Introduction

Abstract

Eoh-for-Good—Leading Systemic Transformation for the Common Good is the result of many years of dreaming, experimenting and implementing systemic ways to drive transformations for the common good.

Welcome to the book ‘Transformative Governance for the Future: Navigating Profound Transitions’. In this book, we embark on an exploration of the critical aspects of managing change and navigating the complexities of emerging systems and innovations. The challenges facing humanity and the planet demand a radical shift in our approach—one that goes beyond traditional boundaries and embraces a holistic perspective to intentionally lead towards a desired state or outcome, considering the complexities, challenges and opportunities that arise along the way. Eoh-for-Good—Leading Systemic Transformation for the Common Good is the result of many years of dreaming, experimenting and implementing systemic ways to drive transformations for the common good.

This is envisaged to share some of these experiences, innovative practices and lessons learned along amazing individual, but mostly collective,¹ journeys of experimentation. All this while navigating change at different levels: personal, group, institutional and ecosystem, or at the juncture between them.

Everything started with an attitude to constantly improve. Motivation, or better to say, a constant search for never losing motivation, has driven my personal and professional life. An entrepreneurial spirit and innate orientation to continuous learning have engined the way. Early in life, learning, and especially learning by doing with others, became my passion (we built authentic farms, castles, cities… with Exin Castillos,² Playmobil and Lego bricks with my sister and brothers). We learned to imagine, plan, negotiate, build, de-build and rebuild again. Playing gave us the ground to learn many skills that have proven crucial later in our personal and professional careers. I have not stopped learning and hope not to do so. I love finding and proposing new things and ways forward.

Later, in my professional life, proposing new ways to overcome difficulties, positiveness and a committed team spirit became the DNA of our team. We addressed the challenges we faced in our everyday work, by putting together our capacities, diverse profiles, personalities, creativity and different approaches to doing things. The quest for complementarities and caring criticism help us grow as professionals and as an energetic team. This way, our regular duties: search for funding, improve management systems to become more efficient, encompass a) different rhythms, b) egos in an academic setting, c) interests in the wider innovation ecosystem, ... etc. These became a trigger that helped us overcome the burden of long working hours, unleashing our creativity. Ultimately, solving these challenges and tensions got ourselves at the service of change.

Our main mission was to support researchers in getting international funding, managing projects… For doing so, we needed to address other issues alongside: how to understand and translate policy priorities into actionable research and innovation; how to envisage and invent new ways to bring research results closer to society and to policy decision-making and how to show and demonstrate the impact of research and innovation (R&I).

This entails having the vision and moving from intuited ideas to actions, from dreams to initiatives that get changes in motion. Trial and error and testing make progress possible until things get consolidated, ‘institutionalised’ or appropriated.

Having combined learning by doing with a conscious reflection on our everyday performance (what things work, which didn’t, what if we try a new thing? has carved my passion to improve, to learn, to learn by experimenting and doing. What a passion ideates, design, innovate, reflect and implement on and in action!

The book offers the lessons learned during the last 20 years to help leaders in different positions to reflect on their challenges and to draw flexible governing roadmaps within their organisation, division, unit, department, ecosystem…

It proposes thoughtful inquiries fostering a proactive and engaged approach to problem-solving and decision-making. This way managers, leaders and entrepreneurs are triggered to propose paths for organisations and/or ecosystems to find their way to effective and efficient execution of innovative solutions rather than relying on generic cut-and-paste responses. The following questions have triggered and imprinted my personal and collective experimentation over the years. However, each agent of change needs to make their own questions, adapted to their own settings, aims, contexts, vision, etc.

• What role can my organisation, our board of directors, department, research unit, the sector I work in, the ecosystem I’m part of play?

• What if I (each of us) embrace responsible and responsive performance well in advance?

• And, linked with the purpose of this book, how can we navigate the transitions? the changes we face? and what if we do it by pursuing the common good?

These can be just some questions for us to think about our personal positioning, our capacity to respond, our own responsibility from our role, from our capabilities, agency and commitment.

Eoh-for-Good name is made up of three parts,³ which are our DNA:

• eo: From Latin: it denotes movement - advance. It resembles a wake call to all of us eoooo, wake up!!

• h: It is a representation of humanity. People at the centre, as a fundamental part of our processes.

• For good: The common good is not an option. It is our main objective; it is in our DNA. For good means two things, for the good and forever, to sustain it perpetually with the necessary adjustments as we move along.

As Fran Albalá, my dear husband, explains in his talks, we need to be ADI,⁴ be alert and attentive to what is happening around us, to the way reality is constantly changing the rules of the game, facing us with new challenges. This forces us to adapt the way we need to respond and improve the situations.

We need more fluid and agile management that leverages intra-entrepreneurship, promotes synergies, capitalises diverse perspectives and focuses on the common good. This is becoming critical as we move towards:

• More conscious and demanding citizens with business and production practices,

• More demanding regulations aligned with ‘not harm’ principles,

• Better and more refined accountability systems on the return on investment, etc.

As the world faces pressing challenges and transitions on social, environmental and technological fronts, it becomes increasingly essential to plan ahead and equip us with the necessary tools and knowledge to steer these transformations towards a more just and sustainable future.

The book is structured in five chapters:

In the Chap. 2, we articulate the urgency of acting and preparing for the journey of transition. We delve into the factors that reinforce the transition gap, bridging the chasm between established and emerging systems and innovations. An intriguing highlight of this chapter is the exploration of the multidimensional co-creation vortices of transition—a collection of 20+ dimensions that all start with an ‘i,’ shedding light on the diverse facets of transformative change.

We stress the significance of foresight and proactive planning to address the challenges that lie ahead. By understanding the importance of tackling transitions head-on, we set the stage for the subsequent discussions on transformative governance. The chapter concludes with an essential discussion on the concept of a just triple transition, underlying the need to encompass the social, environmental and technological dimensions. This approach highlights the interconnectedness of these three pillars, setting the stage for inclusive and sustainable transformations.

In Chap. 3, we present a compass in a nutshell—a navigating tool for transformative governance. This compass guides us through grounding approaches and principles that steer the transition towards the common good. By understanding the travel arrow pointing towards the common good, we explore transformative governance from an inclusive and sustainable perspective. We seek to equip leaders as agents of change with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of transformative change, fostering just and equitable outcomes for society.

Chapter 4 centres on encouraging a culture of innovation and risk-taking as crucial elements of transformative governance. We delve into the concept of intra-entrepreneurship, entrusting individuals to become agents of change within their organisations and communities. Additionally, we explore the pivotal role of leadership in cultivating an environment that encourages and supports innovation. By creating just and inclusive dynamics, we aim to lay the foundation for a transformative and adaptive organisational culture.

In Chap. 5, we delve into the driving forces behind systemic transformative governance, focusing on the collaborative elements denoted by the mentioned dimensions that start with an ‘i’. These elements form the foundation of co-creative vortices that promote collective innovation and change on multiple levels. They are the building blocks for effective multi-actor collaborations and partnerships. We explore how these vortices of collaboration can maximise the impact of governance processes and navigate innovation effectively, enabling us to address complex challenges and drive transformative change.

Chapter 6 explores the significance of evidence-based decision-making, providing valuable insights into creating comprehensive impact monitoring systems and a battery of indicators to assess the outcomes of transformative governance efforts. We highlight the importance of following up progress and tracking the impact of transformative governance initiatives across various dimensions. When agents committed to change invest efforts and resources in designing ad hoc impact monitoring systems, they can ensure that their efforts are better aligned with the overarching goals of a just, sustainable and equitable future.