Our client, from the ecological education sector, is actively partnering with the government of Curaçao to address a critical issue: water pollution is devastating the island's vibrant coral reef ecosystem. This enchanting marine habitat, essential for biodiversity and the local economy, is under serious threat, and immediate action is crucial to protect and preserve it for future generations.

Before session started

As a facilitator, I am truly passionate about this topic and believe in the creative value it can bring to the ongoing issues in Curaçao. During the intake session, I established a strong connection with the clients (Problem Owners, or POs) by understanding their goals and expectations, as well as the role each department plays in the community.

We recruited a group of master's students from TU Delft to serve as the resource group (RG), who will help redefine the problem and propose solutions.

Given that our resource group and client will need a better focus on this complex problem, I scoped it down to a more specific problem statement: the lack of awareness among local citizens in Curaçao. By reframing the problem statement, our resource group can better relate to it and contribute more effectively toward finding a solution.

My goal as a creative facilitator is to create a dynamic environment where the problem owner and resource group can tap into their creativity when they feel confident and safe to express themselves. I assist individuals in nurturing their curiosity and taking creative risks with confidence.

Problem Analysis

The first activity at the beginning was designed as a ice breaker to make resource group members(RG) feel energized and encouraged to behave neturally, also for sensitizing the RG and PO of the different perspective that they can think of. I got a positive feedback that the activity was designed exquisitely for helping the following diverging session.

Further on, 5W1H technique helped RG restate the problem and brought up a new scope to the Problem as Percieved (PaP). The activity helped them shift focus from coral reef to the marine life.

Session Results

Creative Design Solution in a Nut Shell.

In the 5W1H, resource group(RG) thought of any question they had and problem owner(PO) could thus reply some questions and give an accent to this topic. This was a conversation starter, and then together, RG and PO found the consensus of the new problem statement.

We agreed that if people don’t feel the agency and ownership of their land and sea, they might hardly be aware of the water containmination problem is affecting their & marine creatures’ living environment. And instead of forcing them or indicating their responsibility, raising people’s curiosity is an approach that we want to take.

The absurd questioning technique raised more crazy ideas than the Purge(see idea parking lot). By linking craziest and funny terms back to PaP, people started coming up with options that are more engaging and novel. And finally we used sequencing method to sort the ideas based on the criteria that we had in mind. The final posters were generated based on the ideas in”Engaing x Feasible”. Also, we tried to keep the “long-term” goal and expectation in mind, while RG anchored themselves in a good starting point with the X, Y axes they chose.

The two end results of the sessions were presented with posters.

Lessons Learnt

To ensure effective communication and collaboration among members of a resource group and stakeholders, it's important to acknowledge that they may come from diverse backgrounds. In cases where the wicked problem is not clearly defined, it's crucial to conduct sensitization activities and problem-finding exercises. This is especially important when group members are not familiar with new or different ideas, as they may be limited to a single approach when attempting to solve the problem.

In addition, it is essential to obtain acceptance from the problem owner and resource group to make solutions actionable and desirable for them. As a facilitator who creates a comprehensive plan and leads the entire session, I believe that the key to success is the participants. By carefully observing their needs during the session and fully understanding the problem, facilitating creativity can make a significant impact by let all sounds of the stakeholders heard.