If you come to our launchlabs office at Leuschnerdamm, Berlin, you will also pass by our library, which we have set up in the entrance area of our office. Here you will find about 65 books from the categories “Creativity, Self-Management, Motivation”, “Inspiring Spaces, Workspace Design”; Berlin, “Toolkits, Playbooks”, “Visualization”, “Ideas, Innovation”, “People”, “Business, Innovation, Strategy”, “Exploration”, “Game Design”.

We support our customers in building innovation projects and agile transformation. In order to be able to constantly learn and grow as a company and personally, one of the things that helps us is our value “learning ability”:

“We are eager to experiment and want to know how to do things better. We learn to change, we change to improve”.

launchlabs gives us as employees the freedom to buy books on our own that we believe will help us or the company, so that we can constantly educate ourselves and give new impulses. In this way, our library grows continuously and diversely. For us, this is the perfect supplement to our annual training budget, which we can then use freely for further training, courses and events.

In our library, however, you will not only find reading material; slippers are also available to swap in your work shoes and retreat to one of our reading corners. And if you want to enjoy a game of table tennis with the team, you’ll find the table tennis bats to go with them.

Today, we’ve brought you two recommendations from our library that have inspired us in our work and the design of our work environment.

1. “Agile Coaching” by Judith Andresen

 “Agile Coaching” by Judith Andresen is a book that is especially helpful for all agile transformation leaders and coaches.

When we first trained Agile Coaches a few years ago, the book was part of the curriculum for us and has since been found at various points in our training. The book teaches methods for coaching employees, developing team culture, and building decision-making and communication structures in teams.

In our current training of Agile Coaches in the client context, we also refer to aspects of the book and use many of the methods ourselves.  This book doesn’t always make it into the spotlight, but it holds a lot of advice for team development in an agile environment, especially for practicing coaches, and is therefore worth recommending.

2. “Make Space” by Scott Dorley and Scott Witthoft

Our second book tip made it onto the list because “Make Space” by Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft also inspired us a lot in our own space design at launchlabs. “Make Space” gives several suggestions for designing physical spaces to be flexible, adaptable, and conducive to a team’s culture. This includes furniture and fixtures, but also thinking in terms of different contexts of use. The goal is to create spaces that make the best use of their environment and furnishings to support teams in different collaborative situations.

Our Digital Studio and Workshop Space in Berlin is also modular and user-centric. With What if we fly, we created our own brand of agile office furniture. So we created a space in our office that can be transformed in a few simple steps from a digital green screen studio for digital events or keynotes, into a workshop space for interdisciplinary collaboration, into separate group workstations concentrated teamwork, or a theater with bleachers.

Here you can be in the spotlight – our rooms are also available for rent: https://material.launchlabs.de/raumbuchung

Feel free to stop by for a drink to get to know our library and launchlabs!

Marit and Fabian from launchlabs

 

In our agile trainings and projects, we like to talk about T-shaped skills (combination of strengths and skills of a generalist and as well as a specialist) and cross-functional teams to create effective teamwork. It is always easy to talk about this – but it is often difficult to apply it in the end. For this reason, we would like to describe an example of how we foster T-shaped skills at launchlabs, so that the entire team has a general broad knowledge and new skills in addition to the deep expert knowledge. For this, we interviewed Steffen and Jana. Steffen was hired as the first Web Developer at launchlabs in September 2021 and offered a Basic Programming course for facilitators for the first time. Jana was there as a participant and they both talk about their experiences, challenges and lessons they have learned.

Interview with Steffen

Steffen, what was first impulse to give a coding workshop for facilitators.

One of the main reasons why I brought up the topic of a programming course was a very mundane one. A colleague of mine asked me: “What is it that you do all day?” After giving her a glimpse into my day-to-day work, I had to remind myself again how I got into programming and how, after the first few courses and tutorials, some light fell on this black box of web development. I had never experienced this interplay of success and frustration to the same degree, but thought to myself that this can be a very educational experience for all people, regardless of their background. 

What were the challenges in the conception of the course?

​​One of the challenges was to design a training where all participants feel challenged. In addition, the topic of designing courses was a completely new one for me. I had never led/designed a course myself before and felt a little pressure to teach my relatively new skill set – programming.

What was particularly important to you in the conception?

To design a task where you can quickly apply what you have learned and see results. The level of difficulty also played a big role, as I wanted to convey to everyone that programming can be fun. In addition, it was important to me to keep the preparation time to participate in the course as low as possible, because I wanted to keep the threshold for the first step very low. Furthermore, I designed the assignment given during the course in a way that we were able to  work on smaller subtasks at the same point in time, so that we were always on the same level, and solved blockers together.

What can you take away for yourself and for your everyday life as a web developer?

The approach to express complex topics or problems in a way that  everyone understands. I believe this is also a good thing to keep in mind generally in software development, because the best code is the one that most can understand and not the one that is shortest.

 

 

Interview with Jana

Jana, what was your first reaction to the invitation to the programming course?

There were several different thoughts in my head. On the one hand, I felt great joy and curiosity about a totally unknown and new topic for me. On the other hand, I was very excited to dive into the daily business of Steffen. We all use numerous digital products a day and go on websites and apps to manage our daily work or to organize our free time. However, only very few people know what lies behind the digital world.

Did you have expectation for the programming course?

Yes and no. For me, it was about developing an understanding of programming, not only to better understand Steffen’s situation, but also to empathize with the challenges of our customers who also work in the field. The Agile Manifesto was written in 2001 by 17 software developers. So from my point of view, it makes total sense to understand more about the world from which Agile originated. On the other hand, though, I didn’t have specific expectations regarding what I wanted to learn or how I wanted to learn it. I was really looking forward to attending a small learning session that I would probably be surprised by in terms of content as well as methodology.

How did you feel during the course?

You could tell right from the start that Steffen had come up with a coherent structure and moderation that not only suited him very well, but also the content. His overriding motto was: “With a quick sense of achievement to success”. Without knowing it, Steffen applied exactly the learning didactics that we also use for our trainings – intro, practice, input. Through his detailed explanations, with constant quality checks, we didn’t lose anyone from the group during the course. The entire team started with a childlike curiosity and we all couldn’t wait to look at our newly programmed websites. The evolving website with our individual content not only led to feelings of happiness during the learning journey, but also showed us that we are really creating something here.

What was your takeaway from this session for your everyday life as a facilitator?

A lot! As mentioned in the beginning, it helped me to create a better understanding of web development and also become a big fan of this clear structure and language. I also really enjoyed the learning experience itself. As an Agile Coach and Innovation Consultant, I learn something new every day, but rarely do I come away with such a childlike curiosity. I would like to transfer this curiosity to my daily work as well – where can I learn and teach new topics in a playful way? Seriousness is all well and good, but when it comes to the sustainable absorption and processing of information, I would like to go back to playful elements in the future to not miss out on the fun and enjoyment. 

The second point that I take away is to show results. In the programming course, we “refreshed” our website after each smaller task and were able to quickly and easily check the results and compared it to Steffen’s example page. This is another point that I would like to use more often in my trainings and projects. This could be right at the beginning of a training/project by asking the team: “When would the training/project be successful for you and how can this success criterion be measured?”. As you can see, I learned much more than expected and besides the first basics in the programming language, I was also able to take away insights for my daily doing with the customer.

​​Our conclusion

Our answer to T-shaped skills is not a page-long strategy. We focus on mutual interest, the space for creative freedom and the ability to inspire others. Steffen and Jana have not only developed an understanding for the other role, but have contained valuable impulses that they can use in their daily work.

In the latest edition of the launchlabs podcast, social philosopher and business ethicist Dr Dana Sindermann and launchlabs Managing Partner Dr Simon Springmann examine agility and recognition. Together with podcast host Laura Chiesa, they elaborate on what lies behind the terms and how agility and recognition are connected. The episode was recorded in German.

Why agility?

Dr Simon Springmann: Why and for what purpose should we concern ourselves with agile ways of working? Just because everyone’s talking about it these days and others are doing it too, or because we don’t want to be labelled old-fashioned? That would be a weak argument. From our point of view, there are a number of far better reasons for adopting agility.

To sum it up in one word: Complexity. We live in a world in which we have to deal with increased complexity and accelerating, permanent change – most experts and practitioners agree. 

What are the drivers of this complexity? Two main causes are the megatrends of globalization and digitalization. This will certainly come as no surprise. You can find these two factors in almost every second slide deck. Moreover, they also shape our everyday life: we travel to distant countries and enjoy our holiday reading on an eReader. Globalization and digitalization have led to increasing competitive pressure and rapidly changing customer expectations. This results in a need to be faster, more efficient, more flexible and more innovative than ever before. This poses enormous challenges for companies and their current structures.

 

What is agility?

Dr Simon Springmann: Commonly, we understand agility as the ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Agility is often used synonymously with flexibility, speed, etc. In addition, agile typically means being proactive and innovative, i.e. not just adapting, but being one step ahead of the competition and actively shaping trends. 

In our view, the “agile family” includes a number of frameworks such as Design Thinking, Lean Start-Up, Scrum, scaled forms of Scrum (such as SAFe, Nexus and others), or Kanban.

 

What are the values of agility?

Dr Simon Springmann: There is a whole range of agile values, some of which we would like to highlight, and that are particularly important to us. Perhaps the easiest way to illustrate these values is through the behaviour of people who have internalized an agile mindset:

• Human-centricity: They consistently put people at the centre of complex problems, i.e. they empathically put themselves in the user’s perspective, identify their needs and pain points and thus formulate concrete challenges. This is an enormous reduction in complexity that is needed to be able to act.
• Iterative approach in solution sprints: They work in fast cycles in order to learn quickly from drafts and prototypes to optimize the solution.
• Experimental approach: They learn under unclear conditions with the help of hypotheses and tests, to identify which solution approaches are most valuable.
• Thinking in systems: They understand challenges in a systemic context, i.e. they can take the perspective of different stakeholders, users, customers, etc. and classify them holistically.

 

Why recognition?

Dr Dana Sindermann: Everyone needs recognition in order to lead a satisfied life and develop a well-rounded identity. Whether in friendships, in family, in love relationships or at work. We humans are highly social beings and require positive feedback from others. This feedback encourages us to keep at it, to try things out, to explore new territory and to grow. By developing with others in the spaces with share, we also shape the spaces themselves. So our behaviour not only affects and advances us individually, but also others and our environment. 

 

What is recognition?

Dr Dana Sindermann: In any case, recognition means more than praise or an appreciative gesture from the boss. Rather, recognition means that we respond to each other. Isn’t that what we want? That we meet each other attentively and really see the other person. In their abilities, their interests, their wishes or needs. This idea of really seeing and being seen is already included in the word “recognition”: we recognize something in the other, and they recognize something in us.

For example, Ada recognizes that Bibi is super talented at app programming. And Bibi has a super talent in designing interactive apps. Then they both say, “Cool, let’s work together!” They each accept each other’s ideas. This is where recognition comes in. And they enrich them with their own ideas and skills. So they create something together, both self-develop and, at best, they publish an app that is also of value to others. This special form of cooperation is an immaterial form of recognition; the value, in this sense, consists of fulfilment, feelings of success and the feeling of contributing to something important.

In addition, the material form of recognition is of course also essential in work life, i.e. appropriate pay. Ideally, by the way, there is power symmetry in recognition-relationships on the job. The people who work together should therefore be on a par in their positions. 

 

Values and recognition

Dr Dana Sindermann: I would say that recognition is itself a kind of value. That’s why I’ll skip this point. 

 

How are agility and recognition related?

Dr Dana Sindermann: Recognition in action means being in motion. We cooperate with each other in a dynamic way. Because we adapt our behaviour, our actions, agilely and constructively to the behaviour and actions of others by engaging with them, by taking what they offer us and developing it further. 

A prerequisite for us to be able to recognize each other is that the person with his or her ideas, interests and abilities is at the centre. This human-centricity is what recognition and agility have in common. The human being is the centre. People are the point at which companies, if they want to create a culture of recognition, align their organizational structures, processes and tools. This also means that the structures and processes invite employees to proactively shape the organization. An inclusive working environment is a natural part of a culture of recognition, just as it is part of agile working. 

 

The Answer: Agility needs recognition to be truly successful.

Since its founding 10 years ago, launchlabs has been located at Engelbecken in Berlin, a listed commercial building from 1903 in the middle of Berlin-Kreuzberg. This is where old meets new, tradition meets innovation, craft meets art and agencies, and East meets West.

The launchlabs chose this location quite deliberately: a factory loft at the beautiful Engelbecken, the small water oasis with swans, turtles and a heron – whose waist-high water often freezes over in winter for ice skating. Despite the small refuge, the Engelbecken borders directly onto Kreuzberg’s creative neighborhood around Oranienplatz and is easily accessible by bike or via Ostbahnhof.

The Engelbecken itself was created from the Luisenstädtischer Kanal, which was laid out in the mid-18th century as a traffic route between the Spree and the Landwehrkanal, but was filled in again in 1926. With the construction of the Wall, the border fortifications that spread through Kreuzberg were built on the green strip. Due to the division of Berlin, the Engelbecken was also filled in in the meantime, and even today small asphalt markings in the cobblestones at regular intervals bear witness to the Wall posts directly in front of the Engelbecken courtyard.

So in February 2012, launchlabs moved to the 1st floor of Aufgang 5, our so-called “Playground”.

But what do you do with 200 square meters of space and walls almost 4 meters high?

Of course, the first thing is a community space for meetings, exchange and conversations of all kinds. For launchlabs as an organisation, encounters at eye level are at the core of our identity: right from the start, everyone, regardless of any hierarchical levels, brews their own coffee and also puts their own coffee cup in the dishwasher. Secondly, places of retreat and quiet came into play, such as the tree house or the telephone booth hidden in the back wall of the tribune of the workshop room. Places that might surprise and that invite you to (re)think!

For meetings at eye level and agile working, we have also developed our flexible furniture on castors and the ultra-light whiteboards in co-creation with our partners: our furniture line what if we fly. In the meantime, there are – fortunately – many co-working spaces, innovation labs and creative workspaces. However, the advantage of the what if we fly furniture is the consistent implementation on castors for flexible set-ups, from teamwork to concentrated work to plenary sessions.

And because the launchlabs feel most at home in the creative neighborhood of Kreuzberg, a mural painting welcomes visitors to the first floor of our offices. Since the founding days of launchlabs, the mural has been designed by a new artist every year. With the exception of our anniversary years, such as the 5th anniversary of launchlabs, the artists have a free hand in terms of theme and design: A manifesto of letting go and trust. At the same time, it breaks routines when a new mural suddenly shines in the face of the launchlabs team and guests. It provides and triggers new perspectives and offers – following the nature of art – enough material for conversation about the pros and cons as well as the comparison of the old and the new.

2019 – The launchlabs are growing: We need more space!

At the beginning of 2019, the launchlabs were able to move into an additional 400 square-meter core-renovated space on the ground floor of the Engelbecken-Hof, our so-called Greenhouse. The glass walls illustrate the transparency and openness, which we cultivate at launchlabs.

As in the Playground, everyone in the Greenhouse can work ergonomically at a normal or standing, retreat to a telephone booth or the bunk, discuss things in an armchair or at our kitchen dining table. Or simply step outside for a walk & talk around the Engelbecken – or two or three. If we want even more fresh air, the launchlabs go on a Workation or use our Flying Office Bike – the latter always headed towards the nearby pond.

Especially in times of the pandemic, encounters in fresh air have made physical meetings easier for us and sweetened the habitual home office. At the same time, we have expanded our premises to include studios with green screens. This allows a sense of proximity and interaction even in virtual or hybrid workshops and meetings. In this way, we can continue to choose (air) travel wisely in the future and bring accross the unique atmosphere of the Engelbecken virtually as well.

Sketchnoting for more creative confidence

“I can’t draw” is one of the most frequent reactions I get when I ask my workshop participants to visualise their ideas or thoughts. This statement often goes along with “I am just not the creative type of person”. Thus, not being able to sketch seems to be directly linked to the perception of  lacking any form of creativity.

Tom and David Kelly coined the term “creative confidence” and in their book (bearing the same name) they describe how to unleash the creativity that lies within each and every one of us. I am not suggesting that being creative means that one has to be able to draw or sketch, but I believe that learning visualisation skills can be a first step to trusting in ones creative ability.The funny thing is, that we actually all had this creative confidence when we were young. We were born with it. The same counts for our ability to draw! 

In his TED talk “Do schools kill creativity?” Ken Robinson argues that “we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or even better said we get educated out of it”. However, according to Robinson (and I mirror his opinion), “creativity is as important as literacy and we should afford it the same status”. 

Interestingly, before children learn about the alphabet and begin to write, drawing plays an important part in the way they express their ideas and communicate with others. Nevertheless, we move away from drawing as a communication tool as we grow up. If we try to start sketching again in our adult lives, it is like learning a new language with its own alphabet. It may not be easy for everyone, but it is extremely valuable to pick up this lost skill for the sake of bringing innovation into the world.

In this article I want to share my ideas around sketchnoting in a business context: 

• What are sketchnotes? 
• Why does it make sense to draw in a business context? 
• and most importantly: how do you start with sketchnoting and building trust in your creativity?

What are sketchnotes?

Sketchnotes (sketches + notes) are notes supplemented with simple, mostly two dimensional elements. In sketchnoting complex concepts are visualised by combinations dots, lines, squares, triangles, and circles. They directly “talk” as everyone will immediately understand their elementary forms, and when accompanied by some powerful words.

Why does it make sense to draw in a business context?

1.) Common understanding

Especially when working in teams visuals help to get a common understanding about the topic discussed. Verbal language is only one way of communicating and as it is well known words can be understood and interpreted in many different ways. Supporting a thought with a visual makes content more accessible to other people. Above all in an international context it lowers language barriers.

2.) Focus

As research suggests, laptop note takers have the tendency to transcribe what they hear instead of processing and reframing the information. In contrast, when you are sketchnoting you are basically forced to focus and synthesise the important information.

3.) Retaining information

Combining words with visuals makes it easier to anchor information in our memory. There is actually an interesting TED Talk about this topic by Graham Shaw. In his interactive talk you experience how much more you can remember when using visuals. Further, research by the University of Plymouth shows that we can recall information better when sketching. 

4.) Appealing documentation

In a pragmatic point of view sketchnotes are simple a nice and interesting looking way of documenting content and information. We all know boring meeting notes which in the end nobody wants to look at anymore. 

5.) Brain-friendly

Our brain is lazy and it thinks better with images. In fact, it takes the brain less effort recognising a visual than it does reading a word. Apparently the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.

6.) Spark new ideas 

I have made the experience that seeing sketches also inspires new ideas. Watching someone visualising enhances cooperation: colleagues can quickly build on a concept by co-drawing, they associate faster and come up with additional ideas.

7.) Fun & space to experiment

Sketchnoting is also simply a lot of fun!!! Since most people are not excellent drawers, and it is mainly about understanding rather than perfection, it gives room to try things out, to approach topics from a different perspective. In short: it creates space for experimentation. And believe me it also feels like a success if you are able to communicate visually on paper. 

There are many more reasons why sketchnoting is useful. Here you find some more.

Nevertheless, the big question remains: How to start? 

First pencil stroke 

Often the biggest barrier is that empty piece of paper in front of you. It looks so clean and perfect, that the first pencil stroke seems to be ‘ruining’ it. There are two recommendations I give my workshop participants to break the ice with the blank paper: 

1. Sketch something very simple in one of the corners. It can either be a smiley face, a normal stroke, you can also draw a frame around the paper or maybe you just want to write the date. The important thing is to start putting the pen on the paper.
2. Put yourself in the situation when you were 5 years old. Remember that one drawing you always painted, maybe it was a house, a car, your family. Whatever it was, sketch it the same way you did when you were 5 years old. 

After having sketched the childhood painting, one can really see the value of simple drawings: 

Sketchnoting is not about creating a masterpiece of art, but about finding new ways to communicate one’s ideas. It is about creating something memorable and simple. Therefore, most of the time it is enough to draw in 2 dimensions.

Decompose complex ideas in simple elements

Parting from the simplistic children drawing you can see that sketchnotes are actually decomposing complex figures in simple elements. For sketchnotes you need 5 elements in total: 

• Dot
• Lines (Straight, crooked, curvy)
• Circle 
• Triangle 
• Square

Try it out and draw a flower, a car, a balloon and a clock with these simple elements. 

Make it look professional in just two easy steps

In order to make your sketchnotes look more vivid you can add shadows. Just use a somewhat thicker light grey pencil and place an extra line in the inside or outside of an element.

Generally it makes sense to think about your colour palette. It will help others to focus more on what is fundamental and understand connections better. Besides it looks more professional when you choose just 2 or 3 colours in a well-considered way. Decide upon a uniform colour code for titles, subtitles and explanatory sentences and for essential images and less important visual elements. You might want to even use a special colour to highlight the most important parts.

Find the right balance between text and image

Sketchnotes consist of both text and visualisation. So what is the best ratio? Let’s say 80% visual, 20% text. But this is not scientifically proven :). 

Texts should preferably be very short: just use keywords, and add bullet points if you want to highlight several aspects. Use arrows and lines or choose positions well in order to symbolise connections or orders. If possible and relevant, write down significant quotes as well.

Practice, practice, practice 

There are many good books out there that help you to get you going with your visual library. For example the bikablo books, or the book UZMO. Do not hesitate to simply start copying what you see in the books. This will help you to get started and with practice you will develop your own style.

I strongly believe that sketchnoting is very powerful, for communication and innovation, but also for ones own creative confidence. Believe in yourself that you can relearn this and start today. You were born with it!

Mira Vanessa Gampp

Where salsa meets agile

I love to dance salsa. For me salsa dancing is vibrant, full of energy, passionate and somehow addictive. When I dance I feel that I am being one of the best versions of myself. 

Sometimes there are these moments where you dance with a total stranger and you align immediately. Only by following the music you are in absolute harmony with that person you do not know. You don’t know their dance style, you do not know their moves and you have no trust fundament with that person. Every time when this happens I am fascinated and I start to ask myself what are the reasons for this happening? And what can we learn from this phenomenon for organisations? 

When working according to agile principles we face a lot of change. We have to change dance partners (e.g.teams or leaders), dance to a new song (e.g. new processes) on a new dance floor (e.g. in a new environment). In the next couple of paragraphs I want to share with you what I believe are important conditions that make a good dance and where I see parallels to agile ways of working.

Learnings

1.) Tools, processes and interactions. 

In a partner dance like salsa it is important that both parties have a certain basic understanding about the steps and a feeling for the music. It is not necessary that the dance partners know all the same figures. With the right knowledge base of steps and experience they will find their way back into the rhythm. More importantly though is that the dancers interact with each other. There are no words needed in salsa dancing. It is about sensing and nonverbal communication which I believe is itself a universal language. We learn to read our partners very closely by focusing on the smallest gestures. Reading the other person carefully so one can make the next step aligned, and allowing oneself to follow that person is all about silent observation, empathy and intuition. And they will tell you without words what to do. 

To share this same basis of how to approach the dance, links to the first value statement of the Agile Manifesto which is that individuals and interactions stand over processes and tools. Even though processes and tools help to develop a product or a service, it is the people who design, build, run and improve it. The best tool in the wrong hands is worthless. It is the communication between individuals and the interactions between team members that help them to collaborate and solve problems that might arise.

2.) Be present and communicate.

One of the most important things in salsa dance is to be present in the moment. While the leader has to plan the next figure the follower has to closely observe and feel what comes next. Small distractions from the outside can lead to false interpretations of moves and lead to trips or the dance dance partners getting out of the rhythm. They are in a constant state of uncertainty because they can not and should not predict what will happen, otherwise they prepare for a potential future figure, which never comes.

This relates to the agile principle of “inspect and adapt”. We try out, observe, readjust and move on. Thereby we can handle the complexity with all its unknown uncertainties. This means to pay off a little of time in order to regularly inspect what has happened, where one is, how things are going and then make use of these findings in order to improve and to adapt. Like in dance it is about looking what is in the present moment and sensing what might happen, instead of looking into a crystal ball and predicting the future. This links to the term of as “pre-sensing” (sensing and presence) coined by Otto Scharmer, which basically means to learn from the future as it emerges.

3.) Tension is needed.

In dance it is required that there is the right amount of physical tension between the follower and the leader. Too much tension makes a dance heavy and stiff. In contrast when there is no tension at all the dance can not evolve. There is a need for tension so the two can work together and figure out where the next move goes. In dance I believe there are different kinds of tensions which are important. For sure there is the physical tension, for example the tension in the arms, but then there is the mental tension, the deep focus and connection towards the other person.

In agile we often talk about tension based working and how tensions are not per se negative, but rather neutral. Tension is like unreleased energy, which we can direct towards our goals. Further, only by discovering where we have the right/wrong amount of tension we understand where we have to change something. Just like in salsa, working together towards one common vision should be the goal. If you feel resistance in a team or organisation, then people or things might not be ready yet. And we need to row a bit back, to feel and understand what is going on, and then tune in again. Don’t push it or force it, as then the magic of the dance disappears. Let’s work more tension-driven: there are loads of potential energy, but not unleashed still! Let’s listen to it, so it can be set free!

4.) Trust is essential.

Especially as a follower you need to trust your leader. You have to believe that the leader will guide you and take care of you during the dance. This means that he or she makes sure that you won’t bump into other people and that you are ready for whatever figure comes next. Similarly the leader needs to trust the follower, that he or she is willing to be guided. At the same time a leader can only make offers, the follower can still decide if he or she accepts the invitation for the next dance move. Apart from that, salsa dancing can also get quite close, another person is entering your personal space. It is important that everyone knows their own boundaries and communicates them. 

There are different levels of trust a team working agile needs according to my opinion. First, there needs to be trust within the team. Only with a climate of trust agile teams are able to communicate effectively and thereby quickly respond to changes as they emerge. A lack of trust often leads to a lot of time being spent on documenting and reporting. If instead the team and the leaders trust each other and believe that everyone will do their best to contribute to the same goal, team end-to-end responsibility is possible and collective ownership can happen.

5.) No self-dimensioning.

For me, in salsa dance it is not about proving that you know the best, but it is about making the best out of the combination of the two. Dancing in a pair means that it is rather a common effort to create a unique moment between the two. Showing off great figures can be nice, but only if the dance parter is on board. The roles of leading and following might not even be clear anymore in some occasions. 

We can also see in agile work environments that the role of a leader is changing. Who leads and who follows might not be that clear anymore in the new world: as only in co-creation we can shape valuable futures. Having a look at agile leadership styles we often find the term of a servant leader. This leadership style empowers others to develop and perform as highly as possible. Instead of controlling activities it is more about creating synergetic relationships. As in dance, in the end the medal does not go to an individual person, but to the team and the outcome they achieved together.

6.) Enjoy yourself!

It is about feeling aligned and alive: that makes it fun! Seek for the easiest way, take the most natural next step. Do not think of the end result, or what others may think of you, forget about what could go wrong and trust that each step can show you a new path, and you will be in flow. Create value at that right moment and future steps will follow! It is about letting go as well: let go of expectations towards the other one and the outcome of your dance collaboration, so how things SHOULD go or be, and let go of expectations about yourself, so how you SHOULD perform, how you will be perceived by the audience and your dance partner. 

In work environments many people still have the strong beliefs that work is not supposed to be fun, nor should it be easy. “It is not supposed to be fun, that is why they call it work”. In contrast I am convinced that it is a personal victory to find a work you love. When people are passionate about their work they are more productive and willing to invest time and passion into the project.

Start finding parallels yourself

With this article I’m not suggesting that managers and teams should all learn how to leap across the stage dancing salsa. I simply wanted to share with you my observation of where I see “Applied Agility” in my personal hobby. I have discovered interesting parallels and learned that if we change the context some of these agile phenomenons are intuitively applied. 

Open your eyes: where do you apply agile principles and values in your daily life? What is different there? Why is it according to your opinion easier in this context? And how could we make use of synergies to bring the agile transformation to organisations?

Mira Vanessa Gampp

launchlabs’ values serve as a basis for our teamwork as well as our daily work with partners, service providers and clients.

In teamwork, launchlabs has developed its values in 2018. All in all, our values form a “circle of values” with humanity at the very center. Through the principles of action, we strive every day to bring our values to life. This means that an abstract value like “freedom” becomes more tangible. One of these principles is, for example, “We have the freedom to be ourselves as long as others can enjoy the same freedom”.

What is the core of our cooperation?

Humanity – empathy and kindness: Our humanity expresses itself through kind-heartedness, understanding for each other and the desire to help.

What is our fuel?

Performance – quality standards, cooperation and fun: It is our standard of quality to provide extraordinary services for our customers, partners and colleagues. We enjoy performance while not neglecting the importance of a break. We are striving for healthy growth without letting our daily routine being dominated by metrics. Since we all identify ourselves with the purpose of what we do, we are intrinsically motivated to perform.

Joy – lightness, laughter and fuel : Joy is our fuel for creativity and daily work. Our joy manifests itself in effortlessness, fun in life and performance. Joy inspires us to give everything. It creates a good atmosphere of collaboration because joy is contagious.

Purpose – society, environment and people: We want our work to be meaningful for us and for others. We strive to act in a way that creates added value for everyone. We take responsibility for society and the environment by consciously having a far-sighted view of our actions, without becoming incapable of action. At the same time, we want to preserve our personal well-being and health in the long run.

How do we want to work together?

Freedom: We feel free to get involved, design and decide to the best of our knowledge. Freedom is the ability to pursue our own needs without harming the team.

Fairness – respect, commitment and transparency: Fair behavior means that everyone can act according to their wishes without causing any problems for others. We consider everyone as equally important; we respect differences and acknowledge individual resources. We respect the consequences of our own actions, both locally and globally. This enables us to create meaningful results on both levels. We fulfill our promises; our decisions are kept as transparent as possible; thus, everyone can effortlessly understand our actions.

Team spirit – trust, prudence and support: We trust each other in everything we do. We work with care with each other and support each other. When we need help, we clearly say so. Likewise, we try to support others even if they don’t realize that they need help. We work in such a way that others are not negatively affected for no reason.

What do we strive for?

Intrapreneurship: We act and think like an entrepreneur within the company. Thereby, we consider possibilities, relevance, interests and costs to the best of our knowledge. We are proactive and prefer to communicate rather once more than to be disappointed afterwards. We draw our energy from the intrinsic motivation to do the right thing for launchlabs.

Innovative spirit – eager to experiment, creative: We enjoy trying out new things without neglecting the lean approach and losing sight of costs and benefits. We develop visions without neglecting the implementation. Our minds remain creative and open without losing focus.

Ability to learn – individual, team and organization: We promote the development of each person and build on his or her potential. At the same time, we tackle tasks outside our comfort zone, even if we may feel that we have not yet mastered a skill perfectly. We learn in order to change. We change in order to improve. In doing so, we learn from each other as well as from our environment – on a small and a large scale. We share our knowledge with each other so that the entire organization can learn. The launchlabs are innovative as we incorporate what we have learned into creating new things.

 

It is the time of innovation culture and transformations. An important part of these transformations is always the keyword “user-centered”. A major reason for this is the rise of innovation methods such as design thinking. Today these methods play an important role and are spreading rapidly in broad parts of the economy, as well as NGOs and even in public administration (see Tech4Germany).

 

On the one hand, design thinking has proven itself in the creation of ideas and in the development of successful new products and services. On the other hand, many established companies and institutions also use the method to promote intrapreneurship and the spirit of innovation.  

But it is also the time of social change, of climate change and thus of global challenges that endanger our healthy and peaceful future on earth. In large parts of society and also among our customers, there is therefore an increasing interest in ecologically and socially sustainable innovation – and thus also in innovation methods such as design thinking and their application in the field of sustainability. That is why we would like to take a closer look at design thinking and find out what the concept has in common with our desire for sustainable, meaningful innovation.

 

A brief design thinking review

The design thinking journey officially begins at the end of the 20th century, when professor David Kelley creates the d.school at Stanford University. Inspired by the interdisciplinary nature of the German Bauhaus movement in the 1920s, Stanford develops a method that allows project collaborators from a wide range of disciplines to work together on complex issues. The collaboration is project-based and takes place in mixed teams that are not only composed of experts, but also explicitly include users in the development process. 

Design thinking is thus both an innovation method and a school of thought that promotes creativity and interdisciplinarity. It considers innovation as the intersection between feasibility (technical), attractiveness for users (user experience), and feasibility (economic).

When the German SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner heard about this development, he initially supported the d.school financially, and then in 2007 also opened his own branch in Berlin, at the Hasso Plattner Institute. Since then, the topic has received a lot of attention in Germany and Europe – almost every major consultancy and many large companies now have Design Thinking experts on board. This method is often used to develop digital products in cooperative workshop scenarios and development sprints, or to better adapt existing products to customer needs. But seriously, what does all this have to do with sustainability?

Design thinking meets sustainability

Hasso Plattner says of design thinking, “Design thinking is about getting to the root of problems instead of just treating some of the symptoms.” It’s about looking at problems holistically and solving them in the overall context – in other words, healing broken bones instead of applying band-aids to them. This is exactly where the connection is to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Circular Economy, environmental sustainability, Planetary Boundaries, etc. That’s why we’ve taken a closer look at the meaning of the three pillars of design thinking and expanded them with an eye to the 21st century.

Nowadays, when we talk about attractiveness, technical and financial feasibility, we cannot disregard: 

• the fact that users are becoming more and more sustainably oriented, 
• that our innovations of tomorrow with production processes of today are not feasible with our limited planetary resources – and with a view to a livable future on earth – are not justifiable, either.
• and that there are new, innovative business models that offer great opportunities to those who are willing to embark on this journey.

 

Being attractive because it’s sustainable (and makes sense)

We see big changes in the area of attractiveness for users, because this is where their preferences play a big role. Due to many alternatives, they are less willing to accept a bad user experience. After the shocking scandals in recent years, such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh, which killed many workers at the expense of fast fashion consumption, or the child labor in African cobalt mines that allow for our smartphones – many users have also increased their expectations of companies to seriously address their business practices and their impact. This includes images of global disasters, both in the social and environmental areas, such as the enormous “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a growing floating island of garbage in the Atlantic Ocean that is over 2 million km2 in size (Germany, by comparison, measures just 350,000 km2). 

The attention of customers and the media is increasingly focused on sustainability, the question of meaningful growth and the purpose of companies. The market as a whole is also changing, as new customer expectations often translate into new or increased competition.

 

The climate crisis as potential for innovation

We also see this increased pressure in the area of feasibility. When we evaluate whether an idea is feasible – in the sense of “economically viable” – we have to make sure that we set up business models that are fit for the future. 

Business models are needed that at least meet growing social and ecological expectations. However, we see these requirements not only as obligations, but also as offering enormous potential for innovative business models. Global challenges, such as the climate crisis, hold the opportunity for unimagined, value-based disruption for people and the planet. 

If we approach our environment with curiosity and take it seriously, value-based disruption is possible and desirable. Then a bouquet of disruptive innovations can emerge from today’s threats to our economic future, replacing our current concepts with sustainable models for the future. This gives the design thinking pillar of “feasibility” a whole new meaning.

 

Climate-neutral, fair and feasible

Disruption and innovation, in many cases, means replacing something old with something new – not blindly, of course, but with purpose. So the technical feasibility and providing innovation should be done according to a system that is better than the old one. Maybe even so good and sustainable that it can still function in 10 years without any negative impact on people and the environment? That would be downright revolutionary from today’s perspective, but possible in the Design Thinking process! 

Therefore, we are convinced that feasibility from a regulatory and technical point of view can and should function at least climate-neutrally today, just as it must not happen at the expense of human rights and dignity today. We would like to embark on this journey together with our customers.

 

Our extension: Planet-centered Design Thinking

In design thinking there is the catchy expression: “Do the right things and do things right”. This was originally intended to express that one must first deal with the problem in detail and in a user-centered manner in order to solve the right problem. Albert Einstein is supposed to have said: “If you give me 60 minutes to solve a problem, I’ll spend the first 55 minutes on the problem and the last 5 minutes on the solution. 

However, the vast majority of our problems today are yesterday’s solutions that have not comprehensively addressed their context. That’s why, as innovation consultants and coaches, we advocate for meaningful innovation and feel an expanded mission when we hear: “Doing the right things and doing things right.” We see it as our responsibility to expand the view of our design thinking understanding from user-centered to planet-centered, directing it to planetary impact alongside social values and ways of working.

We are convinced that it is worth taking the time to build true empathy with our fellow human beings and our planet. In this way, it is possible to generate ideas in the creative process that are sustainably successful while offering added value for people and the planet. Wherever problems are actually tackled at their roots, true disruption is created. 

 

If you’ve also aquired a taste for sustainable innovation, feel free to contact Fabian Grauel, our sustainability expert at launchlabs, at fabian.grauel@launchlabs.de. 

Our next article on the topic of design thinking and sustainability will show which specific guiding questions can help with sustainable design thinking. Stay tuned!

 

 

published: 29th of October 2021

 

 

Due to the Corona pandemic, virtual workshops have experienced a boom. At launchlabs we use a green screen to transport the launchlabs feeling to your home screen. In the interview, our colleague Tobi tells us how the idea came about.

 

Dear Tobi, since this year we’re using the new launchlabs studio with the greenscreen for workshops and presentations again and again. How did this come about?

We were invited to an event last year, and I was taking part as a presenter. A lot of money was spent there to be able to present audiovisual content in a similar way to a TV production. I then asked myself: Can’t this be done more simply and, above all, more cheaply? Then I started researching.

What was the next step?

During my research, I ended up with streamers who produce their content all by themselves for platforms like youtube or twitch. Streamers do production, directing, and hosting, all mostly by themselves from home. That’s what inspired me. We wanted to take advantage of a setup like that and also use our space. We did some experiments and integrated the green screen with the technical setup into our space concept. 

What is the technical setup like?

We use a Mac mini with an M1 chip. We have software that we use to be able to do this image mixing. We have a fixed camera and keylights that work both ways, so you can also change scenes, and radio microphones from Rode. Everything runs together into what’s called a stream deck. Through it, we can switch back and forth between cameras, load new content into the green screen, play sound effects, and control the lights. And all that with just the touch of a button. The whole thing is placed on a rolling table. That means you can just unplug it and put it in a different setup. 

It sounds like it’s very difficult to operate. 

Fortunately, it’s not. We only have a few buttons on the stream deck that even non-tech-savvy people can use to easily switch between the cameras and the slides. 

Are the technical devices newly developed?

No. The new development refers to the setup. Many of the technical products are from the company Elgato, with whom we entered into a cooperation. 

Were there any challenges in using the green screen? How did you overcome them?

The challenge is finding the right combination of light, image and sound. We use AirPods and a relatively inexpensive microphone. 

How much did the setup cost?

You can set up the whole thing for 2000 euros at your place. 

You’re used to doing most of the workshops in person. What has changed since then?

We did on-site training and were able to use our bodies and the room. With the pandemic and the online workshops that came with it, we could only work with our upper body. That was unfamiliar at first and also limiting. By using the green screen, we now have the opportunity to use our whole body again. This also works with several people. It’s a nicer way to moderate in remote setup, similar to television. 

Has there already been feedback from participants?

Yes, and it’s been consistently positive. The workshops are much more interactive and communicative with the green screen. They’re fun and we can bring the space back into it.

What are your goals for this project – also for the time after Corona?

With the new setup, we now have another offering: consulting and coaching for remote setups. And here we are not only specialists for the technology, but as users we also understand very well how the technology has to be used. I believe that this form of virtuality will not flatten out completely after Corona. We have now learned that you don’t have to fly halfway around the world for training, but can do it virtually in a more time-saving and environmentally friendly way. We now have the possibility to conduct virtual workshops with the green screen, which even have the launchlabs feeling including the music we play during the break. On the other hand, we also want to inspire people that a well-functioning technical setup doesn’t have to be insanely expensive. 

published: 18th of October 2021

 

Work-life balance has become a buzzword. Balancing work and leisure time seems worth striving for. But why can’t both go together? For 10 years now, launchlabs Berlin has been living the Workation, combining work and free time. Simon Blake, founder and CEO of launchlabs, brought it to life. In this interview, he tells us how both teams and individuals can make Workation work for them.

Dear Simon, you’ve been working on the topic of teamwork for years, and you also launched the Workation.

That’s right. The Workation combines work and life. In a different, special place, you can recharge your batteries and at the same time come up with creative ideas that move your professional projects forward. When we started this ten years ago, we didn’t realize that it would grow into such a big trend, that was last year fueled by the impact of the pandemic on the office world, and could reach a mainstream audience. In the summer of 2011, a small group of pioneers came together, feeling already at that time that a beautiful workspace in nature could inspire thoughts and collaboration. But back then, if you typed the word Workation into your trusted search engine, it would ask back “Do you mean workstation?”. Nowadays, among many others, the world’s largest tourism group TUI has Workation rooms to offer in Gran Canaria. What started out as a small idea on the outskirts of Berlin has now become a trendy term for new ways of working and also a business model.

What do you need to attend a Workation?

A nice place where you feel comfortable. Then a laptop, cell phone and a power bank in case the battery is dead.

Is Workation only for working on a laptop or phone?

No. You can also use the creative energy nicely for sketching ideas or for organizing your paperwork in a beautiful place. In this way, you can let your gaze wander in between, recharge your batteries and, with a fresh outlook, tackle precisely those things that often seem unsolvable in the stress of everyday life.

How can teams use Workation for themselves?

Workation offers teams the opportunity to hold meetings and discussions in particularly beautiful locations. With Walk and Talks, we walk for a set amount of time while holding our meeting. We also use this option apart from Workation in the immediate area surrounding our office.

What are the advantages of the Workation?

The Workation offers the possibility of a change of perspective. You consciously say to yourself: We are now going out into nature to work. There is something very special and inspiring about the view of nature. In nature, you can basically reflect on tasks and goals. I also hold team meetings more often as walking meetings, where we go for a walk for a certain amount of time. For example, we once went to a vineyard for this. The physical activity has a positive influence on thinking.

 

published: 10th of September 2021