Principle 3 - "Achieve Production"
OR THE NEED TO EXPERIMENT
I highlight the parallels between the 12 operational principles of permaculture and sustainable transformations in organizational systems. If you are a professional committed to promoting a better society, these principles and insights should help you maximize your impact and inner peace. Here are the first article and the second article. Today we’ll discuss the third principle.
💡 A simple explanation of how permaculture works
“In the absence of immediate and truly useful output, a system withers; conversely, a system flourishes if it is productive.”
- David Holmgren, Permaculture
In permaculture, this principle emphasizes the importance of sowing seeds quickly so that crops can grow. The subtlety of the definition lies entirely in the word “useful.”
The goal is certainly to produce results, but to do so in a way that benefits the land, animals, and people. It is important to create outcomes that nurture the soil so that it can sustain itself and endure.
🔍 Implementation in a transformation initiative
Our company takes this production concept a little too literally.
Social norms, at least in the West, prioritize swift action, at the risk of forgetting to simply be. Yet it is the combination of action and being, in service of a purpose, that allows us to endure.
Let's look at a concrete example.
I had the pleasure of advising an executive committee on governance and leadership issues.
The participants demonstrated openness, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to quickly apply what they had learned to specific actions.
They were so eager to move forward that they were frustrated at not being able to come up with a ready-made action plan after just two short sessions. There was a risk, then, in jumping into the “doing” before clarifying the intention behind the action.
At the end of a debriefing, I shared these thoughts:
“It’s great to want to move quickly. But if you arrive in Oslo in one day when, deep down, you’d rather be in Rome, what’s the point of rushing?”
"If you move forward without being clear about where you want to go and how, you risk ending up in the wrong place, wasting time and energy, and losing credibility with your teams."
Following this discussion, a course of action emerged for the group:
They decided to take the time to refocus on the original purpose behind this team coaching session on governance and leadership.
They clarified what they wanted to gain from it—for themselves, their teams, and their company.
They gave themselves the freedom to experiment within their committee, without the pressure to succeed, rather than imposing arbitrary changes on the organization.
A pilot phase is invaluable for testing what works, what needs to be refined, and what should be avoided.
🐝 Tips for Getting Active
As agents of change, I suggest two principles that you should emphasize within your organization before, during, and after every transformation project:
The Experiment
It's a good idea to test your ideas on a small scale within your organization as part of a "pilot" program.
This will enable your community to learn, refine, and improve—or even radically change—your approach to working with your partners and beneficiaries.
You can consider these initiatives to be biodegradable.
The Celebration
Your community will need to celebrate often and on many occasions over time.
The results of each step can be a cause for celebration:
your willingness to dare to try something new,
your “mistakes” as proof of your courage, and as potential sources of innovation and progress,
your achievements and the keys to success.
"Thebest way to predict the future is to create it."
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Hello to you, agents of change!
My name is Nina Cambadélis. I am an impact coach and leadership expert specializing in sustainable development and organizational transformation.
For more than 10 years, I have been responsible for organizational transformation and multifaceted performance initiatives within a company and a multicultural environment. What I love about my work is helping organizations and professionals rethink business and making them proud to contribute, in their own way, to a world that is more sustainable, more humane, and more respectful of nature.
If you'd like some guidance along the way, contact me!
