• First, we have to see the entire supply, manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and disposal chain as a whole system comprising multiple stakeholders with diverse interests
• Second, we need to understand what constitutes “value” for each of those stakeholders, and how we measure that.
• Third, we design products and business processes to maximize positive outcomes for all the stakeholders along the way, both in real time and in consideration of the future.
• Fourth, we rethink what we mean by “branding” – today’s astute consumers want to consume information as part of the product – the product”story” becomes a key component of the packaging.

In a recent conversation I had with Bill Shutkin, Sustainable Development Chair at University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business, he characterized both approaches as “Friedmanesque”.  For you economists out there, the first is based on the view of Milton Friedman, the second on the very different views of Thomas Friedman. Many major corporations have begun annual reporting on wider stakeholder outcomes, using frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative. This has grown out of  the “Corporate Social Responsibility” movement as well as environmental reporting.  Increasingly, we are seeing initiatives like the Climate Prosperity Project, funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, that takes the ideas being popularized by T. Friedman and puts them into action in major cities – the idea that there can be no genuine economic development or prosperity without addressing both the challenges AND the business opportunities of energy efficiency, new technologies and more “natural” products. How would you translate all this into practice, to keep your organization focused on the measures that matter?

1. Clarify your vision by identifying all the stakeholders you impact, the players from whom you need resources, money, services, etc
2. You are in a state of “exchange” will all of these stakeholders – what do you provide them and what do they provide you?
3. Design metrics that define what success looks like in relation to each of these stakeholders
4. Combine these into a scorecard and build a system for regular reporting and feedback
5. Learn, adapt, and refocus continuously

I had thought that permaculture had mostly to do with organic gardening and local food supplies – but what fascinated me as a facilitator was how permaculture is based on natural ecological principles that – lo and behold – actually have quite a bit to do with how people operate.  It’s the application of a “living systems approach” to collaboration, decision making and change.  For example, the approach to “change management” I learned working for a large consulting firm emphasized doing a detailed design, then essentially “managing” the change by designing communications to convince people that the change was “good for them”  The permaculture approach is a more stepwise process, one that values diversity, small steps, and constant creative adaptation.

The first step is what Holmgren calls “Observe and Interact”, which speaks to observing how our actions interact with our place, rather than developing all the details from a grand, abstract theory.  By observing first, we slow ourselves down and see how our thoughts and actions fit into a grander pattern.  This is the essence of systems thinking.

From a facilitation perspective, this means that one of the best ways to sort issues out efficiently is, paradoxically, to SLOW EVERYBODY DOWN first.  Too often we don’t really listen to each other, biding our time until they stop talking so we can jump in and say what WE want to say. Practices like using a talking stone (or stick) are not just some sentimental “kum-ba-ya” throwback, but in fact work because they shift what I like to call the “physics of a conversation”.  Conversations are highly complex interactions that can be understood through many of the ideas of chaos theory, particularly the idea that initial conditions of a system have a huge impact on the subsequent flow of the conversation.  That’s why a mindful facilitator pays attention to factors like the meeting space, the way people are arranged, the agenda, and how the conversation is initiated. Using a talking stone forces each of us into the role of either speaker or listener, without “cross talk”. When one speaks, one speaks completely.  Otherwise, one just listens.  It’s amazing how quickly the real issues in a group surface when we do this, and how it reinforces mutual respect and trust.

For an article on how Transition leaders are using these principles in practice, check out Shaktari Belew’s article in the Sentient Times.  Shaktari is a Transition Trainer and leader of Transition Ashland in Oregon.