Frequently Asked Questions

About the Model

  • No. We call it a pattern library.

    The distinguishing feature of a framework is that it offers a static structure with constraints, and flexibility only exists within the limitations imposed by the framework.

    However, the unFIX model is a pattern library, not a framework. With the patterns in the model, you can create your own method or framework. In that sense, unFIX is like LEGO. You can use it to design many different organizations.

  • We don't explicitly draw a user or customer in the unFIX model because everything in it exists to serve users and customers. Every Crew is there to offer value to users or customers, either internally or externally.

    See the blog post, “Where is the Customer? Everywhere!

  • We don’t believe it is. Everything in the unFIX model is optional. You only use what you need because nothing is mandatory. However, to enable many different designs and to allow companies to survive in different environments, a pattern library needs to offer many options.

    See the blog post, “Increase Simplicity, Embrace Variety

  • The unFIX model was published in January 2022. You will understand that it’s a bit early to say which companies have found this model, experimented with it, and reported back to us with their successes (or failures). We just got started!

    However, multiple companies have already contacted us, saying, “What you’ve drawn in the unFIX picture is almost exactly how we operate!” And indeed, we have a few interesting case studies.

  • We believe there is always room for more and better guidance. Different tools suit different purposes and are useful in different contexts.

  • Check out the series of blog posts we offer with several comparisons.

  • We wanted a simple, but strong name. Jurgen began with the letters ‘I’ for ‘Innovation’ and ‘X’ for ‘Experience’ and tried to think of words he could make out of them. FIX maybe? Framework for Innovation and Experience? But no, it is not a framework. It is an un-framework, like an unconference is not a conference. So he came up with unFIX: the un-framework for Innovation and experience. We immediately liked the name as in "unfixing" organizations = make them less rigid and less structured. On top of that, the domain name was for sale. We were lucky!

  • Everyone can (and should) talk about the unFIX model and start experimenting.

    To help us better understand where and why unFIX is used, we invite you to tell us about it.

    Regarding exercises: Everyone can run an exercise during his workshop, as long as this is not called an “Official unFIX Workshop.” Also, read the faq “Can I use the materials in my workshop“, as the exclusive material is a benefit for our paying partners (Sapphire or Diamond can download them via the community portal).

About Partnerships

  • As an Official Partner, you have the right to represent the unFIX brand to your clients, attend exclusive meetups for partners, and run unFIX Foundation workshops with the official courseware materials. You also have exclusive access to our core team and the downloads for partners.

    For a full list of benefits, see our Membership page.

  • It is very simple. Go to the membership page, choose your preferred partnership level, and begin the order process. You get full access to everything after we have received your payment.

    There is no certification process for partners. However, we do have a Qualification Program that members and partners can use to learn about unFIX, participate in the community, and distinguish themselves in the market. This program is optional.

  • Use the partnership order form and indicate how many licenses you want to have. Make sure to include the names and email addresses of all the people that should have access to our systems, exclusive meetups, and downloads.

  • You can pay the annual fee per month, per quarter, or per half-year. Note, however, that partial payments come with a surcharge. Please make your selection in the order form.

  • Our core team will make sure you are personally invited to upcoming meetups from the moment we have received payment for your partnership. If you are unsure about an upcoming event, contact our team and ask for assistance.

  • You can find exclusive downloads for partners in our Circle community. You need to sign up at this community first, and then we need to give you the correct permissions. If this isn’t done properly yet, let us know, and we will fix it.

    If you see "This is a private space", it means you are not yet a member of the Circle community.

    Take notice: it is possible that you signed up at the Circle platform, but somehow you did not enroll as a member of our community. Make sure that you sign up specifically for the unFIX community and not only at the Circle platform itself.

  • You can chat with other Offical Partners on our exclusive Telegram channel. You receive a link for that in our welcome email. There is also the Circle community, for which you need to sign up first, and then we can give you the correct permissions. If this isn’t done properly yet, let us know, and we will fix it. If you see "This is a private space", it means you are not yet a member of the Circle community.

    There is also the Slack community and the LinkedIn group, although both do not offer exclusive channels for partners only.

  • Badges for Official Partners are available in the updates section on Circle for Sapphire and Diamond partners.

  • We offer discounts to Official Partners that apply across all offerings of The unFIX Company and its joint ventures (conferences, webshop, workshops, etc.).

    • 15% discount for Diamond partners

    • 10% discount for Sapphire partners

    In some cases, a joint venture (such as the webshop) will offer a discount code directly; in other cases, the discount is received as a credit note and paid out afterward by the core team at The unFIX Company. Please contact the team for details on specific offerings.

About the Community

  • As a Community+ member, you have the right to attend exclusive meetups for members, and you also have exclusive access to our core team and the downloads for partners.

    For a full list of benefits, see our Membership page.

  • It is very simple. Go to the membership page, choose the Community+ level, and begin the order process. You get full access to everything after we have received your payment.

    There is no certification process for Community+ members. However, we do have a Qualification Program that members and partners can use to learn about unFIX, participate in the community, and distinguish themselves in the market. This program is optional.

  • Use the membership order form and indicate how many licenses you want to have. Make sure to include the names and email addresses of all the people that should have access to our systems, exclusive meetups, and downloads.

  • You can pay the annual fee per month, per quarter, or per half-year. Note, however, that partial payments come with a surcharge. Please make your selection in the order form.

  • Our core team will make sure you are personally invited to upcoming meetups from the moment we have received payment for your partnership. If you are unsure about an upcoming event, contact our team and ask for assistance.

  • You can find exclusive downloads for members in our Circle community. You need to sign up at this community first, and then we need to give you the correct permissions (if you are a Community+ member). If this isn’t done properly yet, let us know, and we will fix it.

    If you see "This is a private space", it means you are not yet a member of the Circle community.

    Take notice: it is possible that you signed up at the Circle platform, but somehow you did not enroll as a member of our community. Make sure that you sign up specifically for the unFIX community and not only at the Circle platform itself.

  • There is the Circle community, for which you need to sign up first, and then we can give you the correct permissions (if you are a Community+ member). If this isn’t done properly yet, let us know, and we will fix it. If you see "This is a private space", it means you are not yet a member of the Circle community.

    There is also the Slack community and the LinkedIn group, although both do not offer exclusive channels for Community+ members only.

About the Workshops

  • You can schedule and offer unFIX Foundation workshops if you are an Official Partner. As an unFIX partner, you have the right to run unlimited unFIX Foundation workshops with the official courseware materials.

    After signing up as a partner, you get access to all courseware materials and cards. We also add you as a facilitator for the unFIX brand on WorkshopButler. Then, it's just a matter of scheduling a class in WorkshopButler and announcing it in the community and on social media.

  • Links to all explanatory pages and blog posts are underneath the first page in the slide decks of the unFIX Foundation courseware.

    We also suggest:

  • We help with the marketing and promotion of all workshops of our Official Partners by offering an events list on our website and by sending the agenda of all upcoming events in our weekly newsletter.

    If you have a specific promotion available for your workshop (such as an exclusive discount or something else worth mentioning), you can always contact our team.

  • No. At this time, we allow our Official Partners to offer an unlimited number of unFIX Foundation classes without us charging a fee per class. (However, because we pay for individual events in WorkshopButler on behalf of our Official Partners, we may need to set a cap on this in the future.)

  • As an Official Partner, you get access to WorkshopButler. You can use this tool to organize registrations, ask for evaluations, and generate Certificates of Attendance.

  • As an Official Partner, you get access to WorkshopButler. You can use this tool to organize registrations, ask for evaluations, and generate Certificates of Attendance.

  • We offer the original unFIX Foundation courseware slides in the courseware section for Official Partners in our Circle community. If you don’t have access (yet) to the downloads, please ask our team for assistance.

  • We offer translations of the original unFIX Foundation courseware slides in the courseware section for Official Partners at our community portal. If you don’t have access (yet) to the downloads, please ask our team for assistance. Currently French, German, Spanish and Portuguese translations of the Foundation Workshop are available.

  • We normally select Official Partners as language coordinators.

    We want translations to be managed by one coordinator who makes sure that everything is consistent. We have bad experiences with translators making incomplete translations and translations of games that are not exactly the same as translations of courseware slides and vice versa. This is confusing for everyone. A translation coordinator makes sure that everything is translated and that all translations are consistent with each other.

    Let us know if you will join as an Official Partner and offer yourself as a language coordinator of both cards and courseware materials.

  • It is to the benefit of everyone when the unFIX community grows with more people learning from each other. For this reason, we kindly request that you do not share PDF files, presentations, and Miro templates with people outside the community. Instead, please refer them to this community and let them sign up (for free).

    However, if you are an Official Partner, it is your decision how to use the unFIX materials. To increase your value as a coach or consultant, we definitely encourage you to share unFIX materials with your clients. The only exception to this is the original PowerPoint versions of cards and courseware, which should remain exclusive to Official Partners only.

About the Materials

  • You can order cards from our webshop.

  • You can download cards from the community. Official Partners have access to original files that are ready for professional printing. Other community members will have to figure out their own best approach to printing.

    The core team has their own unFIX cards printed at PeterPrint.nl (only in Dutch, sorry) with the following specifications:

    • Product: card set

    • Format: 80mm x 80mm

    • Paper: "Sulfaatkarton enkelzijdig gestreken"

    • Weight: 350 grams

    • Print: double-sided full colour (4/4)

    • Lamination: single-sided

    • Corners: rounded (5mm radius)

    • Packaging: bundled

  • We offer translations of the original unFIX cards in the cards section for Official Partners in our Circle community. We also offer public versions of the translated cards to the community. If you don’t have access (yet) to the downloads, please ask our team for assistance.

  • We normally select Official Partners as language coordinators.

    We want translations to be managed by one coordinator who makes sure that everything is consistent. We have bad experiences with translators making incomplete translations and translations of games that are not exactly the same as translations of courseware slides and vice versa. This is confusing for everyone. A translation coordinator makes sure that everything is translated and that all translations are consistent with each other.

    Let us know if you will join as an Official Partner and offer yourself as a language coordinator of both cards and courseware materials.

  • If you are a Diamond Partner, we give you access to the original PowerPoint files of all the cards, and you can do anything you want with them.

  • We cannot stop someone from using the free materials on our public website for running workshops. So, go ahead. :-)

    However, it is not allowed to use our exclusive, downloadable materials (cards or slides) in any workshop except free, public meetups and in-company sessions (without external facilitators).

    To use our cards and slides in any other context (including paid workshops and facilitated in-company sessions), and to call them official unFIX events and generate unFIX certificates, we encourage you to join us as a partner and support us in our work to develop the unFIX model further.

About Qualification

  • Except for “Certificates of Attendance” for participating in workshops, we offer no certification process.

    However, we do have a Qualification experiment that members and partners can use to learn about unFIX, participate in the community, and distinguish themselves in the market. This program is optional.

“When you try to be everything to everyone, you accomplish being nothing to anyone.”

(Source: “Can a Tool Be Complete?”)