3D constellation board: experiencing constellations in space

Open the 3D constellation board now

What is a systemic board – and what does the third dimension add?

The systemic board, also called constellation board or family board, is a board with figures on which people set up their relationships in teams, families or organisations. Distance, viewing direction and size show how relationships are experienced: who stands close to whom? Who is looking where? Who is standing on the sidelines? The method goes back to the family board developed in Hamburg in the early 1980s by Kurt Ludewig and colleagues. Today the systemic board is used in consulting, supervision, coaching and organisational development.

At a real board, clients often lean over it, walk around the table or look at the others from the height of a figure. The strongest moment of a constellation is often this change of perspective: the client imagines herself in her colleague's place and suddenly sees that from there he can only see her back. On the flat board you have to imagine this. On the 3D constellation board, the camera moves to the figure's eye level – and you can see it.

What the 3D constellation board can do

• Set up in space: square, rectangular or round board; figures can also be placed next to the board on the table – for example for what is “left out”.
• Well over a hundred figures and symbols: people in various postures, animals, plants, objects, feelings and values.
• Walk around and look: free view or fixed views from above, the front, the left, the right and behind – with the mouse or a single key.
• See through a figure's eyes: the camera at the figure's eye level, with its field of view drawn in if you wish.
• Pictures and comparison: when switching between the as-is and the solution picture, the figures move to their new places; two pictures can be shown side by side, and traces show the earlier position.
• Picture sheet: at the end, a printable overview with the constellation from above, from the front and through the eyes of each figure – including an overview of who has whom in view. It can be saved as a PDF.
• Undo and redo with large arrows, and an automatic interim save in the browser.

How to work with the 3D constellation board

1. Clarify the concernWhich system and which question is it about?
2. Choose and name figuresfor people and groups, but also for topics, goals or obstacles.
3. Set up intuitivelydistance, viewing direction and size as they feel right.
4. Look from outside and insideWhat stands out from above? What does the situation look like through the eyes of each figure?
5. Try out changesWhat changes when a figure takes a step or turns around? This is how a solution picture emerges.
6. Record the first stepThe picture sheet documents the starting and solution pictures for the time after the session.

In coaching on site and by video

In face-to-face sessions, the 3D constellation board complements the wooden board when the view from inside a figure becomes important. In coaching by video, it can take the place of the wooden board: the client sees the same constellation, and a figure can “walk” on their behalf to where they cannot go themselves. Typical occasions are conflicts in a team, new leadership roles, restructuring or decisions that affect several people. What a constellation means is decided by the client – not by the program.

2D or 3D?

Both boards use the same figures and symbols: a constellation from the flat systemic board editor (2D) can be opened on the 3D board and saved back again. The 2D board is suitable if you want to pass on the result as PowerPoint, LibreOffice Impress, Visio, SVG or PNG; the 3D board when space and the figures' perspectives are in the foreground. You can read more about the method on the page Systemic board (2D and 3D) and in the article The systemic board: constellations in 2D and 3D.

Technology and data protection

The 3D constellation board consists of a single file that runs in an up-to-date browser. The browser itself creates the 3D display; no libraries or content are loaded from the internet. All data stays on your computer – in the files you save and in the browser's cache. The tool is free of charge, available as free software under the GPL and can be used in German and English. It is a trial version that I keep developing.

More coaching tools in 3D

Following the same principle, further methods are available as walk-in 3D models: floor anchors, Dreamer – Realist – Critic, Dilts' logical levels, the U process of Theory U, social atom, inner team and lifeline. The article Coaching tools in 3D gives an overview.

In coaching, the 3D constellation board serves as a model for reflection and conversation, not as a diagnostic instrument. Coaching is an advisory activity and is not a substitute for psychotherapy. If you would like to set up a situation in your team or organisation, talk to me in a free initial consultation – you can find more about what I offer under Business Coaching and team development.

Sources: Ludewig, K.; Pflieger, K.; Wilken, U.; Jacobskötter, G. (1983): Entwicklung eines Verfahrens zur Darstellung von Familienbeziehungen: Das Familienbrett. Familiendynamik 8. – Varga von Kibéd, M.; Sparrer, I. (2000): Ganz im Gegenteil. Tetralemmaarbeit und andere Grundformen Systemischer Strukturaufstellungen. Heidelberg: Carl-Auer.