Conversation with Ian

Each month, we invite you to join us for a roundtable discussion led by one of our team. This month, join our Senior Researcher as he leads a roundtable on:

Actionable insights: how can we make information useful?

Sooner or later, every researcher is confronted with the question, “But what am I supposed to do with this?” because information isn’t intrinsically insightful or actionable.

So what are ‘actionable insights,’ the work product we’re here to create? How do we fashion information to give it new powers: the power to shift understandings, support decision-making, and enable action?

Join Dr Ian Pollock for a discussion of some of the tools, techniques, and processes we use to give information new affordances and do a bit of critical unpacking.

→ Register here for this online lunch-time session

Generations of change

For people in the mid-19th century, it was a time of new fortunes. We could extract minerals and crude oils from deep in the earth to create a wealth of new goods and materials that became cheap and easy to manufacture. The period signified the birth of a linear economy, where repairing and recycling were replaced by a ‘take, make, use, lose economy’. Demand increased, wealth accumulated, and mindsets shifted to measure success in terms of one metric—growth.

In our world of finite resources, this isn’t sustainable. Skip ahead to the 21st century, and we’re now talking about circular ways of thinking. Kate Raworth defined it best with her ‘doughnut economics’ framework, which helps define success as a ‘thriving balance’ within the ‘planetary boundaries’ and ‘social boundaries’.  It positions growth as just one part of a complex system encompassing ecosystems, wealth distribution and economic growth. It reframes success as a ‘safe space’ between many metrics rather than just one. See the Melbourne Doughnut for one example of how circular thinking drives ambitious, systemic and collaborative change.

To avoid relying on linear systems, how can we ensure we’re measuring success in a way that considers the tradeoffs of multiple parts of a system and not just one straight line?

Takes on improving the experience of memorialising a loved one

1.
The design of this Melbourne cemetery champions cultural awareness, knowledge exchange and spiritual understanding of the connection to Country.

2.
The Living Urn offers a sustainable option to grow a living memory tree from the cremated remains of a beloved family member.

3.
Respectfully using technology to commemorate loved ones can streamline processes, reduce errors, and enable new behaviours. Smart plaques allow virtual visits to gravesites when you can’t be there in person.

→ Here is some work we did with Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

● A POEM FROM OUR TEAM

HCD won't get
us through this damn century.
Centre centipedes.

● A MOMENT FOR REFLECTION

How can we prioritise education among young people amid a cost-of-living crisis?