Category: community
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Designing For Ambiguity
When you introduce ambiguity, rather than control, into a system, people think for themselves and find a way to reach the right answer. Mark McArthur Christie The only traffic sign in the small northern Dutch village of Makkinga says ‘Verkeersbordvrij’ which translates as ‘free of traffic signs’. People living there have to find their own way around, […]
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Do People Really Want Community-Led Solutions?
Trust in national politics appears to be tanking across the board – both blurring and eroding traditional allegiances to the left or right. 63% of people now believe politicians are mainly in it for themselves. Most strikingly, only 5% (one in 20) believe they are in it for their country’s best interests. Does the answer […]
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From Vertical Hierarchy To Horizontal Networks: Trust Has Gone Local
The latest Edelman Trust Barometer reveals an epidemic of mistrust and misinformation. However, beyond the headlines there are some exciting possibilities for community led innovation.
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Moving Beyond Command And Control
The natural reaction of the rule maker when people start breaking the rules is not to redesign them, or seek to understand why, but to issue yet more rules.
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The Regressive Power of Labelling People As Vulnerable
The paradox of employing the term of ‘vulnerability’ is that it makes people more vulnerable.
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Can We Really Trust Communities To Use Common Sense?
There have been a few positives amidst the devastation of the COVID pandemic. One is that it has reminded us of the power of social connection. People have begun supporting and caring for one another locally, with community led groups popping up to address immediate needs in ways organisations simply can’t.
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How Can We Move From Demand Led Service In The ‘New Normal’?
In the early hours of Good Friday I found myself undergoing emergency surgery after a complication during an earlier test. Even in the midst of some pretty intense pain I was unwilling to go to hospital – a mixture of fear of contracting a certain virus and some overly optimistic thinking about my super human […]
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Putting The Needs Of The User Before The System
Are some countries more innovative than others? Certainly many have tried to measure it, with the UK being outperformed by the likes of South Korea, Israel and Finland. As the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla has said, the role of Government when it comes to encouraging innovation is crucial: “We need to make sure that […]
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The Problem With Seeing People As Vulnerable
Never mistake your Twitter feed for your country — Nick Cohen (@NickCohen4) December 12, 2019 Now, more than ever, it’s easier to exist within a bubble. We spend a lot more time communicating through screens than talking face to face. Our digital social networks are powered by algorithms designed to feed us information confirming what […]
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a short post about death
Even during the most pivotal moments of our lives we are only a few minutes away from being digitally distracted. Twelve to be precise. We check our phones for new messages every 12 minutes. Four weeks ago today we were just arriving in Ubud, Bali on day six of a planned 3 week trip. Within […]
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The Problem With Professionals
Social progress is about the expansion of freedom, not the growth of services – Cormac Russell Our digital networks, Twitter, in particular, are unparalleled listening tools. I follow thousands of accounts, many organised into lists so I can get a sense of what’s going on in innovation, technology, health, housing – and the social sector generally. […]
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Reshaping Organisations Around What’s Strong – Not What’s Wrong
“ECONOMICS ARE THE METHOD: THE OBJECT IS TO CHANGE THE SOUL” This (pretty chilling) quote comes from Margaret Thatcher in 1981 – and ushered in an era that promoted the belief that social progress is achieved through the accumulation of wealth or status. Earn more, consume more, and you’ll be happy. The legacy of this is […]
Paul Taylor 