On May 12, 2009, British Columbia voters went to the polls. Voter turnout was dismal, and some say reflects a crisis! The day before, May11, the Obama government announced its Office of Public Engagement. The lack of engaged citizenry creates real learning opportunities. How will British Columbia respond? What does it mean to […]
Dismal BC voter turnout = opportunity for public engagement and Gov 2.0
Aboriginal ideas shape and influence our collaborative mindset
In my neck of the woods (British Columbia, Canada), how we imagine ourselves as a society owes much more than we realize to the Aboriginal people who live here (and have for a very long time), and their ideas. So goes the argument put forth by noted Canadian thinker, John Ralston Saul, in his book […]
20 Ways to physically structure your office for collaboration
Structure influences behaviour. How we design and build our offices will influence the way we work together. I just finished community expert Peter Block’s book Community: The Structure of Belonging. Combining some of the ideas presented in his book, along with a few other sources (also noted in this post), I thought it would […]
Data visualization: Another good way to tell your organization's story
A good story can give momentum to a vision or idea.One of the ways a story can do that is by making connections, and drawing relationships, between different events.To feel connected, to belong, are basic human needs.Maybe that’s why we perk up when new connections, our relationships to others, are revealed to us in a […]
Resolving conflict online vs. offline: similarities and differences
When we collaborate to address and resolve complex issues, those issues can take on a different dynamic when the conversation is online. The capacity to successfully address conflict and build consensus, in both the online and off-line worlds, has value for any organization. I’m currently working with a group of mediators; exploring ways to resolve […]