? The steps to begin are…. * Appoint a Servant Listener * Bury your Weapons * Prepare a Question, Personal or Shared * Check-in * Begin The precise sequence of these steps becomes a matter of judgement at the time, in the context of the work to be done. All steps need to be accommodated. ### Servant Listener This title is given to the facilitator of a session to remind everyone of the role and qualities that are appropriate for guiding the Wheel of Wisdom in use. The Servant Listener holds a highly responsible, gracious and respectful presence that is in many aspects equivalent to that of a Zero Chief with an indigenous Council. The Servant Listener does not participate in or contribute to the work itself. She/he * holds and explains the Wheel of Wisdom process, * honours and sustains its quality of awareness in the present moment; * lightly introduces each Role; * guides people using the Wheel, * maintains respect for the process and for all participants, * listens attentively to every nuance, both said and unsaid; * encourages freedom to explore and discover; * holds Presence for the whole journey; * keeps the process on track. ### Bury Your Weapons Note: **if time is short this step should be omitted**. This practice needs just enough time, space and sincerity so participants can free themselves to deepen the meaning of their session with the Wheel. For some it can be a sensitive and tender experience to suspend and/or release the pressure of immediate personal concerns. If the purpose of the session includes finding personal alignment with a quest of more than practical significance, time for this step becomes necessary. \*if time is short this step should be omitted.\*This ceremony recalls an old indigenous practice where, along with their actual weapons, the people would bury with them whatever distractions and resistances they happened to be carrying, consigning them into the healing care and safety of Mother Earth: Distractions and serious cares, such as family, work, friends, obligations, agendas, health issues, etc. Resistances and sensitivities, such as insufficiency, antipathy, competition, enmity and divisiveness, etc., – * To do this, participants find a place in private – somewhere outside, if possible, is good. * Take a small stick, stone, leaf, or other symbol – something natural – to stand for all that they wish to let go of at this time. * Place all concerns, unwanted feelings and tempers into this symbol to set them aside. * Then ‘bury’ it somewhere in a safe spot, with honour and love and gratitude. Then re-join the virtual circle. ### Prepare a Question The most valuable aspects of any question will be its clarity and openness. Clarity brings the energy, urgency and meaning of a quest into focus. Openness frees enquiry to create and explore new perceptions. The Wheel can be used with a single person to explore a personal question; with a group to explore personal questions confidentially in parallel; or with a group to explore a shared question. The question, the quest, for a session online is placed physically or virtually at the centre of the Wheel. Where people are exploring personal quests in parallel, the shared purpose is placed in the centre. #### Prepare a Personal Question The participant needs to find and express their personal quest. Let her or him ask themself: What is my most pressing issue in life right now? What quest(ion) forms in my heart? How strong is my passion for this? Have them write their question clearly and concisely on a plain sheet of paper, to be placed notionally at the centre of the Wheel. Strength, urgency and clarity of intention – the more the better – show up in framing the question. An open form: “How can…” or “What is needed for…” keeps enquiry open. #### Prepare a shared Question If a group meets at the Wheel with a shared purpose, this purpose needs to be expressed as a shared question. An open form, e.g., “How can…” or “What is needed for…” helps to keep enquiry both specific and open. According to circumstance, there may be several legitimate issues within the group that all have claims for urgent group attention. The group can only deal with one question at a time, and the work’s integrity requires the active agreement of every participant to the question that the group chooses to work with. In such a case, use the Ten Stones Method to arrive at a clear, concise, and fully shared question. ***Ten Stones Method*** The ten stones method provides a simple inclusive way for a group as a whole to decide what question, among all pressing possibilities, to take to forward for its consideration at a particular moment. Such that individual concerns are integrated into the group’s choice. Step 1 – have everyone present write down the most important life question they hold within themselves at this moment \[or the most important question they are holding about the topic of the gathering they are in]. Step 2 – have people pair up to share their personal questions and to create a question for the whole group to consider. Use breakout rooms online. These group questions, made as clear and concise as the authors are able, can be written on A4 paper with a broad marker pen for easy reading by the group, and gathered in a chat box, for example. \[“How can..” or “What is needed for..” often make good beginnings..] Step 3 – all the questions are placed in a notional circle for everyone to look at. Online, this will need to be shown on a shared screen – electronic labels on a whiteboard, for example. Step 4 – if any questions look the same or very similar, with the authors’ agreement, they can be joined or rewritten as one. It is important to state that all questions have equal validity, and we now have to choose one of them to consider as a group in this session. Step 5 is how we do it. Step 5 – people have 10 virtual stones each. Each person casts their stones: 4 on the question they most want to consider now; 3 on the next; 2 on the next; 1 on the next. Step 6 – when all the stones are cast, they are counted for each question. The question with the most stones is the one that goes forward for group consideration. If in the event the totals for a couple or more questions come close, and the questions show similarity, it gives an opportunity to discuss with the authors what amendments to their respective questions could bring their proposals into alignment. If this is not possible, or the difference is significant despite similar stone counts, another 10 stones round will be needed to make a clear choice. ### Check-in The group can then assemble to check-in with itself. Have participants voice simply, ‘Who I am; Where I am; How I am right now; My intention for this event’. One by one, the voices draw the virtual circle into shared presence, an energised field of inquiry which forms a ‘vessel’ for the coming journey. *** ## Sit with the Wheel of Wisdom and Begin the Quest Begin with meditation to settle participants calmly into an appreciative presence. The Servant Listener introduces the Wheel, explains the process, repeats the shared question when there is one, or repeats the purpose of the session, and opens and explains the first Role of the cumulative journey, the quest in hand. When introducing the Wheel, it is worth simply numbering and naming each Role in turn from No 1 in the East, as set out above and in the Facilitation Guide. (Resist any temptation to over-explain; allow participants to make their own discoveries with the material presented to them.) The question/purpose should be repeated in full, kept in view and repeatedly referred to throughout the session. The Servant Listener leads and times the process which is repeated in the same way for each Role, to enable participants to * ***Open*** the energy and its meaning * ***Sense*** reflectively into the Role, activate its perspective within themselves * ***Respond*** to the questions that each Role asks * ***Note*** their insights/perceptions, and findings in discussion * ***Record*** recommendations revealed in their interaction with each Role The slides for each Role in the Facilitation Guide are repeated below for convenience. The notes below each of them expand on the Role, to add illustration, and to aid further appreciation and understanding of how their perspectives function in the Wheel. The notes to the slides are for a Servant Listener to use resourcefully, in a way that may best apply to the particular work in hand. They are intended to amplify the content of the slides in both a visionary and practical manner. It is clearly important to align the kind of explanation given with the nature of the particular question in the Wheel at the time – never forgetting that male and female essences work equally together in each Role. The Servant Listener should also note that, although the Roles of Leadership inquire and speak in sequence, they witness everything, and maintain an active, energetic presence throughout every session. The facilitation slide provided for each Role of Leadership shows the following: * The number, place in sequence and colour of the Role of Leadership. * The **Evocation** suggests the embodied quality and energy of the Role’s perspective. * The **Intent** shows the Role’s particular energetic perspective. * The **Questions** hold its power for the common good of the quest in hand. * There is a **trap** to beware of, that can happen when thought acts from separated perception or from an isolated standpoint. * A couple of possible human representatives are suggested, to assist an embodied association with each archetype. \[Note: the associations made of Roles with real people are intended as indicative and illustrative talking points only. Avoid the trap of any tendency to treat them more seriously than this, which could distract participants from their current quest.] *** ## 1 Disruptive Genius
Disruptive Genius is fired up by the Life Force of Creation, which is wholly original, completely free from any prior condition of any kind. In its very essence this energy playfully, magically disrupts, upends, turns around ideas, thinking and assumptions that already exist. The Wheel begins with this big challenge of innocence; to imagine and work creatively far away out of any preconceived limitation. Participants may have to dig to unearth their *passion*, their innate, transformative, visionary Disruptive Genius. The trap here is that even faint senses of entitlement, or of some kind of cultivated or knowledgeable superiority, can ensnare the playfully creative Disruptive Genius. *** ## 2 Peacemaker
By contrast, Peacemaker sees and appreciates *what is* without any distortion or distraction. Peacemaker observes clearly, acutely and generously the manifest state of things, with mindful curiosity. Perceiving how the situation and its ramifications actually exist in the present moment. Passion is every bit alive, and still; with every bodily sense alert in calm, watchful awareness, moment by moment. There is no judgement, no selection, just direct unbiased, uninfluenced immediate perceptual awareness. Peacemaker holds a mindset of abundance, in a benign and caring universe, in which everything that is needed can be actually and immediately available. It may also be true that for many reasons a situation is denying access to the potential abundance that might otherwise be found. This can give energy to the current quest. The trap opens with denial of natural abundance; a sense of lack increases apprehension and clouds perception. Thankful appreciation for open, unpossessed awareness, frees the source of insight. *** ## 3 Pioneer
For Pioneer, Disruptive Genius’s lively vision for what could be stands right beside Peacemaker’s unequivocal awareness of what actually is. The contrast can’t be ignored; it offers opportunity and calls for initiative. So arises a richly challenging adventure – in parts stimulating, enchanting, daunting, thrilling and risky. Pioneer has a chance to reflect on physical, emotional and spiritual preparedness for what may be emerging in this journey. Obstacles, some foreseeable, others not, arise in any quest, and call upon various intelligences and strengths, along with balance, trust, affection, endurance, wit and playful resilience. The trap catches people in emotional overplay; whether of power, which can run undue risks, or anxiety, which can inhibit enterprise. With an appetite for adventure, and fascination for the journey, Pioneer becomes adept at navigating unusual terrains and troubled waters. *** ## 4 Pathfinder-Narrator
Pathfinder-Narrator seeks out, explores, discovers and articulates a true path for guidance. With this perspective, the quest finds clearer form, fashioning its dream of emergence and becoming tangible. Certainty is always elusive, for at every turn there are myriad possibilities, and chance happenings may intervene. Pathfinder-Narrator’s Role is to enliven emergent purpose with a strong, creative and adaptable narrative. A story that hears and braids together the lives and dreams that are joined in the quest. A story that is resourced from learned experience, and reaches out, into a future that it may be helping to discover as its destiny. The trap seeks to beguile and waylay travellers with an overwhelm of choice, an infinity of tempting possibilities. The call of true purpose resides in the narrative that imbues it. Pathfinder-Narrator takes up the challenge to sing out the unfolding pathway, to illuminate its coming into being. *** ## 5 Steward/Chatelaine
Steward/Chatelaine looks to resourcing the narrative. Every quest needs sound, well prepared, effective and ready resources to serve, nurture and energise its strength of purpose. Resources of learning, skill and understanding, tools for creativity and resolving difficulties. Resources of relationships, companionship, wellbeing and healing. Resources of value, trust, confidence, sustenance and wisdom. Grounding in nature, along with material, homely resources and artefacts. Things to get valuable things done. Participants need also to travel lightly, be nimble on their quest, free from unattended baggage and unhelpful attachments. Free from encumbrances that might have served former quests, but are still tagging along. A call for housekeeping and storehouse management. Steward/Chatelaine provides a material, earthy balance to the numinous, fiery Disruptive Genius on the Wheel opposite. A stimulating contrast for the journey in hand. The trap enslaves people with over-attachment to burdens, possessions and obligations that can cling to and drag down the quest. *** ## 6 Oracle
Oracle looks into time and timing, and the forces and sequences of causation. Choice of timing can make all the difference to the outcomes of a quest’s initiatives. Oracle views time as the Long Now, an expanded present in which flows and counter-flows of happenings and opportunities open up and close down cyclically, like the seasons, and spasmodically, like weather, or currents and eddies in a river. Much of this lies obscure, mysterious, emergent, unforeseeable. Oracle brings whole body sensing, awareness and dream-like revelation of the movements and trends of events, of what is newly unfolding, and what is enfolding, dying back. With attentive practice, perception with intuition can inform a quest with helpful qualities of predictive intelligence. Dancehammering\* is a lively, iterative and seriously playful learning practice for spotting, teasing out assessing which opportunities to pursue and those to leave alone. Oracle’s sense of the flow of things, contrasts and balances with the state of things seen by Peacemaker, opposite on the Wheel. The trap is to overrule the promptings of insight, and to struggle on with ruthless disregard for difficulty. \[\* this term from indigenous practice is included for the lively visual image it can stimulate.] *** ## 7 Strategist
Strategist pulls together all the threads, discoveries, values and resources of the quest journey so far. Strategist crafts an optimal, wholly conceived, clear, capable and integrated course of action for accomplishing and fulfilling the quest. Any endeavour is bound to include some significant uncertainties, and, equally, there can be no hesitation once the choices are made, and the decision agreed; for without participants’ complete commitment the cause may fail. This needs a wise and uncorrupted foundation for the vision, strong values-led conviction behind the plan, with whole-hearted commitment of participants. Heart first, rather than head first. Courageous, wise, accurate and necessary action flows from this. Once begun, there is no turning back. Emotional resonance and power from Pioneer, opposite on the Wheel, play their part in this, too. The trap is to commit rigidly, forcing actions forward, allowing no tactical deviation from the adopted plan. At this critical point, the Wheel inserts a pause for reflection and review, before agreed action can be embarked upon, as follows next. *** ## 8 Guardian of Transformation
The Guardian of Transformation safeguards, enlivens and protects the quest’s energy; its delicate structures, values and vulnerabilities; its power, vitality and integrity. Life is continually transformative, subtly woven and interconnected; the Guardian of Transformation’s role is to maintain and protect all living processes from harm, now and for future generations. Essential for any enterprising endeavour to thrive. Guardian of Transformation makes a searching examination of the proposal received from Strategist, which reveals the quality of work and intentions from all the Wheel’s perspectives, that developed in the quest, and were observed from its beginning. Every voice must have been heard fully, openly in its truth, without bias from any distorting value. The life-affirming quality of every commitment needs to be tested and confirmed. If anything at all falls below this impeccable standard, there is a need for further process. Otherwise risks can accelerate unacceptably. If there are doubts, another round of the Wheel could be needed. The trap entices participants to move from sensitive discernment to cerebral judgement, which can stifle and close down creativity. *** ## More Possible Role Models If time allows, it can be helpful, and fun, to explore more of the likely affinities that real people may share with the Role of Leadership archetypes, as participants have come to know them. Here is a list to prompt discussion, to which participants can add plenty of their own suggestions: Mary Wollstonecraft Martin Luther King Margaret Meade John G Bennett Rosa Parkes The Dalai Lama Michelle Obama Gandalf Oprah Winfrey Carl Gustav Jung Margaret Wheatly James Lovelock Mary Midgely Charles Dickens Florence Nightingale David Attenborough Mary Robinson and others… …. …. *** ## When the Roles have spoken
Servant Listener facilitates harvesting and summing up What is the learning? What flows from it? Is more work needed? As best they can at the time, participants need to draw their conclusions together, to summarise for themselves: *what has happened; what has been achieved; and what follows.* In spite of an emphasis that all voices speak and are listened to, it is quite possible that some shy or hidden ones could have eluded the process. People new to the Wheel may need some experience to trust it, even to discover voices they may not be fully aware of. Much of the outcome may emerge later, therefore, as people digest the insights and reflect on their experience, and as the power of it works through each psyche. The Roles do not necessarily cease to speak when the session has finished. It is the Role of the Guardian of Transformation to recommend appropriate further work. A single online session with the Wheel can be valuable. Further and repeated application in a project will allow much greater development of this method’s transformative potential. The Servant Listener’s role at this point, however, is to facilitate the conclusion of the session, so that participants can maximise the value, personal and shared, that they take away from the experience. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # World Mandala Tutorial ## The Purpose of the World Mandala The complexities and non-linearities of the world system are increasing the mismatch between the way we think about the world and the actual behaviour of the world. In systems science, this is summarized by expressions like unintended consequences, counter-intuitive outcomes, emergent properties, synchronous failures and unpredictable knock-on effects. This whole field has been summed up as the global problematique. Increasing the match\ between our espoused world models and the behaviour of the real world in policies, strategies and decisions requires a major shift to holistic transdisciplinary approaches. The World Mandala is based on a world system model that is designed to promote holistic and transdisciplinary conversations across 12 key dimensions of sustainable communities. The model serves several purposes ranging from a ‘World Game’ that groups of\ people can play to strategic workshops that challenge decision making beyond conventional\ scenario planning methods, to ways of mapping global impacts of climate change. ## The Structure of the World Mandala
Each of the twelve nodes has a specific role and contribution to the overall socio-ecological systems in which we live. The words labelling each node are specifically chosen for ease of reference and memory. Each of them packs a domain of complexity and takes on different focus and relevance depending on the practical application of the Mandala. An idea of some of the complexity is given in the following table. ## Expanded Meaning of the Nodes ![World Mandala – The Expansion of the Twelve Nodes](/files/tWO4GL302y2irTZecQWr) ### Systems Thinking Behind the Mandala These are the main features to be noted.\ • It is a set of 12 interdependent mutually relevant factors, each factor indicating a component (referred to as a node) in the system essential for viable human life in the context of the earth system.\ • The 66 interconnections mean that a change of state in any given factor may trigger, induce or otherwise modify a change of state in another factor.\ • Each factor has a condition which is the state of health or viability at a given time.\ • This condition is not static, but it is changing and thus reveals a trend or direction of change.\ • The direction of change may be towards increased viability or decreased viability.\ • A trendmay accelerate or change direction such that it becomes a discontinuity which generates a shock or surprise. This could be positive or negative in relation to viability. Common terms for discontinuities are trend-break, tipping point, peak and runaway condition.\ • Discontinuities in a given factor often have greater cross impact on other factors and can create a domino effect in which the effects ripple throughout the system, causing multiple parallel discontinuities. There are counterintuitive instances where actions in one node, seen as solutions when viewed in isolation,\ actually create problems in other nodes if these are disregarded and there are not synchronous adjustments.\ • It is possible that multiple discontinuities may occur simultaneously without interaction or direct causal connection. This can lead to synchronous failure (Homer-Dixon, 2006) or synchronous success in terms of overall world viability ## Its Foundation In Cybernetics A key concept in cybernetics is variety. This is the number of possible states of a system. Needless to say, the number of possible states in the actual world system is astronomical. Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety (Ashby, 1958) states that only variety can absorb variety. Yet, we humans with low variety governance claim to ‘run the system’. In cybernetics, variety engineering is the skill of designing regulation and feedback such that requisite variety is achieved. The term requisite implies that absolute matching is not necessary (or feasible) but that there is a minimum complexity required in the regulator of a system. If this is not the case, the regulator is too simplistic, then its intended control actions are likely to make the system more out of control. The areas of diversity that are interacting and need to be regulated are matched by a commensurate diversity in the guidance system; variety attenuation must be intelligently designed.\ This point is very critical when we consider the resilience of social ecological systems. Applying the Conant–Ashby Theorem (Conant and Ashby, 1970), that ‘every good regulator of a system must be a model of that system’, we are faced with the challenge that, whether we are considering a city or the whole planet, resilient governance should require extremely well-designed governance models that are based on consideration of the whole as a system\` The requisite variety of the world system model derives from the combination of the 12 nodes and the significance of the 66 interconnections. Some basic statistics of the model indicate how it generates variety. Here is a basic analysis. Suppose that each node can be changed by one of two kinds of policy, helpful/unhelpful. This indicates that the number of possible input states of the system is 212, which equals 4096. Even on a binary input model, we know that the nodes are interconnected. Formally, everything is connected to everything else, but we also know in the real world that connections vary in quality and intensity. The state of any node might have an effect on every other node; that is, it can affect 11 other nodes, thus making up the 66 connection lines. These resultant effects are not necessarily equal across all the connections. ## The Problem With Conventional Governance and Organisation If we apply the reductionist paradigm of splitting into parts and solving the parts, hoping we can put them together and guide the whole system, we are not only mistaken; we are set up in this current world to make things worse. ‘All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’tput Humpty together again’. The world system model diagram is, to the active eye of the beholder, a gestalt. It is a holistic pattern that holds together a wide diversity of factors and helps the mind hold attention on a bigger picture. Psychologically, the familiar pattern of the circle enables a complex pattern to stabilize in people’s minds in a recognizable and even comfortable way. This is reinforced by the presence of 12-ness in different aspects of Western culture from clock faces to zodiac\ signs. In Eastern cultures, a similar approach occurs in the use of mandalas and yantras. ## Other Techniques of Using the World Mandala #### A Typical Process for Application ![](/files/NDvkBai8YQl50FfLGANZ) #### Reviewing the Status of Connections ![](/files/lxsQ8aIBc8Wx63GhdLtt) #### Reviewing the Strength/Weakness of Synergy Will this initiative …. 1.Create a harmonious effect with other nodes 2.Be supportive to other initiatives 3.Make more effective use of resources 4.Create more resilience in the system 5.Contribute to regeneration 6.Balance human, ecological and planetary interdependence 7.Create an evolutionary dynamic 8.Extend our common platform for learning *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Dilemma Thinking Tutorial ## Why Dilemmas? Riding the Bull: the necessity of incompatibles! In embarking on making change, especially transformational change towards a radical goal, we inevitably plunge into conflicts, contradictions and oppositional polarities. When you experience two mutually conflicting values or goals you may be experiencing either a choice or a dilemma. If it is truly a choice situation then you can weigh alternatives and decide. But if the situation is a dilemma it is something different that needs different tools and treatment. A dilemma treated as choice can have disastrous consequences! If a dilemma is not tackled consciously it can paralyse action, stifle creativity and diminish motivation and goodwill as the forces conflict with each other. Often the dilemma gets polarised into two warring schools of thought as two sides seek to convince each other of the value of their singular perspective. Rather than choosing we need to seek resolution in which both values are brought together into a new, innovative solution. In this process it is essential to depart from either/or thinking towards a both/and creative resolution that integrates all the best ideas. Charles Hampden-Turner developed an approach that he called dilemma thinking as a technique for successful navigation of these ambiguous messy situations. He realised that some (but not all) aspects of such situations can be seen and defined as dilemmas. We will define the nature of a dilemma later but for now let’s consider a colloquial example. “You can’t have your cake and eat it” is familiar folk wisdom. We use it to describe situations which seem clearly to be either/or. From a dilemma perspective there are some situations which seem like that but where it is actually not only possible, but necessary to have your cake and eat it, for example we must pay attention to short term imperatives, but also adapt to changing conditions. But there is a price. It requires a process of accommodating assumptions other than your own; it involves being prepared to learn and be creative; and, in in terms of tension between groups it needs collaboration. Resolving a dilemma is a creative process in which you may find yourself changing some of your views about the way the world works. You will find yourself riding a bull – holding the horns of the dilemma! Faced with a challenge or a task in such circumstances it is necessary to find a way of transforming the situation. Effective transformational strategy requires creative resolution rather than evasion of the critical dilemmas that show up. A critical dilemma is a polarity or tension between two equally necessary values which are themselves seemingly incompatible. In a dilemma choosing one or the other does not work. ## The pattern of dilemmas Very often in a dilemma you will discover one of the conflicting values is the based around sustaining an existing performance value that is deeply ingrained and well measured. It is rock-like in two respects. It is considered to be the foundation of success. It is also strongly protected and immovable. You will discover the other main conflicting values to be based around change which is somewhat dynamic and unpredictable. This is like a whirlpool in two senses. It is considered to be the essential dynamic that can keep pace with or stay ahead of a changing environment. It is also rather hard to grasp hold of and uncertain to predict. ![](/files/qcphobBkJ2xxcdYyVtto) In a genuine dilemma there is an entanglement between the two values and their associated situations because the dilemma itself is a manifestation of a deeper structure. In fact, the underlying structure is a systemic one in which unseen feedback loops create unexpected consequences. If the advocates of rock values “win” (that is dominate) then at some point in the future the feedback from the whirlpool realities will catch up and cause defeat. If advocates of the whirlpool values prevail then sooner or later the rock realities will catch up and cause defeat. Pursuit of short term profit alone exhausts the assets of a company. Pursuit of growth alone leads to profit collapse. ![](/files/6yDoNyfxixFe85GefjpX) A simple summary is that if the advocates of one value get what they want in the short term they don’t get what they want in the long term. Dilemmas are alive and never still. Wherever the balance is at a given time there are forces of change at work. To ride the bull we need to understand the five zones of a dilemma. ![](/files/9FoRqD0zQ4TGBt0FdqHt) These are: THE COMPROMISE ZONE: This is where the tendency is to avoid the dilemma, even deny its existence, and accept a diluted compromise in which actually neither value dimension gets pursued. The result is a downward or degenerative spiral. Competitors who resolve the dilemma win hands down. THE TOP HEAVY ZONE: This is where the rock values dominate and seem to be satisfied. However the seeds of collapse are in the neglect or rejection of the whirlpool values. THE LOP SIDED ZONE: As a mirror of top-heavy, this is where the whirlpool values dominate and seem to be satisfied. However the seeds of collapse are in the neglect or rejection of the rock values. THE CONFLICT ZONE: This where both values are strongly expressed in the situation but are unable to reach any creative resolution. Indeed it is a war for supremacy of either rock or whirlpool. The conflict may be protracted (in which case it wastes resources on internal friction), destructive (in which case it flips to Top Heavy, Lop Sided or Compromise). In these cases, the outcomes are as above. The conflict may also be creative in which case it becomes a driver for innovation and learning which enables the creation of a whole new situation. THE RESOLUTION ZONE: This is where both values are expressed even more strongly but in a way in which they learn to collaborate and mutually support each other. We get “the best of both worlds”. We have learned to ride the bull and are now benefiting from its tremendous energy. ![](/files/b6Cn17Jy1qd2L4H6DgoV) To help fix the structure in our mind we consider some symbols. The symbol for rock value and for whirlpool value have already been introduced. The compromise zone is represented by a descending arrow to remind us that compromise is not static but dynamically degrading. If we evade the conflict zone by compromise we are caught in a vicious spiral. The conflict zone in the centre is represented by an explosion. The creative resolution zone is represented by an ancient Eastern symbol sometimes called the two fishes. The idea is that both values are in balance supported by a quality of the opposite. Another way to think about this is like figure/ground as in the psychology of perception. A creative resolution is often with one value horn in the foreground and the other in the background, but both together essential for the whole scene. ## The dynamics of dilemma resolution ![](/files/En6eSdvWljOWqKuvGJ5i) The challenge in resolving a dilemma is to avoid all four unproductive positions: compromise / top heavy / lop-sided / conflict. This creative synthesis or resolution requires: * Mutual accommodation * Figure /ground dialogue * Creative thinking and design * Facing the conflict zone and deriving power rather than friction from it We can switch from the metaphor of riding the bull to one of sailing a boat. This also brings out the fact that a dilemma is dynamic. To navigate the boat to a destination we have to take into account the wind and tide which are constantly changing. The process of resolving a dilemma is cybernetic, that is it needs continuous steering based on feedback. Just like sailing to a destination into the wind, the dilemma resolution is a process of tacking to and for to make the best headway despite the buffeting of wind and current. ## Four ways to fail, one to succeed So five futures are possible in a dilemma situation. Only one of them ensures creative resolution and synthesis, illustrated here with a typical business dilemma. ![](/files/x8wEBGI4kbZ9X5koIgct) The four failure modes are: 1. Tight rock value management alone will be successful for a while but eventually bring on extinction (Dinosaur trap). 2. Pursuit of the whirlpool value will be equally disastrous (Unicorn trap). 3. Getting caught in perpetual argument will sooner or later implode the situation (Push-me-pull-you trap). 4. Burying the dilemma issues behind defensive routines, keeping the issues undiscussable and assuming it will all be OK will inevitably lead to decline. Once things unravel that can be very quick (Ostrich trap). The success mode is: To resolve the dilemma with transformative innovation (flight of the eagle). ## The eight steps to dilemma resolution The dilemma grid maps out a dilemma space. The process of resolving a dilemma requires covering thus space in a dynamic sequence. The eight steps below chart the process that is most likely to succeed in getting people arriving together at the resolution zone. (This was developed by Charles-Hampden-Turner) This is the guidance task of the facilitator. It is shown on the diagram here. ![](/files/bkeVMwubE4pKJDXgyLqH) Viewing the dilemma diagram as a grid with the values on each axis, we can use this to plot where we believe we are in the midst of a dilemma. For example, 1:2 would be compromise; 5:5 would be maximum tension; 1:7 would be top heavy and 7:1 would be lop sided. 8:8 would be strong resolution. Following the sailing analogy, the process of resolving a dilemma is like a combination of charting, navigating and steering. The eight main stages of dilemma resolution are: 1 SURFACING What is the situation that is challenging the organisation? 2 CHARACTERISING What are the characteristic polarities, tensions and schisms which are appearing? 3 FORMULATING What are the underlying values which are polarised and as either/or that needs treating as both/and? 4 INTENSIFYING What are the consequences of pursuing a single value in extremis? 5 FRAMING How do these extremes look when re-framed as figure/ground, text and content? 6 INNOVATING What learning is generated by incorporating both values in a generative 1+1 = 3 resolution? 7 WAVING How might such a goal be navigated as a waving oscillation between the two values? 8 SYNERGISING What vicious and virtuous spirals emerge in combination with other related primary dilemmas? ## Psychological Tips for Facilitating Dilemmas The most challenging aspect of facilitating dilemma resolution is the dominant tendency in the unreflective mind to polarise issues into right/wrong, for/against and superior/inferior. When caught in a genuine dilemma this inevitably leads to contradiction and conflict. So the task of the facilitator is to set the mood for and encourage the group to be in a reflective state in which fixed assumptions can be gently challenged and some space loosened up for considering other perspectives. This is the generic problem of shifting from mindset to perspective. This shift is greatly helped if you, the facilitator, are able to be in a reflective state about the issue in question, listen carefully to the different viewpoints and, at least initially, give them all equal credibility. The point here is that the successful resolution of a dilemma will inevitably require some flexibility and accommodation on the part of all viewpoints. However, it is worth reviewing the psychology of the four failure positions in the dilemma space. Compromise zone: This can range from rejection that there is even a dilemma (sweeping the issue under the carpet) to finding some pseudo-solution that seems to work but is superficial and inevitably will come unstuck. Top-heavy zone: This is evident if the values of the more fixed horn of the dilemma dominate usually through a powerful, though questionable, logic and persuasion which rejects the other horn as fluffy, intangible and impractical. Lop-sided zone: This is evident if the values of the more fluid horn of the dilemma dominate either through a strong energy to overthrow any fixity or through ungrounded enthusiasm. Conflict zone: this is evident when holders of the different values are essentially in an argument as to which view is superior, more realistic and more practical. In its milder form it leads to endless debate, a process which cannot resolve dilemmas. It does not have the potential for transformative innovation. In its stronger form it is outright conflict where neither value holders will give up their position and they are of roughly equal strength so there can be no winner. With this background the psychology of the success zone can be seen, as in a mirror, as a reflective and creative shared space in which: 1. the dilemma issue is being squarely faced 2. the more fixed values are able to be flexed 3. the more fluid values are able to pause 4. the two contrasting or contradictory values are both strongly held in a way that does not get overwhelmed by emotional conflict and where integrity and inner harmony are sought through creative insights and ideas. ## Exercise It is good to practice Generative Thinking a number of times since like any skilled practice that combines intellectual discipline with intuition and imagination it requires repeated application to get the hang of it, especially if you are going to facilitate others in the technique. For facilitation of groups the idonic form of the hexagon is a powerful visual support for ‘1+1=3’ type thinking. It also helps share the process in a group. The form suggested in the Dilemma Mapping Guide is: ![](/files/KdwQWDTs7OggEt16cPTl) Here is an exercise form to practice this further. The process is to set up dilemma pairs and use them to provoke innovative ideas for resolution. 1. Set up a sample dilemma using the dilemma axes. There should be a ‘rock’ axis and a ‘whirlpool’ axis. Some generic examples you can use directly or use to shape your own dilemma are: ROCK——————–WHIRLPOOL financial security — entrepreneurial risk strict morality — compassion and forgiveness precise engineering — scope for adaptation 2. Whatever your practice dilemma, write down 3 or 4 requirements for each contradictory dimension 3. Write a rock requirement in the left blue hexagon and a whirlpool requirement in the right green hexagon. Note you can print multiple copies of the diagram for writing each exercise on. 4. Hold both ideas in mind treating the blank yellow hexagon as a space for new ideas that might resolve the dilemma. Approach this in adventurous ‘what if?’ mood. 5. When you have repeated this several times with different pairings, review the resolution ideas (yellow) you have generated and evaluate them for potential. Note: a good resolution idea will incorporate both values evenly and yet also go beyond them to something new. This provides a stepping stone to transformative innovation. ## Methods Dilemma Navigation is the general method for using dilemma thinking on its own or within any other H3Uni Method. As well as application in general situations, this has a specific use in Three Horizons (see Three Horizons Mapping) to frame H2 as a dilemma between H1 and H3 in order to construct possibilities for H2+ innovations, and in conjunction with Navigational Scenarios (coming soon) to support a continuous action-learning cycle in the face of uncertainty as the project moves into H3. See also the guide in the IFF Three Horizons Kit which has a dilemma method for Three Horizons action planning. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework. **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.**### How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](https://github.com/H3Uni/gitbook_full_site/blob/main/resource-library/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons/README.md) View License Deed | View Legal Code # Scoping
## Purpose Provides an arena, a focus and a set of relevant factors for a strategic conversation, a learning journey, an innovation project or a project to transform a situation without constraining the vision or setting rigid boundaries. ## When to use? To set a context and direction for using Three Horizons and the other group thinking tools in this Resource Library. Please see the [Scoping Tutorial](/tutorial/scoping) for a variant for scoping other methods. ## Set Up Standard set up – see [H3Uni Practice Framework Tutorial](/tutorial/h3uni-practice-framework) ## Outputs A scoping statement shared by all the participants in the process. ![](/files/5z3LNVQXFqYAGMRob8cb) ## Steps Depending on the situation you will use Step 1 below or it may be that there is a leader of the process with whom a draft scoping statement has been produced before the session. In this case it is just a matter of putting this up and facilitating a discussion around it, marking it up with any necessary amendments. In this case the primary objective is developing the shared understanding and ownership of the statement. Even in this case it is worth going through Step 2 to introduce the idea of the transactional and contextual environments as a way to clarify the scope of the project and what will be considered as relevant. ### Step 1. Review Preliminary Definition
Offer the preliminary definition that has already been established with the sponsor, or invite suggestions. Go through the three parts of the statement, keeping the conversation quite light, but making sure that you get an outward focused and inclusive statement as far as possible. *** ### Step 2 - Map Transactional & Contextual Environments ![](/files/Xy8psC13lg5T7qkNNRD6) * Draw up the diagram on a flip chart, with the name of the organisation or group in the centre space. * Introduce the idea of the two environments as a way to structure the exploration, making clear that playing with the boundary between transactional and contextual environments is where a lot of change comes from – use an example they can all relate to of change coming from an unusual player in the contextual environment. * Trigger Question: *“With the scope in mind, who do we currently see as major players in the transactional space?”* Write up the responses in the space. * Trigger Question: *“With the scope in mind, what are some of the major players and sources of change in the contextual space?”* Write up the responses in the space. *** ### Step 3 - Review Scoping Statement ![](/files/R05GsD3ZA5ISIwH8WziQ) ![Review scoping stagement](/files/mPDyXw2TSqs7IIHTy8AH) Trigger Question: “Given the map, should we revise the scoping in any way?” *** ## Tips * There is usually somebody who has taken the lead in convening a group, we refer to this person as the “sponsor” of the process overall. The degree of their authority over the group will vary with the situation, and this will have an influence over how the scope of a project is set, since this is very sensitive to power dynamics within and around the group. In any situation it will be very helpful to do an in depth interview process with the sponsor to either develop a draft scoping statement or at least to deepen understanding of what sort of scope is going to be relevant. * Remember, the purpose of establishing a scoping statement is to set off, as if on an expedition of discovery, with a shared intent, but staying as open as possible to what might be discovered on the way. Developing the statement should not become the journey. If it generates a lot of discussion and doesn’t converge then ask the leader of the group for guidance, and be ready to keep it fairly open to allow learning. The ambiguity in the scope is important information about what needs to be explored, not a failure to define objectives of the work. * The choice of focus and boundaries touches on fundamental issues of worldview, identity and power. This guide does not attempt to provide a way to handle these, and the facilitator needs to draw on all their skill and experience to help the team avoid falling into preemptive closure on those aspects of the situation that may need to be surfaced to challenge current assumptions. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Three Horizon Mapping Guide
## Purpose To build a Three Horizon sense-making map of an issue of concern in a way relevant to formulating visionary action for innovation and transformation. ## When to use? This is a basic method that can be used without prior sessions, assuming that the group convenes itself with a shared motivation and sense of the scope of enquiry, or has a leader who can set up the scope of the conversation. The scope and purpose need to have been agreed, at least in draft form, before the session is convened – see [Scoping](/facilitation-guide/scoping). It is intended as the first phase of a two stage process. The purpose of this stage is sense-making and moving out of horizon mindsets into the three horizon perspectives of futures consciousness. Stage 2 is [Three Horizons Action Planning](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-action-planning). These are normally separate sessions with some time between, even if just a break in the day. Optionally you can also insert the [Three Horizons Multi-Actor Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-multi-actor-mapping) method between stages 1 and 2 in order to broaden the understanding from the perspective of other actors. ## Set Up A Three Horizon chart drawn in the three usual colours of H1 – red, H2 – blue, H3 – green. A1 landscape, or two side-by-side A1 in portrait is big enough for a group of around 6 people who can all be close to it. Small square stickies can be used. A small group can work with a chart laid out on a circular table, though it is always better if everyone can see it easily in front of them. Don’t attempt to use a single flip chart in portrait – this will not provide enough space. For larger groups you need to create a bigger Three Horizons chart so that you can write on rectangular stickies or hexagons that everyone can see. Three flip charts side by side is usually enough. There is not usually enough space to use hexagons for this stage, but it is OK to use rectangular stickies and then use hexagons to capture cluster names and explore the overall map in the Action Planning stage. It helps participants, and improves capture, if you have three different sticky colours for the three horizons (they don’t have to match the horizon colours), but this is not essential. A voice recorder for the final story telling. ## Outputs The diagram shows a typical output of a three horizon session. Each coloured stickie has been generated by a member of the group. They have been positioned according to their dominant role in the waves of change. Their position is not final but an initial basis for telling stories of the future and developing a future consciousness. The vertical line represents the kind of performance of interest and the horizontal line the passage of time into the future. ![](/files/BuT9GhMnU0NREnaACTXj) ## Steps This diagram shows where to map participant answers to questions for steps 1-3. Your exact questions may vary depending on the focus and scope of the exercise. ![](/files/RiXNyhJrKnJCtVaF8Dot) ### Step 1: Scope the Conversation ![](/files/VAu9WMWOxPBuS3OrTwRw) * Introduce the session as exploring the issue of concern using Three Horizons * Give a brief explanation of 3H as a sense-making framework for conversation that lets them work with an outward oriented understanding of the world and an inward oriented understanding of their own intentions for change. * Highlight the idea of the three horizons as three voices in the room, and the intent to move out of our mindsets into a more flexible perspective. * Summarise the process as visiting the three horizons and then reviewing the processes of change. Make clear whether there is to be a follow-up for moving to action. * Review the scoping statement for the conversation and ensure it is agreed. Write it up in an agreed form on a flip chart to one side, and label the 3H map with the scope and the time horizon. *** ### Step 2: Explore Horizon 1 ![](/files/VrcEUYfVS4Wo3x76KW9C) * Possible trigger question: *“What evidence do you see around you that suggests the current system is under strain, shows a decreasing fit to the emerging conditions, knowledge, and societal requirements, or is even failing?”* * Keep capturing points until the energy drops, or you sense that there is a good enough coverage of the issues. * Often the participant statements of H1 are criticisms, but lead from there into a statement of how H1 is failing, or failing to respond to conditions. * Sometimes, it is good to use or add the trigger question: *“What is holding the current system in place?”* *** ### Step 3: Explore Horizon 3 ![](/files/PnaTEJHLWbDsq7EJAjNQ) Possible trigger questions: * *“What might a future system look like and what values and norms would support it?”* * *“What long term trends are driving towards these changes?”* * *“What examples (from anywhere in the world) do you know about where elements of the future systems you have described already exist? (pocket of the future in the present)”; “* * *What is your vision of the emerging future?”* * The role of the facilitator is key to ensuring this part of the conversation balances the outward oriented view of what is going on in the world at large with the vision and aspirations of the group. There is no ‘right’ way to achieve this balance except through experience. Some general approaches: * Allow aspirational statements, but also ensure that real attention is paid to evidence of change, and sources of alternate visions. The simplest way to handle this is to take every aspirational statement as it comes up and enquire “do we see any body out there trying to do this, any evidence of visionary intent, or pressure to make this change?”. This can usually bring out an example that can then be put into H3 pocket of the future, H2 innovation, or those who are communicating an H3 vision. * Keep in mind the [Scoping](/facilitation-guide/scoping) diagram and refer back to it – probing for the the visions and aspirations of actors in the transactional and contextual space in order to reveal what sort of H3 they aspire to in their visions. Keep reminding them that the visions of others are evidence of the future they might bring about. * Try to identify particular actors who might be “tone-setters” and explore what future they might bring about. This can be used as the basis of a separate step in the process – see [Three Horizons Multi-Actor Mapping](https://h3uni.org/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-multi-actor-mapping/). * Prepare by immersing yourself in the area through reading/interviews/browsing etc. so that you have some useful probe questions to open up the exploration. * Think in terms of patterns, and lead discussions to look for systemic sources of change * Look for overarching inevitables and pre-determineds – sources of change that are building up over the long term that will eventually force change, even though the consequences are unclear. Some things get clearer the further out you look. * Don’t allow abstract or generic statements such as “more customer focus”, but get to something that is specific. * Overall, pay attention to weak signals at the margin of the H1 mainstream. * Value uncertainty, ambiguity, and difference of perspective. When people take strongly differing views then remind them that if reasonable people disagree over something it is uncertain. Find a way to capture the alternate views on the map and move on. *** ### Step 4: Explore Horizon 2 ![](/files/rn02bWS4GhviOQaBxwGc) Possible trigger question: *“What innovations do you know about (anywhere in the world) that are responding to the pressures for change and might be growth points of the future system?”* * Don’t use this as a an ideation or brainstorm – generating innovative steps forward comes in action planning. Insist that H2 can only be populated with real actors doing real things that the group knows about – not with visions or aspirations, or statements of trends. As these come up try to get a sense of whether they are H2+ or H2- and place them appropriately. Ask questions to clarify what the actor is doing and where they seem to be heading. *** ### Step 5: Tell a story of the map * Telling the big picture at the end of a 3H session helps groups gain a sense of closure and helps them see how their discussions fit into a larger pattern. You need to judge whether to offer the group a story from your position as facilitator, helping them see the story they’ve told, or (better) get one of them to tell it. It can help to take the pressure off if you describe it as ‘the plot of a B-movie’ – just a rough draft of a story that could be worked up. * From your position as facilitator, lead a discussion of the dynamics of change that the map is revealing. * Use big stickies to capture some of the overall dynamics of change. * Invite someone to tell the story. * It is a good idea to audio record story-telling and transcribe it for the group. The first telling often has a clarity and conviction that is hard to recover afterwards. There is a surprising richness in the story that is not always apparent in the moment and is lost if not fully captured. How to Tell a 3H Story * If the facilitator is telling the story it happens in two steps: 1) Facilitator tells the story, 2) The group shares missing points which are added to the main map. If the team are doing it then just suggest the overall structure using Step 1, and then invite them to develop the story and have someone volunteer to tell it. * **Step 1:** Inviting everyone to come near the main 3H map, the facilitator says: * “We imagine that we are in the future when this 3rd horizon is now the present. We ask ourselves ‘How did we get here?’ * In 2015 we were having these issues – H1 Story * There were promising signs – (early H2 & H3) which were pockets of the future in the present * This started to stimulate innovation – H2 Story (ambiguity of H2+/-) * Because they worked, here we are now and we have a society that… H3 Story” * **Step 2:** The facilitator asks if anything is missing from the wall. * Facilitated group discussion is encouraged to get multiple perspectives and a variety of topics. * The essence of the points are captured by the facilitator or supporter, and they are added to the appropriate horizon. * In some cases, if someone raises a 3H point, feel free to ask the group if there are any ideas on innovation to achieve it, vice versa, and record it on the map. This story telling might fit in at various points in the process, depending on the overall project flow. *** ## Tips **Process** * A useful conversation needs 90 mins to 2 hours. This allows time to stand back from collecting input and spend time on the final sense-making step. * It takes sustained attention on the part of the facilitator to keep a good pace to the conversation, without it getting hung up on one point or running off into an uncontrolled brainstorm. Use the visual facilitation techniques to take points one at a time, with careful capture and confirmed understanding. Don’t let any point go on for more than a few minutes. * Look back to look forward: Optionally, get the group to look back as far as you want to look forward. Before doing H1, look back and ask where did H1 come from. This helps tune in to the timescales over which different change processes are running. **People** * How you set up the conversation is critical to the way people will engage in it. What you want to encourage is a conversation that is open-ended, inclusive and safe for people to participate in, and where participants feel they can share their real aspirations and concerns. It will help to reassure them that there is no right answer, the conversation is not supposed to reach a conclusion, diversity of views is a resource not a problem, and that you (and any colleagues supporting you, e.g. as a note-taker) will manage everything. Their only role is to participate in the conversation as freely as possible. * The dynamics of the conversation will be highly dependent on the mix of horizon participants in the room, and how well they know each other. Make explicit use of the three horizons perspectives chart to bring out the positive contribution of the different horizon perspectives if people drop into mindsets – this can usually be made humorous and fun once people realise how they identify with one horizon. * People need to stay in an exploratory divergent/emergent thinking style and some people are uncomfortable with this. Acknowledge this possible discomfort, and make clear that they will move into a convergent style in the second phase when they move to action planning. **Thinking** * People naturally want to talk about their own organisation and goals. It takes effort on the part of the facilitator to ensure that the discussion engages with the world beyond the organisation. Use the scoping statement to keep them paying attention to what is going on “out there”, where the visible actions and intentions of others are evidence of unfolding futures. ### Links to resources * The International Futures Forum provides downloadable resources, including a Three Horizons Kit . *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Three Horizons Multi-Actor Mapping
## Purpose To bring in multiple perspectives on a Three Horizon Map to enrich understanding and inform possibilities of “convening the future” to take action. ## When to use? As a second stage of building [Three Horizons Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide), especially useful if the team is all from one organisation and needs to broaden their perception and understanding of the dynamics that will shape H3 and how they might need to relate to other actors to bring about desired transformation. ## Set Up Each actor perspective requires the set up for the whole group, or break out group, described in [Three Horizons Mapping.](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide) ## Outputs * A Three Horizon map as seen from each of the chosen actor perspectives. * A combined 3H map that tells a story combining the perspectives. * The clustered H2+ and H3 material is suitable as input to the [Three Horizons Action Planning](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-action-planning) method. ## Steps ### Step 1: Brainstorm List of Actors * Explain purpose is to generate a list of candidates from whose perspective different 3H maps will be explored. You want to get both obvious ones and ones currently on the margin. Prime them to consider the unexpected players by using contemporary examples “Who would have thought x years ago that we would see y starting to do z”. * Trigger question: “Considering our scope, which actors, or classes of actors, might be influential in shaping the third horizon that will emerge?” * Use usual brainstorm approach of capturing whatever comes up in a list on flip charts *** ### Step 2: Select Actors for Mapping * Decide how many actors you are going to develop maps for – typically three to five. Working in parallel in smaller groups is a good way to generate energy and diversity into the thinking and is better than taking them all through every actor. * Give everybody in the group the same number of votes as the number of actors to be selected. Get them to vote by coming up and placing a tick against an actor for each vote, without discussion. Tell them to use each vote for a different actor, and to select a set that would interest them most. * Review the collective choice, picking out the ones with the most votes, and where there is a tie having a discussion to choose a set that are interestingly different. *** ### Step 3: Build Actor Maps * Divide up into breakout groups to develop the maps. Give them a simple set of trigger questions for the three horizons, to work in order H1, H3, H2, and let them self-facilitate. Encourage them that they should do this by role playing, fully inhabiting the perspective of the chosen actor and trying to see the world through their eyes. * Ask each group to prepare to tell the story of their actor’s map. *** ### Step 4: Share Actor Stories * Each group tells the story of its map to the whole group and discusses it. * Take pictures of the maps before going on to the next step. *** ### Step 5: Combine Maps
Combining 3H maps
* Set up an H2+ flip chart and an H3 flip chart * Ask each group to identify the H2+ stickies on their map, and transfer them to the H2+ flip chart * Take all the H3 stickies and put them on the H3 flip chart * Use Silent Clustering on H3. * Work through the clusters discussing and labelling them. As each cluster is named, write the name on a hexagon and place it appropriately back on the main 3H map. * Repeat for H2+ *** ### Step 6: Tell a Story * Develop a story of the combined map, exploring in particular where the points that have emerged that influence the different perspectives to combine or compete in their journey to H3. See [Three Horizons Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide) for guidance. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Three Horizons Action Planning
## Purpose To enable a team to use a Three Horizon map to formulate an innovation pathway towards a third horizon vision. ## When to use? This is Stage 2 of the Three Horizon basic method, following on from [Three Horizon Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizon-mapping-guide). It is assumed that the team that developed the map wants to take action towards a desired third horizon future. If this is following on directly from a Three Horizon mapping session, there will not have been the opportunity for deep enquiry in the dynamics of transformation or extended creative sessions to explore options. The emphasis therefore is likely to be on developing actions that start a process of movement and learning towards the third horizon, in anticipation of further conversations to deepen insight as progress is made. The dynamics of innovation vary widely between cases where they change must be brought about from within the existing system or from outside. Innovation from within is common in public sector situations, whereas entrepreneurs in the market can stand apart and challenge the incumbents. This Guide is written with a bias to the more challenging situation of transformation from within, but can obviously be adapted to other situations. ## Set Up * A new 3H chart (just the basic lines) at the front of the room on which you will build up the innovation pathway. The layout also needs to keep the Phase 1 3H map visible throughout, available to work on for Step A and as source of the material for the remaining steps. * Hexagons * It is helpful to have larger rectangular stickies than those used for the capture stage for use in summarising. * Flip chart on stand ## Steps ### Step 1: Identify areas of concern ![](/files/mEGjhV1w52kevEa3PxVd) * Ask the team to look at the first horizon stickies and identify a headline summary of an issue of concern, or indication of the system losing fit to the future. Write this on a (larger) sticky and put on the vertical axis of the 3H map. Ask for which stickies go with this issue and line them up next to it. * Repeat until you have captured the main points – 5-7 should be enough to capture a shared understanding. Total agreement is not necessary, all views should be represented. The process should naturally run out of energy with a feeling that the current system has been understood. * Alternative capture approach is to use a separate flip chart and then put up on left of the 3H map. *** ### Step 2: Visionary aspirations for H3 ![](/files/CifRq3TiXazp2hYCFNru) * Complete Box 1 * This step is central to the whole process and requires the facilitator to make a skillful choice of clustering approach that will create an appropriate H3 description that is informed by the group’s ideals and well-connected to landscape of change without being purely idealistic – see more in the Hints and Tips. * Transfer all the stickies from H3 on the map and place them on the flip chart. * If you used [Three Horizons Multi Actor Mapping](/facilitation-guide/three-horizons-multi-actor-mapping) then at this point you combine all the H3 stickies from all the perspectives onto the one flip chart. * Choose a Clustering approach to create a small number of descriptively labelled clusters that describe the imagined H3 system. * Transfer the cluster descriptions to Box 1. *** ### Step 3: Pockets of future in the present ![](/files/kQjfekEGkoSgigOtcah4) * Complete Box 2 * Having discussed a desirable future, it should be possible to identify aspects of that future happening already or features of current practice that can be built-upon. * Summarise, as a set of bullet points in Box 2, the examples of H3 pockets of the future in the present that have already been recorded on the map. * Add to them any additional contributions that come up. * Prompt the group to consider those aspects of current practice, either in their own setting or anywhere else in the world, that give them hope and encouragement that the future they desire is indeed achievable because there are others moving in the same direction. *** ### Step 4: Sustaining and transformative innovations ![](/files/IAKhcRf7OLEw8AsExNJC) * Complete Boxes 3 and 4 * Revisit the H1 concerns from Step A and set up the task: “Considering what you have said about your desirable third horizon future (Box 1) and some of the things already happening that can encourage you to undertake the journey (Box 2). You are now ready to tackle the challenge of designing an innovation strategy that will both improve the existing system and help you make the transition to something even better. In completing these next boxes, you need firstly to identify the sustaining innovations that will help ‘keep the lights on’ i.e. keep the system running and address immediate concerns; and secondly the transformative innovations that will support the journey towards your longer-term aspirations. You need both.” * Review the sticky notes in the middle ‘transition’ zone on the Three Horizons chart. Invite the team to select those that you think have a part to play in their future and that will make a difference. Place them on the ‘Planning for Transformation’ chart in the appropriate place: Box 3 for sustaining innovations, Box 4 for transformative innovations. * Once the existing stickies have been used, invite more contributions. Trigger: “What are the innovations that are in play in your setting, in current policy, in your wider experience? Note that the transformative innovations will likely come from those stories of practice that particularly energise, excite or inspire you. * Explore H2 plus and minus aspects. Some sustaining innovations can be tweaked to give them a greater focus on the emerging Third-Horizon vision. See whether any of the sustaining innovations could be modified to become transformative. *** ### Step 5: H1 in the future ![](/files/Jt1PrdYOPcMHVbagdGMH) * Complete Box 5 * Capture any aspects of H1 that will play a continuing role in H3. This is for essential, foundational aspects of the existing system that will persist and be reconfigured in H3. Do not spend too long on this stage, it is a preparation for the final step (below), but it can help the group to see that the First Horizon can continue in new ways through transformation of its role. *** ### Step 6: Decommissioning current practice ![Action planning Decommissing H2](/files/hckT3tskD4CHELjoAMUt) * Complete Box 6 * Put any ideas for ‘clearing the way’, that is, aspects of present practice that could be discontinued to make way for the new *** ## Tips * The dynamics of innovation, and therefore how this process will be experienced by the participants, varies widely between cases where they change must be brought about from within the existing system or from outside. Innovation from within is common in public sector situations, whereas entrepreneurs in the market can stand apart and challenge the incumbents. * Our visionary aspirations are usually based on an implicit set of values that might not be held in common by all those involved in the conversation. If elements of the group’s aspirations seem incompatible, you may need a deeper discussion about values in order to clarify a shared vision of the future. * Sifting the actions and innovations between sustaining and transformative is likely to be a novel process for most people but it is one of the advantages that the Three Horizons approach offers: the twin-track innovation process of ‘redesigning the plane whilst flying it’. * Identifying transformative (H2+) innovations that shift the system towards a desired future is not easy. Inspiring examples of aspects of your desired future already happening in the present will provide some encouragement. This process will help to identify what such innovation might look like, but does not own provide a process for generating innovative ideas. * The group are likely to find that a programme of ‘sustaining innovation’ is easier to deliver. For that reason, such a programme can easily squeeze out longer-term aspirations. One way to gain better appreciation of the journey towards these longer term aspirations is with the following set of reflections: * First, step back and consider the transformative innovations listed in Box 4. View these as a set of ideas for how to make the transition from the First Horizon and its concerns to the Third Horizon and its aspirations. * Identify the prominent routes – the ‘transition pathways’ – that emerge from your discussions. What will enable the transition? For example, it could be ‘professional development’ or ‘freedom to experiment with financial incentives’. Make a note of these. * Finally, consider what actions you can initiate (these can be small-scale) to start exploring one of these transition pathways. These actions are the seeds of transformative innovation. You can draw on the content of Box 2 – Third Horizon activity that is already taking place in the present – for inspiration. You are looking for acorns at this stage, not oak trees. This should make initiating radical innovation feel less daunting. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Hexagon Mapping
## Purpose To elicit a set of issues or ideas from a group, record them on *hexagons* and combine them into a small number of *clusters* as input to further work. A further step if a whole systems approach is needed is to relate the clusters into one system called an *influence diagram*. ## When to use? The Hexagon Mapping method described here is a standalone process for reviewing a complex issue, and is structured into five stages: **Stage 1:** Choosing the question *(Step 1)* **Stage 2:** Eliciting and capturing ideas on hexagons *(Steps 2-3)* **Stage 3:** Clustering *(Steps 4-5)* Method A: Conversational\ Method B: Silent **Stage 4:** Creating an influence diagram *(Step 6)* **Stage 5:** Answering the question *(Step 7)* There are several H3Uni methods that involve generating individual contributions from members of the group which then need to be combined into a small number of ideas for the next stage of that method. The methods have their own approach to Stages 1, 4, and 5, but can all use the hexagon capture and clustering process of Stages 2 and 3. This process is appropriate for taking around 20-30 stickies and combining them into clusters of around 3-7. ## Set Up * Large visual work area (6′ x 4′) at the front of the meeting space * Sticky hexagons (50-70) * Participants seated in U facing work area – not table or other obstruction to everyone standing in front of the visual work area ## Outputs A completed influence diagram looks like this:
## Steps ### Step 1: Choosing the question ![](/files/mt2RXenDxfy2d42m5jM4) This step is designed such that the question is NOT the direct problem or task that a concern for the group. This topic needs to be clearly understood by the group but then the question aims to ‘get underneath’ the problem, so try to unpick a next level of considerations that determines the task or problem space. This prevents people from jumping to premature conclusions and leaves more space or different individual views and contributions to meld together at the clustering stage. This tactic is important if the group is to develop its own shared mental model. An example question is *“What are the factors we need to take into account in working towards a solution to our problem?”* * Be clear on the topic you are going to think about. * Make the question open ended. * Write it clearly at the top of your working area. *** ### Step 2: Individual reflection Time for individual reflection, however brief, is important so that everyone is prepared for participation. Rushing in to collecting ideas will distract people from getting clear about what their own priority views might be. This is especially important where the task has a creative requirement because space is needed for fresh thoughts to emerge. Prioritization is important to go beyond the stage of simply a brain dump to some reflective judgement about what is important for the rest of the group to take into account. If the task is creative, then this step is more like sorting the wheat from the chaff. * The facilitator asks the individuals to consider the question from their own perspective and experience * They do this in silence for between 2 and 5 minutes while making a list * In the last minute they either: Prioritize the top three most important or\ Pick three contrasting ideas or issues * Which method the facilitator asks them to use depends on whether (a) the task requires the focusing of the group or (b) the task requires an expansion of the range and variety of ideas to be considered ### Step 3: Collect ideas
* The facilitator collects one issue per person in sequence and writes it up on the hexagons ensuring that everyone has understood the meaning for the contributor. * Write in block capitals, numbering each hexagon in turn at the top. * Where necessary work with the contributors to formulate a clear issue that is genuinely at the level needed by the question – asking ‘why’ can help get up a level, asking ‘how’ will come down a level. * Read out the contribution to the group and ensure that the group understands its meaning for the contributor. * Do not allow discussion other than for clarification * Place on the board making a border around the edge leaving the centre clear. See [Visual Facilitation Tutorial](/tutorial/visual-facilitation) for further tips. *** ### Step 4: Cluster the hexagons ![](/files/qhw2pgkimEkyrDlR53o2) #### Method A – Conversational * The facilitator guides the group to search for connections and associations between issues that will develop the clusters. This is an emergent process with no “right” answer. * Connections are expressed by placing the hexagons together. Try to avoid simple classification grouping. * Anyone seeing a connection is invited to come up to the visual space and place their two hexagons together. * Get the person placing two hexagons together to briefly explain the link. * Clusters of several hexagons are formed. Cognitively it is good to keept their size down to not more than seven (7). * Guide this process towards achieving consolidation into several main clusters. The result is more powerful if people avoid simple classification and seek interesting connections of difference rather than similarity. * Once a circle of hexagons is formed the facilitator invites members of the group to point out and explain strong connections: * Where people disagree encourage brief discussion of differences of viewpoint but move on if there is no quick resolution. #### Method B – Silent This is a similar process to Method A except that it is carried out in this way: * The whole group (or if the group is large a sub-group) are invited up to the visual space or whiteboard. * Everyone standing up is asked to put hexagons together and build clusters * *No conversation is allowed!* * When sufficient clustering has emerged, the operation is stopped and people return to their places * The faciltiator askes for reflections on what has emerged * Several people join in and a rough shared picture emerges as what the main clusters are about #### Notes: Where sufficient time is available and also if the task requires a thorough approach, then Method A is preferred. This gives the facilitator more scope to challenge the meaning and quality of what is being done and keep referring back to the purpose of the overall exercise. More care can be taken with avoiding simple classification groupings and with juxtaposing hexagons in a way that brings out a more systmic connection. Where time is short and the exercise is more one of sketching some kind of quick shared understanding (quickly getting the picture) then Method B is often the best. The clustering process, even done by several people concurrently and done without discussion, is remarkable in how it can elicit common understanding of the pattern of issues that have come up from the group. *** ### Step 5: Name the clusters
The key facilitator question here is “what makes this cluster an interesting topic for our overall task?” * A good way to do this is to ask “what is the story this cluster is telling?” Have someone tell the story. * The title can be a phrase, but do not use an active verb unless this is required for the next stage of the process – usually you want to keep the relationship to action open. * Avoid single words which are often too open to wide interpretation. * A useful guide is 3 to 5 words. * Test the title with a question like “what is it that makes this particular cluster significant for our current task?” * Since judgements about clusters may be made at a later stage in task process, it is usually best to avoid titles that imply an evaluation. It is often better to think of the title as indicating a condition that may or may not be “good” or “bad” or something similar. *** ### Step 6: Add influences
The facilitator invites the group to identify **major** influences or connections between the decision areas and depicts them as arrows. Discussion is deepened by considering the mutual impact of changes in one cluster with conditions in cluster. The key facilitator question here is “Where is there a strong relationship of influence of one cluster on another?” * the diagram that is being drawn here is an influence diagram that brings out knock-on effects between one cluster and another * the relationships represented by the arrows do not have to be just causal time sequences – they may also be subtle correlations * where people want to put double-headed arrows, take only the direction which is stronger * It is easy to draw a lot of lines connecting every cluster to every other cluster. This is not the point! * the value of the arrow and its direction is to identify what are the connections that makes a difference to how to the situation behaves as a whole * It is better to be parsimonious and have a few really significant influences rather than lots of minor ones. Judgements will need to be made about this. If the hexagon clustering is taking place in the context of, say, a project for transformative innovation, then a further exercise is to test the completed diagram by inquiring into where the group think the intervention points might be that have leverage: the biggest transformative impact for the least effort. Quite often these are not in the obvious place and work by transmitting effects around the influence arrows in a particular pathway. *** ### Step 7: Answer the group question * * Read and think about the original question at the top of the space. * Invite the group to read through the hexagon map they have created getting a feel for the whole as well as the detail. * Invite them each to reflect: taking that picture into account write down your best thoughts that either answer your question or give you a whole new perspective on the problem even if the answer has not yet emerged. * Use a circle process to share reflections, each sharing their thoughts: * ***“Now that we have:*** * ***Considered all factors*** * ***Clustered them into powerful relationships*** * ***Expressed the meaning of the clusters with specific names*** * ***Stepped back and identified broader relationships that link them all together as one whole*** * ***Reflected on the difference between this picture and where we started from*** ***…We see that an approach to our original problem is…”*** *** ## Tips ### Materials * Don’t cramp the exercise with too little whiteboard and insufficient hexagons. * Do lay out the room so everyone can see and access the board. ### Process * Allow an average of 2 minutes per hexagon in the collection phase: group size will affect timing. * One full round is essential but after that you can short cut by asking for anyone to contribute something they feel is significantly different from what has come out so far. ### People * There are often tensions of organisational status, power, and politics around strategic issues as well as the impact of management hierarchies: it is important for the facilitator to understand the context of the group, and to feel as well connected as possible to each individual in the group so as to gain increasing trust and openness. * The ability of the facilitator to listen and to faithfully record what is being said is critical this process is greatly assisted by preliminary interviews with cognitive mapping and feedback. ### Thinking * Conceptualising issues can be very hard part of strategic thinking especially where facing unknown of complex areas where there is nothing much from history to go on. * The extra challenge to the facilitator here is to be able, as well as running the process, to join the thinking task with the group and help to catch and formulate elusive issues. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Gaining Perspective with the Wheel of Wisdom
## Purpose The Wheel of Wisdom brings a set of searching perspectives to bear upon a matter of importance, to reach agreement for collective action. Each of the eight Roles evokes a field of innate human inquiry, to include differences of view that are necessary for shared understanding. ## When to use? The Wheel of Wisdom helps us address questions that matter, from perspectives we may not otherwise have access to with the usual methods. In this design for the Wheel of Wisdom, formal features of the indigenous Council have become Roles of Embodied Leadership, along with illustrations, for easier working. The Roles bring the Wheel to life, along with enlivening questions, in this facilitation method. This method can be used by an individual but its most powerful role is as a group process, especially by a group that is seeking intelligent collective action. For people who need to work collaboratively, the Wheel opens practical awareness and empowers their differences of contribution, in service of the whole. Personal and collective learning journeys both become engaged in this practice. Using the Wheel, the group can look into questions that matter to them thoroughly and in depth – the kinds of questions that persist, and will not be satisfied by ready answers and solutions. Individually, for a person who wishes to discover a path to their personal potential, the Wheel helps to engage creatively with their wants, needs, ideas, vision, intelligences, awareness and intentions. ## Set Up To use the Wheel of Wisdom online, all you need is this Facilitation Guide, which you can share with participants, as you take them with you through a working session. For in-person use some physical artefacts can be brought into play: ![](/files/c5sM9zSapmQyAFhHLgQZ) The set up here is for group work, which may be a project team, a management team, a volunteer group or even a family group. The eight circular Role emblems are laid down in a circle on the floor to form the Wheel, perhaps at the perimeter of a circular table cloth, with the Disruptive Genius aligned to the east, and the question mark emblem in the middle. Participants sit in a circle on chairs or cushions around this Wheel. It is helpful to have two flipcharts present. One can be prepared with an agenda, process and Role Questions; the other can be used to record findings from each Role in turn. Findings can be written by participants onto A5 post-its or directly onto the flipchart prepared with a compass diagram: ![](/files/gHdxLI3sKXqivEQTAw6O) The Role perspectives are 1. EAST – Disruptive Genius 2. SOUTH EAST – Peacemaker 3. SOUTH – Pioneer 4. SOUTH WEST – Pathfinder-Narrator 5. WEST – Steward/Chatelaine 6. NORTHWEST – Oracle 7. NORTH – Strategist 8. NORTH EAST – Guardian of Transformation ### Printable Wisdom Wheel ![](/files/jVXX4YjedxCgZrds3tfO) ## Outputs * The output of an online process will be the shared record held by participants in the mode that you have jointly chosen for it. For example, a visual electronic record, an acoustic recording, or a text summary, or some combination of these, according to the purpose for which the process has been convened. * The output of an in-person process will be the flipchart record in sequence of a well examined and reflective position on the question in focus. * Along with agreement in depth – or agreement in formation – among the participants upon the way forward and next steps for the group, recorded in the same way. ## Steps This outlines a first level process for effective engagement in the time span of a typical meeting. A Facilitator for the Wheel of Wisdom takes the role of ***Servant Listener*** for the process: lightly explaining, guiding, holding the space that allows participants to to do their work. The Servant Listener oversees the process, and stands aside from engaging personally in a session’s content. *Servant Listener*The Roles of Leadership in the Wheel are designed so that participants can bring them to life and enact them, in response to the central question. Each Role is male and female in equal balance. In this way, fresh perspectives arise from the energy and enquiry which every Role brings forward in its turn. Work begins with framing and agreeing the question that is the focus for the session. When the question is clear, it is good to let the participants settle with meditation, or a similar calming experience, before beginning the Wheel process. Then the whole Wheel is introduced, the Roles are each briefly described. Let the participants know that the meaning of these Roles will emerge in the exercise. Next, participants are guided to work the agreed question through each of the Roles in sequence. This takes them on a cumulative journey of discovery and understanding. It is important that they complete a summary at its conclusion. Ideally, the group will reach a clear, shared agreement for subsequent action. If, in demanding circumstances, this proves too much for a group to achieve in a typical meeting, the matter in hand will benefit from a further iteration of the whole process. ### Forming the Question Before fully engaging with the Wheel of Wisdom you need to facilitate the group to identify and clarify the key question which is to be the focus of the method. Here are some useful guidelines. The question needs to be: * a matter of judgement rather than a matter of fact (the facts are relevant as context for a wise decision) * a matter of powerful and heartfelt importance for the group you are facilitating * arrived at by a group process such as gathering or clustering or distributive voting. Write the agreed question clearly in way that everyone participating can refer to it and hold it in mind. It sits symbolically in the centre of the wheel. *** ### Facilitate the Process When you have the question clearly agreed, you then work through each of the eight Roles, rounded off by a reflection on the whole. This process will illuminate the question and suggest wise actions. The Wheel of Wisdom encourages whole person engagement – thinking, feeling, behaving – all of which enrich the learning experience. * The question, the Quest, in focus is visualised at the centre of the wheel. * the eight Roles of inquiry and reflection open and focus fresh viewpoints, insights, revelations and new thinking. * the sequence begins from the East (E, SE,S, SW, W, NW, N, NE) These are some of the ways you can involve the group, according to the amount of time in hand. * the Servant Listener reads out the prompts for that Role * each person silently reflects on the implications of the Role’s inquiry for the central question * a round is made of the group and these individual views on a headed flip chart OR * the Servant Listener reads out the questions for that Role * when someone has an insight or viewpoint they state this aloud to the group * the Servant Listener records these on the flip chart * when three contributions have been made the facilitator moves onto the next perspective and the process is repeated In the Steps that follow each Role has a set of questions that originate from its essence, which address the central Quest of the session. Have participants read and reflect on the questions. They are there to prompt reflection, discovery and resonance, to enable participants to formulate their insights in relation to the central question. Make notes to help the final review. The sequence of Roles accumulates towards the outcome of the quest. *** ### Role 1 - Disruptive Genius
*** ### Role 2 - Peacemaker
*** ### Role 3 - Pioneer
*** ### Role 4 - Pathfinder-Narrator
*** ### Role 5 - Steward/Chatelaine
*** ### Role 6 - Oracle
*** ### Role 7 - Strategist
*** ### Role 8 - Guardian of Transformation
*** ### Step 10: When the Roles have Spoken - Holistic Reflection *** Have the participants reflectively review the points that have been recorded for each of the Roles and summarise * the positions that they have reached, * the commitments they are making, * what they have learned through the process, and * what they plan to do next. Agree what follow-up, if any, is to be made. Summarise with an appreciative conclusion and participant check-out. *** ## Tips Preparing the Question for the Wheel * what is the main, salient and challenging question that confronts us (me) right now? * is this a question from the heart? * is it expressed clearly, simply and with strong intent? * Is it in an open form such as “How can ….?” or “What is needed for ….?” or “How can we understand …..?” *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Synergy with the World Mandala
## Purpose The purpose of this method is to enable us to place any transformation project in the context of the whole human/ecological system and more easily identify creative synergies where we can get much more impact from our approach. Synergy is a condition in which the interrelationship and coherence amongst a pattern of crucial processes achieves a power and a harmony that could not be achieved in isolation. ## When to use? This techniques can be used * before starting a project into order to understand better its aim and implications in the context of the global problematique * during a project as a reference frame for guiding tactical decisions and taking opportunities to gain leverage and avoid unintended consequences * at the conclusion of a project to appraise how far it has delivered congruent with the whole human/planet system ## Set Up It is important that the work space, either physical or digital, has enough surface to easily display the World Mandala and is able to allow operations on it. Here is a basic version for reference. This can be printed as a template for individual and group mapping of patterns of connection.

The Word Mandala

The World Mandala has twelve components or nodes each connected to the eleven others. This makes sixty-six connections each of which represents a mutual relevance between that pair of nodes. The implication of this is that a given state of any node (for example healthy or unhealthy) will effect all the other nodes and the health of the system as a whole. This represents the real interdependent nature of the human/ecological system in contrast to the dominant fragmented and disconnected way in which our societies see the world and their relation to it. The twelve words are chosen as headings to give us a quick overview of the complexity and cultivate a holistic pespective in which nothing significant is left out. Please read the table below that summarises the content of each of the nodes. This can be printed as a briefing card for participants. ![World Mandala – The Expansion of the Twelve Nodes](/files/tWO4GL302y2irTZecQWr) The role of the World Mandala in this method is to direct our attention to in a way that 1. clarifies the focus of our project in the wider context 2. enables us to identify primary and secondary connections in the world system that matter 3. understand the wider pattern of connections which will affect our success or failure 4. enable us to see patterns of both opportunity and threat 5. stimulate us to look for synergic action ideas that enhances and heals the whole rather than fragments and imbalances it. 6. increases the chances that we will have designed a resilient situation that can adapt to any turbulence ## Outputs Example: Mapping two separate projects and then finding cross over interconnections with synergy potential. ![](/files/nQ0efIIQo20HBdcJgPAh) The examples here show a review of the primary interconnections of two complex crises. The first is a *health* crisis such as an epidemic (red lines). The crisis challenges the community\`s world view and how it can be governed to achieve the public health policies. These have a knock-on effect to the food system and also the conditions of trade that make distribution possible. The second is an energy crisis such as a serious shortfall in the conversion from fossil to renewable energy (blue lines). This challenges the failure of governance to achieve agreements with effects on community and polarisation of worldviews as to the importance of climate targets. Habitat and infrastructure are compromised through, for example, pollution which questions the basis of a carbon intensive trade system. Both these crises are going on in parallel and have a *mutual impact*. This is shown in the third World Mandala which combines the two patterns (red and blue). The behaviour of the world system arises from the interaction of both complex systems. For example, Governance is stretched in both areas; tension between world views and hence disruption of community harmony are provoked as both crises hit each other. In the application of the method that follows you will work on a pair of complex crises of your own choosing, consider the primary interconnections and see how they inter-react on the whole world system. This provides a platform for developing policies, strategies and transformative initiatives. ## Steps The aim of the process is to construct a synergy potential diagram from a sample of perspectives organised by and mapped onto the H3Uni World Mandala. This requires selecting two projects of interest each centred in a different node of the Mandala. They will be worked on separately and then together. Here is a printable version. You will need three copies. World Mandala for Mapping ![](/files/28pKRrlBXl0wbxNY6q3D) Each separate perspective is then mapped on to the World Mandala to reveal a combined overview. The final stage is examine the pattern on connections and se where there are common connections and possible threats or opportunities from the connections. ### Step 1: Project 1 Mapping The diagram in **Outputs** illustrates the procedure. The top box is your main node. Summarise your project and why you feel that is the central node. ![](/files/3HgbCOwi5BRgXQ2gY33L) Then identify the three most important nodes that need to be in alignment with and supporting your project. Characterise their connections X,Y,and Z as an action towards your node. This is important when bringing the perspectives together. Action for X…………………………….………………………………………..…………. Action for Y…………………………….……………………………………..……………. Action for Z…………………………………………………………………………………. *** ### Step 2: Project 2 Mapping The diagram illustrates the procedure which is the same as the previous step. The top box is your main node. Summarise your project and why you feel that is the central node. ![](/files/3HgbCOwi5BRgXQ2gY33L) Then identify the three most important nodes that need to be in alignment with and supporting your project. Characterise their connections X,Y,and Z as an action towards your node. This is important when bringing the perspectives together. Action for X…………………………….………………………………………..…………. Action for Y…………………………….……………………………………..……………. Action for Z…………………………………………………………………………………. *** ### Step 3: Combining Project Patterns Copy the connections of both project diagrams onto the third copy of the World Mandala. This creates your Synergy Map. *** ### Step 4: Drawing Conclusions Examine and reflect on the combined World Mandala with the help of the following questions * do the two projects have connection lines in common? * do the connections link the projects at any of the nodes? * are there possibilities for mutual help between the projects? * are there possibilities that they could be in conflict, for example competing for resources? * Are there any nodes not initially involved that turn out to be critical for either or both projects and need additional consideration? *** ## Tips * It is useful in the warmup for the exercise to run through the expansion of the 12 nodes. The words chosen for each node are deliberately simple but by implication there is a good deal of complexity behind them. For that reason the meaning of the nodes can be customised to some extent to match the nature of the project that is being run through the World Mandala. * Even the project in one specific node (e.g. food) may be ambiguous as to where it’s primary location is on the Mandala. For example community food growing. The important point is to choose one primary node and work from that. Other nodes will be brought in by the exercise. * It is better to have three really powerful lines in this exercise than seven or eight where their significance is confused. * As well as indicating where there might be synergy or counter-productive interference, the outtake from studying the overlap between the two projects can also serve as a basis for inventing a new project that deliberately embraces the two and even takes them further generatively. ### Links to resources Hodgson, Anthony. ‘A Transdisciplinary World Model’. Systems Research and Behavioural Science 29 (2012): 517–26.\ Hodgson, Anthony. Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World. Axminster: Triarchy Press, 2011.\ [https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/world-model\ https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/world-game\ https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/p/iff-world-game\ https://www.iffpraxis.com/world-game](https://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/world-modelhttps://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/world-gamehttps://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/p/iff-world-gamehttps://www.iffpraxis.com/world-game) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Dilemma Navigation
## Purpose The dilemma framework enables the group to shift their orientation from either/or thinking (which won’t work in the given situation) to both/and (which can work) and use Dilemma Thinking and Generative Thinking to produce new options for action which integrate the two apparently conflicting values in innovative ways. ## When to use? This method is especially useful for projects requiring a need for *transformative innovation*. In trying to make progress, especially on an innovation or change project, we often encounter pairs of conflicting values and demands. These can appear as tensions, polarities and even conflicts. Sometimes these are options and we can make a choice but sometimes they are both essential for success even though they are mutually exclusive or incompatible. This can become stuck in conflict. The dilemma method is a way to re-frame the conflict and tension into a process of learning and discovery that can take you beyond the impasse. The process allows the people in the room to move from polarised opposition into a generative dialogue. The process respects the importance of opposing values and allows them both to contribute into a collective enquiry into creative opportunities. The process exposes that there are four failure modes in the situation and only one success mode, making visible that if one party sticks to their own position nobody will get a solution. **NOTE**: As well as application in general situations, this has a specific use in Three Horizons (see Three Horizons Mapping) to frame H2 as a dilemma between H1 and H3 in order to construct possibilities for H2+ innovations, and in conjunction with Navigational Scenarios (coming soon) to support a continuous action-learning cycle in the face of uncertainty as the project moves into H3. ## Set Up * One flip chart stand, and wall space for two flip charts fixed side by side * Three colours of sticky hexagons * Participants seated in U facing work area – no table or other obstruction to everyone standing in front of the visual work area ## Outputs ![Dilemma Resolution](/files/tnrm5kbVgHjsnU3fl87Q) The simplest way to work with dilemma resolution is to use the representation of the dilemma as a space created by putting the two conflicting or contrasting values on the orthogonal lines instead of thinking of them as polar opposites. The diagram then provides a way of framing the results of the process. In the diagram, the vertical axis represents the more fixed values of the dilemma (hence the rock symbol). The horizontal axis represents the more fluid values of the dilemma (hence the whirlpool symbol). A good outcome needs both values to be fully expressed in the resolution. The pathway to resolution is represented by the diagonal wavy line. The line is wavy because the process is dynamic and needs to be constantly adjusted from feedback. This feedback needs to tell us whether we are heading too strongly towards rigidity or too strongly towards vagueness. The pathway needs to avoid taking the ‘easy way out’ of compromise; it needs to navigate through the tensions of the conflict zone; it needs to generate self-organising guidance into the resolution zone; and it needs to arrive a shared vision of a transformed situation. ## Steps The main steps in facilitating a dilemma resolution exercise are shown below. Although they are presented in a sequence through time they also should be viewed as a whole in that the steps are highly interdependent. In a complex task it may be necessry to reiterate steps. For example, it can happen that half way through an exercise a clearer dilemma is recognised that is better to work with than the initial one. Facilitating a powerful dilemma resolution requires you to “ride the bull without falling off.” ### Step 1: Scope the challenge * Scope the dilemma discussion according to the context of the task. Use a trigger question appropriate to the scope and process context: “In moving towards our transformative goal, what are we experiencing as the main tensions between opposing forces, needs and values?” List the answers in two columns on a flip chart without processing them. * Take each answer and through discussion restate it as a pair of seemingly incompatible factors, a polarity, as currently experienced. Do not get into problem solving at this stage. Write each side of the polarity on a hexagon and place on either side of a double head arrow on a flip chart. Note: as far as possible the two factors should NOT be opposite ends of a scale but opposing factors * NOTE: In the context of three horizons there is a special scoping method for setting up and developing H2+ innovation opportunities. See Dilemma Mapping for 3H Navigation (coming soon). See also the guide in the[ IFF Three Horizons Kit](https://www.iffpraxis.com/3hkit/) which has a dilemma method for action planning. *** ### Step 2: Construct the dilemma ![Dilemma scoping](/files/KCW1T7AzBEAarunSVxc9) * On two flip charts side by side label one Rock and other Whirlpool. Through discussion invite choice of the most dominant ‘hard’ issue. Develop an understanding of it as a dilemma ‘rock’ quality, write it on a hexagon, and place it on rock flip chart. Take the dominant ‘soft’ issue(can be from a different polarity, but make sure it is in opposition to the chosen hard issue), develop it as a ‘whirlpool’ quality and place on the flipchart. Build up a Rock and Whirlpool cluster by taking hexagons one at time from the polarities, restating as qualities as needed, and placing them next to the appropriate ones by discussion. * Create short summary description for the Rock and Whirlpool completed clusters as a *quality* that needs to be respected in navigating to the future. Ensure these are as contrasting as possible. * Draw up the dilemma space axes. * Write up the rock and whirlpool issues on their respective axes. *** ### Step 3: Clarify the compromise and conflict zones ![](/files/9FoRqD0zQ4TGBt0FdqHt) The Compromise Zone * Put the questions: How do we try to avoid the tension by avoiding the issues? What do we pretend that we have reached as a resolution when it is evident that it cannot endure? (Sweeping under the carpet; avoiding discomfort) * Collect post-its on some of the typical compromises that sweep the tension between rock and whirlpool values under the carpet and place them in the compromise zone. * Create a brief summary statement: *The tempting compromise we must avoid is* …………… The Conflict Zone * Put the questions: What are the obvious points of conflict or tension in the situation? Where is most pain in the dilemma being felt? (facing the realities; riding the bull). * Collect post-its on how the tensions between the rock and whirlpool values can break out into conflict, and place these in the conflict zone. * Create a brief summary statement: *The difficulty we must endure in order to emerge into positive resolution is* ……………. *** ### Step 4: Make offers and requests ![Dilemma offers and requests](/files/JvXNrAFy7mQnlsDwK0qq) Set up a 2×2 frame on two flip charts as shown on the diagram above. Put these questions to the group: * From the rock position what is ideally required from the whirlpool in a resolution of this dilemma? * From the whirlpool position what is ideally required from the rock in a resolution of this dilemma? In the spirit of creative resolution: * what is rock willing to offer whirlpool? * what is whirlpool willing to offer rock? Capture in the appropriate boxes. *** ### Step 5: Generate Resolution This step uses [Generative Thinking](/exercise/generative-thinking). The process is to make pairs of rock and whirlpool and provoke innovative ideas for resolution of the specific dilemma. ![](/files/KdwQWDTs7OggEt16cPTl) * Write a rock offer in the left blue hexagon and a whirlpool offer in the right green hexagon. * Put the question “Holding both ideas in mind what ideas occur to you to reconcile the dilemma?” Note: a good resolution idea will incorporate both values evenly and yet also go beyond them to something new. * Repeat this with other pairings between rock and whirlpool offers to create more ideas. * Review the list of generated ideas and select a promising one, or combination, to serve as the focal proposition for dilemma resolution. Note: if this proves unsatisfactory in the next step you can always return here and run through some different pairings. *** ### Step 6: Review the resolution idea Share reflections on how you think this idea will transcend the conflict zone and suggest a way of navigating the dilemma into the future. You can consider its strengths, its weaknesses and what feels creative or unusual about it. * Is it weighted too heavily towards the rock value and therefore top‐heavy? → Dinosaur Trap * Is it weighted too heavily towards the whirlpool value and therefore lop‐sided? → Unicorn Trap * Are you still going to end up heavily in the conflict zone? → Push-me‐pull-you Trap * Have you avoided really confronting the issue and come with a wishy-washy compromise? → Ostrich Trap * If you feel you have the basis for a transformative resolution you are flying free → Flight of the Eagle You can repeat this with other ideas from Step 3 to find the best one. *** ## Tips ### People * The most challenging aspect of facilitating dilemma resolution is the dominant tendency in the unreflective mind to polarise issues into right/wrong, for/against and superior/inferior. When caught in a genuine dilemma this inevitably leads to contradiction and conflict. So the task of the facilitator is to set the mood for and encourage the group to be in a reflective state in which fixed assumptions can be gently challenged and some space loosened up for considering other perspectives. This is the generic problem of shifting from mindset to perspective. * This shift is greatly helped if you, the facilitator, are able to be in a reflective state about the issue in question, listen carefully to the different viewpoints and, at least initially, give them all equal credibility. The point here is that the successful resolution of a dilemma will inevitably require some flexibility and accommodation on the part of all viewpoints. However, it is worth reviewing the psychology of the four failure positions in the dilemma space. See the[ Dilemma Thinking](/tutorial/dilemma-thinking) Tutorial for more guidance. ### Process * A well-stated dilemma is the easiest to work with, take time to get it really clear and simple in the initial steps. It is important to make clear the distinction between a tension arisng from there being different options and tension between clashing but equally necessary values. * Putting the dilemma on axes causes a mild cognitive shock if done without preparation. The important step is the switch from either/or to both/and thinking. It is worth spending few minutes explaining what is happening to give people time to respond to it and start thinking in this new space. The easiest way is to introduce the idea of dilemma before starting on this method, illustrating it with something from everyday experience that will be familiar to them (e.g. in democratic societies we often find there is a dilemma between civil liberties and security). * Many dilemmas arise between people and so a ‘rock’ camp emerges with a ‘whirlpool’ camp. The group dynamics tend to develop in a conflict resolution mode. However, in a dilemma we are not seeking compromise (one of the ways to fail) but a transformative innovation * A significant group of people will find great difficulty in looking at the peaks of the horns of the dilemma rather than the wildest implications especially where they are personally involved in one or other of the situations. They have to be helped to break down the situation and look at bits. Making a list of the parts and then ranking them in terms of their strength o effect in that area helps the individual to let go of the least important parts without having to let go of the whole. * [Generative Thinking ](/exercise/generative-thinking)(1+1=3) is a challenge but it can also be exciting and fun. Try and keep the mood upbeat and ready to have a go without falling into hasty judgement. In creative thinking we often need to create ‘stepping stones’ on the way to our destination. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Reflection
![Reflective Thinking](/files/S8QR3sdxLPJSQKu4Q0KY) ## Reflective thinking 1. **Select a firm seat in a quiet place.** Sit upright but relaxed. Use a slight rocking forward and back motion to find the best balance point. Keep your head level and your eyes looking ahead but not focused on anything in particular. 2. **Become aware of your breathing** by placing attention on your nostrils or under your nose. Let the breathing find its own rhythm. 3. **Close your eyes.** We are often ‘lost in thought’ or images that we are not paying attention to. They may be structured or random but we are not really taking notice of them. This is the figure on the left above. 4. **Start to scrutinize your thoughts** and increase a sense of separation between you and the stream of thoughts. Affirm “*I am not my thinking*” arousing your ‘mind’s eye’. 5. **Steady your inner gaze** and see the shapes and possible meanings of your thoughts. Ask yourself questions like “*What is going on here!*“, “*What does it mean?*“. 6. **Stay quietly aware** of what is coming back to you in the form of meaning, insight or new angles or ideas. Try not to get excited if insights come or disappointed if they do not. Sustain for a minute or two if you can. 7. **Reconnect with your breathing**. Formulate to yourself what has newly become evident to you, what has changed in your confidence in the thoughts you were having. If nothing appears to have changed, you may find that some new current of thought emerges later which will be fresher. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Holism with Focus A guide to perceiving patterns through the combined view of structures and flows.
We understand patterns by bringing both **structures** and **flows** into view.\ Structures are the stable things that configure flows — the parts we tend to see easily.\ Flows are the processes that sustain those structures and change them over time — usually less visible. Weather, trees, mountains, and settlements all reveal the interplay between structure and process across very different timescales.\ In the same way, the patterns of shared life change at both short and long timescales: from fashions, to neighbourhoods, to entire civilisations. When we look at structures, we are seeing only one part of the picture. By attending to flows, we can work outward and further, gaining a holistic view.\ We call the combination of these two modes of perception **“holism with focus.”** To understand the **first horizon**, we need to tune our perception to the flows that sustain the present patterns, and the timescales over which they operate.\ The **third horizon** will emerge from new processes that gradually grow and build an expanding range of social patterns to maintain them. ***
## **Exercise** 1. **Choose a building** in your local area that has existed for a long time. 2. **Think back to the time it was built.** Identify the activities that brought it into being and the ways it configured life around it. Sketch these as a network of interactions inside and around the building. 3. **Trace how these activities have changed** from the time it was built up to the present day. Which activities have disappeared? Which new ones have emerged? 4. **Now step out into the present.** Starting from the building as your focal point, trace the flows of activity across time and space. Create a sketch that shows both the evolving structure and the flows that sustain it today. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Ecosystem Thinking Understand the nested relationships that influence change in complex systems ### **Ecosystem = Community + Habitat** All life goes on as patterns of relationships. An ecosystem is just a pattern that has some overall persistence in a place and over time. We need make no distinction between the human and “natural” world. Depending on our interest we might zoom in and look at the ecosystem of a single tree or café, or zoom out and consider a forest or a city, or a logging business in a forest. The ecosystem comprises two things: the community that interacts, and the place, or habitat, where the interaction happens (including online). The community does not have to regard itself as such — the ecosystem need have no overall “community of interest” or purpose. The pattern we recognise as an ecosystem emerges from the collective pattern of interactions — from the co-ordination of the community. Ecosystems are nested and overlapping at many different scales. The tree is influenced by the forest ecosystem, which may be linked by migrating species to the other side of the planet. The café might be the hub for an innovation system with international links. Ecosystem thinking helps us locate our issue of concern in the appropriate pattern of interactions that maintain it and might change it. *** ### **Exercise** 1. For a topic whose future is an issue of concern for you, pick a particular organisation or type of person who plays a significant role. 2. Using [*Holism with Focus*](/exercise/holism-with-focus), work out from that focus, exploring the other main actors and their stable patterns of interaction in which that organisation or person acts. 3. Think of these patterns as comprising a community of actors within some place of interaction — as a stable ecosystem. Find its natural boundary within which it is the dominant pattern. *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Holistic Thinking A simple method for mapping concepts and relationships to reveal patterns of understanding.
This method helps us understand patterns of connection.\ Nature consists of webs and networks of relationships. Relationships are nodes with linkages. A coherent set of nodes and relationships forms a network — a web where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Mapping a web reveals a pattern we can use to understand better: * **what** we are looking at * **why** it is happening * **how** one thing affects another When nodes are combined through strong links, the web gains strength — stronger as a whole than any single node or pair of nodes.\ **Concept Mapping** is a thinking technique that helps us understand specific topics by seeing how elements relate. *** ### **The Basic Concept Mapping Method** {% columns %} {% column width="66.66666666666666%" %} 1. **Define and describe your topic or question** with a simple headline. 2. **Identify the key concepts** relevant to the topic — anything you need to take into account or understand. Label them A, B, C… etc. 3. **Write each concept** in 3–5 words on small sticky notes.\ Line them up on one side of a sheet of paper or card. 4. **Select pairs of concepts** that seem strongly related.\ Place them next to each other but not touching. 5. **Draw lines** between concepts that connect (you can erase and change your mind).\ This builds the emerging structure. 6. **Expand the map**, arranging and connecting all the concepts.\ Use the flexibility of moveable notes to redraw lines and reposition ideas until you can see a pattern that improves your understanding. 7. **Share your map** with someone else and present what you see.\ Notice what light the pattern sheds on your topic. {% endcolumn %} {% column width="33.33333333333334%" %} ![](/files/56qVf3zUZX54wcE4fkkD) {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Causal Loops A simple exercise for exploring reinforcing and balancing feedback loops in growth dynamics.
This exercise helps you understand how growth patterns arise from the interaction of **reinforcing** and **balancing** feedback loops.\ By identifying key variables and their relationships, you can see what accelerates growth, what limits it, and how behaviour evolves over time. *** ### **Exercise Instructions** 1. **Choose an area in your life or work where you want to see growth.**\ This is your growth parameter of interest. Label this **Variable 1**. 2. **Identify a related variable that accelerates growth** and becomes stronger as Variable 1 increases.\ This is **Variable 2**, your *growth accelerator*. 3. **Identify another related variable that limits or erodes growth**, becoming stronger as Variable 1 grows.\ This is **Variable 3**, your *growth inhibitor*. 4. **Consider how these variables interact** through reinforcing (R) and balancing (B) loops.\ The reinforcing loop increases growth momentum, while the balancing loop eventually constrains it. 5. **Reflect on the Behaviour Over Time graph.**\ Notice how the balancing loop places limits on growth, shaping the characteristic curve of Variable 1 over time. ![](/files/jc6u1N5z5jLADDDatqNV) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Value Constellations Understanding value constellations and ecosystems by exploring how organisations configure interactions and shape shared patterns.
From the perspective of an individual actor in an ecosystem, the pattern of its interactions can be understood as its **value-creating system**, or **value constellation**. Each interaction expresses a particular quality of life that matters to that actor. Sometimes the actor is the dominant player (like a rabbit eating grass); other times it is constrained by others (like the rabbit being eaten by a predator). Organisations shape their value constellations through their **offerings** — products, platforms, services, contracts, and rules of the game that structure how others interact with them. Value constellations sit within larger shared ecosystems. In business terminology, powerful value constellations can become ecosystems in their own right. In these cases we call the dominant actor a **prime mover** — for example, Amazon or Apple as prime movers in their digital-content ecosystems. When exploring an issue of concern, we look to see **which value constellations matter most**, which actors we care about, and whether any prime movers shape the system.\ Who configures the first horizon?\ And who might shape the third? *** ### **Exercise** 1. **Choose a topic** whose future is important to you. Identify an organisation that plays a significant role in it. 2. **Using** [**Holism with Focus**,](/exercise/holism-with-focus) map out that organisation’s value constellation: * its offerings, * how it configures interactions with others, and * how its own interactions are configured.\ Work through all the relevant offerings to understand how the constellation operates within the wider ecosystem. ![](/files/YYwa4NbXjAK3LAAlfLdK) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Generative Thinking A simple method for combining contrasting ideas to generate new possibilities.
## **Generative Thinking: 1 + 1 = 3** In analytical thinking we often look for logical consistency between ideas. This is fine except when we are seeking **new thinking** — because analysis tends to lead to: * **Conflict of ideas** — which one is “correct” or “best”? * **Addition of ideas** — putting them together without creating anything new. In generative thinking, we aim to spark one idea off another and create something new. This is why we call it **1 + 1 = 3** — the result is more than the sum of its parts. A useful analogy is the difference between an **association of cells** that make up an organ in the body, and **sexual reproduction**, where a new creature comes into being with characteristics beyond either parent. As in sexual reproduction, generative thinking requires **contrasting ideas** that challenge one another, allowing something new to emerge while still incorporating the starting ideas. *** ### **Exercise Instructions** 1. **Write a key idea** related to your chosen problem in the **left blue hexagon**. 2. **Write a second idea** that contrasts with the first in the **yellow hexagon**. 3. **Hold both ideas together** and list any new, generated ideas that occur to you — ideas that take both into account and go beyond them. Allow yourself to be creative. 4. **Select your most generative idea** from the list and place it in the **green hexagon**. ![](/files/kAXLm4FimM0agZLyyULZ) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Lateral Thinking A method for breaking out of restrictive thought patterns by using random input to spark new workable ideas.
Lateral thinking requires breaking out of a current mental pattern that is restricting us. The pattern is often subconscious and we notice it through experiencing resistance to an idea — the “no” effect. This means we might need to entertain ideas that we habitually or instinctively reject. A useful technique to break into a new pattern is “random input.” A random, apparently unrelated idea may seem unhelpful, but if you work with it, it loosens your mental pattern and leads to a new workable idea. These ideas act as “stepping stones” to new ideas. Lateral logic says that you cannot analyse your way to a creative idea.\ But if you make the leap (“what if?”) and get the idea (any way that works), you can then reverse-engineer the logic and make it stand up to conventional analysis. *** ### **Exercise Instructions** 1. **Choose a problem area** you are having difficulty with and where you feel some kind of barrier or blockage. 2. In the **red box**, make some notes on the current situation. 3. Use a **random input generator** for an “unconnected” idea and write the idea into the **green box**. Try more than one. 4. Hold the **green** idea in the midst of the ideas in the red box and observe any new thoughts. 5. Develop these and note them in the **yellow box**. 6. Revisit your original problem and pick the most promising new idea to work on further and try it out. *** ### ![](/files/r4krvnBG9kEFpRxhR5fD) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Evaluative Thinking A method for evaluating complex situations using four textures instead of simple good/bad judgments.
Usually we restrict our evaluative thinking to two categories: good or bad, right or wrong, true or false.\ In complex situations this is like trying to forecast the weather using only “sun” or “rain.” We need a better range of evaluation categories just as we need a more complex weather forecast. Causal texture method requires that we think about any situation not in two but in **four categories**. Any situation can be evaluated as: * **Positive** * **Ambiguous** * **Indeterminate** * **Negative** Most complex situations have a mix of causal textures. Texture is woven together and so, through feedback and interconnectedness, these different aspects weave together in any situation. By covering all textures we are less likely to jump to hasty conclusions, take a one-sided view, miss creative opportunities, or get fooled by a biased report. Try this exercise on situations that need a judgement **before** you make your final judgement. *** ### **EXERCISE** 1. Briefly, what is the situation you are evaluating? 2. What will be the basis of your confidence? 3. What features of the situation seem **positive**? 4. What features of the situation seem **negative**? 5. What aspects of the situation seem to be a mix or confusion of positive and negative — **ambiguous**? 6. What important aspects of the situation seem **indeterminate**, blurred, or possibly offering new possibilities? 7. What now is your confidence in your judgement? ![](/files/p1r686VLkBNFWmx51AHQ) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Dilemma Resolution
When you experience two mutually conflicting values or goals, you may be facing a **choice** or a **dilemma**.\ If it is simply a choice, you can weigh alternatives and decide.\ But if the situation is a **dilemma**, something different is required — a different thinking technique. Treating a dilemma as a choice can have serious consequences. If a dilemma is not recognised and worked with consciously, it can: * paralyse action * stifle creativity * diminish motivation * intensify conflict A dilemma often polarises your mind into two opposing ideas or values, each trying to dominate or “win.” To work with a dilemma, we need to seek a **resolution** in which both values are honoured and incorporated. This requires shifting from **either/or thinking** toward a **both/and** mindset — a generative step that opens space for creative insight. *** ### **Exercise** 1. **Describe the improvement situation** you are working on — the place where you feel stuck or unsure how to proceed. 2. In the **upper diagram**, list the most powerful **polarities** in the situation as pairs of “this *versus* that.” * One side is coded blue and the other green. * The tension between them is shown in red. 3. **Reflect on each polarity** and identify the core insight:\ If either pole is rejected, the situation will not improve — it may even deteriorate.\ In other words, both poles hold something **indispensable**. 4. In the **lower diagram**, rewrite: * the **indispensable element** of the blue pole in the left-hand box * the **indispensable element** of the green pole in the right-hand box\ The diagram turns the polarity into two axes, with the yellow zone showing where a creative resolution may be possible. 5. **Hold both the blue and green ideas strongly in mind** and search for a resolution idea that genuinely integrates both.\ If your intuition finds something that honours both poles, you will likely gain a useful direction for moving forward.
Dilemma Thinking outline
*** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Scoping
## **Transactional & Contextual Environments** Every Three Horizons project begins with an issue of concern for certain actors. Using ecosystem thinking, we build a picture of the day-to-day patterns of interaction around this issue and the actors who create the main value constellations. This forms the **transactional environment**—the space in which actors have significant influence to change things through their own actions. Beyond this lies the **contextual environment**, where broader change occurs. Developments here may strongly affect the transactional environment, even though they lie beyond its direct reach. Understanding the boundary between these two environments is central. It is not fixed, and a key aspect of any change project is exploring how we might **“convene the future”** by bringing new configurations of actors together who can shift the pattern and its boundaries. The most difficult and messy problems rarely offer simple answers about where causes and effects begin or end. In these cases, defining the scope depends entirely on how you choose to frame the problem. By keeping both the transactional and contextual boundaries in play, we can explore the possibilities for transformative change as we move from the first to the third horizon. *** ### **Exercise** 1. **Choose your topic of concern** and identify a focal actor who seeks to drive change.\ Begin by completing the *Ecosystem Thinking* exercise. 2. **Map today’s boundary** between the transactional and contextual environments.\ Ask yourself: *Where is the scope in which the current “business-as-usual” pattern dominates?* 3. **Identify emerging contextual forces.**\ Consider which wider contextual developments are beginning to reshape the transactional environment and will become sources of future change *** ![](/files/kQVWUCsKxF7oL1syEMVX) *** ## License and Attribution If this method supports your practice, **especially commercially**, **please consider contributing** to sustain the Resource Library. :arrow-right: [**Donate to Support the Library**](/funding-and-support)
Creative Commons **Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license framework.** *** {% hint style="info" %} ## How to Use this License CC BY-BY-SA This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. [Read about Open Access to H3Uni Methods and Materials](/h3uni-ethos-and-creative-commons)\
[View License Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) | [View Legal Code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) {% endhint %} # Terms of Service & Privacy Policy Terms of Service for H3Uni - h3uni.org 1\. Acceptance of Terms By accessing or using the H3Uni website (h3uni.org) and its Resource Library, you agree to comply with these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the website or the materials provided. 2\. Use of H3Uni Materials 2.1 License: The materials, methods, and tools provided on h3uni.org, including the Open Access Section of the H3Uni Resource Library, are made available to you under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). You are free to share, adapt, and use these materials for any purpose under the conditions specified in the CC BY-SA 4.0 license framework. The full text of the CC BY-SA 4.0 license can be accessed [here](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). 2.2 Responsibility: H3Uni provides these materials with the ethos of open access and collaboration. However, H3Uni is not responsible for how users apply or interpret these resources. The methods and tools provided are intended for generative transformational understanding and action. Users are solely responsible for the application of these resources, and any consequences that may arise from their use. 3\. Disclaimers 3.1 Accuracy of Information: While H3Uni strives to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we do not warrant the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of any content available on h3uni.org. 3.2 Third-Party Links: H3Uni’s website may contain links to third-party websites or resources. 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Contact Information and Legal Details H3Uni is a Scottish Charity (SC047900) and Guarantee Company (SC507088) with its Registered Office at 18 North Street, Glenrothes KY7 5NA, Scotland. Effective Date: October 3, 2023 Privacy Policy for H3Uni - h3uni.org 1\. Overview This Privacy Policy outlines how H3Uni collects, uses, and discloses your personal information when you interact with our website (h3uni.org) and its services. By using our website, you consent to the practices described in this policy. 2\. Information We Collect 2.1 Personal Information: H3Uni may collect personal information, such as your name, email address, and other contact details, if you voluntarily provide them to us through forms or email communications. 2.2 Non-Personal Information: We may also collect non-personal information, such as browser type, operating system, IP address, and website usage data, to enhance the functionality of our website and improve user experience. 3\. Third-Party Services and Cookies While H3Uni does not use cookies directly, some third-party services embedded in our website, such as YouTube videos, may use cookies and similar tracking technologies. These services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them to understand how they collect and process your information. 4\. Use of Your Information We may use your personal information to: * Respond to your inquiries and provide the services you request. * Send you updates, newsletters, or other communications related to H3Uni, if you have subscribed to receive such information. * Improve our website and services based on your feedback. * Comply with legal obligations. 5\. Third-Party Links Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information. 6\. Security H3Uni takes reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. 7\. Changes to This Policy H3Uni reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated. 8\. Contact Us If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at backoffice @ h3uni.org Effective Date: October 3, 2023 # Overview ## H3 Ideas The qualities of futures that manifest for humanity are likely to stem from perceptions and nature of ideas that humans hold in common. Ideas that permeate and feed shared thinking in the creative commons of our many cultures. H3Uni is committed to creation, cultivation, interplay and flow of ideas that can generate worthwhile third horizon understanding and action for life on earth. Here are some current leading ideas to stir imagination, investigation and dialogue; and to encourage gathering contributions to a vital seedbank for resourceful collaborative ingenuity.

:book-blank: Books

/pages/dZKc88IR63hIiOF8UmCG

:newspaper: Papers

/pages/7zDrG3Q1M2Zg21T4vXHu

:video: Recordings

/pages/lNxSlqqXT7c4FpPedZR0
# Books
Cover image

Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World

by Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D.

Explore a Third Horizon perspective

This book will help practitioners in any field of change engage more effectively in transformative innovation. Such innovation addresses the paradigm shift needed to meet the diverse unfolding global challenges facing us today, and requiring a revolution in thinking and transformative methods.

/files/6AL2Sh8RwHYlE7x9Cit3/pages/b3ExJ1WiLSQnkuCjb67E

Three Horizons: The Patterning of Hope

by Bill Sharpe A practical introduction to the Three Horizons framework—an intuitive way to understand change, work with uncertainty, and bring differing views of the future into constructive dialogue. Bill Sharpe explores how to develop “future consciousness” and offers real-world examples of how the framework supports transformational change across communities, organisations, and society./files/8nJqamiNQ3SKrvxAew4Fhttps://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/p/three-horizons-the-patterning-of-hope

An Introduction to Cosmic Ecology

Searching for a Meaningful Universe.by Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D.
In this book transdisciplinary systems thinking facilitates an integrated approach to worldview. Cosmic ecology, opens the space for search into a cosmically viable and flourishing life.		/files/y2Oo4fw3k8XdJyjgEl99/pages/V9QzgpJVPEnulDP1AUC7

Being Who You Really Are

Practicing the Sevenfold Workby Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D.
Whether you are a beginner seeking a practical spiritual discipline or a person experienced in one or more spiritual disciplines, this manual provides an unusual in-the-round map of personal spiritual techniques.		/files/MqRWPS4WlnCAjnsPfppC/pages/dp2BNuGH8j1NjK4lCq1b
*** ### Other reading {% columns %} {% column %}
***Three Horizons: the Patterning of Hope*** by Bill Sharpe, published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World: A Search for New Perspectives*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Routledge {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Designing Regenerative Cultures*** by Daniel Wahl published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Dancing at the Edge: Competence, Culture and Organization in the 21******st****** Century*** by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Change for the Audacious: a doer’s guid**e* by Steve Waddell Network action Publishin {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} # Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World ## Explore a Third Horizon perspective {% columns %} {% column width="66.66666666666666%" %} Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World will help practitioners in any field of change engage more effectively in transformative innovation. Such innovation addresses the paradigm shift needed to meet the diverse unfolding global challenges facing us today, and requiring a revolution in thinking and transformative methods. Order Now {% endcolumn %} {% column width="33.33333333333334%" %}
{% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ## Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D. {% columns %} {% column width="33.33333333333333%" %}
Anthony Hodgson
{% endcolumn %} {% column width="66.66666666666667%" %} Is currently a trustee and research director of H3Uni – A University for the Third Horizon, a research fellow at the University of Dundee, director of Decision Integrity Limited and a founding member of the International Futures Forum. He has a PhD in systems science from the University of Hull, Centre for Systems Studies. He has over thirty years of experience as a consultant facilitator in strategy and foresight. {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ## Introduction ### A Search for New Perspectives {% columns %} {% column %} {% embed url="" %} {% endcolumn %} {% column %} Watch Anthony’s talk on the core message of the book to learn more. Order Now {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} A major challenge to global sustainability and regeneration is the dominant form of thinking that has shaped our world into crisis and conditioned our decisions. This is first horizon thinking. In his new book, H3Uni founder Anthony Hodgson, has condensed a lifetime of research into the question as to how we need to think differently in a way that questions many deeply ingrained assumptions of the first horizon and opens up new possibilities for a horizon two transitions. In the book he describes a search for ways of thinking congruent with the emerging third horizon. It is a journey that takes systems thinking to a new level called second-order science. This approach includes the presence of the observer, other ways of knowing than normal science, and serves as a foundation for practices of creative collaboration. ### New Books Network Interview [Part 1](https://newbooksnetwork.com/anthony-hodgson-systems-thinking-for-a-turbulent-world-a-search-for-new-perspectives-routledge-2020) {% embed url="" %} [Part 2](https://newbooksnetwork.com/anthony-hodgson-systems-thinking-for-a-turbulent-world-part-2-routledge-2020) {% embed url="" %} ### The Journey {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Seeking
Things are not working and provoke a search for something better – enhancing systems thinking. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Glimpsing
An approach is discovered – namely including the observer as legitimate. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Seeing
A promising clue is found – understanding of the future needs to be reframed. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Catching
Now another view of system is possible – upframing the significance of anticipatory systems in an expanded present moment. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Taming
The meaning of decision making is changed – harmonisation of the inner and the outer through integrity. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Riding
The insights illuminate collective intelligence – the application of participative repatterning. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Sitting
The realization of wholeness – all is now in the present moment of the system which includes us. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Transforming
We can release the systemic capacities we need because they are latent and can be released. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ## Reviews *** ### Daniel Wahl, Ph.D. *Author Designing Regenerative Cultures* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![Daniel Christian Wahl](/files/GnXw4cvzar6uKgWVsHBy) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *Anthony’s new book — Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World: A Search for New Perspectives — invites us into becoming reflexive practitioners of the art and science of re-patterning and co-creating an uncertain future through a deeper appreciation of the qualities inherent in the future potential of the present moment. The book offers new ways of embracing uncertainty in a complex world yet nevertheless finding constructive ways to collaborate with others ready to chart our collective path into a future that will surprise us while also taking seriously our co-creative agency to affect that future.* > {% endcolumn %} > {% endcolumns %} *** ### Hilary Bradbury, Ph.D. *Editor in Chief Action Research journal, CEO AR+ Action Research Plus Foundation* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![Hilary Bradbury](/files/sJ8KnyTmJFws0CBXkERR) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *If you accept the premise that consciousness and its exercise is an essential factor in taking practical action together – which as action researchers we certainly do – then this book offers a rich compendium of approaches to try out for oneself and one’s practice.* > > *Anthony has distilled a lifetime of exploration in reconciling love of science with a deep personal search for understanding the future. This has led him to advocate for the key role of the Self as critical for understanding and taking action toward a better future. Anthony helps us see that a better future is also now. We plant seeds, rather than speculate and plan. First person consciousness is critical to overcome our stuckness around new and needed collaborations. Having the chapters follow the outline of the Zen stages of ox herding, is a nice touch.* > {% endcolumn %} > {% endcolumns %} *** ### Alfonso Montuori *Professor of Transformative Inquiry at the California Institute of Integral Studies* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![Alfonso Montuori](/files/JoRnvYcGRHkWAw6gdaxT) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *I’m looking forward to reading it again—and glad Morin was useful for you.* > > *I’m pretty sure we’ll be using this in my program, where a good systems book would find a wonderful home.* > > *And of course, your perspective is very fresh—as you know, it’s not unusual for systems books to become rather heavy going as well as miss the epistemological dimension.* > {% endcolumn %} > {% endcolumns %} *** ### Other reading {% columns %} {% column %}
***Three Horizons: the Patterning of Hope*** by Bill Sharpe, published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World: A Search for New Perspectives*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Routledge {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Designing Regenerative Cultures*** by Daniel Wahl published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Dancing at the Edge: Competence, Culture and Organization in the 21******st****** Century*** by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Change for the Audacious: a doer’s guid**e* by Steve Waddell Network action Publishin {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} # An Introduction to Cosmic Ecology ## Searching for a Meaningful Universe {% columns %} {% column width="66.66666666666666%" %} There is an unstoppable and growing gap between the planetary limits and the conduct of human affairs. The relentless drive for economic growth, the plunder of material resources and the demand for tribal, even violent, territorial domination accelerates the pace towards catastrophe. Efforts to mitigate this trend are failing. We keep applying the thinking and practices that got us into this mess to try and get out of it. Order Now {% endcolumn %} {% column width="33.33333333333334%" %} ![](/files/y2Oo4fw3k8XdJyjgEl99) Publication Date\ May 28, 2024 {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} Anthony Hodgson suggests our failure is caused by a massive blind spot which prevents us from looking where the solutions could be found. The diverse tribes of humanity are pathologically clinging to confused attitudes and worldviews about who we are and where we live. Our current worldviews, whether scientific, cultural or religious, divert us from searching outside the blind spot. Open inquiry is blocked by orthodoxy at every turn; meaning is attenuated. In this book transdisciplinary systems thinking facilitates an integrated approach to worldview. Cosmic ecology, opens the space for search into a cosmically viable and flourishing life. ### Two Essential Reads for Holistic Understanding {% columns %} {% column %}
{% endcolumn %} {% column %} Being Who You Really Are: Practicing the Sevenfold Work manual provides an unusual in-the-round map of personal spiritual techniques, and is essential to understanding An Introduction to Cosmic Ecology. [About 7 Fold Work](https://github.com/H3Uni/gitbook_full_site/blob/main/h3-ideas/h3-ideas/books/being-who-you-really-are/README.md) [Order Both Books](https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=Anthony+Hodgson\&adult_audience_rating=00) {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} ### Hypothesis Humanity is failing to address the polycrisis effectively. The rate of planetary degradation far outweighs the rate of remediation. ### Diagnosis Although a diversity of worldviews in cultures and societies may generate a variety of knowledge perspectives on what is going on, they are also locking in assumptions which add up to a giant blind spot for humanity – the failure is evidence. ### Implications Finding a way out requires sufficient people to accept that their worldview is not accommodating the real factors which are driving the degradation. It also implies greatly extending what is considered legitimate to explore and what beliefs it is disastrous to continue to be identified with. ### Possibilities What has been understood so far about access to new kinds of knowledge arrived at through new modes of access to knowledge must be gathered and integrated beyond current views as to what constitutes valid knowledge production. ### Requirements This will require new practices of knowing that open up the deeper human capabilities which traditionally have been called wisdom. Cosmic ecology is one suggestion to create a field of enquiry conducive to this and with a chance of exiting the blind spot. *** ## Recomendations ### Alfonso Montuori, Ph.D \*Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies Center for Creative Futures;\**Co-editor, World Futures – The Journal of New Paradigm Research* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![Alfonso Montuori](/files/JoRnvYcGRHkWAw6gdaxT) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *“In an age of transformation such as ours, when our understanding and experience of the world and of ourselves is marked by chaos and confusion, it is essential to review who we are, where we are and where we want to go. Anthony Hodgson’s short and brilliant book shows us that the time has come to go beyond local territorial confines and concerns, and to situate ourselves in a larger Cosmic Ecology. He invites us on a journey of exploration, to grow beyond our self-created limitations, but also become accountable for our participation in the larger Cosmic Ecology.”* {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ### Robert Fripp *Musician.* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![](/files/mMje79rASuQhjLFJhM0O) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *“Concise, authoritative, eminently reasonable, a practical spirituality free of cosmic horseshit, Dr. Hodgson’s short introduction to a cosmic ecology gives me direction, orientation and hope when feeling overwhelmed by the current scale of wicked problems. Profoundly considered, deeply researched, informed by a hands-on practice grown within the problematics of life, this short work encourages me to make sense of the mess – and then keep going.”* {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} *** ### Sandra Waddock *Galligan Chair of Strategy, Boston College Carroll School of Management Author of Intellectual Shamans and Catalyzing Transformation* {% columns %} {% column width="25%" %} ![Sandra Waddock](/files/OwiP3gWfykShDoo3bgI2) {% endcolumn %} {% column width="75%" %} > *“Anthony Hodgson’s synthesis of cosmologies in this little book has profound implications for us humans understanding our place in the universe and for making sense and meaning of our own actions. In his role as a true intellectual shaman, Hodgson envisions us humans maturing to a capacity for healing our relationship to our own world and ultimately the whole universe and continuing on an endless learning journey. That requires making new connections across the vast complexity of our world and making better sense of what we already know to put the knowledge to constructive uses, thereby integrating the three tasks of the shaman – healing, connecting and sensemaking.”* > {% endcolumn %} > {% endcolumns %} ## The Book Outline * Searching for a Meaningful Universe * About this Book * Preface * 1\. A Starting Point * Approaches to Worldviews in the Anthropocene * The Formation of Worldviews * Testing Out Personal Relevance * 2\. Three Fundamental Cosmological Questions * 3\. Conflict and Its Possible Resolution * Some Criteria for a Meaningful Cosmology * Cosmology and Anomaly * The Thresholds * 4\. The Five Worldview Archetypes * The Hydrogen Universe * The Informational Universe * The Living Universe * The Conscious Universe * The Accountable Universe * 5\. Sphere of Awareness * The Hydrogen Universe Archetype * The Informational Universe Archetype * The Living Universe Archetype * The Conscious Universe Archetype * The Accountable Universe Archetype * 6\. The Beginnings of a Cosmic Ecology * The Switch of Perspective * Participating in the Search * 7\. Sketch for an Accountable Universe * A Universe of Multiple Levels * The Challenge of Human Deficit * 8\. The Recovery of Cosmic Consciousness * [Being Who You Cosmically Really Are](https://www.h3uni.org/h3-ideas/books/being-who-you-really-are/) * Summing Up * Glossary * Acknowledgements * Bibliography ## Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D. {% columns %} {% column width="33.33333333333333%" %}
Anthony Hodgson
{% endcolumn %} {% column width="66.66666666666667%" %} Is currently a trustee and research director of H3Uni – A University for the Third Horizon, a research fellow at the University of Dundee, director of Decision Integrity Limited and a founding member of the International Futures Forum. He has a PhD in systems science from the University of Hull, Centre for Systems Studies. He has over thirty years of experience as a consultant facilitator in strategy and foresight. {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} ### Other reading {% columns %} {% column %}
***Three Horizons: the Patterning of Hope*** by Bill Sharpe, published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World: A Search for New Perspectives*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Routledge {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Designing Regenerative Cultures*** by Daniel Wahl published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Dancing at the Edge: Competence, Culture and Organization in the 21******st****** Century*** by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Change for the Audacious: a doer’s guid**e* by Steve Waddell Network action Publishin {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %}
# Being Who You Really Are ## Practicing the Sevenfold Work {% columns %} {% column width="66.66666666666666%" %} Whether you are a beginner seeking a practical spiritual discipline or a person experienced in one or more spiritual disciplines, this manual provides an unusual in-the-round map of personal spiritual techniques. It is based on the understanding that inner development easily becomes stalled through the imbalance of culturally determined ways that concentrate on some aspects and consequently neglect other aspects. Humans need a holistic way corresponding to their real potential. Order Now {% endcolumn %} {% column width="33.33333333333334%" %}
Publication Date\ Apr 19, 2023 {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} The author has compiled this integral view from many decades of study of the three lines of work of Gurdjieff, its development to the seven lines of JG Bennett and further influences of practical teachings from Sufi, Yogic and Taoist traditions. It is more than a list since it is based around a powerful integration informed by the enneagram and a deep appreciation of systems science. Rather than detailing the considerable background to the content, the book sticks to the practicalities of working with the mind, the feelings and the will together in self transformation. Although there are many resonances to existing cultural and religious traditions, the practices in the manual are universal and non-sectarian. ## Two Essential Reads for Holistic Understanding Being Who You Really Are together with An Introduction to Cosmic Ecology: Searching for a Meaningful Universe make a complementary pair. Cosmic ecology, opens the space for search into a cosmically viable and flourishing life. {% columns %} {% column width="33.33333333333333%" %}
{% endcolumn %} {% column width="66.66666666666667%" %} **An Introduction to Cosmic Ecology: Searching for a Meaningful Universe** [About Cosmic Ecology](/publications-and-media/books/an-introduction-to-cosmic-ecology) [Order Both Books](https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=Anthony+Hodgson\&adult_audience_rating=00) {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} ## Anthony Hodgson, Ph.D. {% columns %} {% column width="33.33333333333333%" %}
Anthony Hodgson
{% endcolumn %} {% column width="66.66666666666667%" %} Is currently a trustee and research director of H3Uni – A University for the Third Horizon, a research fellow at the University of Dundee, director of Decision Integrity Limited and a founding member of the International Futures Forum. He has a PhD in systems science from the University of Hull, Centre for Systems Studies. He has over thirty years of experience as a consultant facilitator in strategy and foresight. {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} ## The Outline * Introduction * The Journey of Realization * The Work of Self-liberation * Work on Oneself * Structuring Work On Ourselves * The Foundational Triad * The Seven Lines of Work * \[1] Assimilation * \[2] Practice * \[3] Service * \[5] Receptivity * \[6] Submission * \[7] Grace * Manifestation and Conscious Evolution * \[4] Manifestation * The Inner Lines * 1 – 4 Application \[assimilation –> service] * 4 – 2 Persistence \[service –> struggle] * 2 – 8 Offering \[struggle –> grace] * 8 – 5 Opening \[grace –> receptivity] * 5 – 7 Conversion \[receptivity –> submission] * 7 – 1 Questioning \[submission –> assimilation] * Attunement exercises * A Week of Inner Work * Keeping the Aim in Mind – The Dharma Within * A Personal Reflection * Glossary * Bibliography * About the Author *** ### Other reading {% columns %} {% column %}
***Three Horizons: the Patterning of Hope*** by Bill Sharpe, published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Systems Thinking for a Turbulent World: A Search for New Perspectives*** by Anthony Hodgson published by Routledge {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Designing Regenerative Cultures*** by Daniel Wahl published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}
***Dancing at the Edge: Competence, Culture and Organization in the 21******st****** Century*** by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester published by Triarchy Press {% endcolumn %} {% column %}
***Change for the Audacious: a doer’s guid**e* by Steve Waddell Network action Publishin {% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} # Papers ### Hodgson Transdisciplinary World Model {% file src="/files/gBkkUE4aXYMruWew7Mum" %} ### Sharpe et al Pathways Practice ES 2016 8388 {% file src="/files/PWhyEl32V63smmgfhO4n" %} ### Curry, Andrew, and Anthony Hodgson. ‘Seeing in Multiple Horizons’. *Journal of Futures Studies* 13, no. 1 (2008): 1–20. {% file src="/files/nS3850WG257PVXziIli0" %} ### Fazey, Ioan, Niko Schapke, Anthony Hodgson, and + 45 others. ‘Ten Essentials for Action-Oriented Research and Second Order Energy Transitions, Transformations and Climate Change Research’. *Energy Research and Social Science* 40 (2018): 54–70. {% file src="/files/7zCsUj5dGqR8pCNHz0iE" %} ### Hodgson, Anthony. ‘Hexagons for Systems Thinking’. *European Journal of System Dynamics* 59, no. 1 (1992): 220–30. {% file src="/files/aUTFepgjQORxxwS94ABP" %} ### Hodgson, Anthony. ‘Reperceiving the Future’. *World Futures Review* 9, no. 4 (2017): 208–24. {% file src="/files/cnvCwdLM4crdDFl6U6Cq" %} ### Hodgson, Anthony. ‘Towards an Ontology of the Present Moment’. *On the Horizon* 21, no. 1 (2013): 24–38. {% file src="/files/MTOfdetEae50nOy87XdL" %} ### Hodgson, A. ‘A Transdisciplinary World Model’. *Systems Research and Behavioural Science*, Wiley, 29, no. 5 (2012): 517–26. {% file src="/files/iA8nKlP5pe7oL4h3Tde7" %} ### Hodgson, Anthony. ‘Appreciating the Future Ch 11’. In *Scenarios for Success*, edited by Bill Sharpe and Kees van der Heijden, 291–99. Chichester: Wiley, 2007. {% file src="/files/LQH8tVgaAVWP7Pgm5vd4" %} ### Hodgson, Anthony, and Gerald Midgley. ‘Bringing Foresight into Systems Thinking – A Three Horizons Approach’. *ISSS Journal*, 58th Meeting, 2014. {% embed url="" %} ### Low, Albert, and Ronald Purser. ‘Zen and the Creative Management of Dilemmas’. *Journal of Management, Spirtuality and Religion* 9, no. 4 (2012): 335–55. {% file src="/files/xKd1pSX29cWDlmo0fhYt" %} ### Müller, Karl, Tom Flanagan, Gerald Midgley, Daniel Wahl, Timo Hämäläinen, Kaisa Lähteenmäki-Smith, Nigel Topping, et al. ‘Second Order Science and Policy’. Edited by Anthony Hodgson and Graham Leicester. *World Futures* 73, no. 3 (2017). {% file src="/files/EvLvHwQS8dq5S1xlSSeJ" %} ### Sharpe, Bill, Ioan Fazey, Anthony Hodgson, Graham Leicester, and Andrew Lyon. ‘Three Horizons: A Pathways Practice for Transformation’. *Ecology and Society* 21 (2), no. 47 (2016). {% file src="/files/Dpc4sSA0SYQQ2o4hQojo" %} ### Rajagopalan, Raghav, and Gerald Midgley. ‘Knowing Differently in Systemic Intervention’. *Systems Research and Behavioral Science* 32 (2015): 546–61. {% file src="/files/HqinIZssar7HtreSLZu9" %} ### Hodgson Foresight And The 7 Dimensions Of Experience {% file src="/files/XxXG7usCRSzusWUyUA7i" %} # Recordings ### ***Three Horizons Framework – a quick introduction***** – talk by Kate Raworth** {% embed url="" %} *** ### ***The Three Horizons Framework explained by Bill Sharpe***** – synopsis of a seminar** {% embed url="" %} *** ### A five minute video ***Three Horizons Framework by Bill Sharpe***** – talk by Nigel Topping** {% embed url="" %} *** {% embed url="" %} *** {% embed url="" %} ### **Supplementary materials regarding better understanding of Epochs and the Greater Present Moment:** Videos from a one day seminar held in the Dundee Discovery Centre (adjoining the original exploration ship *Discovery*) with the International Futures Forum (IFF) some dozen years ago: **Introduction (3.38m):** {% embed url="" %} \ **Part 1 (35m):** {% embed url="" %} \ **Part 2 (45m):** {% embed url="" %} \ **Part 3 (21m):** {% embed url="" %} \ **Part 4 (24m):** {% embed url="" %}