System Sculpting
System Sculpting is an applied improv exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.
How to run it
- In People Science teams, co-create a YLVXDO model that represents the current situation in the system
- After each step explain to your colleagues what you did
- Listen to what your colleagues say and do, and build on each other's ideas
- Reflect on your model from four directions
- Change your model so that it better represents the future that you want to create
- Reflect on your common intention What in your model the future you want to create are the essentials
- Identify the 2 or 3 bottleneck areas or strategic leverage points that could move the system from here to
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Prompts to use +
In People Science teams, co-create a YLVXDO model that represents the current situation in the system
After each step explain to your colleagues what you did
Listen to what your colleagues say and do, and build on each other's ideas
Reflect on your model from four directions
Change your model so that it better represents the future that you want to create
Reflect on your common intention What in your model the future you want to create are the essentials
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: System Sculpting. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: In People Science teams, co-create a YLVXDO model that represents the current situation in the system; After each step explain to your colleagues what you did; Listen to what your colleagues say and do, and build on each other's ideas; Reflect on your model from four directions. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Relationship Makers Handbook; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Relationship Makers Handbook.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.