Butterfly Goo and Digital Transformation
The strategic value of an accelerator program.
By Nick Scott, ShiftFlow CEO and Principal Consultant
When asked about my journey to government I often say that I “followed the cookie crumbs”. It's an open secret that government services frequently fall short of meeting citizens' expectations and needs. I have experienced it first hand as a citizen and as a non-profit leader. My desire to be part of the solution (plus luck) led me to dedicate my career to serving the servants; to better enable our public institutions to deliver in a new era.
I have had the privilege and responsibility of leading hundreds of public servants through innovation processes like accelerators, sprints, and labs. Through these experiences I have observed a common pattern that underscores precisely why accelerators are used to facilitate organizational transformation. And that pattern is perhaps best illustrated by the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly.
Which brings me to goo.
To become a butterfly a caterpillar first digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. If you were to cut open a cocoon at just the right time, caterpillar goo would ooze out. Once a caterpillar has disintegrated all of its tissues except for the imaginal discs, those discs use the protein-rich soup all around them to fuel the rapid cell division required to form the wings, antennae, legs, eyes, genitals and all the other features of an adult butterfly - Scientific American
Butterfly goo.
We need new metaphors to describe the work of public service. Thanks to my former colleague Genevieve Lemieux for this image that inspired our CSPS Accelerator team to riff on this metaphor.
Embarking on an accelerator program will feel like entering uncharted territory for most public servants. As with any new experience, it brings along a bundle of uncertainties, unfamiliar concepts, unconventional practices, and an overarching sense of discomfort.
This. Is. Normal.
The caterpillar can relate.
The good news is: you are not alone. Many have tread similar paths before you. In an accelerator program like the CSPS Digital Accelerator, as a participant you are surrounded by your teammates, championed by your executives and supported by a skilled facilitation team and advisors. This is the material that makes up your cocoon.
What lies ahead is more than just an individual endeavor; it's part of a grand transformation of the public service, aimed at better serving the needs of Canadians. However, this transformation requires more than mere policies or directives – think of them as the imaginal discs. Real transformation necessitates changes in structures, technology, work methods, and even our worldviews.
Transformation requires all of us and our organizations to shed old habits and unlearn patterns of thought that no longer serve citizens. Just as the caterpillar must undergo a gooey state of dissolution within its cocoon before emerging as a butterfly, our journey toward transformation will be uncomfortable and painful, yet will yield extraordinary results.
What we practice, we become.
Through an accelerator experience, the intention is for you to become more comfortable with novel work approaches, more familiar with emerging technologies, and adept at imprinting new modes of learning and thinking. All of these skills will be brought back into our operational environments – much like butterflies, who are pollinators after all.
The CSPS Digital Accelerator serves as the cocoon needed for individual/team transformations. It offers a safe space for participants to undergo personal change, which in turn will enable you to pollinate your organization with innovative ways of working.
The hands-on approach of accelerators, incubators, and labs help us demonstrate value through action and showcasing results, rather than simply telling. This helps accelerate change within the organization because most people need to “see it to believe it”. Furthermore, participants in these programs gain first hand exposure to users and new ways of working that can be personally transformative.
The pandemic has underscored the fact that digital is not simply a nice to have. Digital is an imperative; not only in the sense of adopting new technologies to do the work of government but more importantly because we in the public service need to adapt to the demands of the digital era. Canadians are depending on us. We need to be willing to let go of forms that no longer serve us and turn to goo before we can rise to the challenge.
