In any collaborative change-making process, team members hold individual,and often differing, ideas about how change happens. These ideas may addresswhether to work top-down or bottom-up, what leverage points are to be targeted, orwho should be involved in the work, in what capacity, and when. If these differencesin perspectives are not examined and discussed, they can lead to conflicting actions,lessen positive impact, and may even do harm. Mapping “Theories of Change” is anapproach that has been used to clarify strategiesfor initiating change across many sectors. Yet, when it comes to complex design engagements, we propose that a differentapproach is needed. Rather than utilizing a formal modeling process, we believe thatteams can find alignment and build more productive working relationships throughconversations that engage and clarify beliefs about transformation. In this paper, wepropose that designers should acknowledge, reflect, and discuss change theorieswithin collaborative teams. We offer a framework to support dialogue about changethat reflects three common phases of designing: Situate & Relate, Understand & Reframe, Intervene & Observe
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