It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.
TLDR: We know it’s been a while. Here’s a little gift from us to say: we’re sorry for neglecting you and we hope you’ll take us back.
How have you been navigating the polycrisis?
Hello friends,
One of the first things we did when we started Common Thread was create The Stitch — an excuse to read and learn, a chance to speak to great people doing cool things, often with tongue firmly in cheek.
Now, as we come to our 6th year, we know we’ve let the Stitch slip. Sorry about that. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to ask, “when’s the next issue coming out?” Or shared such common sentiments as, “My life is empty without your wisdom and wit.” You know, totally balanced and understandable longings for a semi-regular newsletter that adds yet another unread email to your inbox. (Editorial note: two more sorry’s were deleted from this paragraph to mitigate Mike’s Canadian-ness.)
But the truth is, we’ve really missed you. And we’re kind of hoping you’ve missed us, too.
We’ve wrung our hands and racked our brains about how we might explain away our absence in one clever quip. We’re just gonna tell it like it is: life’s been… busy, and tiring, and confusing. Covid exploded then left us with many big and unanswered questions about the role of public health and development in the world.
Like you (maybe?), we spent the Covid years fetishizing the end of the pandemic: the freedom, the trips, and the euphoric public moshpit we would all be lifted into. Instead, climate, misinformation, inflation, war, mental health, gender and polarisation were lurking at the public health house party — some skulking, some nursing a warm beer waiting to be noticed in the corner, and some bursting in uninvited, with giant speakers and a keg.
Apparently, this is the new polycrisis party we’ve all been forced to attend.
Eventually we accepted that this wasn’t going to be “that kind of party.” We put our collared shirts back on, and got down to the issues at hand. It’s not an exaggeration to say our navel is well-gazed, as we continue to question our role in this space, how it might be needs to be different than it was when we started 6 years ago: where we have a responsibility to enter into new spaces and exit others; where we can lead, and how we can prop others up for long-term change.
Here’s what’s been on our minds throughout this Stitch hiatus:
- The behaviour change vs systems change divide is a misnomer. We need to focus on both (and more!), and recognise how interconnected these are to achieve meaningful change. The polycrisis is the sum of disparate but overlapping crises that demand all the tools we have to confront it.
- With the realities of the climate crisis already upon us, how should we pivot more of our resources to mitigate the impacts? What is an impactful role to play in this space (Genuine question, please share thoughts)?
- With global inequality at an all time high, and the inequity of the global development apparatus in full view, how can our work contribute to meaningful change? Are we plugging holes in an otherwise unjust, ineffective global system? If yes, then what?
- How do we partner? Truly partner, with each other as co-founders, with our clients, our fellow B2B organisations, and our team? What are the gender, power, structural, and colonial biases (to name just a few) that impact our relationships, and our mental health? As the world feels increasingly overwhelming and its impacts out of our control, it’s even more critical to create equity and health within our own microverse.
- Should we be thinking about transitioning from human centred design to relationship centred design?
- Also, if life is just a simulation and we’re all complex AI SIMs on autopilot, then – has anyone ever really been to Australia?
So we’re sorry for neglecting you and we want to make things right. We’d like to gift you, our loyal Stitch subscribers, the behavioural map template for iteration and use in your own work. We invite you to use it and make it better.
Thank you for staying with us through the sporadic Stitch editions, and 6 years of Common Thread. We couldn’t be here without you.
Sherine and Mike
The Stories We Can’t Stop Thinking About
Agony, Addiction, and Bias
To say we’re horrified over this story of systemic denial and dismissal of female pain in the American health sector would be an understatement. This gripping series – from the podcast that helped exonerate Adnan Syed– tells the story of Yale’s IVF and fentanyl scandal through the eyes of 12 women, the nurses and doctors charged with their care, and (spoiler) an elite medical system that leverages their brand, privilege and power.
COVID-19 is coming for your kale
It might be time to start that gardening project you’ve been procrastinating for a while now. While it may seem like we’re in the clear when it comes to life altering epidemics, our crops might not be so lucky. Look, all we’re saying is, we might have predicted the first pandemic, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
What would Francesca Gino say about Francesca Gino?
Although it’s not the first time someone in the behavioural science community is accused of sloppy research or even dishonesty, another case against an expert in honesty is quite vexing. Meanwhile, Dan Ariely seems to be turning his gaze toward dishonesty’s ugly cousin, misinformation.
The Lessons That are Sticking With Us
It AI’nt all that
There’s a lot of chatter about Chat GPT and we’re throwing our views into the metaverse. Here’s four ways the Common Thread team is using (and rejecting) AI at work.
Conservation needs community
From public enemy to feathered friend, conservationist Purnima Devi Barman has changed the fate of an endangered species of stork by changing attitudes towards them. By mobilising women and youth in conservation efforts, Barman has transformed a community’s bird problem into a collective bird passion.
The Research We’re Curious About
Sexism, Stereotypes, and Sports
From investment to coverage, women’s sports usually get the short end of the stick. But is it really due to the quality of athletic performance, is there something else at play here? A new study proposes an interesting new theory that reveals how our unconscious biases might influence perceived quality. And in a great example of research in the real world, check out what the French women’s soccer team did from there.
You’re not alone
Ever noticed how tough it is to forgo your weekly happy hour drinks just so you can put more money into your retirement account this month? We have too. And so have many researchers and economists looking into the phenomenon of temporal discounting. But even though it feels like everyone around us feels the same way, is this a truly universal phenomenon? Or does it vary depending on norms and context? Find out more here.
What’s Distracting Us From Our Work
“Third-world” solutions to “first-world” problems
Meet the artist collective calling out a tale as old as time: Western design firms responding to challenges in Global South contexts. We love how the Ghana Think Tank is turning the table and using their design chops to “develop the first world.”
More PSAs please!
PSAs are popping up like PSLs (pumpkin spiced lattes) this time of year. Like this one on corporate greed. This one on the double standards in sports reporting. And especially this one on mental health.
We are now inviting passengers with an eye for design to board
Take a virtual trip down memory lane and explore the history of this small, often forgotten, frequently lost, yet extremely important piece of paper.
Great Work and Good Company
Not your mother’s map
We mesh experts and thinking from behavioural science and human-centred design every day – why not mesh the tools? Sherine shares a map we’ve been experimenting with that tries to do just that. Even Habit Weekly found it handy.
The kids are not alright
In a recent survey among Ukrainian adolescents in Poland, 45% said that they struggled most with adjusting to their new life, mental health challenges and learning a new language. Common Thread used human-centred design to help UNICEF integrate adolescent voices into feedback mechanisms to build better services for and with Ukrainian adolescents.
Even more women in the workplace, please!
When we put out feelers in the Spring for a Design Researcher, a Behavioural Scientist, and a Communications Associate, we didn’t expect it to lead to a green thumb, a vocalist, and a certified Achiever. We were so lucky to welcome Bwalya, Ipsitaa, and Nadia to the team this year—three incredibly different thinkers from dramatically different parts of the world—Zambia, India, and Honduras.
When girls lead, services succeed
Why don’t adolescents in Ghana access mental, sexual and reproductive health services? Part one of this two-part series will give you the context, and part two will give you all the insights, interventions and how we got from the former to the latter with Ghana Health Services and UNICEF Ghana.
This Newsletter Was Produced While
Listening to TayTay on repeat and our most downloaded song on the CT playlist!
Sharing our favourite podcasts: 1 and 2
Reacting to this article on our team Slack channel.