Changing your world view

Posted on by anasofiavazqueztrejo

By: Ana Vazquez-Trejo

After listening to Terry Irwin and her call “To change our world view” I wanted to write about changing my worldview. This is a recommendation to Policy makers/designers to think creatively and to open their minds to new solutions. I have identified some posing questions at the end. to see pictures: http://anasofia313.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/2/

Public Policy requires design, leadership, creativity, and innovation. Design requires the creator to be imaginative and to think about their product or policy. If designer is building something to be used by people, the designer has to put him or her self in the shoes of the people he or she is designing for. In other words, the designer must be inclusive. The designer must think of whom the product or policy is being created for. The designer is continuously analyzing what situations the user will encounter.

Today, governments across the world like Australia are using design to shape policy, simply because there is a need. The guardian news source states that there is “the need to innovate with fewer resources, provide more personalised services on a larger scale,[1]” for the growing masses of people so that governments can service their people. Therefore, design is the future of the policy making process.

In order for design to be effective and used correctly, a designer, must open his or her eyes to the realm of possibilities that can become a solution to a social problem. When designing a solution, there should be limitless ideas considered before narrowing in on a single idea. This is innovative in that it is so different from the usual rules and boundaries that regulate the way we think. Hence, when it comes to being a designer changing your worldview is key to making innovative policy.[2]

Changing our worldview is one of the hardest things to do. Since we were children, we have grown up with our own customs, traditions, and habits. We were taught from a young age about religion or no religion, hygiene, customs, traditions. Therefore, our upbringing makes up who we are, but we can change and develop ourselves to become more curious, reflective and innovative.

Our upbringing reflects how we think and how we handle situations in our lives. We have biased opinions about the “right” way to do certain things. When we are children, we have no conception of right or wrong. The mind of a child has no preconceived notions. In fact parents instill thoughts into their children.

For example, if you tell a child for the first time in their life to go and line up the shoes next to the door[3], it looks like this:

[4]shoes at door

That child will literally make a line of shoes in front of the door.

This is how our creativity is inhibited. Another example is telling a child they must eat half of their half dog before they can leave the table. You and I would think half a hotdog means eating it like this:

[5]half hot dog

but a child would think of it like this:

[6]child hot dog

This is an example of how our imagination and creativity has been molded. In order to go back to the way we were as children, to think creatively without any preconceived notions. We have to be inclusive. According to the relational leadership model, being a leader is a process that involves being inclusive, purposeful, empowering, and being ethical. [7]

relational leadership model

We must all undergo a process to continuously improve ourselves. This does not mean improving ourselves physically, it means improving ourselves mentally. It means checking our thoughts and making sure that they are generally positive, that our actions are going to benefit us and the people around us. In the words of Google “don’t be evil.” For example, when it comes to recycling. You could easily just throw away that plastic Aquafina bottle into the regular trashcan. You will not have to go out of your way to find a recycle bin and you won’t have to carry around the bottle when it is empty. However, if you think about the possible consequences of that bottle ending up in a landfill and not decomposing for ten years, or the chances the bottle ends up in the ocean, you begin to become compassionate and conscientious of the world around you.

If you are a policy creator, ask yourself these things when you are designing:

Will this policy empower someone?

What is the purpose of this design?

Is this policy ethical?

Is this policy inclusive?

We must be leaders by asking questions, thinking creatively, and reflect on what others value. This process will help design policy that will benefit our future.  What do you think? Can we make new policy that will improve the lives of others? Or are we doing things the right way already? Is our current process the only way to get things passed through the system(government)? Can we incorporate design into government?