The government body (“top down”), the business community (“middle out”), and the people (“bottom up”) each hold power in society. When these power relationships are imbalanced, society suffers as a whole. Everything gets topsy-turvy.
Imagine that society is a ship. And we are all together on this ship — the captain, the crew, and probably a stowaway or two.
The government body is at the helm of the ship and it is their job to keep everyone aboard safe. They must anticipate and avoid dangerous situations, address challenges (internal and external), and offer solutions to create the conditions for inclusive prosperity for all aboard the Good Ship Society.
The business community is the engine of a ship and determines how fast it can go. Some businesses are run like sail boats, harnessing the power of wind and tide. Others are speed boats, small and swift. A few businesses are like container ships — both large and fast — and are central players in shaping the global economy.
“Move fast and break things” is the mantra that powers companies like Facebook. If the business community alone were left in charge of steering the Good Ship Society, shareholder interests and quarterly profits would incentivize leadership to push the engines as hard as possible, for as long as possible.
People power the entire ship. We the people provide goods and services. We the people enjoy them as well. We the people are the waves and the wind. We can help push the ship forward or smash against the hull, like the elements of a gathering storm.
How Might We Work Together?
The work of collaboration begins with holding respect and gaining empathy for the people you are working with and working for. Collaboration requires a willingness to learn from others, to trust others until they break trust and are unwilling to do the work of repair. Collaboration requires you to share your gifts while creating space for others to share their gifts as well, in equal value exchange.
We begin with the question: “How might we?”
What Is Intervention Design Thinking?
Intervention Design Thinking (IDT) is a framework for understanding where you stand in a system, what levers of change are available to you from that position, and how to apply design mindset — empathy, iteration, prototyping, systems awareness — to the challenge of shifting the conditions that create the problems we face.
IDT is not a problem-solving methodology. It is a condition-shifting methodology. The most powerful interventions don’t solve problems; they change the terrain on which those problems can exist.
Your Theory of Change
A Theory of Change (ToC) is like a style guide for how you want to operate in the world. It articulates: what you believe about how change happens, what your role is in that change, and what specific shifts you’re trying to make at what scale.
IDT asks every practitioner to develop and continually refine their personal Theory of Change. Not as a static document, but as a living orientation — a compass, not a map.
Feel the System. See the Big Picture. Be the Intervention.
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