Collaborators Partners | North American Network | European Network | Advisors Jean Russell (@nurturegirl) Jean Russell is a facilitator and social ecosystem designer. As your guide to a thrivable world, Jean takes entrepreneurs, social innovators, and business builders on tours of network culture. “Jean Russell is a visionary poet and master of network dynamics. Convinced the crucial roadblock to flourishing is collaboration, Jean is driven by curiosity about how each of us can work (and play) better together to make things that matter. motivation, persuasion, and influence (trained in neuro-linguistic programming and coaching)flows and risk analysis (via international finance),how to make a difference (specifically philanthropy – as co-founder of donor education leader, Inspired Legacies, as well as social entrepreneurship coach and advisor)methods of collaboration (facilitation of small groups and in the tech world designing online community spaces with game dynamics). Art Brock | Kevin A.
The New Organization Model: Learning at Scale - John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison | 6:03 PM March 11, 2009 In recent posts we’ve described a massive institutional transformation that will occur as part of the big shift: the move from institutions designed for scalable efficiency to institutions designed for scalable learning. The core questions we all need to address are: who will drive this transformation? Who will be the agents of change? Used to be institutional leaders were the only ones who could change institutions. Now we have a new infrastructure, a digital infrastructure creating near-constant disruption. They wield this power from two directions: as customers and as talent. The less obvious part has to do with talent. That’s because a rapid rate of innovation cannot be programmed from above. In fact, in a time of recession, individuals will feel even more pressure to improve their talent, and will therefore intensify their pressure on institutions.
Thrivable - Thrivable How to Bring the Core to the Edge - John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison | 6:10 PM February 6, 2009 As the deep forces underlying the big shift accelerate the world around us, many people feel a certain helplessness. Are markets, industries, and even whole economies descending into chaos? Recent financial market turmoil only heightens the fear. Are sudden and nonlinear shifts outrunning our ability to make sense of a chaotic world? Chaos is always frightening. We believe there is a sense-making pattern that can help us understand how change takes place in the economy. To see what we mean, let’s begin by defining our terms. The “edge” takes many forms. Edges also occur at the firm and individual levels. Why are edges so important? The edges and the core are not independent domains. However, while the incentives to connect are strong, significant barriers make knowledge flows between the edge and the core problematic. What’s the best way for companies to participate in this dynamic?
What would it take for us to thrive ? Solutions - Foster Gamble A Solution to School District Budget Cuts - Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn - Clayton Christensen by Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn | 10:08 AM June 17, 2009 In the May 29, 2009 article, “L.A. Unified School District cancels bulk of summer school programs,” the Los Angeles Times reported that because of the state’s budget woes, L.A. Although this saves costs in the short run, it creates big problems on a few fronts. Simple and mindless cuts like this often don’t make sense. Policymakers no doubt will be quick to point to various barriers to doing this–from teacher requirements and student-teacher ratio caps in California to the many agencies that would need to sign off to this and are poised to block it. But the reality is there is no reason to deny hundreds of thousands of children and their families the learning and child-care opportunities they need and hurt the state in the process by contributing toward the dropout crisis and impairing the future workforce. Punishing the students for the state’s mistakes is unfair.
Measuring Thrivability Every time I speak to an MBA class about thrivability (as I did recently), it’s only a matter of time before someone asks: how do you measure it? For some reason, it’s only MBAs who ask this. As it happens, we hosted a Thrivability Montreal conversation about this question last year, with guest speaker Kristian Gareau, who was doing research on the topic for his Master’s program. I took detailed notes that evening, but until now I hadn’t yet synthesized them into a blog post. At the conversation, we started the evening exploring the multiple faces of thrivability: · It’s a way to see your organization - as a living system that you are part of but that is more than you. · It represents a goal and an intention - to enhance life’s ability to thrive at every level (individual, organization, customer, community, biosphere). · It’s a set of practices – participatory, thoughtful, often playful, and always intentional in design. “How could we possibly measure that?” What do you think?
Scaling Edges - Summary of key design principles | Center for the Edge In 2008, consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble (P&G) wanted to create a specialized dishwashing detergent that would indicate when the right amount of soap had been added to a sink full of dirty dishes. Researchers and developers within the organization were stumped by the challenge, and unsure of how to proceed, decided to look externally for support. P&G posted the innovation challenge with the help of Innocentive, a small, unknown start-up based in Waltham, MA. Using Innocentive’s network platform, P&G described the problem and offered $30,000 to the individual who could come up with a solution. Soon, thanks to Innocentive’s network of experts, P&G had its answer. Italian chemist Giorgia Sgargetta successfully pioneered a dye which met P&G’s needs in her home laboratory. Innocentive started in 1998, when Alph Bingham and Aaron Schacht, then scientists at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, were brainstorming how the growth of the Internet would affect business. Return to the framework
The Code / Fundamental Pattern - Nature appears to rely on one core recurring pattern to evolve life at every scale – the torus What are some of the ways knowledge of the pattern is being applied? Fan and Propeller Technologies Pax Scientific has patented the application of the phi spiral for translating “nature's flow efficiencies into streamlined design geometries.” The result is more efficient and effective technologies such as fans, turbines, pumps, and more. A small phi-design propeller is able to circulate a million gallon water storage tank in the form of a torus. This avoids temperature stratification and stagnation and minimizes the need for chemical additives. “New Energy” Devices Many “New Energy” technologies are based on the pattern – they mimic the torus in order to tap energy from the space around us. Philosophy Ashok Gangadean uses the torus to blend the philosophies of East and West, transcending the old worldview where we are all just isolated entities. Non-violent Self Defense The non-violent martial art of Aikido is a philosophy with a physical expression. Collaborative Tools for Organizations