CHAPTER 2

The Big Ideas

The Co-Create model was developed to align our actions with four principles. We call these principles the “big ideas” and they connect directly to specific stages of the model and provide teams with a source of inspiration and energy to complete the work. The principles are the “soft stuff” that creates high levels of commitment and supports the manifestation of the “hard stuff.” In practice these four ideas are discussed at the first team meeting. They are presented as a series of questions by the project manager/facilitator in four distinct conversations. The following information will give you a conceptual understanding of the ideas. Later in the book you’ll find specific information about how to apply them. These discussions begin the commitment-building process. The work happens in the container created.

Big Idea #1: We are Here to Serve Something Greater than Ourselves

Sample Project Team Questions:

Life inside any organization today is demanding. Technology has fundamentally changed how we work and the Internet has created a level of transparency shifting the competitive landscape. Faster, better, cheaper has become the ongoing mantra. Day-to-day existence often revolves around working a long to-do list, responding to countless e-mails and attending meetings. Performance is measured based on how well and how quickly we deliver results. This focused perspective, while required to crank out the work, can cause us to lose sight of the bigger picture. It can isolate us and make us think that our only purpose is to get our work done and survive the day. But no matter how task-driven the workplace is, there is a more compelling reason to do the work. We are part of something bigger—an unfolding story of which we play an important role.

We are here to serve something greater than ourselves by co-creating a better world. In the broadest sense it is a universal purpose. Better can be defined in many ways—it may look like a more effective process, product, department, or organization. Or it may look like a productive meeting between two departments where there have been past tensions or misunderstandings. Or it may be an authentic and caring conversation between two people. Whatever form it takes better is any improvement in the current state.

What does it look like to be operating from a mindset of creating a better world? Outside of business it inspires us to help people who are suffering, the environment, and creatures of all types. In business we are here to bring increasing value to all stakeholders. How can we improve the outcomes for our customers, owners, employees, suppliers, and communities? When we do this, our work makes a difference and has purpose.

But what about when things don’t go so well—when we hit roadblocks or constraints? How do we deal with “problems?” Problems are a natural disruptive force or energy and essentially feed the creative process by communicating the need for change. They indicate a situation requiring our attention. Problems present an opportunity to continue the movement forward by telling us where we have work to do.

The Co-Create model uses the power of purpose by exploring project goals several layers deeper than the task level. At the first project team meeting we ask the group to explore the “why” for the project. Our teams discuss how the project is aligned with the organization’s greater purpose and strategic objectives. When we do this the groups’ perspective noticeably shifts—the seeds have been planted that will result in increases in commitment, focus, and energy, and amazing things happen.

The power of purpose ultimately rests with the individuals who are part of the project. I’d like to go a little deeper into individual purpose—what it is and how it creates commitment—starting with a definition.

Damon, Menon, and Bronk have created the following definition of purpose:

It is fundamentally a mindset—a perspective that shifts our self-awareness, behavior, and creates better outcomes.

Another take on this topic begins with the question: Is your work a job, a career, or a calling? Sociologist, Robert Bellah, provides a simple model to help people think about their work and the role it plays in their lives. You might want to think about people you work with—it’s not hard to attach faces and names to each category!

The point is that individual motivation, commitment, and results increase greatly as you move from the mindset of your work as a job, to a career, to a calling.

Making Meaning

So how can you experience this directly? What characteristics drive meaning and how does it look in practice on the job or when you’re working on a team?

To sum it up we all start with a universal purpose, one that resonates across time and cultures, that we are here (on earth, in this job, in this relationship) to use our gifts to make the world we touch better.

The most effective, impactful people and organizations are clear and intentional about their purpose. It’s consciously understood and acted on.

The Co-Create model provides the opportunity to explicitly bring the idea of purpose, both individually and organizationally, into the project with discussion of Big Idea #1 thus increasing commitment.

Big Idea #2: We are Connected and Interdependent—Existing in Complex Systems

Sample Project Team Questions:

This is a hard concept to grasp and apply in organizations experiencing nonstop change, particularly when employees are feeling guarded, insecure, and understaffed. When we are stressed, overwhelmed, and/or worried, we feel vulnerable making it hard to connect. Our focus can become very internal. Connections are not always evident making it difficult to see how our actions impact others. It takes time to understand and include our upstream and downstream internal customers in our work. It may also be difficult to move beyond self-interest (many of us don’t even realize that this motivation is driving our work).

The truth is we do not exist in isolation and can’t accomplish anything significant without others. Our thoughts lead to actions. Like a pebble thrown in the water, every action reverberates and causes ripples. What we do WILL result in intended and unintended consequences. Sometimes we are aware of the impact of our actions and sometimes we are not. Either way, the impact occurs. That is why believing and working in alignment with this principle is so critical. To be successful, we need to become aware of connections and their consequences.

At work, this education begins with understanding how your individual job creates value to your immediate co-workers or department. It then extends to how your department contributes to other departments and the work they do. It continues outward by an understanding of how all departments come together to create value for key stakeholders.

Another benefit of aligning our actions with this idea is that it changes the nature of the conversations we have when we are working on change projects where there is serious pain. It is easy to place blame on others—feeling that if they only would do their job (in a way that’s best for us!) our problems would go away. Systems thinking—awareness of complexity and connections—helps us let go of dysfunctional blame or judgment and creates a mindset of exploration or discovery.

The structures and processes within the Co-Create model ensure that team members work in ways that recognize and utilize their interconnectedness. They come to understand that each connection is vital for the whole to function optimally and that their work is part of a complex system. The best way to alter and improve outcomes is by working within the context of the whole.

Big Idea #3: Doubt

Sample Project Team Questions:

Given that we are here to make the world a better place and are interconnected, it is important that we explore what might be in the way of making progress as individuals and as a team. Individually, we have the opportunity and responsibility to say “yes” or “no” to change. Engaging in the work can feel like leaning into a high wind and stepping forward. Do we do this or do we avoid it because it’s too uncomfortable? The Co-Create model helps individuals identify, explore, and move past sources of resistance and barriers to getting the work done.

Doubts or concerns are always present. We might feel fear, worry, or mistrust when faced with a project that involves a lot of changes. Individually we worry whether we will be successful and whether our skills will still be needed and valued in the new reality. We may worry that we won’t be able to measure up. The Co-Create model helps team members identify their fears, discuss them openly, and build confidence about what they will be able to contribute as things change. We believe that this is a critical part of the process and every bit as important as creating a robust timeline or task list.

The model also invites teams to deal openly with their concerns. If they disagree with the assumptions that define a goal, the process offers them a safe and consistent way to bring their ideas and apprehensions forward. Since it is a regular part of working the project, teams develop the ability to be candid and comfortable to challenge ideas.

Can You Say “No?”

We always have the choice to say yes or no to what life presents to us. As Peter Block likes to say… “if you can’t say no your yes has no meaning.” This conscious choice is essential to making any commitment and having the energy to follow through on the work. In a business setting, the expectation is for employees to support the ongoing development of the organization. If the executive leadership team has done their work well it should be readily apparent why a project is important to maintaining or improving the organization’s ability to compete. If for some reason an individual disagrees with or finds themselves working on a project that violates their values then the choice they should make is to say no to being involved. Depending on the circumstances it may be acceptable to decline or in extreme cases it may require them to find a new organization more aligned with their values and vision where they can say yes. At the end of the day we must all keep our integrity and be moving forward.

This underlying idea asks us all to engage and explore any doubts or concerns we have with the work. Avoiding our doubts doesn’t cause them to go away—rather they will come back usually in a dysfunctional form. The Co-Create model provides space where it is both safe to be candid and where teams are expected to articulate and think through concerns. The interesting thing about this conversation is that solutions are not required—or maybe even possible. The act of discussing doubts is what’s important because the result is a decrease or release of the negative energy allowing the work to proceed.

Big Idea #4: We are Here to Contribute Our Gifts

Sample Project Team Questions:

Every member of the team brings something unique to the project. It might be analytic skills, a visionary creative mindset, the ability to connect with large groups of people, or a get it done action orientation. It could also be certain technical expertise or prior experience relevant to this project. We know that for the project to be successful we have to create the environment for these skills to be used fully.

This model is designed to combine the gifts of many people in order to create something no one individual could have on their own. That is a key task for the project leader and facilitator.

We also help our employees discover and understand their unique talents. When we first started using the Co-Create model, we were surprised by how many people had trouble articulating their strengths. We now start each project with conversation about what each team member is bringing to the project. When we are conscious of our gifts, we can use them more often and other team members can tap into them.

We need to have the right group of people (with the right gifts) working on the right project. A team selection and assignment process creates an environment where diverse talents come together and create an environment of respect, collaboration, and results orientation. We need everyone’s skills to remain competitive and to succeed.

Considerations for Leaders

These four big ideas advocate for a highly engaged and empowered approach to project management and team leadership. Leaders must ask themselves “does your organization embrace these beliefs?” Do these ideas fit your culture? If not, what might be possible if they did? Could you use this approach to evolve the culture? Or is the gap too large and it’s time to stop reading now? The truth is the culture must be open to this approach. If you’re working in a “eat our young” highly competitive culture or one where the boss must always have the right answer this approach is not appropriate.

Summary

The four underlying ideas bring the Co-Create model to life. The four conversations at the beginning of a project create a container for the work, which enable higher levels of commitment. This is perhaps the most important distinction between the Co-Create model and other methods used to implement project and change.