Systemic Design for Preferred Change - 3

THINKING THROUGH THE VALUE FRAMEWORK

After dwelling on Q0, Q1& Q2 it is time to move towards recasting a model for preferred change. The challenge with the artisanal system however, like all the other societal systems is that many of the values associated with it are intangible, cultural and symbolic. I felt that understanding the system through the Elke Den Ouden framework might be useful at this point. This model addresses both economy and enterprise through sociological and psychological facets which are crucial to all social systems. On plotting the Artisanal System through the Values Framework I could see a truly ailing system, which goes to establish that future interventions for stability will need to envision ways to restore the balance of varied value. Take a look at my findings- 

(Readings - Innovation Design: Creating Value for People, Organisations, and Society - Elke Den Ouden)

Click/download to enlarge

As identified in the previous phase, The Artisanal System has outmoded its generative nature which has made it unviable and irrelevant in the current milieu  To understand the current state  I went back to the 3'rd Horizon from the Horizon Framework and plotted emerging trends and innovations that are not replicating old ways of engagement. Below a recap of the findings from the horizon framework-  

Click/download to enlarge

I plotted possible enablers and barriers to interpret the emerging/current system, as  I felt this might be beneficial in the revisioning process. It would also help discern what trends need to be amplified to bring about the desired end state. Take a look- 

Click/download to enlarge

At this point, I would also like to draw attention to a crucial transformation that the artisanal system has undergone which has impacted the experience of value both for the artisan and society at large. While the ailing Artisanal System has been acknowledged, most interventions have been around preserving the crafts only through the livelihood framework and not from the larger cultural perspective of building an 'experience' that is a 'sustained/shared relationship' between the crafts and the user. Consequently, the loss of 'shared-experiential value'  has resulted in the loss of many other intangible values in the larger society. At the surface the loss of this value manifests as lack of appreciation, apathy or general disinterest in the artisanal traditions, However, upon probing deeper I infer that the loss of 'shared-experiential value' has also resulted in detachment from shared heritage and resulted in a removed relationship with one's own cultural legacy and past. Below I depict how the experience was created between the artisan and user formerly and as it occurs now. Take a look

Click/download to enlarge

I am of the opinion that developing the shared value of artisanal heritage is integral to creating a healthy, vibrant system. It is through 'real' and 'lived' interactions that both societal and individual values are constructed. It is from the frame of reinstating individual identity and cultural relevance that I would like to recast ideas of preferred change. However, before this new system is envisioned it is important to ask - 1) What do I want the new system to be? 2)What are the principles that govern this new system? 3) What needs to happen in the new system to reach its desired end state?

1) WHAT DO I WANT THE NEW SYSTEM TO BE -

I identified three frames through which I examined the Artisanal System - society, economy, and the user - maker ecosystem. I then went on to plot the intangible values that I think each of these frames should build. It is from here that I will begin to map stakeholders who can contribute to preferred change. 

Click/download to enlarge

2) WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN THE NEW SYSTEM 

(Readings - Systemic Innovation - A Discussion Series NESTA)

The challenge with recasting any system is to stay away from replication of old patterns, habits, and to create a new purpose that is viable in the current context. I found the 'We Change' framework extremely useful to structure my thinking. This framework views change as an attribute of co-designing and co-visioning which is then amplified into a larger domain, in this case, society  As my earlier findings have proven that the Artisanal System is currently far removed from the user, I felt that dwelling in this framework would help build a rubric that repurposes rather than replicates. Take a look- 

Click/download to enlarge

3) WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR NEW SYSTEM TO REACH ITS DESIRED STATE

(Readings - Why Successful Innovation Goes Beyond Products: Charlie Leadbeater, NESTA. 

Innovation Design, Elke Den Ouden.)

While I used varied methods to understand ways of envisioning preferred change I became acutely aware of a few factors- 

1) The current ideas of preservation of the Artisanal System are mostly focussed on building/creating the value of economy' and wealth. In this quest to create economic value, myriad intangible losses  which are sociological and psychological in nature have occurred to artisans and users 

2) There have been no sustained measures to create lived interactions with traditions. Most of them are removed in the form of museums, exhibitions or sales. Artistic traditions and aesthetics are seldom encountered as relevant, engaging and familiar experiences in everyday life. 

3) The focus of creating merely economic value has removed belongingness from both the artisan and the user and placed autonomy in the hands of middlemen. 

4) The inability of the user to create an emotional and symbolic relationship with artisanal heritage has outdated these practices. 

Based on these factors I developed a framework of preferred change that focuses on creating intangible value. I envision a system where the Artisan & User are at the nucleus of all activity, where value is created in the context of others, through interactions and in societal & individual experiences. I also mapped the values the varied stakeholders should provide to sustain this system. I believe that preferred change that is directed at remolding world-views and perceptions, rather than merely building economy will help sustain the system in the long run.

Take a look at my vision map of conceiving preferred change by creating intangible value -

Click/download to enlarge

CONCLUSION

(Readings - Joined-Up Innovation- NESTA)

The dysfunctional nature of The Artisanal System can be remedied only by systematically and collectively aligning various stakeholders to the idea of creating intangible value. It is also imperative to set goals and actions that will build awareness and advocacy for larger cultural change. Organising varied stakeholders, commissioning experts, think tanks to develop policy frameworks, developing key skills needed to sustain the emerging system, co-production, and new organisational and technological models need to work collectively to restore the generative nature of this system that has been lost. Below I illustrate how preferred change can be situated in this complex system through relevant actions and goals. Take a look. 

Click/download to enlarge

In conclusion, I recall the value framework which is characterized by an ecosystem of collaboration to alter experiences at the user level and to sustain the system to 'keep doing good'. Likewise, the ideas of preferred change in the Artisanal System should constantly iterate between the big picture and individual values to make real and meaningful transformations.