While the news is full of partisan politics, an alternative model is emerging for how to make progress in addressing large scale challenges: collaborative networks. Through network initiatives, parts of a system can come together, find common ground, and pursue solutions and collective action from those points of agreement. The Energy Action Network (EAN) in… Read more
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Words of Wisdom…Quotes that Lead in New Directions
True to the name of our business – New Directions – we look for the maps, ideas, and ways of seeing and working together that can enable us to create a thriving future distinct from the harmful ways of the past. The following is a compilation of quotes, insights, and good questions gathered along the… Read more
Collaborating to Ensure Transit-Oriented Development Works for All
The City of Somerville, close to Boston, is about to undergo the kind of land use transformation not likely to be seen again in decades, with the Green Line subway adding 6-7 new stations to Somerville neighborhoods and a new Orange Line station in Assembly Square. With this opportunity, comes the challenge of how to… Read more
Quick Way to Map Who Is in the Room
When bringing together a new group, you want to help people make new connections. A good place to start is to offer ways for them to find out who is in the room. Here is one quick technique that can be done to facilitate this. We facilitated the introductory session the the UNH/NHBSR three-day business sustainability… Read more
Collaboration Over the Long Haul: Community Revitalization in Lawrence
Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the Spiket River Greenway, a community restoration initiative in Lawrence, MA that provides an inspiring story of vision, collaboration, and persistence over decades. The tour was part of a “learning journey” organized as the kick-off event of the Great Neighborhoods Network sponsored by the MA Smart Growth… Read more
Enough Boring Meetings – A “Taster” to Explore the Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter
“I hate boring meetings!” was the way Madeline Snow from UMass Lowell explained her passion for the Art of Hosting and its techniques for convening conversations that matter. She facilitated the September meeting of the Leadership Learning Community’s Boston Learning Circle where participants had the opportunity to experience a “taster” trying out several techniques including… Read more
Enliven Your Conference Design with a Network Mindset
The way we gather and convene people can be a metaphor and an experience of what community and networks can be. Traditional conference designs leave most of the participants listening to speakers most of the day vs. interacting with each other or discovering the latent collective intelligence in the room. Often the most energizing productive… Read more
What it Takes to Create Collective Impact – 20 Questions
I recently worked with the Garfield Foundation to design and facilitate a gathering of people who specialize in collaborative networks and systemic approaches to social change. This meeting convened about a dozen experienced practitioners for two days of rich, inspiring, expansive conversations about what it takes to do this work effectively. These insights will inform… Read more
A Network vs. a Professional Membership Organization
“It’s not just about delivering content to members, it’s about the convening power to help members discover each other.” – Clay Shirky Continuing our exploration of what it means to use a network mindset in developing organizational strategies, this blog provides some guidance on how a peer to peer network is different than a traditional membership/association structure…. Read more
Blueprints for Collaboration from Nature
As someone who has long been fascinated and inspired by what we can learn by mimicking nature’s patterns, the field of permaculture feels like one I could study and practice for a life time and never run out of more to learn. Permaculture has various definitions, such as the science of resilience or how to… Read more