Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

104The HDL Studio ModelRules of ThumbHere are some rules of thumb that we used when thinkingabout the mix of the team and how to select the rightindividuals:Keep it SmallWith too few people there is a danger that the conversationwill not be robust enough, but with too many people inthe room it is difficult to have a single conversation. Based onexperience, a team of eight is optimal. Some things work inlarge groups, but strategy sessions are not one of them. Eightis also small enough for you to fit into a small minibus for sitevisits and although this seems like a small thing, the logisticsrequired to smoothly pull off an HDL Studio are not to beunderestimated.Avoid DuplicatesThe Studio team will be working quickly, which meansthat the collective expertise and experience in the room is theteam's largest asset. Although team members may have someoverlaps in their interests, it is best if each member is themaster of their own domain and can offer serious, focusedexpertise in their field. Each member becomes a ‘representative’of their expertise and there is not much room forredundancy.Look for the BestWhen it comes to selecting individuals, start at the top ofthe field. High-quality input may not quite guarantee highqualityoutput, but it is certainly a prerequisite and a decentindicator. Recruiting talented participants will not only helpyou attract other high-quality people, but it will also raise theprofile of the Studio, smoothing engagement with stakeholdersand making outputs more likely to ‘stick’.