Change & Transformation

Transformational skills for sustainable development

Discover the IDG Framework and how Mannaz helps organisations build the capabilities required for successful transformation. The framework's five interconnected categories strengthen the capacity to lead sustainable development and deliver enduring change.

19 September 2026
Line Thatt Jensen, Client Director

Article

Inner Development Goals – a framework for growing yourself and your organisation

The skills and capabilities needed to create sustainable impact.

The Inner Development Goals (IDG) is a research-based framework presenting 5 categories with 23 skills and capabilities, critical to succeed with sustainable transformations. The 5 categories create a comprehensive framework that shows how we need to develop both cognitive, emotional and relational skills to succeed in working with complex challenges.

Explore the five categories:

Being
Thinking
Relating
Collaborating
Acting

The skills and capabilities needed to create sustainable impact | Inner development goals

Being – Relationship to self

The aspect of Being is about self-awareness and self-leadership. By understanding ourselves at a deeper level, we can be more present, intentional and non-reactive when we face complexity.

The Being-category compromises areas such as:

Inner compass: Having a deeply felt sense of responsibility and commitment to values and purposes relating to the good of the whole.
Integrity and authenticity: A commitment and ability to act with sincerity, honesty and integrity.
Openness and learning mindset: Having a basic mindset of curiosity and a willingness to be vulnerable and embrace change and grow.
Self-awareness: Ability to be in reflective contact with own thoughts, feelings and biases; having a realistic self-image and ability to regulate oneself.
Presence: Ability to be in the here and now, without judgement and in a state of open-mindedness.

Examples of what Mannaz can help you with:

Emotional Intelligence trainings: Through a concept called the Inner Qualities of Leadership, Mannaz offers practical trainings that provide participants with science-based practices to develop emotional intelligence competencies such as focus, self-awareness, impulse-control as well as empathy.
Applied mindfulness: With a secular and scientific approach, Mannaz offers a wide range of ways to integrate mindfulness practices in work-life settings to support greater presence and resilience.
Personality assessments and coaching: We have experienced consultants certified in a wide array of assessments tools such as Lumina Spark, Hogan, Leadership Versatility Index, Insight, EQi, MBTI, and more. Through individual coaching we can support leaders in deepening their self-awareness and accelerate their development.
Tailored solutions as well as open courses: Mannaz design solutions based on each organisation’s unique needs. But for individuals, we also offer open courses. Below are examples from our Danish course portfolio relating to the aspect of Being (some courses can also be made available in English on demand): Personligt Lederskab, Mentaltræning og stress, Meditation og mindfulness.

Thinking – Cognitive skills

Developing our cognitive skills is about practicing taking different perspectives, challenging our assumptions and making sense of the world as an interconnected whole. With a systemic approach we enhance our ability to take decision that are beneficial long-term and good for the whole.

The Thinking-category compromises areas such as:

Critical thinking: Skills in critically reviewing the validity of views, evidence, and plans.
Complexity awareness: Understanding of and skills in working with complex and systemic conditions and causalities.
Perspective skills: Skills in seeking, understanding, and actively making use of insights from contrasting perspectives.
Sense-making: Skills in seeing patterns, structuring the unknown and being able to consciously create stories.
Long-term orientation and visioning: Long-term orientation and ability to formulate and sustain commitment to visions relating to the larger context.

Examples of what Mannaz can help you with:

Systems based process facilitation: Mannaz has a long experience with supporting clients in structuring, planning and facilitating strategy and change processes. We take a systems-based approach and make sure relevant stakeholders feel involved and diverse perspectives are brought into the decision process.
Tailored solutions as well as open courses: Mannaz design solutions based on each organisation’s unique needs. But for individuals, we also offer open courses. Below are examples from our Danish course portfolio relating to the aspect of Being (some courses can also be made available in English on demand): Proceskonsultentuddannelsen, Strategisk lederuddannelse, Mannaz strategiuddannelse.

Relating – Caring for others and the world

The aspect of Relating is about strengthening our sense of connection with others as a prerequisite for better collaboration. By making conscious efforts to understand others, their reality and their needs, we connect more deeply and care more. This can include colleagues, other cultures or even the biosphere. Feeling more connected lays the foundation for creating more just and sustainable systems and societies for everyone.

The Relating-category compromises areas such as:

Connectedness: Having a keen sense of being connected with and/or being a part of a larger whole, such as a community, humanity, or global ecosystem.
Humility: Being able to act in accordance with the needs of the situation without concern for one’s own importance.
Empathy and compassion: Ability to relate to others, oneself and nature with kindness, empathy, and compassion and address related suffering.
Appreciation: Relating to others and to the world with a basic sense of appreciation, gratitude, and joy.

Examples of what Mannaz can help you with:

Compassionate Leadership: Compassion is not about being nice, but to be able to open to other people’s needs, while standing up for our own point of view. In Mannaz we have long experience with training leaders in having a “strong back and a soft front”. This approach supports creating teams where people feel safe and empowered.
Bias conscious leadership: Our onconscious biases can create barriers for connection and effective collaboration. Mannaz offers experienced consultants who have researched and worked extensively with the topic in many organisationer.
Tailored solutions and open courses: Mannaz design solutions based on each organisation’s unique needs. But for individuals, we also offer open courses. Below are examples from our Danish course portfolio relating to the aspect of Being (some courses can also be made available in English on demand): Inkluderende lederskab, Kommunikation og konflikthåndtering.

Collaborating – Social skills

To create sustainable solutions that are beneficial for all, we need to collaborate well together with others.This require abilities for facilitation, to develop inclusive workplaces and to be able to co-create with stakeholders with different values, skills, and competencies.

The Collaborating-category compromises areas such as:

Trust and psychological safety: Ability to establish and maintain trusting relationships and create an atmosphere of psychological safety where all views and opinions can be heard.
Communication skills: Ability to really listen to others, to foster genuine dialogue, to advocate own views skillfully, to manage conflicts constructively and to adapt communication to diverse groups.
Co-creation skills: Skills and motivation to build, develop and facilitate collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, characterized by psychological safety and genuine co-creation.
Inclusive mindset and intercultural competence: Willingness and competence to embrace diversity and include people and collectives with different views and backgrounds.
Mobilization skills: Skills in inspiring and mobilizing others to engage in shared purposes.

Examples of what Mannaz can help you with:

Trainings and processes around equality, diversity, and inclusion: Equality, diversity and inclusion is a topic that is close to our heart, and we have a number of experts in our faculty team. We support clients with assessments, trainings as well as process faciliatation.
Change leadership and design thinking: We can support our clients in planning and facilitating innovation processes involving multiples stakeholders. We work from a system-based approach where we emphasise collecing data and input from many and diverse sources to support better decisions and ownership.
Tailored solutions and open courses:
Mannaz design solutions based on each organisation’s unique needs. But for individuals, we also offer open courses. Below are examples from our Danish course portfolio relating to the aspect of Being (some courses can also be made available in English on demand): Designtænkning, Lederen som facilitator af innovation og forandring, Agil ledelse.

Acting – Driving change

To move from good intentions to real action and sustainable impact requires challenging cultural assumptions and breaking old habit patterns. Qualities such as courage and optimism help us acquire true agency, generate original ideas and act with persistence even when the outcome is uncertain.

The Acting-category compromises areas such as:

Courage: Ability to stand up for values, make decisions, take decisive action and, if needed, challenge and disrupt existing structures and views.
Creativity: Ability to generate and develop original ideas, innovate and being willing to disrupt conventional patterns.
Optimism: Ability to sustain and communicate a sense of hope, positive attitude, and confidence in the possibility of meaningful change.
Perseverance: Ability to sustain engagement and remain determined and patient even when efforts take a long time to bear fruit.

Examples of what Mannaz can help you with:

Strategy implementation processes: Turning a new strategy into reality requires time and relevant involvement. Mannaz helps clients structure, plan and facilitate strategy implementations where leaders and team members feel involved and can take ownership for the new strategy.
Facilitating transformations towards greater sustainability: A topic such as sustainability can feel overwhelming. Through a structured and involving process, we help our clients approach sustainability in practical and realistic steps which can help create a positive momentum in the organisation.
Working with immunities to change: Drawing on the work of Professor Robert Kegan, we support individuals and teams in mapping what keeps them from moving forward toward their aspirations. By uncovering limiting assumptions and competing commitments, we open the way for new creativity and a positive development.
Tailored solutions and open courses:
Mannaz design solutions based on each organisation’s unique needs. But for individuals, we also offer open courses. Below are examples from our Danish course portfolio relating to the aspect of Being (some courses can also be made available in English on demand): Strategiudvikling – fra analyse til strategi, Implementering af bæredygtighed og ESG i organisationen, Digital Transformation, Masterclass – for ledere.

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Contact

If you want help to strengthen your organisation’s inner development, there are plenty of options. Visit Mannaz.com – Inner Development Goals or check out Innerdevelopmentgoals.org. The IDG initiative is a completely open community with room for everyone!