ISIS Method

We are trained affiliates in the ISIS Method sustainability framework . This framework was developed by sustainability expert Alan AtKisson, author of “Believing Cassandra” and “The Isis Agreement”. In brief, ISIS stands for:

I – Indicators; Assess where you are and where you are headed. An indictor is information based on a measurement, which reflects the current status of a system within your organization. Indicators will be used as baselines for future reporting and for the next step in this method.
S – Systems; Figure out why you are headed there and where you can effectively change directions. Systems thinking is simply a way of looking at something holistically. Seeing how things connect and affect each other helps find the key leverage points in the system. A leverage point indicates where change can be made that will have the most substantial impact.
I – Innovation; Identify what to do to aim toward sustainability. This is where the creativity flows and the brainstorming begins – where the big ideas are formed and projects are created to address those key leverage points.
S – Strategy; Plan how to succeed. Systems are put in to place to set goals and priorities, assign duties, set performance targets and timelines, track milestones, and to monitor, review and make adjustments or updates to the plan as needed.

These are some of the tools we use in applying the ISIS Method framework:

Compass – is named for its core image and framework, a compass with the four North-East-South-West directional points replaced by four key dimensions of sustainability: Nature, Economy, Society, and Well-Being.

With Compass, you create indicators of sustainability for your organization, identify and gather stakeholders to manage their input to assessment and planning, and communicate the basics of sustainability to people in terms they can easily understand.

Pyramid – is a versatile group process that supports collaborative systems thinking, learning, and planning for sustainability. The workshop is used as a multi-stakeholder planning exercise for creating new initiatives, projects, visions, and strategies that will build consensus around a course of action.

Pyramid is named for the three-dimensional pyramid model that is built during the course of a workshop. It is used to capture and reflect the results of the group discussion and thinking process, and to symbolize the group’s conclusions and resulting commitments to future action.

Using the Compass and Pyramid tools will help form your vision, allow for innovative ideas, identify priorities, and gain consensus. By identifying key indicators, using systems thinking to find critical leverage points for change, and analyzing how they will help you become a more sustainable organization, you will be better prepared to create your sustainability plan by focusing on indicators that integrate with the vision you’ll create.

Amoeba – is a simulation exercise, along with analysis tools that support the introduction of innovations and the cultural change processes that innovations usually require. Using Amoeba educates participants on how to avoid social obstacles that sometimes stand in the way of changing an organizations way of thinking.

Stratesphere – is a your final product, providing a traditional plan and appropriate metrics, along with metrics on how your organization fits into the bigger picture around you. Formal documents map out your entire sustainability plan and provide an ongoing management system to keep you on track in the future.

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