In its spring issue, the web journal Lumen dives into experimental culture and tells about its fruits.

In its spring issue, the web journal Lumen dives into experimental culture and tells about its fruits.

The journal is free to read at www.lumenlehti.fi. The main language is Finnish, but every issue also has articles in English. The editorial and column can always be read in both English and Finnish.

The experiment is about an open-minded way of thinking and testing new solutions. The experimenter is ready for the fact that reaching a successful outcome is more or less uncertain, sometimes even risky.

By experimental culture, we mean an atmosphere that encourages bringing out innovative ideas, testing them, and allowing both success and failure.

The issue’s theme editor, competence manager Marika Kunnari aptly titled her editorial Better “oh” than “what if”. According to her, the values of Lapland UAS – trust, open-mindedness and community spirit – can be understood as values expressing a strong experimental culture. In the everyday life of the university of applied sciences, many kinds of experiments are constantly being carried out. Marika Kunnari writes:

“So what kind of experiments have already been done at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences? In our operations, experimentation can mean bringing out a new kind of idea, or experimenting to change something concrete, and everything in between. It can target, for example, training content, teaching methods, reforming operating methods or prevailing practices in businesses, advancing a new R&D idea, potentially forgotten results of an already completed project or, for example, a change implemented in a work team.”

Kalle Nieminen, who works as the director of social foresight and training at Sitra, will be a guest columnist in the theme issue. He reminds us that a person doesn’t even learn to walk without trying, and sometimes falling on his butt. In other words:

“The purpose of experiments is to be the stage where you can knock your head on the corner of the table a little, take support and stumble.”

Kalle Nieminen has closely followed the experimental culture for almost 15 years. According to him, it has played a significant role in reforming society. The culture of experimentation really began to take root as part of social development when it was written into the government program ten years ago. In companies, experiments are an integral part of the innovation process. Kalle Nieminen writes:

“In addition to experimentation, however, the company utilizes other development methods aimed at innovation, such as, for example, gathering user understanding, service design, innovation sprints or hackathons. All of these, and many others, are tools with which the company strives to improve its innovation process.”

In addition to the editorial and head column, the spring issue includes 16 articles or columns two of which are written in English.

Lumen

Lumen is published as an online journal published by Lapland University of Applied Sciences three times a year. For each issue, a theme that is current especially for the North is chosen. The journal also publishes other current articles about the expert work done at the university of applied sciences.

Themes are discussed versatilely from the perspective of different research fields and industries. The articles are often the joint production of the university of applied sciences’ own specialists and those working elsewhere.

The next, sustainability-themed issue will be published in October 2024 and will be edited by Development Manager, Ph.D. Mirva Juntti. Inquiries are answered by the sub editor, communications coordinator Heli Lohi, lumenlehti(at)lapinamk.fi, phone 040 524 9836.