System Mapping Workshop
A 3-hour workshop designed to help your organization see the big picture. Literally. Gather team members and stakeholders together to visualize the various elements of a system and draw connections. With a map of the territory finally at hand, discuss findings, gain insights, and potentially even define points of intervention for innovation and change.
Some applications of system mapping workshops are:
Identifying points of intervention in a large organisation.
Facilitating circular economy projects.
Landscape and resource management and policy-making.
Preparing for multi-stakeholder participatory processes.
Helping NGOs and volunteer organizations select impactful projects.
..and more!
At this link you can find a slide deck explaining how the University of Edinburgh used this approach to map a whole production system, using causal loops and identifying points for intervention.
FACILITATION NOTES
You will need a flexible space with plenty of room for people to move around, small-group tables, and space on the walls to stick and organize notes. If you are working online or in hybrid mode, prepare a shared whiteboard everyone can work on.
HYBRID FACILITATION
People who share the same mode of participation will get the most from working with one another. You don't want people who are in the same room to spend all the 3 hours at their computer as if they were working remotely! With this in mind, design for discussions and sharing to happen among people who are in the same location (in other words, ask the people in the room to discuss with one another and those joining remotely to discuss among themselves). Then, make sure everyone puts their map in the same online whiteboard and facilitate comparisons. How can each map enrich the others?
Hybrid workshops notoriously need more attention to the tech setup. Make sure everyone can clearly see the shared map (e.g. with a good projector setup), and that you have great wi-fi in the room.
