Challenge

A startups accelerator is Looking for Problems for their startups to solve. They started by trying to ensure different leaders in a certain field are aligned on the core problems facing this field, and asked me to facilitate this process. These leaders represent different stakeholders, never met before and sometimes have competing interests. A document is needed to ensure top challenges of this field are listed, agreed upon, to put it in design thinking terms: figuring out “the what is”. In 90 mins Session. Having alignment on these problems will help in the process of finding solutions, by the accelerator in progress.

Tool Selection & Application

Since the leaders never met before I tried to use a simple thing that doesn’t require many steps, given the short time available. I also picked two systems thinking tools (stakeholders mapping & crucial factors mapping) at the same time, to be able to capture the depth of the wicked problems available.

● Mind mapping(for main field stakeholders and their main challenges) was chosen as a tool to facilitate discussion among the leaders in the session.

● We started by drawing a circle, putting the name of the field players/stakeholders and their main concerns.

● We then renamed the concerns and clustered those who are close or maybe the same.

● Then started making relationships of each concern with other concerns in the circle drawn.

● To formulate this circle a set of questions were asked to the leaders present, so as to help them reflect and discuss any findings.

● We put their findings in the form of aspirations for the future to mitigate the concerns they jotted down.

● We got 4 main wishes

Insight, Approach & Next Steps

My main intake is the time taken to this needed to be increased by 30 mins. I believe the mapping tools and insights gathering were convenient, because mapping helped the conversations be concrete, specific and quick to be out. Which is different from letting people only talk/discuss and go in circles with their speech with no output. I believe that using a polling tool/votes during the first circle was missing. It was left to the facilitator to perceive the voting which I believe will jeopardise the accuracy of the final report.


Challenge A startups accelerator is Looking for Problems for their startups to solve . They started by trying to ensure different leaders in a certain field are aligned on the core problems facing this field , and asked me to facilitate this process . These leaders represent different stakeholders , never met before and sometimes have competing interests . A document is needed to ensure top challenges of this field are listed , agreed upon , to put it in design thinking terms : figuring out “ the what is ” . In 90 mins Session . Having alignment on these problems will help in the process of finding solutions , by the accelerator in progress . Tool Selection & Application Since the leaders never met before I tried to use a simple thing that does n’t require many steps , given the short time available . I also picked two systems thinking tools ( stakeholders mapping & crucial factors mapping ) at the same time , to be able to capture the depth of the wicked problems available . ● Mind mapping(for main field stakeholders and their main challenges ) was chosen as a tool to facilitate discussion among the leaders in the session . ● We started by drawing a circle , putting the name of the field players / stakeholders and their main concerns . ● We then renamed the concerns and clustered those who are close or maybe the same . ● Then started making relationships of each concern with other concerns in the circle drawn . ● To formulate this circle a set of questions were asked to the leaders present , so as to help them reflect and discuss any findings . ● We put their findings in the form of aspirations for the future to mitigate the concerns they jotted down . ● We got 4 main wishes Insight , Approach & Next Steps My main intake is the time taken to this needed to be increased by 30 mins . I believe the mapping tools and insights gathering were convenient , because mapping helped the conversations be concrete , specific and quick to be out . Which is different from letting people only talk / discuss and go in circles with their speech with no output . I believe that using a polling tool / votes during the first circle was missing . It was left to the facilitator to perceive the voting which I believe will jeopardise the accuracy of the final report .