Climate change, global conflicts, human rights violations, social inequalities, cybersecurity threats, technology ethics...
Solutions to such complex systemic issues require systems thinking, strategic foresight and regenerative approaches.
I am Carlos Pons and I work with United Nations and European Union entities untangling complexity through holistic research, digital strategies, governance models and participatory problem solving.
Read more about my
values, theory and practice.
Values
I come from a humble background, I have a visual impairment and I have developed +9 years of my career as self-taught and without university education.My personal situation and having grown up in a home with a blind relative whom I took care of since I can remember, has deeply influenced my values and inspired me to work for a more just, equitable, and inclusive society.Being originally from the island of Mallorca (Spain) has made me develop a strong connection with the sea and nature, the beauty of which inspires me to work to protect them at all costs for the next generations.Finally, not having been able to access university education at the time has turned me into a person with high adaptability, capable of managing complexity and uncertainty in an effective manner.
Profession
I am Carlos Pons and I have +9 years of experience working in research, conceptualization and strategy of digital products and services. After years working in large technology companies in Mallorca and Barcelona (Spain), I am currently based in Brussels (Belgium).After leaving Oracle, I specialized in digital transformation strategy for United Nations and European Union entities, where I work defining and leading digital strategies that promote justice, equity and environmental regeneration.My self-taught career has allowed me to develop a very multidisciplinary profile. I have in-depth knowledge of technical, design, communication, business, work frameworks, digital inclusion, digital accessibility, cybersecurity and data protection aspects.Through systems thinking, strategic foresight and a humanity-centered approach, I conduct holistic research, elaborate digital strategies, design policies, implement governance models, craft maturity models and define capacity building plans.
Future demands holism
I like to delve into the theory behind the invisible. For I strongly believe that if we understand the complex and abstract more holistically, we can effectively bring out the simple and concrete.You will hear me talk a lot about patterns, systems, structures and worldviews, even if the decisions to be made may seem obvious. In doing so, I try to prevent future complications that result from not understanding the complexity of systems and their intrinsic characteristics.Soon I will share my academic publications in this section, for the time being, I am delighted to diverge and converge for a while with you over a virtual coffee.
That time I involved more than 100 people from 20 different locations around the world to define a systemic strategy for inclusive cultural change.
That time I involved more than 50 people in participatory online workshops for the co-ideation of a strategic digital capacity building artifact.
That time we co-defined a field research plan for an important political summit to interview more than 100 international journalists in 2 days.
Story #1 – Systemic Study
A story of how systems thinking facilitated me to fully map an organization's state of maturity in terms of one dimension of digital inclusion.
Note:
The lack of explicit information is due to the fact that most of my collaborations are under an NDA.
Context
One of the largest entities in the United Nations System needed to obtain a complete picture of the current state of the organization's maturity in one dimension of inclusion.
Objectives
To have a holistic vision to be able to define an effective organizational transformation strategy at a global level.
Approach
The systemic study consisted of conducting +100 interviews with Officers based in +20 different locations around the world, including numerous conflict zones.The research plan was based on a first set of +70 questions distributed in the different dimensions of an initial maturity model.The plan relied on the organizational structure and the division of functions and authority in the organization to organize the study and facilitate its systematic progress.As the exploration progressed, new research needs were identified that had to be met within the limited duration of the study.
Output
A final research report that presented a comprehensive mapping of the organization's state of maturity in one dimension of digital inclusion.Concisely presented both findings and concrete proposals on how to address the organization's transformative needs.The report covered the different dimensions of the proposed maturity model, including: awareness, capacity building, remediation, procurement, monitoring and reporting.In addition, it covered a holistic plan that included the need to formalize certain policy artifacts, governance models and official internal guidance.
Outcome
The organization has been able to define a multi-year organizational transformation strategy for this dimension of digital inclusion thanks to this systemic study.This systemic approach has become a reference case within the United Nations System and the transformation is currently progressing optimally.
More practice
Story #2 – Digital Capacity Building
A story of how people-centered design facilitated me to create a high-impact capacity building artifact for an organization.
Note:
The lack of explicit information is due to the fact that most of my collaborations are under an NDA.
Context
One of the largest organizations of the United Nations System needed the formalization of internal guidance to evolve in a specific dimension of digital inclusion.
Objectives
Facilitate complete official guidance so that the entire organization could work on improving its operations.In order to achieve the priority objective on a digital inclusion dimension of its digital transformation strategy.
Approach
Building on the findings of the systemic study, capacity building needs were identified and key audiences were engaged.Initially, multiple ad-hoc engagements and +5 remote participatory workshops were held with +50 Officers in total.Once a first proposal was drafted based on the findings of that initial phase, +50 Officers were involved in the review period, which resulted in +100 amendments that improved the final digital capacity building artifact.
Output
The first operational guidelines for this dimension of digital inclusion in the organization.The document covered almost all digital capacity building needs in this dimension as well as the definition of various frameworks for web development teams, procurement processes or learning development.
Outcome
This first official operational guidance document has served to launch a series of initiatives and operational changes in multiple areas of the organization, facilitating the organization's ongoing inclusive transformation efforts.This piece of operational guidance can be considered one of the most comprehensive guides in this dimension of digital inclusion developed within the United Nations System.
More practice
Story #3 – Participatory Design
A story of how participatory design facilitated the optimization of a high-impact research initiative of a communications department.
Note:
The lack of explicit information is due to the fact that most of my collaborations are under an NDA.
Context
The web communication department of one of the most important European Union institutions wanted to better understand the journalist segment of its audience.
Objectives
To have a holistic view of the needs, problems and expectations of journalists with respect to their web services, in order to be able to prioritize strategic improvements in their entire web service.
Approach
Initially, similar initiatives from previous years were reviewed to build a new proposal based on the lessons learned from the past.Lessons learned and opportunities for improvement were presented during a face-to-face participatory workshop session with 10 Officers with different functions and authority.Through a series of participatory dynamics of co-analysis and co-design, participants were provided with a format to accommodate collective interests in the new research initiative.
Output
An interview script that optimally included eight different categories of questions, answers to which would guide the work of multiple areas of the web communication department.The dynamics of the face-to-face field research were also planned. The research was conducted by a team of four researchers with +100 journalists during the two full days of a major summit of the institution.The result was a final research report presenting the findings and identified opportunities categorized by affected area.
Outcome
A final research report that facilitated multiple areas of the web communication department to identify improvement opportunities and prioritize strategic operational changes.The results, presented in comparison to learnings from previous years, facilitated the identification of patterns in changing journalist dynamics following the COVID-19 pandemic period, which continue to guide transformational efforts today.