Vision creation - a collective process or not?

The choice of whether or not the creation of a vision should be a collective process depends in practice on the context of the programme for system innovation. 

Collective creation of a vision

The collective approach to creating a vision, along with special arena groups or platforms can be chosen if various parties depend on one another to realise the system innovation and there is no organisation with the explicit task of achieving system innovations. Transition professionals can be hired to help the arena group or platform.

One of the advantages of a platform or arena group is that the participants can learn from one another during the process of vision creation. And groups that include participants from different areas of expertise and with different practical backgrounds can formulate a valuable and well-argued vision. A carefully chosen arena or platform group can also prepare the way for implementation of the vision. On this point, see also the question "How do I assemble an arena group?"

Non-collective

The creation of a vision can also be a non-collective process. This approach is taken, for example, by some professional network organisations for system innovation. One Dutch example is InnovatieNetwerk, an organisation devoted to system innovation in agriculture. InnovatieNetwerk's project managers first play a prominent role in identifying new themes (although they are in fact helped in this by InnovatieKringen (InnovationCircles), whose members represent different sectors). The project managers then flesh out the themes in more detail, using various methods including internal brainstorming sessions and ad hoc meetings with stakeholder or with front-runners. They also sometimes adopt ideas from elsewhere. The professionals then take the resulting vision with an idea for a system innovation and search for supporters and new consortia to implement the ideas. Sometimes, InnovatieNetwerk also takes it upon itself to inform the government of obstacles to the innovative practice

Examples

Methods