Learning questions | Related Knowledge – SN(A)CK (outgoing) | Importance of FQ |
|---|---|---|
Systemic practices: What sorts of practices can support effective participation in complex social systems, and enhance the effectiveness of such systems? 🌱 Seedling | systems practice + system practices complexity characteristics alignment sensemaking relationships | 1, Central |
Complex social systems and change: How can change be supported in complex and adaptive social systems? 🌿 Plant | complexity characteristics complexity systems practice + system practices granularity emergence | 1, Central |
Power and systems: What role does power play in shaping the dynamics of complex social systems, and how can such dynamics be changed? 🌱 Seedling | complexity characteristics power political economy dynamics | 2, Important |
Knowledge gardens: What is the best way of nurturing a useful knowledge garden? 🌿 Plant | knowledge garden zettelkasten systems practice + system practices systemic inquiry fractal inquiry personal knowledge management | 4, Relevant |
Managing polarities: How can polarities be managed and lived to make them as generative as possible? 🌿 Plant | polarities continuums emergence harmony | 3, Useful |
Causality and complexity: How might we think about causality in complex social systems and what are the practical implications of that? 🌱 Seedling | causality complex contextual causality complexity characteristics power | 2, Important |
Complexity characteristics: What are the key characteristics of complex social systems? 🌱 Seedling | complexity characteristics complexity complex contextual causality alignment emergence | 1, Central |
Sensemaking: What role can sensemaking play in supporting effective engagement in complex social systems and enhancing the ways in which such systems work? 🌿 Plant | sensemaking complexity characteristics monitoring, evaluation and learning stories storytelling emergence | 2, Important |
Data, evidence, models, stories: What roles can data, evidence, models and stories play in supporting effective engagement in complex social systems, and the effective functioning of such systems? 🌱 Seedling | data governance evidence models systems practice – models stories complexity characteristics data in systems storytelling | 3, Useful |
Data Governance: How should data be governed to support change in complex social systems where change happens through emergence? 🌿 Plant | data governance data in systems open data emergence | 3, Useful |
Stories & storytelling: What role can stories and storytelling play in nurturing better social systems? 🌿 Plant | stories storytelling participatory narrative inquiry sensemaking systems practice + system practices | 2, Important |
Disconfirming evidence and learning: How can organizations get better at identifying, gathering, analyzing and using disconfirming evidence, as part of their learning processes? 🌿 Plant | evidence disconfirming evidence learning hypotheses systems practice + system practices | 3, Useful |
Learning and power: How can learning, including collaborative learning, shift the dynamics of complex social systems that benefit powerful players who are able to block reform? 🌱 Seedling | learning power political economy dynamics corruption systems practice + system practices | 2, Important |
Data and evidence: What role can data and evidence play in supporting effective participation in complex social systems, and enhancing the effectiveness of such systems? 🌱 Seedling | data governance open data warm data evidence complexity characteristics systems practice + system practices participation | 3, Useful |
Monitoring, evaluation and learning: What role can monitoring, evaluation and learning play in supporting effective participation in complex social systems, and enhancing the effectiveness of such systems? 🌱 Seedling | learning rigo(u)r monitoring, evaluation and learning complexity characteristics systems practice + system practices emergence sensemaking | 2, Important |
Comparative and collaborative learning: How can learning across contexts and organizations, support effective participation in complex social systems, and enhance the effectiveness of such systems? 🌱 Seedling | context(s) collaborative learning systems practice + system practices | 3, Useful |
Context analysis and emergent learning: How might typologies of different political economy contexts support the in-context emergent learning that is needed to address complex challenges? 🌿 Plant | political economy dynamics context(s) emergent learning typologies complex contextual causality comparative learning | 3, Useful |
Evaluating complexity: How might we further develop and encourage the use of approaches to evaluating and understanding change that are suitable for the complexities of living and learning systems? 💩 Compost | monitoring, evaluation and learning complexity characteristics rigo(u)r complex contextual causality evaluation | 3, Useful |
Love: How can love enhance the functioning of complex social systems? 🥜 Seed | love loving systems web of love compassion kindness integrity/integration/integral | 3, Useful |
Continuums and complexity: How can thinking in terms of continuums and polarities help us to understand and act more effectively in the contexts of complex social systems? 🌿 Plant | continuums polarities context(s) harmony integrity/integration/integral | 3, Useful |
Funder’s role in ecosystem: How do ecosystem funders/actors describe their role in contributing to ecosystem dynamics and impacts? Growth stage of FQ | emergence philanthropy systems change ecosystem ecosystem funders enabling conditions | |
Destination, direction, values: What sort of purpose or ambition does it make sense to hold in complex social systems? 🥜 Seed | purpose/intentionality complexity characteristics complex contextual causality directionality/vectors emergence | 3, Useful |
Integrity and integration: How can the integrity of a complex social system be enhanced, and what difference does that make to its functioning? 🌱 Seedling | integrity/integration/integral harmony polarities emergence | 3, Useful |
What does it mean to be an ecosystem funder? 🌿 Plant | ecosystem ecosystem funders enabling conditions capacity alignment emergence systemic finance/investing | 2, Important |
Capacities and capabilities: What capacities and capabilities are needed at individual, organizational and systemic levels to support the effective functioning of complex social systems? 🌱 Seedling | capacity systems practice + system practices capabilities emergence complexity characteristics | 2, Important |
What role can portfolios play in systemic approaches to complex social challenges? 🌱 Seedling | portfolios systems innovation | 2, Important |
How can relationships be handled to support the more effective functioning of complex social systems? 🌱 Seedling | relationships relationship behaviours conflict compassion non-violent communication | 2, Important |
Emergent impacts: How do ecosystem funders/actors describe the impact they want to see? (emergent impacts) Growth stage of FQ | emergence philanthropy impact outcomes ecosystem funders ecosystem | 2, Important |
Emergence diagrams: What sorts of diagrams can be used to represent emergence in complex social systems? 🥜 Seed | emergence complexity characteristics | 3, Useful |
3. What should be my practically-focused fractal questions about systemic practices for complex social challenges, and developing those sorts of practices? | systems practice + system practices complexity characteristics capacity capabilities | 4, Relevant |
Financial sustainability: How can I move along a path of developing products and services that clients will want and pay for, as a route towards financial sustainability? 🥜 Seed | freelancing | 4, Relevant |
Action-learning cycles: How can contextually-embedded, collaborative and power-shifting cycles of action and learning support the emergence of the adaptive systems that are needed to address complex social challenges, and enhance the design and implementation of public policies? 🌱 Seedling | action learning emergent learning emergence collaborative learning context(s) sensemaking systems practice + system practices complex contextual causality | 2, Important |
Forms, models and power: To what extent and how can new models of governance, and different organisational forms, help to shift the power dynamics that hold systems in place? 🌿 Plant | governance power | 4, Relevant |
How can trauma be healed to contribute to healthier, more loving and more integrated systems? 🥜 Seed | trauma healing ubuntu integrity/integration/integral relationships systems health loving systems | 3, Useful |
Ecosystem dynamics: How do ecosystem funders and actors describe the changes they want to see in the health and dynamics of the ecosystems they invest in and are part of? 🌱 Seedling | ecosystem ecosystem funders enabling conditions emergence capacity capabilities systems health | 2, Important |
Theory and learning: What role does theory need to play in supporting (collaborative) learning? Is theory essential, or is it nice to have? 🌱 Seedling | theory of change learning collaborative learning | 4, Relevant |
Awareness and balance: How might one find a suitable balance of awareness – combining a broad gaze, with focused attention – for participating effectively in complex social systems? 🌱 Seedling | awareness harmony systems practice + system practices polarities continuums | 2, Important |
How might Tana be used to support individual and collective cycles of learning and reflection that can inform more effective action, particularly in relation to complex challenges where off-the-shelf solutions won’t work? 🌱 Seedling | personal knowledge management zettelkasten Tana emergence | 3, Useful |
Embeddedness and engagement: What’s the appropriate level and manner of embeddedness/engagement for someone who is helping to nurture a living, learning, loving system? 💩 Compost | emergence alignment systems practice + system practices | 5, Marginal |
Impact: How should we think about impact in complex social systems? 🌱 Seedling | evaluation impact complex contextual causality monitoring, evaluation and learning | 2, Important |
