Bounce Beyond is an example of a new way organizing for transformation that we call a transformation catalyst. Transformation catalysts are specifically designed to catalyze transformative action by connecting, cohering, and amplifying the efforts of existing initiatives in different types of contexts so that transformative impacts can be achieved in target systems. Specifically, transformation catalysts act through a set of core activities that include: seeing and sensemaking to understand the system, connecting a range of different initiatives and efforts to create powerful transformation systems, and catalyzing to generate transformative action. 

In chemistry, catalysts are substances that bring about a state change—a transformation—without necessarily changing themselves. In social contexts, catalysts are individuals, groups, or actions that precipitate, hasten, or stimulate that type of transformative action—often unpredictably and nonlinearly. Transformation catalysts are an emerging—quite new—way to organize that emphasizes not the direct doing of action but rather the processes involved in helping others evolve catalytic action for greater effectiveness. What catalysis means here is helping actors in a system to see and understand—make sense of—their own system, understanding it as a transformation system that can act coherently and cogently on the problem, issue, or place at hand. 

The whole idea behind transformation catalysts like Bounce Beyond is to tap into what is already known and being done in ways that magnify such efforts and their positive impacts, bringing about transformative change.  Such catalysis enables existing initiatives to become more powerful and impactful because they cohere into transformation systems (T-systems)—the set of actors and initiatives working towards change in a given place, sector, or issue. 

A transformation catalyst generally helps a range of transformations systems emerge, find their identity as a transformation system, and develop their own unique action strategies for moving forward. They can do that more powerfully and effectively when they cohere their efforts with other like-minded efforts. To do that transformation catalysts use different tools, methods, and processes, appropriate to their context, to help participants better understand or see who is doing what in their system, sensemake, or articulate about what needs to change and why, connect with others to evolve their transformation systems, and then take transformative action, sometimes radical action to begin the transformation process, experimenting and prototyping as necessary to allow for both success and failure—and trying again.

• Seeing: Seeing means that wellbeing economy stakeholders can learn about, visualize, describe, and better understand what is going on and by whom with respect to transformation in their system. Fundamentally, seeing involves learning who is engaged in a possibly wide range of transformative efforts that likely already exist. It also means figuring out what the issues in the system are, who is connected to whom and what they are doing, and where disconnects exist, as well as what the areas of resistance are likely to be.

• Systems Mapping: Systems mapping is part of seeing, as it attempts to define and put some structure to a given system. Seeing as mapping the system can be done informally through engaging in dialogue with system participants, or a bit more formally through a series of interviews that capsulize what and who they know are doing the transformational work. A whole range of possible approaches can also be used to map the system, as a way of understanding it, ranging from stakeholder mapping to data visualization, 7 Vortex mapping, webcrawling, and other cutting edge mapping techniques, like strategic foresight, critical systems analysis, and other methods.

• Sensemaking: Sensemaking is the process, literally, of making sense of what is in the system so that others can understand it. Sensemaking provides a narrative or sometimes visual or graphic understanding of the system that can be shared with others. The need for system change and how it can happen can also be expressed in many different forms of art, including stories and other narrative forms, poems, visual art of all sorts, films—whatever forms make sense in given contexts. 

• Narrative: The stories, narratives, and memes that shape and support mindsets and paradigms create powerful cultural mythologies that help ground peoples’ understanding of the world around them. Successful transformation to next economies requires shifting those mindsets towards ideas and values that support all of life.
• Capacity: Capacity means developing the key skills, knowledge, understanding, attributes, capabilities, and actions that will enable systemic transformation and innovations to take place. It can also mean ensuring that critical infrastructure that supports the desired next economy is in place.
• Evaluation: Evaluation processes critically examine systems, programs, and initiatives through data collection and analysis to improve the effectiveness of ongoing efforts and inform future decisions.
• Governance and Organizing: Governance involves the way rules, norms, and actions are structured, sustained, regulated, and held accountable. Governance determines the degree of formality in a system, how resources are distributed, and power relationships—who controls what and how.
• Financing and Resourcing: Financing and resourcing mean ensuring that sufficient monetary and other resources are needed to be able to bring about the desired next economies. Ensuring such resourcing is a continual problem in much transformation work, whether it is for new infrastructure or capacity development or for funding transformational efforts themselves.
• Innovation: Innovation involves creation of new ideas, systems, products, norms, and ways of doing things (processes). Innovation is where innovative new infrastructure for next economies comes from.

• Connecting is about purposefully linking people, ideas, actions, and initiatives to form powerful transformation systems[SW1] . Connecting also means understanding that the real agency for transformation rests in actors who live and operate in the given context, not in the transformation catalyst. It means creating the connective tissue—infrastructure—that helps existing and emerging next economies link to each other. New infrastructure might include new ways of connecting with others, as with an online platform. Or it can encompass new approaches to doing business responsibly and in ways that harmonize with nature.

• Catalyzing is helping collaborating/cohering transformative actions [SW2] so that initiatives can align and amplify their visions. It enables actors in a system to begin to put their collective resources behind key actions and initiatives that can really make a difference. Transformative action is what can follow from seeing, sensemaking, and connecting. It has both action and learning components. Transformative action means doing something informed by knowledge about opportunities and needs for transformation that deals with the fundamental or core issues in a system—and attempts to change in the desired direction. Transformative action can involve creating synergies, addressing deep systems challenges collectively, for example, by creating new narratives, developing new capacities or financing approaches, and otherwisedealing with challenges and differences, and reducing unproductive duplication and competition. 

For more:

Waddock, Sandra, and Waddell, Steve, Transformation Catalysts: Weaving Transformational Change for a Flourishing World for All. Cadmus, May-June 2021. 

Waddock, Sandra, Steve Waddell, Bruce Goldstein, Bjorn-Ola Linner, Niko Schapke, and Coleen Vogel, 2020.