Deeper Understanding of the Simple Guiding Principles

February 4, 2022

Application Techniques

Robert Rasmussen and Per Kristiansen

The meeting discussed the concept of simple guiding principles (SGP) for decision making and behavior choices, which involve alignment with shared goals and values. Participants engaged in exercises to reflect on their decision making and build values they want to prioritize. The meeting also included announcements of upcoming Coffee Chat sessions and new moderators. Robert explains the purpose of the simple guiding principles concept, which is to align decision making and behavior choices, extract basic laws for measuring the rightness of decisions, and minimize the risk of intuition and emotion driving decision making without awareness. Robert describes the simple guiding principles as expressed descriptions of how a group should behave to achieve a shared goal and identity and emphasizes their function in linking actions and decisions to bigger purposes, values, and goals, and measuring decisions against them to ensure alignment. Per discusses the need for applying simple guiding principles (SGP) in situations where the world is unpredictable, unstable, and nonlinear, as opposed to a plan strategy which works well in predictable and stable environments. SGP involves heedful interactions, a shared identity and purpose, and guiding principles for decision making. A fit is required between external reality and internal mindset. Per discusses distributed decision making and the need for quick decision making in a rapidly changing world and Robert discusses the process of uncovering simple guiding principles through imaginative interactions and questioning why. Per explains the AT6 process and how it involves surfacing learning from the past and future through imaginative interactions and Robert discusses the process of playing emergence and extracting simple guiding principles to achieve shared goals and identities. Simple guiding principles have an expiry date and are meant to help groups achieve their aspirations.