Solutions to complex problems depend on creation of themes
The creation of themes is crucial to the frame creation process, in that themes interpret the various experiences and illuminate the meaning that underlies the observations. Thus, while frame creation embraces complexity and avoids simplification at the outset (in order to fully understand the problem situation), the formulation of themes involves careful synthesis and simplification of the patterns of behavior and other contextual factors into tools that make sense of the situation.
The creation of themes is the most abstract activity in the frame creation approach, and the activity that is hardest to grasp by people new to this approach. Yet it is also the step that more than any other defines the depth and quality of the end result. Having a profound understanding of the themes will not only help keep the next steps of the frame creation process on track, it is also a key benefit of the process in itself… a deeply understood theme will stabilize the core philosophy and identity of an organization, while allowing it great flexibility to cope with the fluidity of its environment.[1]
See also:
Frame Innovation – Dorst (2015), ch. 5 § “The principles of frame creation.” ↩︎