LEAF Inspiring Change

Explore - Inspire - Transform

We bring real life issues to the universe of gaming, as a way to address the challenges faced by our clients. Through playing, our clients and their partners/stakeholders have the opportunity to explore alternative realities. Combined with facilitation, this exploration fosters communication and inspires stakeholders to transform their strategies/decision making in the real world.

Concept

Wicked problems involve multiple stakeholders, that all disagree on what the problem is. They have conflicting agendas, there is uncertainty at many levels, opposing worldviews. These problems cannot be solved, no matter what amount of money one throws at them. They can only be addressed and most of us don’t know how…

What we do

We support our clients develop strategies and assist transformative change through the association of facilitation techniques and the use of strategy games relevant to the problems they face.

Who we are

We are a team of skilled experts with transdisciplinary backgrounds and intercultural experience. We believe that engaging stakeholders and fostering dialogue is critical to find lasting solutions. Through skilled facilitation and strategy (system science) games, we empower our clients and help them make better decision.

LEAF is a spin-off by ETH Zürich. It is the result of more than eight years of research in partnership between CIRAD and ETH Zurich. Read more about us in Our Story

Where we work

What people say

“It was interesting to find myself in a context different from my own and nonetheless I could very well imagine how to find solutions relevant to my problems through the game.”

Participant

Workshop in Côte d'Ivoire

“Playing the palm oil game was a real eye-opener for me. It became clear that it is so easy to get the perspective of a small-small holder very fast, like it would for every role one plays. Playing such a game can achieve a lot of understanding of different perspectives in a short time.”

Marten de Groot

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

“It is a strategy game so that actors who normally do not speak with each other can simulate what could happen in the real world.
I have seen examples where stakeholders have come out of such a game and realise: I have not understood how my practices might hurt the other, because we don't have a space to dialogue, we are too busy, we don't look at each other.”

FSC

Workshop in Côte d'Ivoire

"Serious gaming helped us explore with farmers in Ethiopia, Zambia and Ghana their decision-making processes related to land use change. LEAF coached us remotely to design and implement the game and to analyse the outcomes. Their experience, patience and flexibility enabled us to understand farmers’ land use choices in different contexts and to use the findings to engage with community leaders and local government."

Barbara Adolph

IIED

"In the beginning the game was just a game to me, but further into the dynamics, I suddenly realised that actually it represents the reality, and it was then when I realised how useful it is to talk and learn about the challenges we face in our supply chain"

Participant

Consultation Cameroon

"The game helped me to see that I - a producer - could be part of the decision-making process, and that if we come together, we can actually make a difference. The experience of the game empowered me to raise my voice. It was a transformatory experience"

Commodity producer

Consultation Cameroon