Podcast: The IDEMS Principle

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…

Lucie and David discuss the principle Open by Default:”This principle affects both the inputs and output of the company. It implies the need for a justification not to ‘go open’ as the default is to be open. In particular when a valid justification exists then no negative judgement is given to being ‘closed’.” They emphasise…

David and Lucie discuss the principle Options by Context: “This principle is part of core company thinking. It requires context to be considered when proposing options or interventions, in particular it precludes the search for single or blanket solutions.” They emphasise the importance of considering specific contexts when proposing interventions or solutions and highlight the…

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

David and Lucie discuss the principle Capacity Building: “This principle defines the heart of company implementation. It manifests itself through the company mentorship programme as well as the implementation approach of specific projects.” They emphasise its role in mentoring and training individuals at various stages of their careers and highlight how capacity building is integral…