Podcast: The IDEMS Principle

Lucie and David explore the principle Collaborative by Nature: “This principle forces the company to always look beyond itself. It encourages people to think beyond themselves within the company and about building partnerships for the company.” They discuss how IDEMS takes the unusual approach to be collaborative as an organisation, rather than competitive and what…

David and Lucie discuss the principle Inherently Inclusive: “This principle applies to the company ethos. It builds from the founders’ appreciation of diversity and challenges the company to eliminate discrimination in all its forms.” David explains that this principle is rooted in the organisation’s ethos and focuses on eliminating discrimination by naturally incorporating inclusivity into…

Danny and David introduce this fourth set of IDEMS principles: Inherently Inclusive. They review why IDEMS aspires to these principles and what makes them particularly suited to IDEMS’ mission and structures.

David and Lucie discuss the principle Holistic Interventions: “This principle applies to company activities. It leads to an expectation that any interventions consider all angles and implications of implementation.” David emphasizes the importance of looking at the whole system rather than isolated components, using examples from education and health to illustrate the potential pitfalls of…

David and Santiago discuss the principle Trans Disciplinary: “This principle defines the role of subject experts in company activities. It forces subject experts out of their comfort zone by engaging beyond their expertise and discipline.” David clarifies the differences between multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary methods, emphasizing that transdisciplinary work requires subject experts to engage beyond…

David and Lily discuss the principle Embracing Diversity: “This principle expresses the company’s approach to complex problems. It emphasises the value placed on diversity in building stable solutions.” David explains that this principle goes beyond hiring diverse staff; it encompasses the company’s approach to tackling complex problems by valuing diverse perspectives, work areas, and types…

David and Lily discuss the principle Systems Thinking: “This principle affects how the company tackles problems. It encourages building an understanding of how any company activity relates to and fits into the bigger picture.” They highlight how the principle describes how company activities fit into the bigger picture. David explains that at IDEMS, this involves…

Danny and David discuss the second set of principles: Systems Thinking. They present all the principles in this set, and discuss how they relate to each other, their motivation and history.

Lily and David discuss the principle Continually Evolving: “This principle provides a world view for the company. It fights against complacency and stimulates innovation.” They emphasise that continually evolving means recognising that many problems, such as improving education, can never be fully solved but can always be improved upon. This principle drives IDEMS to think…

Santiago and David explore the principle Local Innovation: “This principle is something the company believes in and wants to support. It can empower communities both for today and the future while enabling interventions to adapt.” They highlight the contrast between the typical global innovation approach and the need to support local innovation that is sensitive…