Inside, Outside, Onward
My Model of Organizational Research & Innovation
What is Inside, Outside, Onward (IOO)?
Inside, Outside, Onward (IOO) is a model for planning and carrying out complex, collaborative Research & Innovation projects. Evolved through 30 years of experience, the model is informed by the learning sciences, systems thinking and design thinking. It’s one of the tools I use to help bring about successful outcomes for certain types of projects.
A Few Highlights
In a complex dynamic world, learning organizations like colleges, universities and training departments need to adapt over time to maintain capabilities and meet new challenges.
Developed over 30 years, the research and innovation model ‘Inside, Outside, Onward’ helps manage complexity of research and innovation projects involving multiple stakeholders and, if needed, sweeping change.
Projects the model has been applied to include:
the creation of a 26 partner provincial e-learning consortium with 20,000+ post-secondary registrations a year,
the redevelopment of a City-Centre Campus which brought thousands of new registrations, and “huge efficiencies in space utilization”,
and the development of an online student services capability providing services to students both on and off campus.
Based on systems thinking and other sources, learning organizations are seen as self-organizing systems mutually linked to a dynamically changing environment. Over time, the organization adapts to maintain existing capacities and also create new ones for new needs.
All projects are the same. All projects are different. The IOO model is partly based on Donald Schön's idea of "reflective transfer" - you can learn lessons from every project that may, with thoughtful application, help inform other projects but there is not an automatic transfer of learning to new projects. In this sense, the model provides useful guidelines to create successful project outcomes, but it is not a guarantee.
The model creates three conceptual spaces to focus project work: the strengths and capabilities inside the organization, the current and future dynamics outside, and onward as a futures perspective to build a vision and plan to implement solutions.