Prototyping mindset
Prototyping refers to building or creating a small but essential part of a larger project in order to see if it works as envisioned. It is rooted in ‘doing’ - development, testing, evaluating, reiterating. In the original framework of Theory U, it is the definitive step into concrete action, while staying closely connected to the deep mindset shift that happened in the previous steps of the Catalyst Lab journey and to the source of our intention.
The prototyping mindset refers to our attitude of how we approach our actions from a place of curiosity, learning and iteratively improving from one step to the next. This phase from a deep dive to moving towards outer action is a delicate phase as it is the moment where we are asked to integrate the insights from the previous phases and upgrade our “habitual” ways of doing accordingly.
For example, we discovered in the first Catalyst Lab that the movement from seeing and sensing to moving into action is far from obvious, and needs to still be broken down into smaller parts as well as being more explicit along the way. We, as individuals and as society at large do not necessarily know or have experience with how to bridge the first phase of the (inner and outer) journey of the left side of the U with actualising this through prototyping actions. How do we explore the right side of the U with an open will, an open heart and an open mind?. Moving “up” the right side requires the integration of thinking, feeling, and will in the context of practical applications and learning by doing with others which is a challenging process, yet also the moment where we are starting to see how we shifted our ingrained patterns of HOW we do what we do.
Prototyping as a method of problem-solving requires a set of skills and attitudes that are very different to those demanded by traditional planning paradigms. These skills and attitudes require us, as individuals, teams and institutions, to both unlearn old patterns and learn new ways of engaging with the world. Successful prototyping is dependent on transformation at both a personal and institutional level. This is why we decided to differentiate between Prototyping and Prototyping Mindset in Catalyst Lab 2. What is meant with Prototyping mindest is the principle of learning by doing. It’s prototyping as a process of making the New real enough to learn more about it.
The Prototyping Mindset module of the Catalyst Lab journey is following the Crystallising module. It is designed to aid participants to cross the threshold between contemplation and action, to navigate the border between analysis paralysis (when we just sit around talking all day) and mindless action (when the learnings and insights from the deep inner journey that precedes this phase is lost in the euphoria of moving into action), and to connect the individual inner work towards an aligned collective outer work. The main focus of this module is not necessarily action and to have a specific output, but supporting and enabling the movement into action. The invitation is to be courageous, curious and open, to identify small actionable next steps, and actually do them - or start doing them -, involving and including others. In other words, a prototyping mindset is needed for navigating a complex action space.
It is possibly the least explored and explicit part of the U process, to move from seeing, sensing and presencing into the prototyping of the emerging future. It seemed to us that crafting a specific module where just this single step is cultivated, supported and put into practice helps us overcome the threshold of going through the bottom of the U and bringing the New into the world. Our greatest learning is that creating space and a container where this step can be taken in a collective manner enables people to dare to step up and commit to doing something concrete. It means to step out into the world with a living example and embody more and more than what we could call the New. We acknowledge that it is a fragile and vulnerable space and dedicating time and creating a space for it is worth the investment. We also acknowledge that there is a further inquiry about how to continue practising the Prototyping Mindset and establishing a shared culture and more explicit language around it in the longer term.
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Severin von Hünerbein is in charge of the design and facilitation of collaboratio helvetica’s Catalyst Lab, a learning and design process created to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Switzerland. He started his career in training and facilitation with euforia 2010. After graduating from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), he has been determined to bring social innovation to the business world through creating brave spaces that allow a diverse group of people who would usually not meet to find new forms of collaboration, dream together and to co-create innovative and sustainable solutions for systemic change.
He is decorated with a MA degree in International Affairs and with a mind full of jokes, joie-de-vivre, and patience.