Change happens when rules are broken; when an upstart group of people rebel against broken systems and rote habits and try something radically different or brand spanking new; and when people have the courage, if not the audacity, to throw away failures and seek a better way to frame and reshape, if not reinvent, howContinue reading “Time to Break Some Rules”
Category Archives: Complexity
Livable Income IN a Livable Economy (Part Two: the Impacts of AI)
I wrote this after I wrote part one which is HERE. Living Wage and Livable Income are not synonymous. The latter includes the former and ensures we are considering those who do not earn wages and rely on pensions and/or government income security programs. A livable economy is one that benefits society as a whole,Continue reading “Livable Income IN a Livable Economy (Part Two: the Impacts of AI)”
O Canada and the Mathematics of Change
I just read in the paper Canada is changing its national anthem to make it gender neutral though I prefer “gender inclusive.” Real change means changing our symbols and our icons when necessary to reflect society’s ever changing sensibilities. I imagine there will be some kafuffle about this. Traditionalists will articulate traditionalist stuff, rationalizing whereContinue reading “O Canada and the Mathematics of Change”
About Collective Impact: Types of Problems, Degrees of Change, Learning Loops, and Methods of Thinking
Collective Impact is multi-sector approach to large-scale collaboration that is authentically inclusive of citizens in its development and implementation – in particular citizens who have life-experience with the big problems or issues being addressed, such as poverty, climate change, family violence, and so many more. Collective Impact is not an approach aimed at creating programContinue reading “About Collective Impact: Types of Problems, Degrees of Change, Learning Loops, and Methods of Thinking”
Democracy is dying. Time to get to work.
I came across an article by George Monbiot (www.monbiot.com) that appeared in the Guardian this July. In this article, Monbiot writes about James McGill Buchanan, an economist influenced by neoliberalism and deeply funded by billionaire Charles Koch, the 7th wealthiest person in the world. According to Monbiot, Buchanan was an advocate for what he calledContinue reading “Democracy is dying. Time to get to work.”
Simplicity and Complexity
The top drawing suggests there is complexity to the journey from A to B. That journey requires numerous loop backs before moving forward and takes the traveler up and down and back and forth along the way until the destination is reached. Who knows the reasons why the journey was somewhat unpredictable or if thereContinue reading “Simplicity and Complexity”
Maybe there are simple solutions to complex problems.
There appears to be a common perception among some thought leaders that complex problems require complex solutions. I am not arguing against that perspective except to ask, if it is always true? In my early life as a consultant to non-profit organizations I was involved in developing software, databases primarily, that were purposed to helpContinue reading “Maybe there are simple solutions to complex problems.”
Thinking about the Charity Model and Systems Change Debate
There has been a movement afoot for the past 15 to 20 years that evolved out of a growing dissatisfaction with the charitable sector or more to the point, the Charity Model. Critics of the sector are nothing new, of course. And these criticisms are often based on unproven perceptions (e.g. there are too manyContinue reading “Thinking about the Charity Model and Systems Change Debate”
Signals of Coming Disruption
Big change doesn’t just click on. It occurs over time, starting out often as weak signals of the change to come. Sometimes it’s like the old frog in the boiling water story. Put the frog in when the water is cool and turn up the flame and eventually the frog realizes its plight, just too lateContinue reading “Signals of Coming Disruption”
Leanings toward heresy
Complex and Simple By acknowledging that societal issues and solutions are complex, do we then believe complex solutions are the only options? Is it true that a complex issue cannot have a simple solution? * Data Data is neither good nor bad. It offers no explanation and on its own cannot provide a definitive senseContinue reading “Leanings toward heresy”
Collective Impact: Watch Out for the Pendulum Swing
Collective Impact is all the rage. In my field, everyone is studying it, doing it, and lauding its virtues. Its birth is sourced from an article written a few years back in the Stanford Social Innovation Review by John Kania and Mark Kramer. The brilliance of this initial article, simply titled, Collective Impact, isn’t becauseContinue reading “Collective Impact: Watch Out for the Pendulum Swing”
