This is a CTP of initiative: Transition Town Tooting (UK)
This CTP relates to the creation of a visual one page strategy which is both a map of what they do and a way of explaining what they do to other people.
It was a turning point because it is a graphic that is really accessible and because it captured the various things that they did and showed how they were connected.
TTT was set up in 2008. Like any group it was diverse, with different experiences. People working on different projects related to their interests. At a meeting in 2010 they decided to make this into a graphic and produce something that they could refer to.
This occurred towards the end of 2010. By then, there were 12 – 15 really active people with another 12 who dipped in and out. They had just done the Trashcatchers Carnival (see CTP 115). Everyone was reeling from that. They were taking stock and becoming more organized and ‘professional’ in their structure and processes. So, in the autumn 2010 / spring 2011, they thought they would remind themselves of the breadth of activities in which they were involved. The visual strategy reflected part of this stage of development.
The idea of listing things and of the diagram itself emerged informally from discussions in a core group meeting:“Gosh that carnival was amazing, in order to be efficient we may need to list the things that we do”.
Someone then suggested having it turned into a diagram and the idea of some kind of flower or plant emerged from one of the 2 or 3 working group sessions (some of which were in person and some through email communication). There is a creative streak to TTT which influenced the development of the visual strategy.
The image itself was produced by a graphics designer who was not part of the actual discussions. The image is a plant and the flowers represent the different theme groups:
Then, at the bottom of the image (in the roots of the flower), there are the things that they need to do to support these groups:
Linking the two (via the stem) are the ways in which the roots support the activities:
The diagram was a way of reflecting on some of the activities they should be doing and making sense of the way that TTT functions and the things around them.
Another driver was a desire to share the workload. There was the feeling that if they made this strategy / understanding, then it would help to share the load as it would make things visible and people can see how they fit in and help.
There is an inevitable churning of people in Transition initiatives, but the interviewee believed that Tooting were ‘lucky’ because lots of people who have stayed involved. Still, one of the drivers was therefore to create something that provided an overview of the structure outside of the knowledge of any individual. At that point, they also were formalizing the co-chairing process too (see CTP 116). There were some fears around the structure becoming too rigid so the diagram helped show how open the Transition initiative was.
The Trashcatchers carnival was an important, but indirect, preceding event (See CTP 115). TTT activists had been very involved in the carnival and, as such, they didn’t have the time to think about processes (or the wider initiative) for a while. So this was partly about refocusing on wider organizational development.
Following its creation, it has been very useful for showing what their focus of work is as well as the processes which support the activities.
They have used the document to frame future core group agendas. It has been a useful prompt for reviewing the breadth of activities and for enabling people who are new or less involved to understand what was going on across the organization. It helped frame internal discussions: helping them decide how things linked together and in making sense of the fact that they might appear to be doing 25 different things and show how they are connected via 7 or 8 different themes.
Furthermore, it is useful for the people who dip in and out to see what is happening.
Finally, they have subsequently used it for a lot of engagement work at lots of different events where it has helped explain what TTT does to people who have never heard of them and don’t really know what they do.
There wasn’t any contestation involved in the development of the strategy. However, it did involve people who were very different to each other. It brought people together who are more interested in process and structure with those who are more creative. This is an ongoing aspect of the development of TTT.
The development of the visual strategy wasn’t something that was anticipated in advance.
In the personal opinion of the interviewee, it did feel like a turning point at the time: they had been involved in so much delivery that they needed to reflect on where they were and it enabled them to do this. It has helped them to balance delivery and output.
This importance is also evident with hindsight: `It was part of an important set of development including the establishment of co-chairing on two yearly cycles’ (see also CTP 116). Most people in TTT are more interested / focused on delivery rather than process, but this was a period where they focused on structural issues and the diagram was part of the process of making their own structures visible.
It contributed to the goals of TTT by Improving internal co-ordination and recognition of the resources and how they are being distributed.
The way in which they used the diagram with external partners was really important. For example, they would meet the Chief Executive of the local council and this would be the main document that they referred to.
The interviewee suggested that the flower had become a kind of “icon” one doesn’t have to read anymore. It is now nearly three years old and is not really up to date, but that doesn’t necessarily matter now. At TTT AGMs a big, hand-Drawn version is produced that is up to date. There are now new ‘flowers’ in existence: e.g. outdoor learning and the work they are doing with refugees and asylum seekers. At some point, they might update it but it has served its purpose to some extent. They are now more aware of what they are doing.
The interviewee has learned that it is useful not to be afraid of strategy and it is useful to think of ways of sharing strategy which are not like a secret language or mystifying. The image has been useful in many different situations and arguably, as an asset, it is still underused.
He has also learned that it is worth doing something creative or different if you have a chance. It was fun and a bonding thing to do, which also created a certain degree of pride in the finished object. It is still relevant to the challenges they face because they are still facing the same challenges that they did when they first created it. Most fundamentally, this involves balancing process and outcomes. With the rotating chair system (see CTP 116), different people have interests or areas of focus so this can help hold everyone to account. The diagram has helped make things visible: ‘They were doing those things (in the roots) but they hadn’t labeled them or recognized them.’
It is also relevant because it reminds them of the things that they haven’t done: ‘They haven’t really looked at their own capacity or developed facilitation skills. Nor have they managed to establish the community panel.’
Because it shows the wide variety of things they do, some external partners have recently asked why they aren’t a constituted body, saying ‘Why not? Look at all the things you do! You should be’. This is a step towards understanding what they would need to do if they were to become incorporated. (They are currently an unincorporated community organization).
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