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3. Learning objectives and learning formats of the TANGO-W curriculum

For the purpose of describing a TANGO-W curriculum to support the joint learning of transformative researchers and community project leaders, the question arises as to the intersection of requirements that equally affect both professional groups.

This intersection relates on the one hand to the development of social and leadership skills and project management knowledge and on the other hand to the development of systemic attitudes and methods for the co-creative management of transformation projects.

3.1. General UTC learning objectives for both professional groups at a glance

The representatives of both professional groups

(...) have very good, function-specific know-how to fulfil their core tasks in the municipalities or research organisations.
(...) have strong interpersonal and leadership skills as well as knowledge of the management instruments, methods and tools used in the respective region.
(...) have basic knowledge of project management and the PM tools and methods used in the scientific community or in the respective municipality.
(...) have professional attitudes and methods for co-creative governance of transformation projects by
- Understand the systemic world view and its basic paradigms.
- Know methods of context governance and systemic intervention methods and can apply them from their respective roles in the joint governance of transformation projects.

3.2. Systemic learning objectives for co-creative governance of transformation projects

The representatives of both professional groups

(...) know and understand the systemic world view of living systems as a "non-trivial machine" (Förster, H.v. 1998) in contrast to mechanistic "input-output" management models and can realistically assess the possibilities and limits of joint governance.
(...) know different models to explain "change and transformation" and understand their own personal behaviour patterns in dealing with change processes
(...) know the basic attitudes of the systemic paradigm such as "constructivism", "subjectivity of cognition", "self-reflexivity", "non-linear thinking in causal cycles", "impartiality", "construct neutrality" and "change neutrality" etc.
(...) know the transformative governance instruments (social/temporal/content architectures) and can assess their benefits for co-creative governing of transformation projects based on practical experience
(...) know the formats "participatory city foresight" and "supervisory community of practice" and their benefits for supporting sustainable learning and transformation processes.
(...) have varying degrees of detailed knowledge of systemic management tools such as
- for circular order clarification
- to the systemic loop
- to conceptualise, implement and adapt systemic instruments of context governance such as social and temporal architectures for transformation processes.
- Systemic methods (circular questions, scaling questions, questions about exceptions, paradoxical questions, miracle questions, structural constellations, role plays, working with rituals, etc.)

3.3. TANGO-W curriculum – A journey through the world of transformative governance

The TANGO-W curriculum aims to give researchers and municipal project managers an insight into future challenges and current developments in municipalities and research areas, while raising their awareness of urgent and long-term needs for action and new role requirements for civil servants and researchers. Three webinars aim to reach as wide an audience as possible.

The curriculum is intended as an invitation to people from both worlds who are open to learning and change to actively pursue their curiosity about the HOW of shaping change processes. At its core, it is about awakening joy and enthusiasm for the task of building coalitions of change and the joint, systemic co- governing of municipal change processes and winning people over to embark on a personal learning journey towards professionalisation as transformative, municipal project leaders and researchers. A f2f seminar on the introduction to transformative governance, including experimenting with transformative governance formats, aims to provide initial insights into the topic and thus enable participants to decide for or against a personal learning journey.

Image 1: TANGO-W Curriculum "TRANSFORMATIVE GOVERNANCE" as "LEARNING JOURNEY" (Source: D. Wilhelmer November 2024)

Once the personal decision has been made and personal development goals have been defined as orientation cornerstones, the first step is to understand the challenges facing local authorities and research organisations against the backdrop of accelerated change and their impact on personal role design. The first half of the personal learning journey (two seminar modules) concludes with modelling the limits and possibilities of sustainable role design in one's own work context and defining corresponding learning objectives.

The second half of the personal learning journey then consists of immersion in the attitudes of the systemic world view and familiarisation with and experimental application of systemic governance architectures and intervention methods. Concrete examples from the practice of the participants (two seminars) always serve as practice contexts.

The learning journey is then evaluated in a final, joint evaluation seminar in which the participants compare their learning successes with their learning objectives and formulate further implementation projects and learning objectives.

Four formats are used on this learning journey:

ONLINE OUTREACH (3 webinars)
One-hour webinars with the opportunity to reach the widest possible European audience.
OPENING and CLOSING the LEARNING PROCESS (1 seminar each)
One "Getting to know each other and introductory seminar" and one "Evaluation" seminar as an opportunity to design and evaluate a personal learning process against the background of your own practical experience and transformative tasks in your own work context.
The LEARNING PROCESS with 4 seminars
The learning journey itself with 4 (training off the job) f2f seminars to expand the understanding of complex change processes in one's own working environment and intervention options for dealing with them.
TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICAL PROJECTS
Practical support for off-the-job training measures in which transformation projects are set up and carried out under supervised learning or transformative tasks are taken on temporarily in modern administrative departments.

3.4. The TANGO-W learning journey as a prototype for European educational institutions

We assume that objectives 1 - 3 (function-specific knowledge, social and leadership skills, project management methods) are already successfully covered by established training l dungs organisations in the 27 EU member states. Taking up these learning objectives and content in a TANGO-W curriculum would be dysfunctional in our view.

Conversely, the systemic, co-creative governance of transformation processes by communal project managers and transformative researchers has not yet been offered by universities and/or research organisations throughout Europe, neither for municipalities nor for research organisations.

And it is precisely this gap that the TANGO-W curriculum addresses with its programme: The table below provides an overview of the 4 formats and their modules, learning objectives and content, thus describing a prototypical curriculum for transformative governance. As a prototype model, this curriculum is intended to invite national and European educational organisations to set up a TANGO-W-oriented course in their own organisation or to use individual elements to expand existing curricula.

3.5. Description of learning formats, modules and objectives over time

FORMAT (1): UTC-WEBINARE ("Urban Transformative Capacity")
Type	Open online course
Target group	Municipal project leaders; transformative researchers from the 27 EU countries;
Objectives	To sensitise both professional groups to the necessity of transformation projects and the associated new requirements for municipal project managers and transformative researchers
Note	These seminars were designed and organised as part of the TANGO-W project. They are available for download on the TANGO-W website.
CONTENTS 3 one-hour WEBINARS on the following topics What does UTC mean and why is it important for your city? UTC in practice: How does co-creative governance of transformation projects work in practice? Foresight processes and community of practices as supporting formats for sustainable learning and change processes

FORMAT (2): Introduction to TRANSFORMATIVE GOVERNANCE
Type	Taster seminar on systemic-co-creative management of transformation projects.
Target group	Ideally municipal project managers and their research partners; however, seminars for specific professional groups are also possible.
Objectives	Introduction to the systemic co-creative governance of transformation projects: Building on previous experience and knowledge; identifying learning objectives and open questions; conveying the systemic attitude in dealing with change; piloting the systemic cocreative governance of transformation projects. Transformative governance tools for project planning; understanding the benefits of context governing for the success of transformative research projects.
Duration	The content material can be offered by the organiser as part of a two-day block event, five evening units or two evening units and one day event. It is possible to select specific content and schedule its implementation accordingly.
Note	These seminars were designed and organised as part of the TANGO-W project. They are available for download on the TANGO-W website.
CONTENTS No change without irritation: Explanatory models for change and its effects for the right time to set up transformation projects. Personal history of dealing with change: previous experience - previous knowledge – open questions. Possibilities and limits of controllability: The systemic attitude in dealing with change and prerequisites for successful municipal transformations. A new approach to urban development: social innovation for more social justice and less climate change Understanding and piloting transformative governance instruments using the example of project development (social/ temporal architectures) Good & bad Practices from the TANGO-W project (case vignettes) Practical guide for municipal project managers and transformative researchers Define personal learning goals and a personal learning journey.

FORMAT (3): Transformative Governance LEARNING JOURNEY "Co-creative gover¬ning of transformation projects"
Type	Curriculum in the sense of a learning process that builds on one another in stages
Target group	Ideally, municipal project managers and their research partners; however, seminars specific to professional groups are also possible
Objectives	Understanding one's own working context and its role requirements in changing times; Understanding and shaping one's own role from the perspective of future challenges; Defining personal learning goals and organising a personal learning journey; Knowing the world view and attitude of systemic counselling and being able to apply it in the community and research context; Knowing and practising the context governance instruments (social/temporal/content architectures) and systemic intervention methods; Practising and evaluating practical implementation experiences; Evaluating and concluding the personal learning journey.
Duration	Approx. 7 days spread over half days, evenings or weekend block events
Note	Modules 4 and 5 can be taken from systemic counselling training courses. Seminar series cannot be realised within the framework of research projects but can only be offered by educational institutions as a complement to them.

CONTENTS Module 1 - "Mutual understanding of work contexts ..."

The major challenges for small, medium-sized and large cities of the future
Core functions of resilient cities and their role as drivers of sustainable change
Transformation projects at the interface between public administration and research
The history of the development of public administration and new role requirements for civil servants
The development history of research and new role requirements for transformative researchers

CONTENTS Module 2 - "Setting up the personal learning journey..."

Legal certainty and transformation as core tasks of public administration
Practical guidelines for municipal clients/project managers and consulting researchers
Transformative areas of expertise for civil servants and researchers ("social skills & leadership", "project management", "transformative governance")
Self-assessment of personal abilities / skills and definition of personal learning goals
Developing a personal learning journey through the different areas of expertise and setting up PEER learning groups
Definition of practical projects

CONTENTS Module 3 - "World view and attitude of systemic counselling"

Foundations of constructivism and subjectivity of knowledge",
Limits and possibilities of governing transformation processes.
The observer observes himself while observing: Circuits of action and the significance of personal self-reflexivity (2nd order cybernetics) as a governance instrument.
Benefits of the neutral stance in relation to people (groups), content and the claim to change.

CONTENTS Module 4 - "Instruments and interventions for managing transformative projects"

Tasks and requirements for the "coalition of change" between municipal project managers and transformative researchers
Opening and closing transformation processes between PRESENT and OBJECTIVE (future)
Practical use of transformative governance instruments in project planning (social/temporal/content architectures)
Overview of systemic interventions such as circular order clarification, systemic loop, context governance, systemic questions (circular questions, scaling questions, questions about exceptions men, paradoxical questions, miracle questions, structural constellations, systemic sculptures, rituals, role plays, drawings, etc.).
Practising systemic interventions in practical cases

CONTENTS Module 5 - "Evaluation of the personal learning journey"

Reflection on the different learning steps and acquired skills and knowledge.
Outlook for further implementation projects

FORMAT (4): Practical Project Phase
Type	On-the-job training in research projects or completion of a trainee programme in resilient cities or transformative research institutions
Target group	Ideally municipal project managers and their research partners; possibly also civil servants or researchers with the task of managing or counselling on a transformative project
Objectives	Professionalisation through application of what has been learned in different European or international, municipal or research contexts
Start/end	The practical phase can begin before the learning journey and take place alongside it. However, it starts at the latest when the personal learning journey is set up and a personal practical project is defined.
Duration	1 year to 3 years (duration of a research project)
Tasks	Municipal leadership and collaboration in a multi-year, transformative research project, building coalitions/partnerships for change with different cities and research organisations; participation in regular supervision and intervision sessions
Comment	The TANGO-W project was set up as a "learning by doing" format; supervised online & f2f CoPs supported the step-by-step learning and implementation rungs pro process
CONTENTS "Practice supervision" Regular supervision of practical projects in PEER groups with regard to - Implementation of systemic intervention methods in different contexts - Experimenting with new intervention options in different practical contexts Evaluation and further development of transformative governance formats - On the co-creative-systemic governance of transformative processes by municipal project managers and researchers

Table 5: Tango-W Curriculum "Transformative Governance" (Source: Doris Wilhelmer 2024)