Facilitating the future for an innovation leader

Nestled deep in the interior of British Columbia, the Okanagan region is known for its vineyards and beaches. Less well-known is the fact that this region is now the fastest-growing tech and innovation hub in Canada, generating more than $1.7 billion annually. A small non-profit called Accelerate Okanagan (AO) serves as the rallying point for much of the region’s technology growth.

So when AO’s much-loved CEO got a promotion to lead sister organization Innovate BC, the non-profit had a choice. Do we start looking for a replacement CEO right away? Or do we use this time as an intentional pause, to reflect on where we’re going as an organization and as a region?

Accelerate Okanagan wisely chose the second path. They invited Domain7 to help them walk through a community-oriented, co-creative pathway towards envisioning the future.

It was time to build a shared vision together. On a quiet Saturday in spring at a working cidery and event space, Accelerate Okanagan board members began to arrive—some from the Silicon Valley via plane, others from their nearby homes via carpool. They joined the staff, and during the course of the day, began to map out their future.

First we worked through the themes that had been observed in the community conversations. As we clustered and categorized, we began to illuminate key tensions and polarities the organization needed to navigate. What values motivate us? Which vision drives us? What path will we take together?

The day provided the space for the board and staff to compare perspectives, and understand where each other was coming from. Moving from theme-mapping, to values-exploration, to a mini design-sprint that unearthed vision and possibilities—the group did the challenging work together of assessing where they’ve been, and exploring where-to next.

Domain7 helped set up AO to make the crucial next steps following the workshop. With a clear list of the polarities facing them, they were able to engage their full staff in a survey process to decide on their direction. With a newly agreed-upon set of values, the team had shared criteria for filtering leadership candidates. As a result, they were able to launch a search process for a new CEO, complete their five-year strategic plan, and step into their future with coherent, co-created clarity.

“I think it’s important to highlight that the healthy amount of community consultation we have sought throughout this process has been invaluable in terms of really knowing our truth,” said AO’s board chairman Quinton Pullen in a public announcement. “We believe this community engagement will serve Accelerate Okanagan well in creating an even more inclusive and collaborative innovation ecosystem.”