{"id":183,"date":"2018-02-16T16:27:41","date_gmt":"2018-02-16T21:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.neoninspire.com\/foundationforinclusion\/?p=183"},"modified":"2018-03-02T18:05:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T23:05:27","slug":"collective-strategy-platform-solving-large-scale-social-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.neoninspire.com\/foundationforinclusion\/general\/collective-strategy-platform-solving-large-scale-social-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"A Platform for Solving Large-Scale Social Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

To solve the hardest problems in any society, it\u2019s not enough to be individually effective.\u00a0Changemakers and innovators need to be collectively strategic or their achievements will never add up to ultimate success.<\/p>\n

The Foundation for Inclusion<\/strong> (FFI) is building a global platform to rally, unite, and empower changemakers to solve complex, large-scale social problems.\u00a0This post introduces FFI\u2019s Collective Strategy platform, describing the method<\/strong> we use (based on an\u00a0innovation that makes collective strategy possible) and the portals<\/strong> that result (which offer strategically important content for farsighted changemakers).<\/p>\n

The Method<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve distilled decades of research, experience, and collective wisdom into seven questions and a rigorous, collaborative process for answering them.\u00a0This method for building collective strategies is described in greater detail<\/a> in the inaugural Foundation for Inclusion Research Brief<\/a><\/i>\u00a0(pdf), published in early 2018.<\/p>\n

The innovations described there were developed by FFI\u2019s founder<\/a>, a social scientist and military strategist, over the course of a twenty-year career focused on large-scale change in complex environments. The key insight is to shift the emphasis from solving problems<\/i> to fixing problem-solving systems<\/i>. That\u2019s what FFI\u2019s portals are designed to achieve.<\/p>\n

This Seven Questions (7Q) method makes it possible to discover what it would take to achieve significant and lasting change on any complex social challenge (see Figures 1 and 2).<\/p>\n

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Figure 1. 7Q Method, Q1\u2013Q4<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"7Q

Figure 2. 7Q Method, Q5\u2013Q7<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Portal<\/h2>\n

Each FFI initiative is a collaboration focused on one well-defined social problem and a collective strategy to solve it. We set up one portal for each initiative we launch and make it available to changemakers on a subscription basis. Anyone working on any aspect of that problem may subscribe to the portal set up for that initiative.\u00a0Our Collective Strategy platform is designed to host multiple portals at once, so we can launch as many initiatives as there are social problems to be solved!<\/p>\n

Registered users may access the open area at no cost. The open portal<\/strong> offers a big-picture view of the entire problem space: What is happening right now that affects whether we are collectively making progress? What are we missing? Behind a paywall is our technical portal<\/strong>, which includes models, tools, and data for strategic-level decisionmakers, technical advisers, and scholars.<\/p>\n

In space exploration and military campaigns, command and control centers display mission-critical information in real time. But that\u2019s not all: real strategies and operational plans drive those visualizations so decisionmakers can address risks and gaps as needed.<\/p>\n

FFI\u2019s Collective Strategy platform similarly offers a suite of tools and visualizations that help changemakers be more strategic in how they solve large-scale social problems.\u00a0Our “Mission Control Center” offers paid access to the full suite of FFI products.<\/p>\n

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Figure 3. Mapping FFI’s Portal to the 7Q Method<\/p><\/div>\n

The Dashboard (open portal)<\/h3>\n
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Figure 4. Examples of Strategic Dashboards. Visualizations by Lintao<\/a> (top) and Wufoo<\/a> (bottom).<\/p><\/div>\n

Each FFI initiative has its own portal, focused on a single well-defined social problem (e.g., sex trafficking in Atlanta, polarization in Kentucky). After logging on to the platform, subscribers may choose which portal to enter.<\/p>\n

The landing page is a dashboard offering visualizations of historical trends, current status, and forecasts of key indicators of collective progress. Within 30 seconds, users know exactly how much progress is being made by everyone working on that problem.<\/p>\n

Daily Blog\u00a0(open portal)<\/h3>\n

News updates and research reports are widely available for most social problems. But they tend to focus on just part of the problem without relating it to the strategic questions: What does this news imply for whether we can achieve our ultimate goal? What does this research add to what we already know about the problem?<\/p>\n

Our blog always connects news and research to the big picture, referring frequently to evidence, models, best practices, and simulation results (as different models predict different scenarios, like in weather forecasting<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Backgrounder on the Initiative\u00a0(open portal)<\/h3>\n

This section of the portal gives detailed information about the social problem and the scope of the (collaborative) initiative:<\/p>\n