“I am more aware of what I am capable of.” Reading this comment from a participant makes my heart swell with joy after completing a 5-week Future Skills Journey with the Joachim Herz Foundation and 20 young adults. We're excited to share the results, experiences, and impact evaluation from this transformative program.
Our Future Skills Journey with the Joachim Herz Stiftung has completed its first run and more than exceeded our expectations. Over the past few months, Johannes and I designed and facilitated this program together, prioritizing a safe learning space and lots of interaction to create more self-agency for future challenges. I am still touched and excited by our program, the participants, and the open and appreciative atmosphere we were able to create and be a part of.
In an era of rapid digital transformation, increasing labor market complexity, and widespread uncertainty, we find ourselves asking: what can truly support us in navigating the future? While technology continues to advance at breakneck speed, we believe the answer lies in strengthening our distinctly human capacities - those areas where computers reach their limits:
This led us to a fundamental question: what does this mean for us, and how can we contribute? Drawing on our "Capacity Compass" model for holistic capacity development, we designed the Unity Effect Future Skills Journey with a clear mission: to empower participants in their personal and professional development, enabling them to actively and effectively shape not only their own futures but also contribute meaningfully to society.
At the heart of the Future Skills Journey is strengthening key inner capacities such as courage, inner clarity, and optimism. We are convinced that these form the basis for resilience, creativity, and the ability to act in the face of complexity and uncertainty.
We didn't want to design just any standard version of a Future Skills training program. Instead, we wanted to address the exact needs of our partner Joachim Herz Foundation's customer group - young adults at the start of their career. To ensure that, we started with a joint conceptual workshop with Joachim Herz Foundation’s core team. We gathered insights into what the alumni at the foundation truly need and the challenges they face. Based on this, we defined together seven key capacities out of our capacity compass that foster the thematic skills and competencies written above (see picture below) to be the focus of the program's design and measured through our evaluation.
Another challenge was designing a program that fit a very diverse group from different professional fields: business and sales, technology, IT, education, healthcare, real estate. However, during the design and implementation process, we quickly realized that focusing on inner capacities unified all the professional groups. And not only that - we also saw that the exchange among participants about how to deal with complexity on an emotional level, along with the different examples they brought from their contexts, offered great added value.
If you focus on inner capacities, a safe learning environment is essential for people to be able to open up. With the goal of psychological safety, we co-created an environment where people could explore themselves. Asking questions and making mistakes was encouraged. To promote connection and collaboration the journey is highly interactive, using experiential learning and guided self-reflection. Practical exercises, a connecting buddy system, and lots of active exchange among participants reinforce the goal of learning alongside and from each other. As an add-on, there is an accompanying workbook with in-depth information and further reflection guides.
Within this space the participants were guided through the following learning process:
Strengthening openness, curiosity, and creative thinking
They learned methods for finding creative solutions and new perspectives for complex challenges by asking questions instead of providing answers. Through the interactive exchange, they developed the courage and curiosity to contribute their own ideas to work processes in a clear, effective, and convincing manner.
Fostering inner clarity, self-confidence, and awareness of values
They learned methods for reflecting on their own values and using them as guidance in decision-making processes. Through recognizing a stable foundation of values, they were empowered to act authentically and responsibly in both professional and private contexts.
Dealing with complexity and uncertainty
They developed strategies to act in a targeted manner in complex and uncertain situations, in line with requirements. They strengthened their conscious approach to stress by learning stress-reducing methods.
Empowering others, cooperation, and diversity
They experienced diversity as a resource and practiced effective communication and feedback techniques that promote further development and growth.
Resource orientation and self-efficacy
They experienced how targeted appreciation methods can sustainably strengthen motivation and cooperation—both in your professional and private life.
Based on Unity Effect's approach to regenerative measurement and evaluation we evaluated the development of the seven inner key capacities quantitatively and qualitatively, using individual surveys before and after the journey. The results speak for themselves (on a scale of 1-7):
Courage and optimism (+0.4 points): The most significant increase! Participants developed greater self-confidence and the conviction that they can have a positive influence, even in complex situations.
Diversity/equality/inclusion (+0.3 points): Thanks to a very heterogeneous group composition and interactive elements, the value of diversity and interdisciplinary work was experienced first-hand.
Inner clarity (+0.3 points): Increased confidence in one's own intuition and new perspectives for tackling complex issues. “Working with questions” was found to be particularly valuable.
Internal collaboration and empowering others (+0.3 points): Targeted exercises and our buddy system significantly promoted the ability to work together in an appreciative manner and strengthen each other.
Curiosity and willingness to learn (+0.2 points): The safe learning environment and positive group dynamics created a space for in-depth exchange and a desire for continuous development and new experiences.
The qualitative feedback is also included in our impact measurement. Participants reported that they became more aware of their path and strengths, acquired important “soft skills for a complex future,” and found the exchange with others to be extremely motivating.
Here are just a few of the quotes shared after the journey:
I am looking forward to expanding this effective format even further. Since the Journey focuses on fundamental inner capacities and values, it offers tremendous flexibility and impact potential:
I am convinced that the Future Skills Journey can be a cornerstone for the development of future-proof individuals and organizations. We look forward to taking you on this journey!
Has the Future Skills Journey already piqued your interest? For yourself or for your company? Feel free to write to us!
The seven key capacities are measured quantitatively using individual surveys. Each key competency was operationalized by two different questions in which participants were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 the extent to which the statement applies to them. For example, we assess "inner clarity" with questions like "I judge myself by what I think is important, not by the values of others," while "courage" is measured through statements such as "I stand by my values, even if those around me question them."
The questions are “positively coded,” which means that agreeing with a question (a high score) actually implies a high expression of that value.
It is important to note that higher values do not automatically mean better results. High values can also be based on a distorted self-perception. This means that, under certain circumstances, a decline may indicate greater honesty and self-awareness. The quantitative results must therefore be interpreted in conjunction with the qualitative results, the notes taken during the week, and the observations from the online modules.
In line with Unity Effect's goal of “Leading change from the inside out,” our mission is to empower individuals, teams, and networks to be generous with themselves and others. But what are these capacities? How can we strengthen them? And how can we know that what we are doing is actually working?
Answering these questions was not easy. In 2018, we ran our first capacity-building program, which later evolved into our Changemaker Journey. One core competency we identified was “inner clarity,” understood as awareness of one's own “inner world,” values, and goals, and the ability to act in alignment with them. Through our work, we have developed a keen sense of how to facilitate programs and create spaces that encourage self-reflection and connect it to meaningful action.
The intention of the “Capacity Compass” is to provide a framework for impact measurement that captures the nuances of inner and relational changes at different levels and views measurements as an opportunity for dialogue and growth.
We gradually developed a holistic approach to capacity development and assessment that had to meet the following requirements for us:
We did not reinvent the wheel either. We learned from many role models and sources, drew inspiration from them, integrated approaches, and are very grateful for this wealth of knowledge. Ken Wilber's AQAL model had a particular influence on the development of our “Capacity Compass.”
The following graphic shows you the Unity Effect model for capacity development with four dimensions (Inner wholeness, Living into potential, Relationship to the world, Acting jointly) and the corresponding competences we have identified. This allows us to integrate impact measurement at various levels in a targeted manner.
Inner clarity: Having a high level of self-awareness as regards your values, purpose and strengths, as well as your patterns, triggers and growth areas. Listening to yourself, your intuition and inner knowing.
Courage: The capacity to stand up and act for a meaningful cause in a challenging or potentially dangerous situation. Being aware of potential risks, yet acting mindfully despite concerns or fear. Courage may be needed in threatening situations, but also in everyday practices such as overcoming inner patterns that once served us.
Internal collaboration: Team members embody effective collaboration. They use their distributed expertise in a coordinated manner, support each other, and share success stories. Leadership supports and ensures flourishing collaboration. The roles of each individual are clearly defined: Hierarchies serve the purpose of the team and are usually linked to specific tasks, roles, and situational expertise, not to individuals.
Curiosity and desire to learn: Having the desire to learn and grow, with openness to new information, perspectives and experiences.
Optimism: Being hopeful about the future. The ability to reframe challenges as learning opportunities, trusting that things will work out and positive outcomes are possible even if they require effort.
Diversity, equality, and inclusion: Team members value differences and consider the impact of their actions on others. The team engages in creating an inclusive work environment in which the different needs of the team members are welcomed and addressed. They share openly, recognise differences and hold each other accountable for their behaviour.
Empowering others: Supporting others to see and live into their own strengths. Building collaborative environments and creating conditions for others to make decisions and lead.
Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash
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