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Collaborative Sparks

Need

Context

Section titled “Context”

In dynamic systems—especially human systems—tensions inevitably arise. These tensions are often not initially articulated but are instead felt as vague discomforts, gut feelings, or subtle dissatisfactions. Before problems are named, before ideas are formed, and before actions are taken, something moves in us. Something isn’t right. Something is missing. Something wants change. This unformed something is what we call a need.

Problem

Section titled “Problem”

We are often taught to seek clarity before acting, to define problems and outline goals before doing anything. But in practice, real change—personal, organizational, or systemic—rarely starts from a clearly defined plan. It starts with a tension. An itch. A wordless feeling that something needs to happen. If we ignore these early signals, the need doesn’t go away—it gets louder. But when we require premature clarity, we suppress the felt sense of what wants to emerge. Without acknowledging need as the root of action, we risk solving the wrong problem or acting without relevance.

Forces

Section titled “Forces”

  • Needs are initially unclear, visceral, or pre-verbal.

  • Ideas formed without connection to need are abstract and irrelevant.

  • Acting without understanding need can cause more harm than good.

  • Systems and people struggle when there’s pressure to resolve discomfort too quickly.

  • A need must be sensed before it can be named or met.

  • Ideas are guesses at how to meet needs.

  • The only way to refine our guesses is through feedback from the need itself.

Solution

Section titled “Solution”

Therefore, honor the need as the starting point for meaningful action. Notice the feeling before the form. Treat every new initiative, idea, or experiment as a hypothesis—a guess at what the need might be asking for. Let the need guide you, not by demanding clear answers, but by listening for subtle feedback: “warmer” or “colder.” Stay in conversation with the need, iterating ideas and actions until the need quiets—signaling it has been met.

Resulting Context

Section titled “Resulting Context”

By engaging needs directly, people and teams cultivate a more adaptive and emotionally intelligent approach to decision-making. Needs are not problems to be solved once, but patterns to be attuned to continuously. Over time, this approach builds greater self-awareness, clearer intuition, and a higher probability that the work we do is actually the work that’s needed. When the need is met, a return to equilibrium becomes possible. The cycle completes, and the system can rest—until the next need arises.

Section titled “Related Patterns”