The Base6 Framework

It's visible everywhere: the earth and human society are undergoing rapid and serious changes. We are in what management consultants call a VUCA environment (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous).

Naturally, governments and industry leaders are trying to steer this transformation away from catastrophe and toward something better, maybe even an evolutionary leap forward (see for example, the SDGs, UNFCCC, the Great Reset, and various national, subnational, and local climate action plans). Unfortunately, they aren't succeeding at the pace we need, not even close.¹

For many people, this is not a surprise. The behaviour of complex systems like a society are hard to predict, let alone guide. Mathematically speaking, transforming a complex system from a single point (or from too few points) will almost always result in a chaotic response. The system will react to stabilize the chaotic behaviour and reassert the status quo. Or worse, with enough pressure, the system will be pushed past a tipping point, become highly reactive until it collapses into a new and diminished equilibrium.

A Meta Framework

The Base6 System is a meta-framework because it doesn't aim to tell you how to define your project organization, or how to manage it, or how it should be evaluated. These are all important things, but also highly contextual. Instead, the Base6 System is a tool for helping projects effectively coexist within a healthy community of practice, and, where appropriate, work together in an effective community of action, despite differences in management philosophy or theory of change.

From a societal or market perspective, Base Six seeks to enable the creation and development of millions of projects that are highly diverse, multiaxially integrated, and mutually scalable (i.e. non-zero-sum); a global community of action based on shared values and a common goal of a richer, more equitable, and more ecologically-balanced society.

The Six Bases

1. Story: The story your project or organization tells about the world and your place in it. This is your "why" — your philosophy, values and principles that guide your actions.
2. In-scope Environment: The part of the world you are trying to effect.
3. Out-of-scope Environment: The part of the world outside your focus.
4. Do: The actions you take to acheive your goals. These actions are organized according to a management framework and are either definitional, active, or evaluative. Regardless of the stage, DO actions are transforming disorder into order.
5. Define: The stage of the project in which you define, update, or redefine, your goals and strategies.
6. Evaluate: The stage of the project in which you actively seek feedback about the effects of your actions.

Story

Stories are the axis of a project or organization and are also the primary point of connection with other projects and organizations. Each project or organization has a unique story, but they are all connected by a shared story of a better world and how we can achieve it together. The shared story is important to facilitate trust and the potential for collaboration while the unique story clarifies how each project might flow together.

The big story is pretty simple. It's a story of a healthy world and how we hope to achieve it. We are people, companies, organizations, communities, and governments working to create a more equitable, ecologically-balanced, and prosperous future for all. We support individual freedom while embracing social responsibility. We work to create communities that are more resilient to the shocks and stresses of a changing climate and a changing society and are more connected and more collaborative. We promote beauty, love, hard work, and fun. We will never be perfect, but we are always trying to be better.

The story of an individual project or organization fits inside that big story, but it's not static. It's constantly being updated through the life of the project or organization.

Story Frameworks

Effective storytelling is not easy. Luckily, we have frameworks that make it easier. The most common is the Hero's Journey, but there are many others, and they are not mutually exclusive. Have a look at the Public Narrative Framework for how to tell a more powerful story about your project or organization. The important thing is that your story is authentic, it explains your why, and it connects to the bigger story.

In-scope Environment

"In-scope environment" refers to the specific set of conditions, stakeholders, geographical locations, and challenges that are directly addressed and impacted by the social benefit project. This encompasses:

1. Geographical Boundaries: Clearly defined regions, communities, or areas where the project will be implemented.

2. Target Demographics: Specific groups of people or communities the project aims to benefit or serve, including age groups, socio-economic classes, ethnic groups, or any other relevant categorizations.

3. Key Challenges Addressed: Specific social, economic, environmental, or political issues that the project is designed to mitigate or solve.

4. Relevant Stakeholders: Organizations, governments, partners, communities, or individuals that play a significant role in the execution or are beneficiaries of the project.

5. Project Limitations: Recognizing that while a project may want to address a wide range of issues, the in-scope environment sets a boundary to ensure the project remains focused, manageable, and effective.

6. Resource Allocation: Specific resources—be it financial, human, or technological—that will be deployed within this environment.

Out-of-scope Environment

Defining the "out-of-scope environment" helps prevent scope creep, ensures efficient resource utilization, and sets clear boundaries to manage stakeholder expectations. It provides clarity on what the project will not cover, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions and potentially seek solutions elsewhere for challenges not addressed by this particular initiative. As always, collaborate with your team and stakeholders to refine this definition, ensuring it aligns with your project's specific objectives and constraints.

1. Geographical Exclusions: Areas, regions, or communities that the project will not operate in or cater to, even if they share similar challenges or demographics.

2. Excluded Demographics: Groups of people or communities that, while they may be affected by similar issues, are not the primary target or beneficiaries of the project.

3. Challenges Not Addressed: While the project may recognize a spectrum of challenges in the broader context, those that it does not directly seek to mitigate or resolve fall into this category.

4. Irrelevant Stakeholders: Entities or individuals who might have an interest or are affected by the broader issue but aren't directly engaged with or impacted by the project.

5. Resource Restrictions: Resources, be they financial, human, or technological, that won't be deployed or extended to areas, issues, or demographics deemed out-of-scope.

Do

I like to call management systems "Do Systems" because they they do the work of the organization, transforming Disorder into Order: creating products; providing services; cleaning up messes; or whatever that has been defined as needing to be done.

Management Frameworks

Management systems are built from management frameworks and, like with the other bases, we don't have a preference for one in particular. Some people and groups might preference an approach that is highly iterative, task-based and decentralized, while others might prefer something more hierarchical and outcome-focussed. The important thing is that your management framework helps you turn disorder into order in a way that is consistent with your values and and in harmony with others around you.

Define

Focus area.

approaches

Definitional Frameworks

Project Drawdown

Evaluate

Evaluations Frameworks

Blue Marble Evaluation

PLanteray Health Evaluation Framework

References

Footnotes

1. UNFCCC. Secretariat. (2023). Global Stocktake. [https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake] ↩