Blog
Visualization
“The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust Visualization as a pattern language helps us “see” data, stories, and themes from a different perspective. We can experience new insights when we minimize the baggage of language and look at a sketch, graph, image, […]
Rules vs. Principles
“Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt Partnerships, organizations, and communities operate best when there are agreements in place. The default agreement is a set of rules because we assume that clear and straightforward rules function best. Rules promote safety and equality. They can function well in offering protection and leveling […]
Prototyping
“The value of prototypes resides less in the models themselves than in the interactions they invite.” — Michael Schrage In today’s complex business environment, organizations are often paralyzed by the number of options and the difficulty of change. One of the best antidotes for confusion, overwhelm, and complexity is embracing the pattern language of prototyping. […]
Storytelling
Want to know how to build relational trust? Learn more about each other. Learn it through simple questions that can be tucked into the doing of work, creating workplaces that not only employ people but honor the soul in the process.” — Parker Palmer Storytelling is one of the most important pattern languages because it […]
Plurality of Purpose
You’ve read the title, and may be assuming this is another post chiding people and organizations for not being “on purpose” – for not being focused, unified, and devoted to a single purpose. The common understanding is that we need to get in a room and decide what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and […]
Canopy Gap Toolbox
“But in practice master plans fail . . . They are too rigid; they cannot easily adapt to the natural and unpredictable changes that inevitably arise in the life of a community.” — Christopher Alexander There is no single methodology that works to improve organizational relationships. Why? Because both the people who we relate […]
Building Trust
“When a living system is suffering from ill health, the remedy is found by connecting with more of itself.” –– Francisco Varela Recently we’ve been exposed to a barometer on trust, a report on trust, global conversations about trust, and a meme arising across the spectrum of institutions. Leaders are seeking answers to the questions, […]
Technology is Not the Answer
“To reap the full benefit of social technologies, organizations must transform their structures, processes, and cultures: they will need to become more open and nonhierarchical and to create a culture of trust. Ultimately, the power of social technologies hinges on the full and enthusiastic participation of employees who are not afraid to share their thoughts […]
Relationships are Complex
“The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines” — Peter Senge Esko Kilpi wrote this week about Men and Machines. He explored how “the sciences of uncertainty and complexity have helped us to understand that organizations are patterns of interaction between human beings. An enterprise that is conceptualized as a social […]
The Value of Community
“But in practice master plans fail – because they create totalitarian order, not organic order. They are too rigid; they cannot easily adapt to the natural and unpredictable changes that inevitably arise in the life of a community.” — Christopher Alexander New research confirms that organizations that are advanced in their use of communities are […]
