Steps

Phase 1: Casual Pathways

• Individually, participants identify four critical societal changes that they see in a causal path that relates to the challenges/ UCPs of your TOC. Each is written on a card.
• Each participant maps their sequential pathway on the floor
• The facilitator leads a discussion on observations, reflections, patterns/themes from the exercise

 

Phase 2: Sleeping Beauties

• Individually, each participant imagine that they fall asleep and awake in the future. For thinking 5 years into the future and 10/15 years into the future, the facilitator asks:
  • How might society have changed, and the lives of the impact population improved?
  • Can you describe changes that might have happened that would make a real difference to the lives of the impact population?
• Participants write on separate cards, write 1-2 changes you see in 5-years, and 1-2 changes you see in 15-years.
• Each participant shares the changes, on the wall.
• The facilitator leads a discussion on observations, reflections, patterns/themes from the exercise. During the discussion, participants add detail – what happens in the vicinity of these changes? What other changes come to mind, as you spark off of each other’s ideas?

 

Phase 3: Acting the Actors

• Together, participants brainstorm six critical actors in this program arena.
• Each team takes one actor/actor group, so each assumes a role
• In teams, actors flesh out the characteristics of the actor/actor group, according to:
  • Name
  • What really motivates you?
  • Who provides your source of power?
  • To whom are you really accountable?
  • Who do you influence?
  • What would attract you to support the program goal?
  • Who threatens you?
• Once all actor IDs are fleshed out, the facilitator leads a discussion on:
  • What are two key actions each actor might be interested in, with respect to the pathways that have been constructed so far?
  • Participates then map out how actors and actions align with pathways. Participants discuss potential power dynamics of collaboration, competition between them.

 

Phase 4: Identifying Breakthroughs

• Identifying the game changers: Looking across all the cards, participants identify 3-5 cards that have been mapped that they feel would represent significant achievements that could be feasible, and are things that could serve as guides for a program to aim at, at different time periods in the process. These cards are marked.

 

Phase 5: Reflecting on Lessons Learnt

• To close the simulation, the facilitator asks participants to: Raise one or two key thoughts that you have learned through the process you have been through. List these.
• What key gaps for further analysis need to be filled to inform the team's understanding of causal pathways, breakthroughs and key actors/actor groups?