The Labs for System Change report is our humble attempt to capture the overwhelming richness of the conversations that took place both within the conference and online via Twitter (we captured over 2,000 tweets over the few days of the event). We hope that the report will also surface some of the most pertinent questions and challenges of the ever-growing social innovation and PSI labs space.
You will find the following information within the report, summarising the insights and knowledge captured at the conference. Videos of each of the keynote sessions and panel discussions are available here.
- History and background of PSI Labs: Frances Westley, J.W. McConnell Chair in Social Innovation at the University of Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience, explored group dynamics and group psychology in the 1940s to 1970s, and design thinking and computer modelling in the 1980s and 2000s.
- Current landscape of PSI Labs: Jari Tuomala presented The Bridgespan Group’s research on the current landscape of labs globally, followed by a discussion with Geoff Mulgan, Sarah Schulman, Indy Johar and Stéphane Vincent. The research is now published online here and is definitely worth checking out.
- Role of design in public policy: Christian Bason, who currently heads the Danish Design Center, shared insights gained from his previous work at MindLab, emphasizing design’s unique contribution to establishing effective public policy. His new book, Design for Policy, details more of his innovative approach to public policy.
- Role of technology in PSI Labs: Beth Noveck vividly presented how technology has enabled a more collaborative world where governments and citizens are better equipped to solve society’s biggest challenges.
- Future of PSI Labs: We explored many key issues that labs need to address in order to become true catalysts for long-term change. Adam Kahane, Zaid Hassan and Chris Sigaloff shared their insights into the future of the field.
Download the report here.
