Mission Acknowledged: A Gestaltic view on creating “Third Places” to solve grand challenges.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is an often-referenced quote attributed to Greek philosopher Aristotle. Today, that timeless saying broadly applies to missions, where success is defined by the novel solutions to the grand challenges we face. For mission leaders, positive societal outcomes depend not only on the quality of policy reforms delivered by one department or a single policy tool but also on the synergy of individuals and organisations working together to share best practices and influence the mission’s domain. In the contemporary landscape of developmental economics, mission-oriented innovation policies act as a gestalt; the whole is other than the sum of its parts. To paraphrase Kurt Koffka, most organisations create a teaming environment (collaboration, trust, collective problem solving, and creative leadership) to maximise performance. Cross-functional teams or matrixed organisations are the norm, from high-tech, flatter firms to government bureaucracies. Office real estate is even configured to encourage teaming behaviours. They range from open-space concepts with huddle rooms for discussions to a lab setting for real-time collaboration on issues.

When mission leaders (Govpreneurs) intentionally create a high-performing team, they create something else or, in Koffka’s words, an “A Third Place.” Mission managers significantly seek this new “something” because its independent existence results in higher productivity, smiling employees, creativity/innovation, and more fantastic business results. This new something is called mission team optimisation. Like a mosaic coming together to form a coherent image, these “Third Places” integrate mission objectives with broader societal goals, catalysing cross-sector collaboration and transcending traditional market boundaries. These “Third Places” emerge as the new entities between innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem actors within a mission space heading towards devising their legal and foundational structures supporting the mission work. One such structure that comes to my mind is “Climate Salad”, run by Mick Liubinskas - Climate Salad is an Australian-based company known for its work in supporting and connecting climate technology startups. Their mission is to accelerate these startups' growth and impact by providing them access to a network of mentors, investors, and other relevant resources. There are several individuals and organisations that I have come across who are building these “Third Places” within their mission’s ecosystem to solve the grand challenges; however, we as a nation haven’t identified how we might support these “Third Places” to thrive. These ‘Third Places” are not limited to office spaces or urban tech centres; they vary and exist in several forms. For example, Debbie Joppich, part of Team Roma in Queensland Connects Program Cohort 2, solves a challenge focussed on Roma's liveability, setting a foundation for all other innovations to emerge.

CSIRO’s mission team, led by Alex Cooke and supported by excellent leaders like Amelia Olsen-Boyd , Ruth Pring , and others, is designing management positions (and optimising teams) to drive (design and deliver) missions. These leaders are someone who get up every morning and think only about one thing, which is the long-term impact and success of the mission, nothing else; it's about establishing governance structures cycles of learning, data collection, building capacity, identifying capacity needs, identifying new stakeholders to get involved to keep the mission momentum – in short, the Govpreneurs.

If I were to adopt a Mission-oriented Theory of Change, as discussed in my previous posts, my approach to addressing our significant challenges — such as bridging the digital divide, achieving net-zero emissions, strengthening health systems, and ensuring access to healthy food — would be deeply rooted in a combination of entrepreneurial insight and practical innovation. As an advocate for innovation-driven entrepreneurship, I believe deeply in their potential to drive significant change. Our challenges are daunting, but there are also opportunities for innovation. By fostering a collaborative, diverse, mission-driven innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem within mission space, we can take meaningful steps towards solving some of the most pressing issues of our time by supporting these “Third Places.

Would you have any thoughts on Third Places?

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Here is my previous post on Govpreneur Persona that was not included in the newsletter:

The path towards our global SDG goals is not just about collective efforts but also about the quality of those efforts — hence the need for "Govpreneurs" in our ecosystem. So, what is a Govpreneur? Imagine an individual with the entrepreneurial zest of a Silicon Valley start-up founder operating within the government's machinery. They are the agents of change, the intrapreneurs within public institutions, tirelessly working to align the slow-moving bureaucratic gears with the dynamic needs of mission-driven governance.

???????? ???? ???? ?????????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?? ????????????????????. Do you recognise this persona? If you know someone who fits this description, give them a shout-out in the comments below and invite them to subscribe and share. Let's cultivate the mindset and methods to drive mission-oriented change together. If you've ever met a Govpreneur, or better yet if you are one, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.?#missiondriven?#sdg2030

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