EDIT: Explore – Define – Iterate – Transform/Transfer/Transition/Translate/Thrive

EDIT is a formula you can use to put learning at the center of life and work, enabling you to convert change (変化) into transformation (変革) by writing stories of agency, purpose, growth, connection, contribution and meaning.
Andrea Konuma and I came up with the Community Action Learning cycle by translating the 4 stages of (an earlier version) of the EDIT cycle into a flow for individual reflection, ideation and experimentation supported by peer dialog, coaching and support.

EDIT starts with Explore rather than Objective (or Goal) for a reason. While setting an objective is a great way to to cue action, sometimes you sense that something isn’t quite right or that there is an opportunity you are missing, but you aren’t able to articulate it clearly enough to convert it into a useful, actionable goal. In these cases, rather than rushing to set a goal, stepping back to do some exploration (collection of data on what’s going on in your environment and/or giving attention to intuitions, feelings and even physical sensations) can help you figure out what you really care about or what is really the highest priority, given the the context. Exploration can be the difference between time wasted on a misaligned goal and time well invested in a purposeful goal as you start to take action.
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EXPLORE – Scan internally and externally, forward and backward, to find out what grabs and keeps your attention.
DEFINE – Narrow your focus to one clearly-articulated problem/opportunity or set of problems/opportunities that seems worthy of an investment of energy and other resources.
ITERATE – Cycle systematically through a series of experiments to clarify what you are able to achieve and the best way(s) to achieve it.
TRANSFORM/TRANSFER/TRANSITION/TRANSLATE/THRIVE – Pause periodically to savor the experience of learning and assess what to do next:
– move from iterative pilot to standard personal practice or transformational rollout to others, or
– continue to iterate and adjust your experiments to hone your formula, or
– shift to a new transformational focus
EDIT: A formula you can use to convert change (変化) into transformation (変革) by writing stories of agency, purpose, growth, connection, contribution and meaning
© Dana Cogan, 2025, all rights reserved.