The 3P+ Navigator is a leadership tool which helps individuals, teams or organizations to better understand which initiatives they can take to exert a positive and socially responsible influence on their markets, sectors, communities and environments.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. How do I set up a 3P+ Navigation?
   • Preparation
   • Choosing participants
3. The Navigation process
   • Step 1. Defining the central question
   • Step 2. Finding common values
   • Step 3. Determining roles: navigators and sponsors
   • Step 4. Defining navigation space
   • Step 5. Setting up the constellation
   • Step 6. Starting individual perception
   • Step 7. Adjusting positions
   • Step 8. Reflecting as observer
   • Step 9. Integrating 3P+ positions
   • Step 10. Integrating input
   • Step 11. Reflecting as observer
   • Step 12. Integrating identity
   • Step 13. Determining initiatives
   • Step 14. Checking effectiveness
   • Step 15. Giving feedback
4. Understanding the 3P+ model
   • In depth questions
   • Identity
   • People
   • Planet
   • Profit

How do I set up a 3P+ Navigation?

3P+ Navigator is best set up in a group context, but can also render useful insights during  individual coaching. This manual guides you through the constellation set up step by step.

Preparation

The 3P+ Navigation process consists of 15 steps. The facilitator is a "guide" who helps and interacts with the participants. The participants are in charge of the content. The facilitator is in charge of the process.

Make sure you are not interrupted or disturbed during the process. An external location helps to achieve this.  3P+ Navigation fits well in a team event.

Choosing participants

A minimum of 6 participants is required for a 3P+ Navigation session. Depending on the context you may opt for a few people from outside your team or organization. Take a wide functional view and mix people from e.g. administration, production and marketing. Different backgrounds lead to a more diverse picture and give diverse insights.

Since CSR also concerns other shareholders, try to include, for example, customers, suppliers and knowledge groups. These people often bring valuable insights and new ideas. In particular when you have a small organization, this diversity in views will be an added value.

The Navigation process

Step 1.  Defining the central question

Set out a conceptual framework by defining the central question. Keep the scope of the question broad by using question words such as ‘who’, ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘where’ or ‘when.’ For example:

“What does CSR mean to us and our organization?”
“Which initiatives do our shareholders expect us to take in order to set an example in our business or offset market?”

Step 2. Finding common values

Five overarching “values” will serve as starting points for this navigation. Ask each participant to identify one value that relates to the central question. Write down the first 16 values one below another on a blackboard or flipchart. Ask the next persons to identify values to match up those 16 values in pairs. Repeat this until only one value remains. At the end of this exercise, your blackboard will look more or less like this:

Figure 1. Identifying values

Pick combination 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15 and use these 5 values throughout the process. Add the organization’s name to this list as the sixth value.

Step 3. Determining roles: navigators and sponsors

Ask a participant to pick 6 people who will each represent one value. Explain to them that, from this point on, they represent the respective value and that they should forget about their own responsibilities, tasks, roles etc. within the organization for the rest of the exercise. These six people are the “navigators.”

Invite the other participants (if applicable) to sponsor individual navigators representing one of the six values. Ask them to monitor closely and identify which navigator draws their attention.

Indicate, furthermore, one person responsible for drawing the process’ progress on a blackboard or a flipchart. This is a useful tool to ‘backtrack’ and provide feedback.

Step 4. Defining navigation space

To play the 3P+ Navigator you need enough space for the navigators to move around freely. Invite the participants to stand in a half  circle at a distance of approx. 13 to 17 feet from the center.

Place an “Identity” card in the middle of the space. Place around this card, at approx. 8 feet from the center, in a triangle, the “People,” “Planet,” and “Profit” cards.

Mark the boundary if possible. Place the “Observer” card outside this circle. See Figure 2.

Figure 2. The 3P+ navigation space

Step 5. Setting up the constellation

Invite the six navigators to walk to a spot of their choice in the navigation space. They are free to stand wherever they feel like standing, depending on their understanding of and affiliation with the value they represent. See Figure 3.

Figure 3. A constellation

Navigators should not always stand in one of the predefined positions (“Identity,” “People,” "Planet,” "Profit"), but they can do so if they wish.

Invite the navigators to reflect for a moment on their current position in the constellation. Suggest to them to close their eyes to ground themselves, thereby improving the perception of what they feel, hear or see.

Ask the navigators to pay close attention to the signals they experience, be they feelings, words or images.

Ask the sponsors to pay close attention to any changes in the navigators’ attitude and respiration.

Step 6. Starting individual perception

Ask each navigator the following questions:

“What do you notice?"
"What catches your attention?"
"What do you feel/hear/see?"

Invite each navigator to verbally share his/her perceptions from the perspective of the value he or she represents.

In case a navigator chooses to stand on or in the vicinity of the "Identity,” "People,” "Planet,” "Profit" cards, asking the following additional questions:

“Which boundaries do you notice? What are their constraints?”
"What can you create or what strengthens you?"
"To whom can you provide input, and which input?”

Step 7. Adjusting positions

Ask the navigators whether or not they would like to change their positions after having heard each other’s perceptions. Guide the navigators that wish to change position individually. Invite them to express their new perception with your question:

“What has changed?” or “What is different?”

Step 8. Reflecting as observer

Mark the spots where the navigators are standing and ask them to move to the “Observer” position, to allow them to disconnect from their previously explored positions. Ask for their personal observations:

“What do you notice about this constellation?”
"What catches your attention?"

You can ‘backtrack’ by standing in the marked spots and repeat the essential characteristics of the respective persons.

When navigators are sharing their observations from this position, it is important for them to speak using the third person. Example: Not “I noticed that…” but “Value x was…” Include perhaps other participants as well in this conversation.

Repeat steps 5 to 8 as often as useful.

Step 9. Integrating 3P+ positions

Invite the navigators individually to place themselves in the navigation space according to their value perception, asking them:

“Navigator x, judging from your value y, about which position would you like to know more?”

Invite each navigator to reflect on the position s/he is exploring. Also suggest to close his/her eyes to allow a better perception of what he or she feels, hears or sees. Ask him/her afterwards:

“What do you notice?"
"What catches your attention?"
"What do you feel/hear/see?"

Invite each navigator to verbally express his/her perception. Afterwards ask some additional questions:

"Which boundaries do you notice? What are their constraints?”
"What can you create or what strengthens you?"
"To whom can you provide input, and which input?”

Step 10. Integrating input

While a navigator is exploring a certain position, s/he can provide input to another navigator. Ask, therefore, repeatedly who would like to share information:

"Which information would you like to share with another navigator?"

When a participant receives input from another navigator, help this person to integrate this input:

1. Invite the navigator receiving input to take place in the navigation space – preferably on the position s/he took at step 7.
2. Invite the receiving navigator to thank for the input.
3. Ask the receiving navigator how s/he is integrating this input:

   "How do you perceive this input?"
   "What do you experience at this moment?"
   "How does this influence your value?”

4. Ask the receiving navigator how s/he values the output of this process:

   "What can you do with this input?"
   "What output can you generate with this input?"
   "Whom does this output concern?”

Repeat steps 9 and 10 as often as useful.

Step 11. Reflecting as observer

Invite all navigators to take the “Observer” position to distantiate from their previously explored positions. Ask them for their observations:

"What did you notice about this process as a whole?”

You can ‘backtrack’ by standing in the marked spots and repeat the essential characteristics of the respective persons. Include perhaps the other participants (sponsors) into this conversation.

Step 12. Integrating Identity

Invite the participants (both the navigators and the sponsors) to choose the values they would place in the center (“Identity”).

Ask each sponsor which value(s) s/he sponsors at that moment:

"With which navigator do you identify yourself most?”
"Which navigator has drawn your attention most?"

Judging from the sponsor’s input, identify those navigators that will explore the “Identity” position. Invite in any case the navigator representing the team’s/organization’s “value” to participate further in the process.

Thank the navigators representing values that are no longer part of the process for their valuable contribution (if applicable). Invite them to take place as observer/sponsor around the navigation space.

Step 13. Determining initiatives

Invite all selected navigators to take place in the “Identity” position. Inquire for possible initiatives:

“Which initiatives do you see arising from this pool of values?”

Invite each navigator to answer the question while s/he turns him/herself in the direction of "People,” "Profit," and "Planet.”

Step 14. Checking effectiviness

To conclude this exercise, explore the effects of this navigation and the initiatives arising from it. Ask the navigators the following question:

“Imagine that you can evaluate the effects and impact of these initiatives in the near future. What would you notice?”

Invite each navigator to answer.

The following questions can help evoke different perspectives:

"What do you notice in your environment?"

"Which time reach do you have in mind?"

"What do we notice in our behavior and actions?"

"How do others react to this?"

"How do we use our potential to evoke these effects?"

"Why could these effects strengthen our own values and identity?"

"How can we lead this process of change?"

"How does this contribute to the bigger picture and our own vision?"

Step 15. Giving feedback

Invite all participants to take place around the navigation space. Conclude with a feedback session. Invite each participant to answer the following questions:

"What did this process teach you and what did you learn from it?"

"How will you integrate this into your work?"

"What could contribute to the desired effects?"

Thank everybody (navigators and sponsors) for their contribution.

Understanding the 3P+ model

Authentic Corporate Social Responsibility should emerge from a sense of values, rather than merely “finetuning” your company to influences that come from your environment. The 3P+ model adds, therefore, an important element to the already known “People,” “Planet,” and “Profit,” i.e. “Identity.”

A team or organizational identity is typically based on a shared vision, a common mission and shared values. Shareholders and peers will judge the organization’s initiatives with respect to sustainability and corporate social responsibility exactly on these identity characteristics.

In depth questions

The 3P+ model uses in depth questions to crystalize our vision and act in an advised manner. The in depth questions used for “Identity” (core) and the three outcome spaces “People,” “Planet,” and “Profit” help us to gain insight in the deeper structure of the organization. This will stimulate more authentic,  credible, CSR initiatives.

These indepth questions can be an additional tool to retrieve information from the 3P+ Navigation process. Use these questions in particular during an individual exercise or with the navigator representing the team/organization.

Identity 

Corporate identity embraces a vision, a mission and values. It is, therefore, intricately connected with corporate integrity. An organization or team that does not function coherently loses its integrity in its outbound communication, the repercussions of which it will feel sooner or later. On the other hand, if an organization clearly and explicitly communicates its expectations, intentions and initiatives, it will receive its shareholders’ trust, both inside and outside the organization. In depth questions for “Identity” can be:

"What are your shared vision, mission and values?"

"How do you know that this vision, mission and these values are truly shared?"

"How do you express this sharedness in your communication and initiatives?"

People

In a corporate setting, “People” is often understood as “employability” – i.e. “which people shall we employ?” However valuable, we understand “People” from another perspective, as a concept to evaluate how everybody can contribute to sustainable initiatives.

In depth questions for “People” can be:

“Which role do you play within the organization?”

“How do you get involved?”

“To what extent are you responsible or do you exert influence?”

“How do you know this?”

“How do you relate to your colleages?”

“How do you deal with your colleague’s expectations?”

“How do you relate to customers, suppliers and other people outside the organization?”

“How do you deal with other’s expectations?”

“Which responsibilities do you have within the organization?”

“How do you take up responsibility to answer the signs you receive from your environment?”

“What signs or effects do you generate yourself?”

Planet

“Planet” means the environment. In depth questions can be:

"Which right to exist do you have in our environment?"

"How can you contribute to the maintenance or improvement of our environment?"

"How much energy do you really need?"

"How can you generate sustainable energy?"

"How can you contribute to a sustainable environment?"

"How can you influence this evolution?"

Profit

“Profit” is everything that contributes to the organization’s continuity, growth and added value. It is, thus, much broader than just income profit.

In depth questions for “Profit” can be:

“In which ways can you support the organization’s future growth and prosperity?”

“How do you look for new potential, innovation and change?”

“How can you increase the organization’s potential?”

“How can the financial capital contribute to your continuity, growth and added value?”

“How can your organizational culture contribute to your continuity, growth and added value?”

“How can you invest your knowledge capital (competences, experience and skills) in order to contribute to continuity, growth and added value?”

“What are/is the effects/impact hereof?”

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