DIRECTOR’S TAKE – ROB BOSWORTH SHARES HIS VIEWS ON WHAT IS NEEDED DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES...

In challenging times, we need ‘Beautiful Constraints’

We are living in a world that is hamstrung with constraints. Never more so than during the pandemic when we were thrust into a world with little, or no, known solutions. We faced life-threatening situations, medical emergencies, and limited contact and communications. Organisations with painstakingly developed blueprints for transformation ripped up the plans and just did what was needed to save the business, livelihoods, and life. Post-covid, our constraints have become crises in the cost-of-living, the climate and politics. Indeed, we are not short of problems.

And closer to home? The amazing city (Exeter) we all love is rapidly growing. Growth brings many opportunities, but with these come challenges and issues –?constraints?if you will. I have seen first-hand as a Trustee at CoLab the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is widening. Fellow Exeter Chamber Director, Charlotte McGregor, highlighted in her recent article there has been an increase in anti-social behaviour in our beautiful Cathedral green; a wicked problem that we all recognise will require more than a clumsy solution. In our drive to make a world-class city for everyone we all need to think differently.

In a recent discussion with a good friend on the topic of how we use the pivot of the pandemic to effect change, I was introduced to ‘A Beautiful Constraint’ by Morgan & Barden (2015). The premise of the book is that sometimes a constraint creates a solution that is not only effective, but more beautiful and distinct as a result of the constraint. As a memorable visual of this, they give the anecdote that Mick Jagger experienced severe space constraints at his early gigs. Keen to make his mark, and stand out as the unique extravert he was, Jagger’s signature way of dancing was born. In another example, Larry Page created the Google home page because his coding skills only extended to creating a rudimentary search bar. Thus, Page’s technical constraints led to the functional and beautiful simplicity we all recognise. Many more enjoyable examples are referenced that I won’t give spoilers for here, from the reason why the space shuttle engines are a seemingly random 4 feet 8.5 inches wide to why Mario wears a hat. All the examples share one commonality: the constraints that limited them were simultaneously the driver for the innovation that led to success. For Morgan and Barden, as the book’s strapline testifies, the creativity that transforms limitations into advantages is ‘Everyone’s Business’.

What does this mean in practice for us?

The good news is we can choose how we interact with constraints. The book describes three phases, or energies, of problem solving by characterising them. Firstly, the?Victim.?The victim phase is one of suffering and seeing no way through. When in victim we are tempted to lower our ambitions due to the confine of the constraint. We have all experienced this reaction when faced with a wicked problem; the trick is to try to move on to the next phase quickly, the?Neutraliser. The neutraliser phase doesn’t lower the ambition but finds a new way of delivering the same thing. An acceptable phase to end on in many cases but occasionally we are lucky enough to progress to transformer phase. The?Transformer?sees challenge as an opportunity. The creative energy this unleashes not only solves the initial problem, but by embracing the constraint it raises ambition in the process.

If developing a comfortable relationship with constraint leads to elegant and effective solutions, how do we create conditions that best foster Transformer energy??For our part, at?Exeter College, we introduce our learners to real-life constraint in their curriculum experience. Our Creative Academy students have been working with?Exeter City Futures?devising solutions for the redesign of the St David’s Train Station. Our Data Analytics learners are testing travel plans for?Co Bikes. In consort with the City of Literature team, we have developed the country’s first Bibliotherapy course, which uses literature to address poor mental health and social injustice. Meanwhile our?Future Skills Centre?is working with partners at?Devon & Cornwall Police?on drone technology because it will be a valuable support in addressing some of the constraint that comes with our beautiful Devon terrain. Therefore, throughout the College we are laying down the gauntlets of the beautiful constraints we face daily. If you don’t see the community in the college and the college in the community, we have failed.

And for Exeter? I am optimistic that we are well-placed given the number of amazing transformers I work with regularly. We need to keep channelling that energy to work together to find answers to some of the most wicked problems. By embracing their constraint and thinking differently we can create solutions that are beautifully calibrated to surpass, and not just meet, our challenges. Afterall, continuing to raise the ambition of our city is everyone’s business.

Rob Bosworth, Chamber Board director and Deputy CEO of Exeter College.