What support is needed for a transition?

An arena group or platform usually requires the assistance of a 'transition team', including at least the client or ‘problem owner' and one or more transition professionals. The chairman of the platform group usually joins this team later. The team prepares the process of vision creation, both in terms of the content and the procedure, advances it and makes sure that the vision is clear, ambitious and focuses on achieving a transition. The team can also play an important role in embedding the vision in regular policy during the course of the process.

Specific activities of the transition team include:

  • Arranging the meetings
  • Producing trend, system and actor/network analyses
  • Interviewing experts outside the arena group
  • Summarising and organising the results of discussions
  • Planning specific interventions if the group lapses back into obvious thought patterns
  • Maintaining the commitment of the members and helping to resolve any conflicts
  • Helping to create a network
  • Conducting monitoring or evaluations.

Knowledge of system innovation

The transition professionals in the team must have knowledge of system innovation and methods of carrying out transition projects. Because no two arena groups adopt the same approach, the transition professionals must be flexible in their role as process managers. They must be able to clearly identify what is needed for the group and the process to succeed. See also the cluster 'Competences'.

Examples

Methods