When we create something together, we get a common starting point, some common values expressed in what we have shaped and built up together. After all, this is the entire starting point for our life on earth. To create something where we involve each other and each contributes with exactly what we are good at.
The story behind the model
Through a previous employment, I became the leader of some cultural diplomacy activities/initiatives that aimed to connect a number of new EU countries to the family in the EU. The idea was that culture in one form or another should contribute to building bridges between the established and the new EU countries. It carried countries that had previously belonged to what formerly was called "The Eastern Bloc”, which in the start of the new century had to be exposed to Western European thinking and culture. Since it was a cultural diplomacy initiative, it was of course self-written that Danish business and Danish embassies should somehow have a place in the middle so that the rays of culture could shine a little on other actors. Incidentally, this also applied to the Danish representations.
My responsibility consisted of realizing projects/activities that fell under this framework.
In short, these measures were a great success in all the countries where we worked. Primarily thanks to all the many committed participants.
I became curious to understand why the success was so pronounced. In reality, I was just doing what I was good at and so was everyone else. Was it because we were all working for a “higher purpose”? My analysis tool at the time was characterized by the "experience industry" thinking of the time and all the arguments for why culture should now be blissful. The Statens Museum for Art and other established cultural institutions made integration projects and venues in Denmark tried to prove what they meant to the Danish GDP.
It actually took me a few years and quite a bit of distance before I saw the connection. And again one has years to refine the model and test it on both a small, medium and large scale on everything between heaven and earth. My coach at the time called the model the way to "leverage". Leverage is now only a small part of the whole, which the model both contains.
To the point.
I identified 4 basic sectors that are necessary for a sustainable result, regardless of what you are doing to create, realize, build up, develop. These 4 sectors each have their own set of values and handle the content values differently.
Next, I identified the resources needed to realize what we have as a goal.
I implemented that in a coordinate system which became the basic tool for how to create durable and viable results. The model for "Sustainability in cross sectoral co-creation”.
This model subsequently made me very curious to investigate the interfaces between the sectors. The fact is that, both on the "bony floors" and among countless consulting firms, you find ambitions for what is called cross-sector collaboration and countless organizations are trying their hardest to create this cross-cutting element in many project-oriented contexts. The interfaces between the individual sectors are defined by the individual sectors' value sets, how the sectors manage these values and in what language these values and the associated "higher purpose" are articulated and embodied.
This model can help us construct the right conditions for working across sectors, professional groups, cultures, you name it….
If you want to know more about the model or have questions about it, please contact me.
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