The t.METHOD compass
Our t.METHOD compass curates Nature’s principles, or patterns, to help you think and practice, differently. It weaves together biomimicry, ecology, ethics, and systems design principles. Not as ‘feel-good’ values but value levers to unlock disruptive growth potential.
These guide how we:
DIAGNOSE. DISCOVER. DESIGN. DECIDE. DEPLOY
not human-centered design. but life-centered design.
1.
Systems
We first need to understand how systems work. Why? Because it helps us find the leverage points to best disrupt our market, industry, and even our own organization. It gives us CONTEXT to inform where to play strategically. And it works as a diagnostic tool for assessing DISRUPTIVE potential.
System thinking changes our lens on how we see things. It helps us transform away from linear systems that trap value, to circular, cyclic systems that keep materials, money, energy and information in flow.
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These systems levers are a curation of Donella Meadow’s systems disruption levers, Braden Allenby and William Cooper’s ecological succession patterns, Bill Mollison’s permaculture principles and regenerative soil principles.
They reflect the deep patterns of Nature's living systems at a systems level.
Nature recycles everything. Everything is a nutrient.
"In nature, nothing exists alone" - Rachel Carson
"Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value." - Buckminster Fuller
"We triage our actions. Just as nature doesn't use a hammer to correct imbalances, we look at 'tickling the system'; using as little pressure as possible, to yield far greater responses" - Nicole Masters
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We use systems levers to help us diagnose and design disruptive opportunities. They also help us define our business model.
Used in Step 1 and Step 7
Whilst we don’t lead with it (because there is so much greenwashing), we do still weave in circularity into systems thinking.
If you’re wondering how to shift from a linear game to a more circular game, we do curate Walter Stahel’s circular economic principles, McDonough & Braungart’s cradle to cradle principles, and Dame Ellen MacArthur’s circular design principles.
We use these circular keys, more tactically than strategically, to design with greater efficiency, when it comes to designing our value propositions and operating model in Step 6 & 7.
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Whilst we don’t lead with it (because there is so much greenwashing), we do still weave in circularity into systems thinking.
If you’re wondering how to shift from a linear game to a more circular game, we do curate Walter Stahel’s circular economic principles, McDonough & Braungart’s cradle to cradle principles, and Dame Ellen MacArthur’s circular design principles.
We use these circular keys, more tactically than strategically, to design with greater efficiency, when it comes to designing our value propositions and operating model in Step 6 & 7.
2.
Ecology
We also need to understand our full ecological context. Why? Because it helps reveal the greatest opportunities for disruptive growth, for us and our industry. It’s the second diagnostic tool that gives us CONTEXT and informs where to play.
Ecology thinking changes our language to the substance of life. Water. Wildlife. Soil. Nutrient flows. Land. People’s health etc.
It helps us transform from polluting, toxic or sick, to cleaner, healthier and life-giving. From stock depleting to stock renewing.
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These ecology levers are a curation of Stockholm Resilience Centre’s planetary boundaries, Kate Raworth’s doughnut economics, circular economy principle of finiteness, alongside soil and human health.
Transforming from polluting, toxic or sick, to cleaner, healthier and life-giving. Transforming from depleting to restoring stocks of living systems.
Water. Wildlife. Soil. Nutrient flows (esp. nitrogen, phosphorous). Land. etc.
Also applies to restoring health and wellbeing of people - in community, in relationship, in individual physiological heath.
Nature creates using life friendly chemistry. Nature creates conditions conducive for life.
"In nature's economy the currency is not money, it is life." - Vandana Shiva
"I know it sounds crazy, but every time I have made a decision that is best for the planet, I have made money." - Yvon Chounard, founder Patagonia
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They help us better SENSE + SENSE-MAKE bio nutrient stocks and flow in the lifecycle of our / our industry's products and service. The flow of materials, energy, information and money.
We use ecology levers, not just to assess our impact, but to reveal untapped biological value potential. They help us design our value chain, value propositions and operating model.
Used in Step 2, Step 6 and Step 7
3.
Ethics
We next need to understand ethics. Not as an HR or supply chain compliance management tick-box, but as a critical lever for demand-led growth and scale. Ethics works as a discovery tool as we CONNECT with our customers and stakeholders, and as a design tool in our NETWORK potential.
Ethics thinking changes our leverage points towards symbiosis. And our approach to scale.
It helps us transform our business model from a dependency on unequitable value exchanges to ethical, equitable, dignified and autonomous solutions. Honoring rights and ‘personhood’. For people and communities. For wildlife and biodiversity.
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These ethics levers curate deep common patterns that run through Indian, Chinese and indigenous philosophic principles, and are rooted in Te Ao Māori principles.
"To give preference to a life simply because that being is a member of our species would put us in the same position as racists” - Peter Singer
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Nature works from cooperative symbiotic partnerships. It's Nature's low-energy 'go-to' strategy.
Ethics thinking changes our leverage points towards symbiosis.
We use ethics levers to help us discover points of greatest customer, and stakeholder, tension.
They also reveal untapped human value potential in the design of our customer relationship model to lift lifetime value and leverage network effects.
They help us better SCALE.
Used in Step 3, Step 4 and Step 9
4.
Biomimicry
Lastly, we need to understand biomimicry. We lean into tension to emulate how Nature has evolved to survive and thrive for the last 3.8B years. Biomimicry works as a phenomenal design aid as we CREATE our value propositions and supporting operational systems. It also works in the overall design of our business model.
Biomimicry thinking radically levels-up our approach to innovation. It helps us unlock the full bio-potential of how Nature designs and leverages.
It helps us transform our operating model from material and energy waste to unlocking unrivalled performance, efficacy, efficiencies and scale.
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These biomimicry levers curate the science of Mahlon Hougland’s Life’s patterns, Biomimicry 3.8’s Life’s Principles, Paul Anastas and John Warner’s Green Chemistry principles, and Paul Anastas and Julie Zimmerman's Green Engineering principles.
They reflect the deep patterns of functioning living systems at an individual species level.
We tap into the genius of Nature’s 3.8 billion year old R&D library and tech toolkit. We abstract biological evolutionary strategies of adaptation and we apply them in how we design and innovate.
"Organisms don't think of CO2 as a poison. Plants and organisms that make shells, coral, think of it as a building block." - Janine Benyus
"The more physics we use, the less engineering we need" - Ernst Rutherford
"Work with life centered principles and the universe pitches in to help.” - Buckminster Fuller
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We use biomimicry levers as models to emulate and innovate off, in the design of our value propositions, and our supporting operating model. This is the genius hidden in plain sight.
They give us unparalleled smarts as we innovate for superior performance, efficacy and efficiency.
Used in Step 6 and Step 7
And no, you don’t need to understand the science. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
Upskill to Level Up
Upskilling yourself in life-centered design, helps you level up to unlock the massive disruptive growth opportunities of playing a regenerative game.
If you want to upskill to level up, check out our t.Upskill programs. And start building your BQ - your biological quotient.
