Tools for mission-based approach

Choose a theme

Choose a complex issue that affects society and is important in the context you want to influence.

Examine relevant strategies, target documents and policy objectives at different levels to understand the context. Also perform traditional user surveys with interviews, observations and small tests with users and stakeholders in the context.

Based on the knowledge you have or have time to develop before the planned workshop, you choose 1-10 themes and 5-15 people per theme. The number depends on the scope you plan for your workshop.

Selection of participants

Try to find people and organizations that have a direct impact on how the system works, such as those who decide, plan and carry out changes in the system or its normal operation.

Try to invite half "traditional actors" and half emerging, innovative actors, from as many sectors as possible (private larger companies, smaller start-ups, state, regional and municipal activities, academia and civil society). It is good to have several decision levels: both senior managers and executives / officials. Feel free to bring people who are not professionals as well, such as young people or pensioners. And of course: try to find a balance between women and men.

When you know who will participate, you should try to find out the participants' expectations before the meeting, what needs and wishes they have. Consider suitable table placement (with the same principles of mixing as above). It is good if you have time to do this by having some open conversations with guests, by phone / digital or through physical meetings if possible.

Prepare and print materials

Prepare and print the material to be used during the workshop.

List and instructions on materials to prepare

Conduct workshop

Expect at least 2 hours of on-site preparation before guests arrive. Set up the inspirational pictures you have prepared that show new phenomena, important angles and issues. Draw the agenda and rules of conduct on a whiteboard or similar.

Introduction 5 min

Begin the workshop by telling about who you are, why you are doing the workshop, what preceded it and what will be the next step (if you have thought of a sequel). Also, be careful about managing expectations. The results from the workshop alone will not solve all problems. This approach is primarily to test methods and develop understanding and systems thinking in the participants and the relationships between them.

Explain rules of conduct and objective. Ask the participants to have a constructive dialogue where all relevant contradictions should dare to be aired. The approach is deliberately designed to bring together different opinions, objective and ideas to find a common driving force. Tell us about the theory behind missions (google Mazzucato). Tell us about the rights to the result at the workshop and tell them that you intend to take pictures (if the meeting is held physically). Tell us briefly about the different steps.

Heating 5 min

Ask participants to introduce themselves and share something personal about the topic in question. Let table values begin and lead by example (that is, a short and concise presentation). Then the rest of the participants will automatically give short presentations.

Mission formulations, 15 min

Distribute the mission templates. The tables are now given the task of formulating their own mission. They can use the example, but they can also make their own. The wording should help them understand what they want to achieve.

Future scenarios, 45 min

Distribute the person cards, environmental maps and story templates. Participants should imagine a world where the table's mission is fulfilled. Then they read the start of the story template and continue the story. What the story comes to must be drawn and described on the environmental maps.

Here it is important that the table host is active and alternately helps the group to describe events in the story and complement the environment. Table hosts can ask questions such as: Where does it come from? Who has contributed to the existence of that? Where does the event take place? What kind of building is that? Is it there all over the country or is it something local? How can it be scaled up? When did you come up with that idea?
Try to get the participants to think in different scales, time perspectives and flows.

Here it is important to remind the participants to document the discussions - that is, they write and draw their story on the environmental map.

Benefits, 15 min

Collect all material except the environmental maps and distribute the utility puppets. Let the participants read what benefits there are and then place the plops where they think it fits on the environmental map. It is relatively quick to see how one and the same measure often creates a number of benefits - often within other themes.

Group presentations, 15-30 min (subject to time)

Each of the tables can now read out their story and point to the environmental map to illustrate how and where the event takes place. Feel free to put together the environmental maps in the right relation to each other. Here you can, if time permits, let the tables update their mission formulations.

Summary and conclusion, 5 min

The workshop leader thanks for the participation and summarizes the big picture.

Thus, the workshop is completed in 90 minutes.