Reframing as a Key to Social Innovation
- Mariano Bernardez
- Feb 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 23
Executive Director, Performance Improvement Institute - ISPI Global
September 2, 2023
A woman asked Picasso what he was searching for through his art. Picasso reportedly responded, "I don't search;I find."
This statement provides a critical insight into the nature of social innovation.
How can you find win-win solutions to intractable poblems? Bernardez uses a technique he calls reframing.
Bernardez uses reframing to help groups of multiple stakeholders "think out" of their boxes.
Reframing a problem or idea is a powerful tool to unlock innovation possibilities. PIcasso "reframed" Velazquez' Meninas, finding several new paintings into the classical framework.So did Bach with his Fugues and Mozart in his concerts.
In the same manner, we can reframe concepts o existing products or serives by looking at possible "gestalt" combinations working collaboratively. Let's use a powerful, yet simple exercise:
Ask your team to look at this diagram (you can draw it on a flipchart or a whiteboard) and ask them "how many squares can you see?"
16--> 17--> 21 --> 26 --> 30 > ...
Keep repeating the question and writing the answer under the squares, from16 (4x4, the quick and obvious) to 17 (adding the external), 21 (adding 4 adjacent squares 2 by 2), 26 (adding 5 more 2 by 2 squares, 4 juxtaposed in cross shape plus 1 at the center), 30. (adding 4 overlapping squares 3 by 3) and so on.
Make each "finder" show her/his squares to the team before progressing to the next and make sure that all "saw" each new combination before the next. At the end, ask "what made us find the 16+ squares and write it down Ask what did you do since you didn't add squares and explain that what you did was helping reframe the problem.
Social innovation is not exclusively about bringing something wholly new into existence (invention) or uncovering what already exists (discovery). Instead, it's a dynamic interplay between these two processes. In this context, social innovators act as explorers who uncover latent elements and transformers who reassemble those elements into something new and meaningful.
Unlike the solitary artist or entrepreneur, social innovators engage with all stakeholders in a co-creation process that requires listening and learning by walking around and providing and promoting a new perspective, rearranging and making essential changes to existing entrepreneurial efforts.
Social Innovation Reframing Case One: Barrio 31, Buenos Aires
The transformation of Barrio 31, as detailed in the article "Unleashing Social Capital" by Mariano Bernardez and Diego Fernández (2018), offers an instructive case study in social innovation, drawing upon critical principles such as crafting strategy, Gestalt shifts, discovery, and agile design. Significantly, the project also demonstrates how reframing and reorganizing the entrepreneurial activities of local dwellers can catalyze economic growth and self-sufficiency.
By integrating these principles with the specific tactic of reframing and reorganizing local entrepreneurial endeavors, Barrio 31 was able to evolve from a struggling slum into a vibrant, economically sustainable community.
The project underscores the power of combining crafting strategy, Gestalt shifts, discovery, and agile design to intentionally reorganize existing assets to drive meaningful, lasting social innovation.
Social Innovation Reframing Case Two: "City Doctors" approach to transforming Colon City, Panama
The transformation of Colon City's slums by the City Doctors reframing method introduced by Mariano Bernardez in the City Doctors article and project (2012) is a fascinating real-world application of the critical concepts of social innovation we've discussed: crafting strategy, Gestalt shifts, discovery, agile design, and innovation. This project, which turned gang members who once mugged tourists into tourist guides in a revitalized old town, demonstrates how these theories can come alive to generate impactful social change.
The most striking aspect of this transformation was the radical change in the perception of the gang members—from societal liabilities to potential assets. This change could only happen through a Gestalt shift in thinking, a fundamental reframing of the existing situation. This is similar to the "broken windows" theory, but with a positive twist: fix the 'broken window' of gang-related crime by transforming the actors involved.
The outcome was an innovative solution to a complex social problem. By merging all these concepts—crafting strategy, Gestalt shifts, discovery, and agile design—the City Doctors transformed a neglected area and its troubled community into a thriving tourist destination.
In summary, the City Doctors' work in Colon City is a powerful case study demonstrating how crafting strategy, Gestalt shifts, discovery, and agile design can coalesce to drive meaningful social innovation.
They turned a seemingly insurmountable problem into an opportunity for social and economic revitalization through an integrative, adaptive approach.
Exercise for the Reader
By turning threats into opportunities and weaknesses into strengths, businesses can rethink and reimagine their strategies, making them more adaptive and resilient. This exercise can be a practical tool for inducing a Gestalt shift in your business perspective
Conclusion
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
"Change has three stages: in the first stage, it's impossible. In the second stage, it's improbable, and in the third stage is unavoidable."
Barak Obama
Systemic, lasting social innovation requires rethinking the unthinkable.
Reframing the situation with multiple perspectives and fresh eyes permits combining the strengths of the insiders' experience with the freshness of the outsiders' approaches. Reframing helps to find ways out of dead ends and transform -as quickly as possible- experience into learning.
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